Major disability charity Scope has announced that it is placing 124 roles at risk of redundancy amid “increased financial pressures”.
The charity is understood to have made the decision in the hope of saving £1.8m in 2025/26.
Scope currently employs 842 people. It is not yet known whether the roles at risk of redundancy span across the charity or are specific to a particular division.
It confirmed that it would be entering into a consultation period with staff prior to making the redundancies.
CEO Mark Hodgkinson told Civil Society: “We will be working to try and minimise the impact, with some staff offered refocused roles. This means, when the consultation closes, we could have up to 70 fewer roles across our corporate functions.”
Long-term financial difficulties
Scope had been operating at a deficit for the last four financial years.
Civil Society reported in January that the charity was proposing to close the majority (77) of its 138 charity shops around the UK.
Hodgkinson has since confirmed that the proposals will be going ahead over the next 18 months, and are projected to save around £4m in 2025-25.
Hodgkinson added: “External factors such as the pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis and inflation have significantly impacted our costs. Resulting pressures on donations and increasing competition for funding, mean it’s more challenging than ever to raise money.
“We are now in a consultation with our colleagues across the rest of the organisation about the best way we can operate to maximise our impact within our means going forward.
“We recognise that for many of our colleagues, Scope is more than just a job. They are deeply committed to ending disability inequality. We will be doing everything we can to support our talented and passionate colleagues through this process.”
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