ETHICS in business will be discussed at a meeting of charities, churchmen and companies in Newcastle tonight (Thursday, May 23).

The Reverend Canon of the City of Newcastle and a senior partner of Muckle LLP law firm will meet in the People’s Kitchen in Newcastle to launch a forum to promote companies’ responsibility to the communities they serve.

Rev. Canon Glyn Evans said: “About 10 or 12 years ago it was very fashionable to talk about corporate responsibility and I think it has been knocked off the agenda a bit, so I wanted to get people together in the North East to discuss it.

“It is not a popular time to be sticking up for business and there are some people even in the church community that will criticise but business is not a bad thing, it is a good thing as well.

“The joke is that business and ethics do not go together, people are very cynical about business and its ethics but I don’t think like that and I want to show people that businesses give back as well as take out.

“We can talk about it but it is better to be seen to be doing something.”

One of the speakers at the event will be Hugh Welch, senior partner at Muckle. He said: “There is a lot in the news at the moment around corporate responsibility in terms of tax avoidance and management of tax affairs so it is right to have discussions around the topic.

“For example we give away 1 per cent of our profits each year to a charity fund which makes grants to community projects and other smaller charities and organisations the people have an interest in. In total we have given away over £300,000.

“I do not believe that in business you can be successful in isolation from the broader community in which you live and work and in which your employees live and work, so it is important to give back.”

The People’s Kitchen is a charity that uses business connections with companies like John Lewis and Greggs to the bakers to provide clothing, food and shelter to those living below the poverty line or with mental illness in the community, especially at night and the weekends when there is nowhere else to go.