Liverpool and Sefton Age Concern group goes independent

A Merseyside charity has broken away from its national organisation, saying it meets local needs better alone.

Liverpool and Sefton Age Concern has formed an independent charity, cutting its links with Age UK.

Age Concern England and Help The Aged merged in 2009 to become Age UK in 2010.

A spokeswoman for the new Liverpool charity said Birmingham was among other larger Age UK branches considering a similar move.

Age Concern Liverpool was founded in 1928.

"Age Concern Liverpool and Sefton was started by the city's great pioneers in health and social care and we are following in their footsteps by forging our own destiny," said Dil Daly, the chief executive of Age Concern Liverpool and Sefton.

Local funding

He added: "Older people in Liverpool and Sefton are among the most deprived in the UK and we believe that we best serve their needs by listening carefully to what they tell us and developing services which are built around them and are not based on a national perceived need."

A spokeswoman for the charity said becoming independent would allow the charity to keep all of the money raised locally.

She added that the charity had received a 52% reduction in its local budget from Liverpool and Sefton councils, which made raising its own funds more important.

Helena Herklots, Services Director at Age UK, said: "Age Concern Liverpool has decided not to join us as a local Age UK, taking the numbers which have chosen not to work in partnership with us to nine.

"This is a shame and we wish them well for the future."