A LONG-STANDING and respected wildlife rescue centre in the Vale is facing a huge gap in its finances after its energy provider stripped its entitlement to reduced charity VAT rates.
The Vale Wildlife Hospital in Beckford had a shock when it found £12,280 had been taken out of its account by British Gas to cover a backdated 15 per cent VAT bill it was deemed they owed since their contract began in November 2023.
The centre, which treats over 8,000 casualties every year, has been under financial pressure since the cost-of-living crisis with monthly running costs of £75k outweighing income generated entirely by the public.
Despite weeks of dialogue to resolve the problem, first with an online chatbot, then with a complaints executive, along with numerous attempts to submit qualifying information, British Gas has still not accepted the centre’s entitlement to VAT relief.
The charity has been told it has failed to provide sufficient information confirming it’s eligibility.
Founder Caroline Gould’s daughter Natalie, who works as a manager, told the Observer: “It feels like hitting our heads against a brick wall.
“We are a small charity feeling our way through this so if things have changed we need to be told and guided to claim correctly.”
Ms Gould criticised the lack of information and support from British Gas, saying in the 41 years of operating there has never been a problem with claiming VAT exemption.
To make matters worse, after submitting qualifying information it was confirmed several times it had been approved and the cash would be refunded, only for it not to materialise.
Despite now working with a complaints executive, on Wednesday (July 2), Ms Gould found out her latest attempt submitted following government guidelines had been rejected.
She has responded with a final email to say if they still don’t agree with the submitted information which is based on a breakdown of the charity’s income stream then she is asking for a ‘deadlock’ letter.
This means the utility supplier has reached its final decision on the complaint and allows the charity to escalate the problem to the Energy Ombudsman.
“We’re back to square one on this, if they don’t agree with what we are submitting, I don’t think any further discussions with British Gas will be productive,” she said.
The six-week battle to resolve the issue during the centre’s busiest time has taken its toll on Ms Gould and her mum.
“It’s extremely exhausting. We are getting up to 70 patients per day so it’s stressful here anyway without having this to add to it.”
“We can’t afford to lose this big chunk out of our bank account. Our financial situation is a worry for us, £12,280 is a huge amount.”
“It’s obviously going to be a lot more expensive for us ongoing until we get this sorted,” added Ms Gould.
The Observer contacted British Gas and are awaiting comment at the time of going to press.
