Charity Commission Takes Closer Look at Victoria Hall Trust
Campaigners say their complaints have led to extra scrutiny
Victoria Hall has been closed since September 2023. Picture: Roger Green
October 14, 2026
The Charity Commission is continuing to monitor Ealing Council’s implementation of a scheme for the Victoria Hall Trust following complaints from campaigners concerned about the future of the historic building.
The Friends of the Victoria Hall (FoVH) group has welcomed what it describes as an inquiry into the Council’s handling of the Trust. However, both the Commission and the Council have disputed that description, with the regulator saying it has an ongoing “compliance case” and continues to monitor progress.
The case follows written complaints from FoVH and a meeting between the group and Commission representatives in August. The campaigners say they want the Trust’s Advisory Committee to act on court rulings concerning the proposed sale of the Victoria Hall to hotel developer Mastcraft.
A Charity Commission spokesperson said: “We made a scheme for Victoria Hall which the appeal court agreed was the only viable way forward for the charity. We continue to monitor the charity’s progress in implementing that scheme, so our compliance case is ongoing.”
The Commission authorised the scheme on 23 September 2024. An appeal against it was dismissed by the First-tier Tribunal (Charity) on 25 November 2025 but FoVH says the court proceedings raised concerns about the Council’s arrangements for the building and the extent of the property covered by the Trust. The November 2025 ruling stipulated that the Council’s attempted sale could not proceed as originally agreed and directed the Trust’s Advisory Committee to renegotiate the terms of a 2019 lease with Mastcraft and properly determine the boundaries of the Trust property.
The group argues that the Council significantly underestimated the area of Trust property in the original deal. It also says the committee has not met since December 2025 and has no further meetings scheduled until May 2027.
Roger Green, chair of FoVH, said the group was concerned that the Council was showing little sign of complying properly with the court’s rulings.
“While not necessarily happy with all the court findings over the proposed sale of the Hall, we are concerned that the Council is showing little sign of properly complying with the court’s rulings,” he said.
He called on the Advisory Committee to meet sooner and renegotiate the lease, particularly the provisions governing public access if the Victoria Hall became part of a luxury hotel development involving the rest of Ealing Town Hall.
“The Advisory Committee must get down to work and recognise the verdict of the court,” he said. “It is not bound by agreements that the Council has made and it should renegotiate the 2019 lease.”
Ealing Council rejected the suggestion that the Charity Commission had launched an inquiry into the Trust.
The spokesperson said the Commission had met members of the Victoria Hall Trust Advisory Committee the previous week as part of its ongoing statutory duties.
“The council remains focused on delivering the scheme and ensuring Victoria Hall continues serving the borough’s residents,” the spokesperson added.
The Charity Commission confirmed description of an ongoing compliance case is a normal part of the monitoring implementation of the scheme and is distinct from a statutory inquiry.
The future of the building has been contested since Ealing Council closed Ealing Town Hall, including the Victoria Hall, in September 2023 following what it described as a health and safety assessment.
FoVH wants the committee to consider reopening the hall as part of a wider strategy to revitalise Ealing town centre and support its cultural economy.
Green said: “If that happened then maybe there wouldn’t be such a need for the Council to consider eccentric and unpopular ideas like putting up a very large tent in Walpole Park.”
The reference is to the Council’s separate proposal for a Troubadour Theatre in Walpole Park.
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