Samaritans faces a potential exodus of thousands of volunteers if controversial proposals to close half of its 200 local branches over the next decade go ahead, according to local directors. The mental health charity, often regarded as the fourth emergency service, has about 22,000 volunteers in the UK and Ireland.
A board meeting on Saturday is expected to decide whether to approve plans to cut local branches in favour of larger regional call centres, as part of a 'future-proofing' strategy aimed at reducing costs and improving services. A group of branch directors has written to the board, accusing it of failing to listen to volunteers and warning that regionalisation will destroy local connections that motivate volunteers and drive fundraising.
The letter, signed by seven branch directors, says there are 'widespread and continuing concerns' about the proposals. 'Regrettably, we do not feel these concerns are being fully heard,' it states. James Watkins, co-director of Rhyl and North East Wales Samaritans, told the Guardian that the plans would lead to an exodus of volunteers and risk 'significantly damaging the charity'. The letter calls for a vote of no confidence in chair Keith Leslie at the annual general meeting in October.
A survey of 210 volunteers in eight of ten Wales branches found 74% would not move to another branch if theirs closed, and 80% felt the plans were unlikely to work. A similar survey by the Kingston upon Thames branch found 64% opposed closures. Volunteers also expressed concerns about plans to test handling calls remotely from home, with one respondent noting that female volunteers are regularly abused on calls and would object to taking those calls alone at home.
Julie Bentley, Samaritans chief executive, said the changes aim to answer more calls, cut waiting times, and attract more volunteers. 'We have been listening to feedback from our 23,000 volunteers throughout this process,' she said, adding that feedback will be considered in the final decision.
