The Victoria Hall Trust Advisory Committee is scheduled to meet to discuss the finalisation of accounts for 2024/25, an independent building survey, and the outcome of an appeal against the Charity Commission Scheme of September 2024. The committee will make recommendations to the Cabinet Member for Thriving Communities, who will make decisions on behalf of the council as corporate trustee of the Victoria Hall Trust.

Victoria Hall Trust General Update

The Victoria Hall Trust Advisory Committee is expected to receive a general update on several matters concerning the Victoria Hall Trust, including updates on governance, a building survey, the 2024/25 accounts, and the First Tier Tribunal appeal.

Measured Building Survey

The committee is expected to note a revised independent measured building survey of Ealing Town Hall, which was commissioned to verify the extent of Trust property as a proportion of the entirety of the Town Hall. According to the public reports pack, the measurements have been agreed by both Trust and council officers as a true and accurate representation of Ealing Town Hall.

The survey confirms that the Victoria Hall and the Prince's Hall, which are undisputedly owned by the Victoria Hall Trust, together account for 938m² of floor space, representing 14.47% of the total Town Hall area. The surveyor has also measured an additional 297m² of space (4.58% of the building) that has previously been suggested as Trust property. This includes rooms behind the Victoria Hall stage, as well as certain stairwells and kitchen spaces adjacent to the halls.

The committee is expected to agree that the survey provides an independent verification to the Trustee of the floor area of the Trust property as a proportion of Ealing Town Hall. They will also be asked to authorise officers acting for the Trust to negotiate final terms with the council around lease and premium apportionment as anticipated under the Scheme by reference to these measurements, including appointing an independent valuer to verify that the Trust is receiving best consideration.

The report pack notes that the First-tier Tribunal has twice confirmed that the Mastcraft hotel agreement represents the only viable option for securing the long-term future of the Trust. The report pack says that the question of property ownership and boundaries within Ealing Town Hall is relevant solely in relation to that arrangement, particularly for determining the correct apportionment of the lease premium and rental income under the agreed terms of that deal.

2024/25 Accounts

The committee is expected to note that the Trust accounts for the reporting year 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 have been finalised and submitted to the Charity Commission.

The report pack states that the accounts were submitted unchanged from the draft documents reviewed by the committee in April. It has since been clarified that Ealing Town Hall is exempt from business rates because it is a listed building that is closed. The business rate saving will be reflected in the Trust accounts as an adjustment in the 25/26 accounting year, backdated to the point that the rates exemption was confirmed by the valuations agency.

The report pack also notes that charities with income below £25,000 per annum are not required to undergo an independent examination, and charities with income below £10,000 are not required to submit an Annual Return on a charity commission template. On this basis, the accounts for 2024/25 have not been examined, although the committee is assured that the accounts have been prepared using the same methodology as was the case for previous years where an independent examination was completed.

The Trust property has been closed throughout the 2024/25 reporting period, which has limited the opportunity for the Trust to accrue any income. The accounts indicate a marginal cost in the reporting period of £1,798, which is the net position, noting that an adjustment has been made to reimburse the charity £102,018 for the costs of participating in the earlier Charity Commission appeal.

The Scheme and First Tier Tribunal appeal

The committee is expected to note that the First-tier Tribunal dismissed the appeal against the Charity Commission Scheme of September 2024.

According to the report pack, the revised Scheme was published by the Charity Commission on 23 September 2024. On 30 October 2024, two local residents who are members of the Friends of Victoria Town Hall applied to the First Tier Tribunal, General Regulatory Chamber, to appeal the Scheme. The Trust subsequently applied to be joined as a party to the proceedings.

A hearing for the appeal was held on 19 November 2025, and the First Tier Tribunal issued its decision on 25 November 2025, dismissing the appeal in its entirety. The appellants have 21 days from the date of this decision to apply for permission to appeal this decision, with a deadline of 23 December 2025.

The report pack notes that if the appellants do not apply to appeal, or if any application is rejected by either the First-tier or Upper Tribunal, this would represent the end of any challenge to the Sept 2024 Scheme, and the Charity Commission would bring it into effect.