Hartlepool Charity Under Fire Over Directors' Pay Amid Claims of a Funding Crisis..

Ian Cawley, Director of the Big League CIC

One of the firms Directors recently took to a local newspaper to claim its having to review its services offered following a loss of funding, however questions over the firms payments to its directors in the midst of an alleged 'funding crisis' have been raised...

21st July 2025

A Hartlepool charity claiming it's being forced to rethink its services due to a loss of funding is facing growing criticism, after revelations emerge its directors pocketed over £50,000 in remuneration from the business — a sum that could have likely kept a vital community centre under threat from closure running for much longer.

The Big League CIC, which operates from the Burbank Community Centre in Hartlepool, has been in the spotlight after a local newspaper reported the organisation was scaling back its operations at the Burbank Community Centre due to an alleged funding shortfall. Centre manager Ian Cawley, who is also listed at Companies House as one of the Directors business of the firm told the local newspaper: “

It’s not something we want to do, but we are really struggling for funding.”

But that explanation's come under scrutiny following an investigation by The Teesside & Durham Post, which examined the group’s latest financial reports published to Companies House just weeks ago, where a member of the public tipped off one of our journalists, urging them to “look at the firm's accounts” and go from there.

In financial accounts published in May this year, Its been revealed The Big League CIC reported a staggering £641,892 in turnover — a rise from the previous year's figure of £556,000. Despite this, the organisation managed to declare a meagre profit of just £6,804, meaning over 98% of its income seemingly vanished into overheads, operational costs, or other spending, raising questions about alleged financial mismanagement.

Directors 'Trousered' £54k from the business...

Despite accruing over £200k in debts, there's little to see in the companies accounts as to any meaningful financial reserves being held, especially in the wake of such significant financial liabilities..

One particular concern is said to be the £54,588 in directors’ remuneration paid to its directors & documented in the companies accounts — a payment that, according to critics, could have been used to sustain the community centre’s services which are now being cut. The accounts also note £78,000 was spent on taxation and social security for 13 employees, with the Big League CIC's accounts failing to indicate the firm having any meaningful financial reserves to cover any unexpected expenditures.

Financial reports confirm £54,588 was paid out to the firms five directors, although there's little to state as to whether this was each director or a collective payment.

It’s unclear as to whether the £54,588 was split evenly among the five directors listed for the company, or whether some received more than others. Even if the sum was shared equally among five directors listed for the company, that would still amount to over £10,000 paid to each of the five directors, one of which would have been Mr Cawley himself, at a time when the organisation allegedly claims it has "no choice" but to scale back support to the very community it’s meant to serve.

The centre manager Mr Cawley took to a local newspaper recently claiming the firms financial plight, but the firms financial records now paint a very different picture.

The revelation is likely to spark significant backlash over the so called 'charities' operations, with some accusing the organisation of crying poverty whilst continuing to prioritise its own pay packets.

“They say they’ve lost vital funding, but it's looking like the real funding went straight into directors' bank accounts,” one local resident said.

The controversy highlights growing frustration in Hartlepool, where several charities and community groups are said to be feeling the pinch — but questions are increasingly being asked about who’s really bearing the brunt of the so-called “funding crisis.”

As The Big League CIC prepares to withdraw from the Burbank Community Centre, many in the community are left wondering: was the funding really lost, or was it simply spent elsewhere?