What the Charity Commission's 2026 trust research means for community transport
By Caroline Whitney, Director for England
The Charity Commission has published its latest research into public trust in charities, based on a survey of over 4,600 people and follow-up focus groups. This tells us a lot about how the public thinks, gives and engages with the causes they support, including the kind of local, practical services our sector provides.
Here is what stood out, and what it means for how we fundraise, talk to our communities, and make the case to councils and MPs.
The headlines
Trust in charities remains strong and resilient. 57% of people say they have high trust, a level that has held steady since 2020 and puts charities well ahead of local councils (27% high trust) and miles ahead of MPs (only 15%). Charities remain one of the most trusted types of organisation in the country, second only to doctors.
The picture on impact is even more encouraging. 70% of people think the charities they know about are making a real difference to the people and communities they serve, and 68% think those charities act as an effective voice for the causes they support, both figures that have grown since 2024 and held firm this year. Perceptions of ethical standards, safeguarding and transparency have also improved over the same period. Coverage of charities in the news is landing well too: where people have seen or read something about charities recently, 56% say it left them feeling more positive, up from 48% two years ago, while only 10% were left more negative, a marked improvement on 2024.
There are a couple of things to keep an eye on. The proportion with low trust has crept up slightly since 2024, and both charitable giving and use of some charity services have dipped this year. Financial pressure is the main reason people give for donating less but concerns about impact and value are playing a growing role too. The underlying strength of trust, and the clear evidence that people believe charities are making a difference, gives the sector a solid foundation to respond from.
Why this matters for community transport
Community transport sits in a strong position within this picture, and the report gives us good evidence for why.
Local, visible impact builds and protects trust
The research shows that people are most likely to donate to local charities and causes with personal relevance, even when they are cutting back elsewhere. Community transport is about as local and tangible as it gets: a lift to a hospital appointment, a route that keeps an isolated village connected, a wheelchair-accessible minibus to a lunch club. That visibility is an asset.
What to do: Keep telling individual, human stories in fundraising and communications, rather than relying on general appeals about “transport poverty” or “social isolation”. The evidence says specific stories matter more than ever, especially while household budgets remain tight.
People want to see where the money goes
The single biggest driver of trust, cited by 55% of people, is knowing that most of the money raised is spent directly on the cause. Focus group participants wanted a simple breakdown, similar to what they see on crowdfunding platforms, showing how much of their pound reaches the end cause.
What to do: Review your website and fundraising materials and check they show, in specific and costed terms, what a donation or grant contributes to, such as a driver's shift, the fuel for a rural round trip, or an accessible vehicle adaptation. Vague statements about “supporting our vital work” are less persuasive than specific examples.
Overheads are tolerated, but only when they are explained
The public broadly accepts that charities need to spend on staff, vehicles, insurance and administration. Focus group participants suggested that 70 to 80% going directly to the cause, with the rest on “reasonable and transparent” overheads, felt fair. Community transport has genuinely high fixed costs, including vehicle purchase and maintenance, MiDAS training, insurance and permits, that are easy to justify but need to be actively explained, not assumed to be understood.
What to do: Build a short, plain-English breakdown of your cost base into annual reports and appeals, so that fixed costs are explained rather than left to speak for themselves.
Executive pay and “corporate” behaviour are flashpoints, even for smaller charities
High CEO salaries were described by participants as “appalling” and a source of real anger, seen as a symbol of a charity losing sight of its values. Trustees being paid was also viewed negatively.
What to do: Most community transport organisations do not have a high pay problem, given the sector's modest salary levels, so turn this into a positive by framing leadership costs clearly against the service delivered wherever your annual report or funding bids mention them. If your organisation has, or is considering, any paid trustee arrangements, be ready to explain the rationale carefully.
Charity fatigue and duplication concerns are real
Participants voiced frustration at the number of charities they felt were doing similar work and wondered why organisations working on the same issue could not share infrastructure or merge.
What to do: Be clear about your specific niche, your specific community, and why you exist alongside, not in competition with, other local services. If you operate near similar services, be explicit about what makes your offer distinct, and be open to talking about shared back-office support, joint fleet arrangements or partnership working, framed to funders and the public as efficient use of resources rather than only as a cost-saving measure.
Implications for conversations with councils and MPs
This is perhaps the most striking part of the report for our advocacy work. Trust in local councils (27% high trust, mean score 4.6) and MPs (15% high trust, mean score 3.4) is dramatically lower than trust in charities. Community transport operators, and the CTA nationally, can use this to our advantage in three ways.
Lead with the charity or community brand, not the council relationship
Where a service is jointly funded or commissioned by a local authority, the public-facing story should spotlight the community transport operator and the people it serves, since that is where public trust sits.
What to do: Check branding on jointly funded services puts the community transport operator, and the people it serves, front and centre rather than the commissioning authority.
Use trust as leverage in funding conversations
Community transport, as a charitable and community-led model, carries a level of public trust and legitimacy that local and national government currently do not.
What to do: When making the case to councillors or MPs for continued or increased funding, point out directly that delivering services through trusted community organisations is not just good value, it is a way for councils and government to reach people who are sceptical of council and government institutions. Use the trust gap between charities and government as part of the pitch for sustained investment in community-led transport.
Be ready for scrutiny on cost and impact
Councillors and MPs will increasingly reflect the same public expectations found in this research: they will want to see money reaching the end cause, transparent overheads and demonstrable outcomes.
What to do: Don’t make any assumptions they understand your service. Treat them like the public sharing the human stories, demonstrating the value for money and how this enables front line services and where you work with others to maximise your impact.
You can find the full report on the GOV.UK website here. If you want to talk to us further about any of the content in this blog, please get in touch by either contacting your Development Officer or emailing england@ctauk.org