Charities ‘worryingly’ unprepared for no-deal Brexit, CFG survey finds
Posted on: January 30, 2019
Originally published by charitytimes: www.charitytimes.com
Written by Lauren Weymouth
30/01/19
The majority of charities are ill-prepared for a no-deal Brexit and must do everything in their power to prevent it, new research has found.
A new survey conducted by Charity Finance Group found over a third of charities (38%) have made no preparations at all for a no-deal Brexit and just 8% are fully aware of the impact it will have on their charity.
The research found the majority of charities lack adequate preparations for a no-deal scenario – of the charities that responded, 83% said they have made little or no preparation.
According to the findings, the lack of preparedness was due primarily to a lack of understanding around the outcomes of a no-deal Brexit.
CFG found the vast majority (92%) had either a partial understanding or no understanding about what a no-deal outcome would mean to their charity.
When asked what their biggest concerns about a no-deal Brexit were, most respondents pointed to the lack of certainty.
“It is not surprising, but is worrying, that charities are ill-prepared for a no deal exit – the level of uncertainty has made organisational planning in this respect incredibly difficult,” CFG chief executive, Caron Bradshaw said.
“This level of unprecedented uncertainty, volatility and predicted economic disruption coupled with the non-tariff considerations, from workers’ rights to regulatory complexity, presents too great a risk to the UK and thus to civil society,” she said.
“So we call on all parties to prioritise the most vulnerable in our society, and do everything within their power to prevent a no-deal Brexit.”
CFG claims to have scrutinised the current withdrawal agreement and has called for MPs to vote against it in January’s vote, concluding that UK charities worse off than if remaining in the EU.
It claims a no-deal Brexit would be “the worst possible outcome” for civil society.