Charities selling properties to cope with soaring inflation, NCVO chief warns

Charity

Charities are being forced to sell properties and cut services as the inflation crisis bites, according to the chief executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations.

In a blog post published today, Sarah Vibert also warned that charities faced a challenge “in many ways far greater” than that posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Inflation in the UK is over 10 per cent, according to the Office for National Statistics, the highest rate for 40 years, and is expected to rise further.

Earlier this month, the think tank Pro Bono Economics described inflation as “an all-hands-on-desk crisis” for the sector.

Vibert wrote that some NCVO members had told her “about an exponential rise in demand for food, debt advice and mental health support”.

She said: “The ability of charities to meet this increasing need is being severely tested.

“Trustees of voluntary organisations – ranging from leisure centres to village halls, nurseries to care homes – are trying to do the maths on 300 per cent increases in energy costs.

“I have heard from organisations that are selling property because associated costs have quadrupled. Others are closing services because they are struggling to retain staff leaving for higher salaries in the public and private sectors.”

Vibert said: “The scale of the challenge is huge, in many ways far greater than charities experienced in 2020.

“The root causes of this crisis are very different and require bold and far-reaching action from the government.”

She also urged charities to remember “what the voluntary sector learnt from 2020” and draw on its experience “influencing government, maintaining resilience and pivoting our work to respond to a crisis”.

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