An interim manager has been appointed to run Newbury Park Masjid in Ilford, which has been the subject of a Charity Commission probe since last year amid concerns around its trustee elections and governance.

Mr Khalid Sofi of Lee Bolton Monier-Williams LLP has been asked to overhaul its governance and elections to the charity's board.

This includes running a membership recruitment campaign to ensure the local community are engaged in the process of electing board members.

He will also carry out a “comprehensive review of the charity’s governing document and taking steps to arrange for the governing document to be amended to ensure it provides the charity with a workable governing document that is easy to follow and implement”.

In addition, he will arrange for an annual general meeting to take place for members to elect trustees.

His appointment “is considered by the Commission to be the most appropriate and proportionate option to address issues within the charity during its ongoing inquiry”, said the regulator.

The Commission’s inquiry, which remains ongoing, was launched in June 2024. The regulator had asked the charity to ensure its AGM and election of trustees were held lawfully.

But the charity “failed to follow these actions and orders in full and went ahead with elections without acting on Charity Commission advice”.

Its investigation has found that most of the trustees have remained in office longer than the charity’s constitution allows.

---