Groundwork UK has seen its income fall by £6.5m in the year to March 2015 - and by more than £54m since the start of the decade - according to its latest accounts.

The cuts resulted in headcount falling from 48 people to 31.

Much of the most recent drop resulted from a £6m cut to grants for central costs.

A spokesman for Groundwork UK confirmed that last year was the first year the charity operated without a core grant from central government.

“The grant was phased out over the previous three years,” he told Civil Society News. “It was also a year in which two major lottery programmes we had been managing came to an end, leading to a turnover reduction. 

“As a federation we anticipated a reduction in public spending some years ago, allowing us to time to plan, adjust our structures and staffing and invest in some new capabilities around contract management and fundraising. 

"With the support of our dedicated trustees and our committed staff team we have continued to evolve and developed a new five year strategy which is underpinning our future development activity,” he said.

The charity's income has dropped significantly over the past five years – from £65.9m in 2011 to £43m in 2012; £35m in 2013; £18m last year and £11.5m currently.

The charity spent just over £600,000 on staff costs – some £230,000 less than the year before.

Just one staff member earned over £60,000 – earning between £70,000-£80,000 – a drop from four staff members the previous year.