Jobs lost as charity group suddenly collapses

More than a dozen people have lost their jobs after the sudden collapse of a charity which has fallen into administration.

About 15 staff at the Greater Manchester Centre for Voluntary Organisation (GMCVO) are understood to have been made redundant on 27 November.

A spokesman for administrators Opus Restructuring LLP said the group, which counted hundreds of local charities among its membership, had fallen into "significant financial difficulty".

Negotiations to offload parts of the charity to new operators were ongoing and with the hope remaining staff could transfer over, he added.

Hundreds of individual charities in the region were members of GMCVO, which organised grants and research, with the backing of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA).

A spokeswoman for the GMCA said it was "saddened to hear" about the financial struggles of one of "our key partners in the work to drive social and economic inclusion".

"As we have funded and supported several projects with GMCVO, we are currently working with the administrators to explore options for the future of this work," she added.

Emma Mifsud and Charles Turner of Opus Restructuring LLP were appointed as joint administrators on 27 November 2024.

They were called in after "significant potential historic liabilities unexpectedly came to light", a spokesman said.

He said the charity had faced financial challenges, including loss of contracts and a fall in income that meant it was no longer viable.

The administrators, who have eight weeks to publish a plan for dealing with the GMCVO's assets and services, said they were "committed to minimising disruption to the community where possible".

Talks about moving some of the charity's services to new partners were ongoing, and it was hoped relevant staff would be able to keep their jobs.

The administrators have also appointed independent HR consultants to help those who have been made redundant submit claims for compensation.

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