Cumbrian charity staff’s jobs threatened by cuts

A major Cumbrian charity could lose up to a third of its staff as it battles to cope with what bosses say are “savage” cuts in funding.

Cumbria CVS, which supports and advises voluntary organisations across the county, is planning to pull out of offices in Carlisle, Maryport and Kendal.

The charity has just been awarded a Big Lottery grant of £468,000, but the funding will not continue in the future.

The cash will give the charity a “breathing space,” says its chief officer Karen Bowen, but the loss of various other funding means that jobs are likely to be lost.

From the end of next year, Cumbria CVS will have around a third less funding.

It employs 39 staff, who do the equivalent of 29 full-time jobs, and as many as a third of them could find themselves out of a job.

The charity offers a range of services to voluntary and community groups, faith groups, sports groups, including funding advice, HR and IT support, and staff training.

Mrs Bowen said: “The Big Lottery funding won’t be repeated, so between now and the next 12 months we’re looking for find alternative funding.”

She said the Big Lottery cash would let Cumbria CVS restructure its operations to ensure long-term stability.

Mrs Bowen said: “Along with many others, we are dealing with the effects of savage cuts to funding and with the impact of the emerging contract culture.”

The charity faced a diminishing funding base with significant national funding streams ending in recent years and a reduction of public sector funding.

“We will be consolidating operations to two sites. Our Penrith office will be the base in the north and Barrow in the south.

“This will mean the withdrawal from our offices in Carlisle, Maryport and Kendal. Cumbria CVS is committed to continuing to prioritise frontline service provision.

Development officers will be available locally throughout the county as now and will adopt more flexible ways of working.

“Staffing levels will reduce as trustees seek to set budgets with the full impact of the changes not yet clear.”

All jobs within the charity are secure until the end of September but future staff numbers cannot yet be determined, she said.

Mrs Bowen added: “The trustees have not taken this decision lightly. Cumbria has a long and proud history of voluntary service. Carlisle CVS, established in 1904, was one of the first in the country and helped shape the blueprint for modern charitable support.

“In recent years the charity has been at the forefront in building community voices on issues such as flood recovery, health and social care and co-ordinating partnership and joint working between charitable organisations.

“While these changes have been forced on us, I am convinced that they will bring opportunities to work differently and more imaginatively. Cumbria CVS is gearing itself up to be more competitive, efficient and resourceful.

“We are doing this because we believe that the services we offer to the third [voluntary] sector in Cumbria are a necessary part of the picture that makes for healthy communities. The Government’s vision for the future cannot be realised without the provision of support for the thousands of volunteers and community organisations that contribute so much to civic life.