The RSPCA has been forced to re-advertise for a new chief executive following the collapse of three potential appointments, according to the Mail on Sunday.
The charity has been without a leader for almost two years, following the resignation of Gavin Grant for health reasons in February 2014.
Some £30,000 has already been spent on the recruitment process, according to the Mail. But the charity has now enlisted the help of recruiter Saxton Bampfylde and confirmed the recruitment process was “currently ongoing”.
An RSPCA spokeswoman said the charity was ensuring the recruitment was a “measured, thorough process”.
The role is currently filled by trustee and council vice-chair David Canavan, who will “remain in post and lead the Society until a permanent role has been appointed,” the spokeswoman said.
Canavan receives no salary for this post and is paid standard trustee expenses, the spokeswoman said.
The Mail reported an RSPCA source from before the summer as saying an appointment was “close”, with two candidates lined up for an interview with the ruling council.
But according to the newspaper, three candidates have since “passed up on the role, amid concern over poor finances and infighting”.
The newspaper reported one candidate’s frustration about the charity’s direction.
“The RSPCA must decide what it’s about and what it’s not about. It must ensure that what it does resonates with members of the public,” the Mail reported.
“It has managed to alienate sections of the public such as farmers and landowners who would normally be their supporters. They’ve switched off even my own mother,” the paper reported.
The candidate also allegedly voiced misgivings about the elected council.
“The RSPCA has a £100m-a-year-turnover business and you need people with ability. Without the correct competences, the council will misdirect the chief executive and the task will be impossible. The council needs to give the chief executive the space to do the job,” the Mail reported the candidate as saying.
A spokesman for the Charity Commission said the regulator has "met with the team on a number of occasions and understands the reasons for the temporary arrangements".
But he said the Commission has "urged the Council to move forward to a more conventional form of governance".
The closing date for applications is 19 November.
