Scottish charity register cuts 10,000 from lists

Nearly 10,000 charities have been removed from the Scottish register of charities, the latest profile of the sector published by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator revealed.

The total includes nearly 8,000 that could not be traced or failed to make contact with the regulator, and another 1,800 that were after winding up or amalgamating with another charity.

OSCR, which is responsible for maintaining the register, also published a new information about the size and make-up of the sector.

Details include that 47 per cent of registered organisations list the advancement of education as part of their purposes (a similar proportion to England).

Nearly 40 per cent of charities report that their HQ or main operations are located in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Highland or Fife. The big city bias is even more acute amongst charities with an income above £25,000, with Glasgow and Edinburgh accounting for more than 2,000 of the 7,000 charities in that category.

Income was not the only geographic variable: government funding varied widely from one local authority to another. In Inverclyde and West Dunbartonshire about 70 per cent of charities’ income came from government, while that proportion dwindled to about 10 per cent in Clackmannanshire and East Dunbartonshire.

“We are continuously seeking ways to improve the quality and breadth of the information we make available,” said Jane Ryder, OSCR’s chief executive. “We have made significant progress in this area but we intend to keep this in review.”