Charity commission orders rival factions at Dudley mosque to merge after years of disputes

Two separate charities have been involved in a protracted dispute over who is responsible for managing Dudley Central Mosque .

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But the Charity Commission has now ordered Dudley Central Mosque and Muslim Community Centre to merge with The Muslim Community Centre and Mosque 1977 to run the centre in Birmingham Road as a single body. 

The instruction follows years of concerns about the governance and management of both organisations, which are still subject to two separate inquiries.

The regulator has also published a new governing document setting out how the the new charity must conduct its affairs - the first time the Commission has used these powers in more than  20 years.

The latest move comes two-and-a-half years after the Commission appointed an interim manager to oversee the governance of the mosque, which is based at the former St Edmund's Primary School.

The Commission launched an inquiry into Dudley Central Mosque and Muslim Community Centre in July 2022 over repeated failure to meet its accounting requirements, despite previous regulatory engagement.

Central to the investigation was that the charity had failed to file satisfactory accounts for four years in a row.

In April 2025, the Commission opened a separate inquiry into the Muslim Community Centre and Mosque 1977, a separate unregistered charity, which was in dispute with Dudley Central Mosque and Muslim Community Centre. The Commission became concerned that the ongoing dispute posed a risk to charity property.

Both inquiries are continuing.

In the meantime the Charity Commission has used its legal powers to merge the two factions in an attempt to resolve confusion around which charity was responsible for managing the day-to-day affairs 

 A spokesman for the commission said: "To date, the existence of two charities, both with complicated structures, has exacerbated a dispute between involved parties.

"The regulator continues to encourage parties to mediate, as talks previously had not progressed in part due to the complexity of this case." 

The new governing document, which incorporates workable parts from each charity’s existing constitutions, sets out rules on how the charity should run in line with the law and the Commission’s guidance. 

It will guide elected trustees on matters such as decision-making, minute-taking, roles and responsibilities, and membership of the charity. All charities require a clear and workable governing document to ensure they can operate effectively and serve their beneficiaries.