Lytham Institute Recognised as a Charity, Not a Council Asset
The Executive Committee of Fylde Council met on Thursday 23 May 2024.
The Agenda for the meeting included Lytham Institute
Lytham Institute is a registered charity; the council is currently the sole trustee.
During the spring of 2022, the Charity Commission undertook formal consultation on the objectives and governance of the Lytham Institute charity and issued its decision on 13 December 2023. The Commission has developed a ‘scheme’ to replace the previous governing document and form the constitution of the charity.
The Executive Committee of Fylde council was provided with the Charity Commissions decision notice revising the charitable objectives and accompanying advice note regarding managing conflicts of interest at their 30 January 2024.
The new charitable objective of Lytham Institute is:
“To further or benefit the residents of Lytham and the neighbourhood, without distinction of sex, sexual orientation, race or of political, religious, or other opinions by providing facilities in the interests of social welfare for education, recreation and leisure time occupation, including cultural and art exhibitions, with the objective of improving the conditions of life for the residents.”
The Executive Committee on 23 May 2024 approved the adoption of the amended scheme and Conflict of Interest policy and agreed to establishment a working group to define the role of Lytham Institute trustees and to develop a process for their recruitment. The working groups recommendations are to be reported back to the Executive Committee for a further decision.
A spokesperson for Fylde Council said: “Lytham Institute is now recognised as a charity, rather than a council asset, and as such will need to re-discover its identity in the community of Lytham. One of the most fundamental decisions the Council can make as a trustee is who to appoint as fellow trustees. It is vital that these trustees are chosen based on skill, knowledge, and experience pertinent to the needs of the charity, and we will work to the Charity Commission’s best practice guidance to ensure that this is the case.”