The chief executive of campaigning charity Shelter says she is expecting a “deluge” of cases when the eviction ban ends, but claims her organisation is hard up.

In an opinion piece in the i newspaper – entitled ‘The Government relies on the work of charities like Shelter, so why hasn’t it done enough to help us?’ – Polly Neate says: “At Shelter, we are bracing ourselves for a deluge of people needing our support, the likes of which we have never seen. Meanwhile, our resources continue to shrink.”

Neate writes in the article of “cancelled fundraising events, closed charity shops and months of keeping our dedicated face-to-face fundraisers off the streets. Every day that our shops stayed shut was another £28,000 in income gone. The missed opportunities to recruit new donors, who guarantee the sustainability of our life-changing work, will be felt for years.”

But she goes on to admit that in comparison to many other charities, Shelter is well placed: “We have both reserves and determined fundraisers who will throw the kitchen sink at ensuring our survival” she says.

Wikipedia, in a league table of payments to chief executives of charitable organisations taken from the organisations’ own annual reports, claims that in 2017 Neate received £122,500 a year – actually the second lowest of the annual salaries of 19 major charities quoted.

She goes on to write: “The government should remember it relies on charities too, and not only to provide essential services. At Shelter, for example, our teams are continually called upon for evidence and advice on policy, legislation and guidance. There are plenty of others like us.

“The financial help offered to businesses has been broad, and it’s important the government replicates this approach for charities.”