Youth volunteering charity merger talks abandoned

Governance | Celina Ribeiro | 28 Jan 2009

Merger talks between two national youth volunteering bodies have come to a halt more than two years after they begun.

UK Youth and Clubs for Young People, which represent 7,000 and 3,500 youth groups and projects respectively, have permanently shelved talks about a possible merger which would have created a unified organisation representing and assisting voluntary youth organisations across the country.

According to the 2007-2008 annual review of Clubs for Young People, the process of discussing the merger cost the organisation £5,715 in the year ending 31 March 2008. Lloyds TSB Foundation covered the cost of hiring lawyers to examine the possibility of merger.

John Bateman (pictured), chief executive of UK Youth, was unwilling to elaborate on the statement released by the charities, but said it would not be accurate to categorise the end of the merger talks as having "fallen apart".

A joint statement released by the organisations said: "The boards of UK Youth and Clubs for Young People have agreed to end discussions on the merger of the two organisations, but to continue current closer and collaborative working in the interests of young people and members.

"Both organisations look forward to maintaining the distinctive nature of existing services whilst continuing to work jointly for better support for voluntary sector youth work and enhanced opportunities for young people."

Who's Who: Celina Ribeiro

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