A CHARITY which loaned its CEO more than £200,000 has also paid her husband more than £250,000 in the past five years for rent or building works, accounts show.
Community360 paid a total of £257,263 to Godden & Rudling Building Services and the company’s director Gordon Rudling between April 2018 and March 2023.
Documents submitted to the Charity Commission show the charity paid £118,251 of that total to rent office space from CEO Tracy Rudling and her husband Gordon.
The remaining £139,012, meanwhile, was given to specifically to Godden & Rudling Building Services for various building works during the same period.
The latest revelation has once again prompted concerned MPs to demand urgent answers to stop people “drawing their own conclusions”.
Colchester MP Will Quince said: “I hope they are able to clarify the situation as soon as possible because this is all raising a lot of concerns and it is important these questions are addressed.
“Community360 is a really good, local charity which does some fantastic work so the sooner this is clarified the sooner a conclusion for the better can be reached for all.
“It is all optics, of course, but we need the answers and until they come forward and provide them otherwise people will continue drawing their own conclusions.”
Witham MP Priti Patel, meanwhile, said she is "very concerned" by the payments.
"It is right these are fully investigated and serious questions need to be asked and answers must be provided," she said.
"We will need assurances taxpayers’ money has been spent on the frontline services it was provided to deliver and the actions of Community360 are in accordance with best practice and regulation.”
The newest findings comes after it was revealed the charity also loaned £206,341 to Mrs Rudling in the financial year ending 2023.
The organisation, which supports people in and around Colchester, has said the money was used to build a storage facility for the charity on Mrs Rudling’s land.
The Gazette understands the same land in Tolleshunt D’Arcy is the location of the office space which has been rented by the charity for at least the last five years.
Bosses at Community360 have now responded.
A spokesman said: “As a charity, delivering vital services for the people we support remains our absolute priority.
“As a result of the meticulous decisions taken over the past few years, we have been able to exponentially grow the crisis interventions and public services we provide free of charge to those most in need across Essex.
“We have a dedicated Compliance and Conformance Manager, and comprehensive due diligence processes in place to ensure that we are operating to robust regulatory standards while providing the best possible value for money.
“As such, we always award contracts based on their individual merit and value for money, ensuring that they will allow us to provide maximum benefit to the people we serve.”
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