Two Age UK charities in south London have revealed they are in merger talks.
In a joint statement, they said the trustees and the chief executives of Age UK Croydon and Age UK Sutton had been mulling over the move for the past year.
The charities said the decision to explore the opportunity was not being driven by any financial or time pressures and there was no intention to reduce the number of staff as a result of a merger.
The Sutton charity, which had 27 staff and had a total income of just over £1m in the year to the end of March 2020, its accounts show, while Age UK Croydon had an income of more than £1.8m and 77 employees over the same period.
It is hoped the merged charities will be able to “deliver more and better for local older people” while maintaining a presence in both boroughs.
Both organisations hope the proposals will build capacity and bring better long-term sustainability and financial security.
The statement explained that both trustee boards had expressed their commitment to exploring all possibilities, risks and positive opportunities of any such merger and are entering into feasibility and due diligence processes.
Third Sector revealed in October that two Age UK charities in Sussex had merged due to “the impact of coronavirus on income”, as additional research found charity mergers across the sector rose by nearly a third during the first three months after pandemic lockdown restrictions were implemented.