Sutton's charity, community, and faith sector is facing significant financial challenges, with many organisations struggling to meet rising demands amid increasing costs and limited funding. A recent report, Evolving Our Ecosystem
, commissioned by Community Action Sutton and Volunteer Centre Sutton, highlights these pressures and calls for greater collaboration and support to ensure the sustainability of these vital community resources.
The report, discussed at a meeting of the Sutton Health and Wellbeing Board on Monday, revealed that over 40% of the surveyed organisations experienced income shortfalls, and many lack sufficient reserves to weather unexpected crises. This financial strain is compounded by rising costs, restricted funding, and inflation, creating an environment where these groups are struggling to maintain their services. The funding shortfalls particularly threaten services such as volunteer coordinator roles, leadership development programmes, and skills-based training.
Anita Maullin, Chief Executive Officer at Volunteer Centre Sutton, highlighted that only 20% of charities have an income of about £100,000, and that many charities are working in silos. She also noted concerns around financial futures and volunteer recruitment.
Michelle Rahman, Director of Transformation, Sutton Place, SWL ICS, highlighted the need for the statutory sector to address uncomfortable truths, such as organisations having only a month's running costs and not taking full cost recovery. Rahman noted that some organisations avoid full cost recovery because they're concerned that they might lose other contracts.
In response to these challenges, the report recommends fostering greater collaboration and building robust networks within the sector. It also calls for strengthening the financial resilience of these organisations and supporting volunteer recruitment and staff development.
Councillor Marian James, Chair of the People Committee, welcomed the report and noted the good partnership between the council and the sector.
To address these issues, the Sutton Charity and Public Sector Partners Framework 2025-2028 has been established to promote closer working relationships and more effective collaboration. The framework aims to:
- Further strengthen relationships between public sector bodies and Charity, Faith and Community Organisations in Sutton
- Promote fairness, transparency, and inclusivity in decision-making
- Ensure that Sutton's communities benefit from close partnership working; where partners come together to overcome challenges and maximize opportunities
- To support the approaches set out in the Sutton Plan including:
- Think Sutton First
- Working across sectors
- Intervening Early
Read the full Evolving our Ecosystem report here and the Sutton Charity and Public Sector Partners Framework here.