Collective Responsibility
Future of Woolton will be governed by its trustee board collectively. No individual trustee, including the Founder or Chair, will own the charity or hold unilateral control over its decisions.
Governance & Transparency
Building trust through clear governance, shared responsibility and documented decisions.
Future of Woolton is being established as a Foundation Charitable Incorporated Organisation. The trustee board will be responsible for the charity collectively, with clear controls around finance, conflicts, risk, projects and public accountability.
Current status
Future of Woolton CIO — In Formation
Future of Woolton is currently preparing for registration with the Charity Commission. The governance framework has been drafted for the founding trustee board to review, challenge and formally adopt or amend once the CIO is registered and able to operate as a legal charity.
Until registration is complete, Future of Woolton will not describe itself as a registered charity and will continue to use the wording "CIO — In Formation" where its legal status needs to be clear.
Our governance principles
How we intend the organisation to be governed.
Transparent Decisions
Material decisions, conflicts of interest, spending authorities and project commitments should be properly recorded and capable of appropriate scrutiny.
Protected Funds
Restricted donations and grants will be separately identified and used only for the purpose for which they were given.
Independent Challenge
Trustees are expected to question, challenge and test proposals constructively rather than simply approve decisions presented to them.
Evidence-Led Governance
Costs, commitments, risks and public claims should be based on evidence, with clear distinctions between confirmed facts, developing proposals and future ambitions.
Community Benefit
The board's decisions should remain focused on the charitable purposes of Future of Woolton and the public benefit the organisation exists to deliver.
Founding trustee board
A focused three-person founding board.
Future of Woolton's current intention is to begin with three trustees. The Founder and Chair / Community & Governance portfolio are both held by Joshua Murphy and together form one trustee position, not two separate board seats.
Additional trustees may be appointed in future as the organisation's activities, responsibilities and governance needs develop.
Founder & Chair / Community & Governance Trustee
Joshua Murphy
Responsible for helping coordinate the organisation's strategic direction, community relationships and governance development as one member of the trustee board.
Treasurer / Finance Trustee
Recruitment in progress
Intended to support board oversight of budgets, financial controls, restricted funds, reserves, reporting and long-term financial sustainability.
Specialist Trustee
Recruitment in progress
The founding board is seeking an additional trustee whose experience strengthens the organisation in an area such as property, construction, heritage, legal/governance, public safety, risk or another field relevant to Future of Woolton's work.
Shared trustee responsibility
Trustee titles divide work. They do not divide responsibility.
Individual trustees may take the lead on finance, governance, property, risk or other areas, but the board remains collectively responsible for Future of Woolton's decisions and duties.
A Treasurer would not become the sole controller of the charity's finances, a specialist trustee would not replace professional advice where it is required, and the Chair would not gain a unilateral right to make reserved board decisions.
Founder role
Being the founder does not create ownership or additional voting rights.
Future of Woolton is intended to belong to its charitable purpose, not to an individual. The Founder remains subject to the same trustee duties, conflicts rules and board accountability as every other trustee.
Governance framework
Controls designed to grow with the organisation.
Future of Woolton has developed a draft governance framework covering the main areas the founding trustee board will need to manage as the CIO becomes operational.
Trustee Conduct
Clear expectations for trustee behaviour, integrity, confidentiality, accountability and collective responsibility.
Financial Controls
Board-approved controls covering banking, spending authority, restricted funds, records, reporting and financial oversight.
Conflicts of Interest
Trustees will declare relevant interests and withdraw from decisions where required so that personal interests do not improperly influence charity decisions.
Risk Management
Strategic, property, financial, operational, safeguarding and project risks will be identified, reviewed and recorded.
Safeguarding
Safeguarding responsibilities will remain with the trustee board, supported by appropriate leads and procedures as activities develop.
Data & Records
Future of Woolton will maintain appropriate records for governance, donations, grants, decisions, supporters and project evidence.
Delegated Authority
Day-to-day tasks may be delegated, but major decisions such as property commitments, significant contracts, borrowing and restricted-fund changes remain matters for proper board authority.
Review & Compliance
Policies, trustee information, risks, controls and statutory requirements will be reviewed through a planned governance and compliance cycle.
Financial accountability
Donations should go where supporters were told they would go.
Future of Woolton intends to maintain clear financial records so that general charitable funds and money raised for specific projects can be distinguished properly.
Where a donation or grant is restricted to Save Woolton Baths or another specific charitable purpose, those restrictions will be recorded and respected. Money raised for one restricted purpose will not simply become general spending money for another project.
Our intended approach
General FOW funds
Used across Future of Woolton's charitable purposes where the trustees lawfully decide they are needed.
Restricted project funds
Separately identifiable and used only for the stated charitable project or purpose.
Documented controls
Banking, approvals, records and reporting will operate under board-approved financial controls.
Transparency as we grow
Governance should be understandable outside the boardroom too.
As Future of Woolton becomes operational, we intend to make appropriate governance and accountability information accessible to supporters, funders, partners and the community.
Planned public information
- Registered charity details once incorporation is complete.
- Trustee and governance information where appropriate.
- Project and fundraising updates.
- Annual reporting and community summaries as the charity develops.
Founding board recruitment
We are building the trustee board that will help guide Future of Woolton's next chapter.
If you have relevant experience and are interested in helping build a transparent, community-focused charity, we welcome an initial conversation.