Alzheimer's Support is calling on Chancellor Rachel Reeves to reverse changes in the autumn budget that will add £200,000 to running costs next year.
Changes to employer National Insurance contributions, plus a 6.7 per cent hike in the national minimum wage, mean the charity has to find an extra £200,000, on top of a £100,000 cut in its commissioned contract from Wiltshire Council earlier this year.
CEO Sarah Marriott said: “Our charity is on the frontline of social care, supporting some of the most vulnerable people in our communities. People living with dementia and family carers across Wiltshire depend on our services and we are determined to keep on being there for the families who rely on us.
“We employ 150 people, all committed to ensuring the high-quality care and support we are known for. We provide essential social interaction and practical help, working with people in their community, one-to-one in their own homes, and in our award-winning day clubs.
"Staff costs are the majority of our expenditure. We pay above the minimum wage because we value the skills and expertise of our teams, so this budget will have a profound impact on how we are able to continue to do what we do. I am very concerned. Whilst I wholly support raising wages, we need to see a corresponding increase in funding for the care sector to enable us to implement the changes.”
Mrs Marriott has signed the NCVO's open letter to the Chancellor calling for more financial support for charities, including for them to be exempt from the NI increases in the same way as public sector organisations. Alzheimer’s Support has also joined Wiltshire Care Partnership in calling for local MPs to back the campaign.
Mrs Marriott added: “As a charity we already do everything we can to raise funds to support our work. We are supported by the National Lottery and by many smaller trusts and foundations, and as a much-loved local charity we are lucky to have the support of so many kind people who take part in challenge events and community fundraisers for us. But we can’t expect sudden increases of this magnitude to be met through fundraising, and we can’t easily pass on this increase to clients who are mostly older people on fixed incomes.
“It just isn’t sustainable and we feel sure the Government cannot have intended the most vulnerable people and organisations to be shouldering additional costs in this way.”