THE long-running legal dispute between SPCK and the Saint
Stephen the Great Charitable Trust (SSGCT), which took over its
bookshops (
News, 14 September 2007), appears to have reached a
conclusion.
In a statement issued last Friday - six years after it handed
over its bookshops, most in prominent locations in cathedral cities
- to the trust, the chief executive of SPCK, Simon Kingston, said
that the "painful" affair was finally over.
"We are very glad to have brought this difficult matter to a
conclusion at last. It has been painful for everybody, and
particularly for the staff of our former shops. We therefore
welcome the news that SSGCT is unlikely to continue as a
charity."
As part of the agreement, SPCK will receive the return of some
shop freeholds or their realised value; but it expects to have to
pay significant legal costs in the coming months.
Mr Kingston also said that he was committed to paying
substantial sums into the pension funds that had been operating for
shop staff.
The trouble for SPCK began in 2006 when it handed over its 23
loss-making bookshops to two American brothers, Mark and Philip
Brewer, who ran an Eastern Orthodox charity. Within a year, staff
were complaining about an "oppressive regime" under the new
management. Stock was censored, including some SPCK titles and the
Qur'an.
In 2009, the Charity Commission seized control of the trust's UK
assets, and appointed an interim manager to manage its affairs.
This led to the closure of many of the remaining shops and the sale
of the company's assets. Creditors were asked to submit claims for
money.
The Bishop of Oxford, who chairs SPCK, the Rt Revd John
Pritchard, this week welcomed the end of the legal wrangle. "This
is good news for SPCK and good news for the Church. Now that this
is resolved, SPCK can look forward to the future with
confidence."