ISPCC halves losses after making redundancies and cutting salaries

Losses at the Irish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC) last year halved after the organisation made staff redundant and imposed salary reductions for all remaining staff.

According to the ISPCC’s annual report, losses at the society last year reduced by 49% from €1m to €517,216.

A spokeswoman for the society said yesterday that the job cuts of 10 full-time staff and wage freezes have taken €600,000 from the society’s cost base.

Figures provided by the ISPCC show CEO Ashley Balbirnie’s salary totals €144,000; the agency employs 100 people.

Explaining the background to the cuts, a spokeswoman said yesterday: “It became apparent early in the year that the fundraising environment was not showing any signs of recovery and this trend continued through the year with income from statutory bodies down almost 9% and raised voluntary income down almost 5%. The Society was forced to adapt to these conditions and a significant cost reduction plan was introduced.”

The spokeswoman said the cuts resulted in a halving of the society’s deficit compared to 2011.

“The overall objective of the ISPCC in 2012 was to retain as far as possible the level of service provision to children whilst at the same time adjusting our cost base to take account of the difficult economic climate and the subsequent impact on our ability to fundraise.

“This objective was largely achieved but only by further utilising the reserves which the Society built up in better times.”

The ISPCC’s income last year dipped from €5.9m to €5.8m with expenditure down by 9% from €6.9m to €6.3m.