JustGiving takes £36k in fees from murdered officer’s MPF-start fund

Fundraising website JustGiving has refused to back down over pocketing tens of thousands of pounds from a fund for the family of murdered officer Keith Palmer that raised more than seven times its expected target. The fund set up for Police Constable Palmer’s 34-year-old widow Michelle and their five-year-old daughter Amy closed on more than £700,000. Unarmed PC Keith Palmer was killed in Wednesday’s (March 22) terror attack in London – having been fatally stabbed by Khalid Masood while protecting the entrance to the Palace of Westminster. There have been calls for the company to scrap the 5p in every pound donated to the officer’s fund by 34,571 generous well-wishers. But the site`s owners have insisted on retaining their standard administration fee – having made a £10,000 donation when the campaign started. But even after taking that into account, the firm will pocket more than £25,000. Ken Marsh, chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation (MPF), which initiated the fundraising page, said: “Do I like it? No I don`t. Would I want every penny paid into the fund to go to PC Palmer`s family? Certainly I would.” A spokesperson for the MPF added: “The unfortunate thing is that they are a business and there is no other way of doing it other than asking people to go to bank and pay the money in over the counter.” Lord Paddick, a Liberal Democrat peer and former officer, also commented: “Bearing in mind the bravery of the officer — an unarmed man tackling a violent knifeman leaving a distraught family behind — surely JustGiving can in these exceptional circumstances waive their fee?” At its peak, there were 667 donations a minute to the page for PC Palmer. JustGiving defended its decision, saying it was “proud” that its community moved to support victims in the face of terror. Responding to criticisms about its charges, the website said: “All of these causes are deserving, and each pays a transparent five per cent fee, which is fully reinvested in innovation to ensure that the next person in need who comes to JustGiving can raise more than on any other platform.” A spokesperson added: “As with all our appeal pages, we take a small charge on donations, which enables us to provide the most robust and always-on platform that can handle high levels of traffic and meet the highest international security standards. “This enables our users to raise more money, from all over the world, when it is needed most.” The fund, with an initial target of £100,000 and later raised to £250,000, closed on Monday lunchtime (March 27) at £736,328. The five per cent fee means JustGiving earned £36,816.40.