Is it 'illegal' to falsely claim charitable status?

Sianybaby82

There are different types of charity some of which are not required to be registered with the charity commission for example Excepted and exempt charities.

An organisation that is set up with wholly charitable objects and for the public benefit is a charity and must follow the rules around registration.

If you have a concern about an organisation contact the Charity Commission who will be able to investigate if they feel it is appropriate.

sheramber

https://www.gov.uk/complain-about-charity

TBagpuss

Where is the public money coming from? Have you flagged your concerns with that organisation?
If this is a local council then you could also try raising your concerns with the local MP and / or the local paper

Are you concenred that the money is being misused, or is it that the meoney is being used for the stated purpose but that the group recieving it is not a registered charity?
If they are not a registered charity but are using the money for the purposes and in the way intneded, then that is very diferent to a stuation wehre they are claiming money for one (charitable) purpose but using it for other purposes or for personal gain, in which case it is a far more serious issue.

Does this group expressly claim that they are a Registered Charity, or are they simply a community group (e.g. 'Friends of St Johns Church')

Sometimes groups are not regisdtered as charities because they don't qualify - for instrnace, they may have aims which are mainly, but not wholly charitable.

I agree that the Charities Comission would be a good place to start - you can give them a bit more detail and ask them for specific advice.