RSPCA ‘is not fit for purpose’ – ex-director

THE RSPCA is “not fit for purpose”, a former director of the animal charity has claimed.

Steve Carter, who left his role as director of RSPCA Wales in 2015, said he believed the structure of the organisation had not “moved on much since the 1970s”.

His remarks came after the Charity Commission said the RSPCA’s governance was below the standard it would expect for a “modern charity”.

In June, RSPCA chief executive Jeremy Cooper departed after just a year in the role, and the organisation was told it could face “further regulatory action” if it did not make improvements.

The charity did not have a chief executive between 2014 and 2016 and instead two unpaid trustees took the helm.

Mr Carter told the BBC’s Panorama programme: “I personally think that the RSPCA currently is not fit for purpose. I think it stems from the background of council.

“I don’t think the governance process and structure has moved on much since the 1970s.”

Chris Laurence, a former chief vet at the RSPCA who resigned as a trustee last year, added: “I had real concerns about the way the RSPCA was being run at council level. The RSPCA is essentially a great organisation, fantastic staff work incredibly hard, but you have to come to a point where you have to say enough is enough and I can’t any longer support the way this is happening.”

In response, the RSPCA said it had published an independent review into its governance which said some improvement was required. A spokesman for the charity said: “We aren’t complacent about these issues, and we are committed to continually improving everything we do as an organisation.”