Two Scottish infrastructure bodies have opened a consultation with members over plans to merge.
Clackmannanshire Third Sector Interface and Stirlingshire Voluntary Enterprise have recommended their members vote in favour of the proposed merger, which the organisations say will strengthen their services and improve resilience.
The plans would see the two charities – which serve more than 800 community and voluntary sector members combined – become a single infrastructure body serving organisations across both local authority areas.
The charities said the merger would enable them to operate as one “larger and more resilient” organisation.
They said this would allow the merged organisation to strengthen support for members and communities; build additional capacity and shared expertise for members; and strengthen the collective voice of the voluntary sector across Clackmannanshire and Stirling.
As a single organisation, it would also be able to respond more effectively to support membership collaboration within a shifting public sector and funding landscape; and improve organisational resilience and reduce pressure on its small staff teams.
A spokesperson for CTSI said each organisation recorded an income of just under £500,000 during the last financial year.
They had a combined staff count of about 30 employees, the spokesperson said, adding that no redundancies would be made as a result of the proposed merger.
The branding of the new organisation is to be decided following a member vote on the merger proposal, as is its board and leadership structure.
Both charities’ bases would be retained in their respective local authority areas if the merger proceeds, the spokesperson said.
The infrastructure bodies have opened a consultation with members on the merger proposal, which will be carried out via face-to-face members’ meetings and an online survey. The consultation will close at the end of November.
The process is being managed by a merger steering group, led by Allan Rennie as an independent chair.
Rennie is chair of the Clackmannanshire and Stirling Integration Joint Board and is a non-executive director of NHS Forth Valley.
The charities said they aimed to conclude the process by early next year, when members will be invited to vote on the proposals.