The Charity Commission is to issue guidance to an anti-poverty charity’s trustees after receiving allegations from staff over the conduct of its interim chief executive, including allegations around “inappropriate” social media posts via his Instagram account.

In documents sent to the regulator staff raised concerns about alleged social media posts involving Matt Dronfield, the charity’s managing director of its Debt Free Advice service who is currently acting chief executive while Toynbee Hall’s permanent CEO Rebecca Sycamore is on leave.

Staff claim there has been a pattern of posts on his previously public Instagram account, which is now locked, that “were not only unprofessional but directly undermined trust in the London based charity’s safeguarding culture”.

They say the posts “contained a pattern of posts that many described as sexually suggestive, culturally insensitive, and inappropriate for someone holding senior safeguarding responsibility”.

They claim this has included the use of “sexual innuendo and emoji captions” and images of Dronfield “semi-nude, partially clothed, or in underwear, sometimes accompanied by charity branding or alongside references to Toynbee Hall and its services”.

“The fact that these posts were live while he was holding leadership and safeguarding roles is deeply alarming,” said one staff member.

Staff also claim “conflict of interest and preferential hiring practices” and “lack of accountability in governance, HR oversight, and leadership decision-making” at the charity.

They also raise concerns over the charity’s “ongoing relationship with GB News”.

Staff, who have organised themselves under a campaign group called Justice for Toynbee, object to the charity’s board of trustees not suspending Dronfield while investigations into their claims are carried out.

“We submitted these concerns in good faith to protect the integrity of Toynbee Hall and the people it serves. The refusal to act, even temporarily, sends a dangerous message about accountability, safeguarding, and the culture of silence,” claimed a representative from Justice for Toynbee.

A Charity Commission spokesperson said that the regulator has “assessed concerns about Toynbee Hall based on the information available to us and as a result we will be contacting the charity to issue the trustees with guidance”.

They added that “while we have not currently identified a further role for us at this time, if we receive any new concerns, we will assess these in line with our usual process”.

Trustees are expected to follow guidance provided by the Charity Commission and a failure to do so can lead to regulatory action.

A spokesperson for Toynbee Hall said: "We are aware of anonymous allegations. We take all such matters seriously and are following appropriate governance processes in reviewing the concerns.

“As this relates to internal staffing and governance, we will not be commenting further at this time."

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