A carers charity that was set to close at the end of the year has been given a reprieve after reaching an agreement with local public bodies.

Swindon Carers Centre has delivered a contract to provide carer support services for since 1997. 

Through the contract, which is offered by the Swindon Borough Council and the Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board, the charity has provided supported carers in Swindon, Wiltshire, through advice, one-to-one support and training.

But on 5 August the charity withdrew from a live procurement process for the contract because it said “commissioning decisions by the local authority rendered the tender unviable”.  

The charity said: “The charity’s board of trustees and senior leadership team, in consultation with external auditors, unanimously agreed the risks to staff, governance and unpaid carers themselves were too significant to proceed with the bidding process.”

The contract was the charity’s main source of income, meaning it would close on 31 December without it.

“The contract procurement process was subsequently ‘abandoned’ by the council three days before the bid submission deadline,” the charity said.

But on 15 August, the parties issued a joint statement saying an agreement had been reached meaning the charity would continue to provide its services until at least December 2025.

“This provision will give stability to carer support in Swindon and to Swindon Carers Centre, which would have had to close in December following the end of the current contract; whilst allowing SBC and BSW ICB to review commissioning processes before going through a full and quality procurement for the carer services contract to start in January 2026,” the statement said.

“We acknowledge this has been a difficult and uncertain few days for unpaid carers in Swindon and for Swindon Carers Centre’s staff and volunteers and we are all committed to working in partnership to ensure services remain carer-focused and of high quality.”

Swindon Carers Centre had an income of £861,865 in the year to the end of March 2023, latest accounts show. 

It employed 34 staff during that period.