Mind to cut 80 jobs following drop in income

Mental health charity Mind, who employ around 525 staff at their head offices in Stratford, London and Cardiff, Wales, has confirmed around 80 posts could be lost.

A spokesman for the charity said the number of compulsory redundancies will be significantly fewer than 80 however, as post closures include job vacancies that will not be filled, fixed-term contracts that will come to an end and we will be offering voluntary redundancy.

This year Mind is facing a changing and uncertain financial situation due to the ongoing impact of Covid 19.

The successful emergency fundraising appeal and the generosity of all of those who have donated have helped make sure that Mind can continue their vital work supporting those with mental health problems during the pandemic.

A Mind spokesman said the money raised has helped make sure the mental health charity is able to quickly respond to everyone who needs them at a time of increased demand, for example, by launching a coronavirus information hub which has been viewed over 1.7 million times since going live in March.

However, the temporary closure of Mind’s shops across England and Wales, the cancellation or postponement of major fundraising events like the Virgin Money London Marathon (which normally brings in over £1m). And the uncertainty around income generation for 2021 as a result of coronavirus and the wider economy will affect the charity’s long term finances.

As a result, job losses have been unavoidable.

Paul Farmer, chief executive of Mind, said the charity will now focus on reinvesting in order to have the greatest, most-sustainable impact for those with the biggest mental health need, in line with a new strategy which will be published next year.

‘I’m extremely sad to confirm that around 80 posts are likely to be closed due to us expecting a fall in income for next year of around 15%.

‘The number of people affected will be fewer than 80 as these post closures include many job vacancies that will not be filled, fixed contracts that will come to an end and we will be offering voluntary redundancy.

‘As a mental health charity employing a huge number of passionate, dedicated staff – many of whom have first-hand lived experience – redundancies are always an absolute last resort.

‘We are working closely with our union and doing all we can to make sure anyone facing redundancy is fully supported both in terms of their wellbeing and also when it comes to finding alternative employment suited to their individual needs, aspirations and skills.

‘We are hugely thankful to the generosity of members of the public, and the heightened awareness and understanding of mental health need in wake of the coronavirus outbreak, which have allowed Mind to fare better than many of our friends across the charity sector.

‘COVID-19 has caused both a huge surge in demand for our services but at the same time decreased our income. Despite launching a very successful fundraising appeal during the pandemic, we have been unable to secure enough funding to give us security in the medium to long term.

‘As a result, we’ve had to make some very difficult decisions to preserve our frontline and campaigning work for the long term.’

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