Royal British Legion officers removed over charity's operation

Compliance concerns about a property sale, allegations of a loss charitable funds, and concerns about how Poppy Appeal donations might be spent were among allegations raised in Royal British Legion (RBL) internal investigations into the charity's operations in Northern Ireland.

The internal documents, obtained by BBC News NI, reveal concerns across branches in Antrim, Tandragee, and Finaghy, as well as at district committee level.

The investigations led to sanctions for some branch officers and the Northern Ireland District Committee being "removed from office" in 2024.

The RBL said "there is still work to be done", but they are "confident progress is being made".

Last month, it was reported that almost £100,000 of public money intended to provide activities for veterans, like craft, drama, and social meals to tackle loneliness was not spent how it was intended and used to refurbish a branch building in Tandragee.

The Royal British Legion (RBL) Northern Ireland District Committee oversees about 70 branches and roughly 8,000 members, supporting veterans and serving personnel.

It can also have a role overseeing local branches - these are called District Supported Branches (DSB) and the committee would oversee their finances.

The committee reports to the legion's headquarters at Haig House in London.

The Royal British Legion (RBL) is a registered charity providing support to the Armed Forces community.

Royal British Legion Clubs, however, are independent, separate social clubs that pay a license fee to use the RBL name.

RBL branches are part of the charity and focus on welfare, support, and remembrance, whereas clubs are independent businesses and social venues offering amenities like bars, snooker, and live music.

BBC News NI understands that in 2022 RBL headquarters began an internal investigation into the activities at the Antrim branch after its alleged that annual accounts hadn't been submitted for five years, branch officers hadn't responded to contact attempts and there were concerns that branch funds were being used to support the club.

The branch ran part of their property as an independent charitable trust, known as a Branch Property Trust (BPT), for the benefit of the local branch and the RBL in general.

If a BPT property is sold there are also certain requirements under the Charities Act 2011 that the Legion has to follow.

BBC News NI has obtained a copy of the RBL's internal investigation report, dated 28 April 2025, which states that the branch sold part of their property, releasing the sum of £155,781.00

It's alleged the proceeds of the sale were paid into the bank account of the club, which is a separate business and not a charity and used to update the premises.

After not submitting accounts for a number of years, the report notes that when they were submitted there was "no mention by the branch officers of any property sale income being received".

The report, authored by the RBL's senior investigations auditor, notes that "there is a view that this failure to communicate results from the property sale not being in accordance with the requirements of Northern Ireland charity law".

BBC News NI have obtained the minutes of a follow up meeting of senior RBL staff on 3 June in which headquarters staff say that a desired outcome was the "return of monies" and that the work done to the property had not enhanced the value and was described as "money down the drain".

The senior staff also discuss what sanctions should be placed on branch officers and the minutes note that "although the charity commission has not yet been informed, reprimand may be achieved by informing relevant regulators and supplying evidence for a private prosecution".

When asked by the BBC if the RBL had passed information to the charity commission, it said "at this stage, no report has been made to the regulators as inquiries are still in progress."

The committee at the Antrim branch said all questions should be directed to RBL's headquarters.

The RBL property in Finaghy, south Belfast, is made up of a retail unit, an adjoining hall and a storage unit.

Part of the building was being used by a local Pentecostal gospel church who were paying rent of £300 a month, with no lease and no additional payments towards the running costs of the building like utility bills and cleaning.

BBC News NI has obtained a copy of the RBL's internal compliance report, dated 5 July 2023, which states that concerns were raised that the branch "was meeting costs relating to the building that would be normally be the responsibility of the leaseholder."

The internal compliance report, notes in the conclusion, that the "agreement with the church has caused a loss of £19,801.31 of RBL charitable funds over 11 years. Of this, £11,073.42 has been incurred during the last three years, a period when the branch has been a DSB."

When approached by the BBC, the RBL headquarters said that "a room within the property was being rented on a monthly basis and therefore a formal lease agreement was not required".

"Following the investigation a referral was made to the Legion Complaints Committee (LCC), and this matter contributed to the Northern Ireland District being placed under administration," it continued.

"The Finaghy Branch has since been closed, and the property is currently listed for sale."

The front of the property is currently leased to a retailer at a rent of £10,000 a year, while the back is let to a football supporters club on a 10-year lease from October 2024 for £10 a year, according to the estate agent brochure.

The issues at the Finaghy, Antrim and Tandragree branches, as well as a number of other issues relating to compliance, led to Royal British Legion headquarters carrying out an internal investigation into the working practices of the Northern Ireland District Committee.

The review noted that members "colluded in a plan to divert £1,000 intended for the Poppy Appeal" for two members to attend a remembrance concert but ultimately the money was found from elsewhere.

Their investigation flagged other issues, including that £1,100 was donated by four organisations/individuals towards the Bennett House minibus appeal, but there is no evidence of it being passed to Bennett House and that a £500 donation from a member of the House of Lords to support the Queen's Diamond Jubilee was not lodged in an appropriate fund.

When asked by the BBC, the Royal British Legion said an audit has since been carried out and there is no evidence of any misuse.

The committee was asked to provide a three-year plan to turn things around - this was submitted but requested changes were not made.

The report also found that the committee was failing to implement audit recommendations and was undermining the legion's complaint committee.

The report concludes that "we are no longer confident that the NI District Committee are suitable to bring the necessary changes to align Northern Ireland with the rest of the UK".

BBC News NI approached the former chairman of the district committee to respond to the allegations on behalf of its members but were directed to a statement issued by RBL headquarters.

In a statement to BBC News NI, Royal British Legion headquarters said: "The RBL Northern Ireland District Committee has been under the administrative control of the RBL's Membership Council since March 2024, after our regular procedures identified activity which did not meet our standards for governance, compliance, behaviour and values.

"Since then, we have carried out a number of investigations and taken action to address the issues identified.

"We have recently appointed a new Northern Ireland District Committee, with a new Chair, who are being supported by senior members and staff.

"However, there is still work to be done to bring the Northern Ireland District out of central administrative control, but we are confident that progress is being made.

"As one of the largest membership organisations in the UK, it is important that we operate to the highest standards."

The RBL did not address previous media reports that there had been issues with its own internal investigation and that it had apologised to those who had been removed from their posts due to a sub-optimal investigation.