2022-03-31-accounts - Sussex Rural Community Council

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Company number 02907172 Charity number 1035401

Sussex Rural Community Council

(Limited by Guarantee)

Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2022

as amended

Knill James LLP, Chartered Accountants One Bell Lane, Lewes East Sussex BN7 1JU

Sussex Rural Community Council

(Limited by Guarantee)

	Contents
	Page
Reference and Administra�ve Details	2
Chairman’s Foreword	3 - 7
Trustees’ report	8 – 16
Independent Examiner’s Report	17
Statement of Financial Ac�vi�es ( including	Income and Expenditure Account) 18 – 21
Balance Sheet	22
Cash Flow Statement	24
Notes to Financial Statement	25 - 35

Sussex Rural Community Council

(Limited by Guarantee)

Reference and Administra�ve Details

Cons�tu�on

Sussex Rural Community Council (“SRCC”) , the charitable company, is a private company limited by guarantee and registered in England and Wales, company number 02907172, incorporated under the Companies Acts; its governing document is its Memorandum and Ar�cles of Associa�on. SRCC is a registered charity number 1035401. SRCC trades as Ac�on in Rural Sussex (AirS).

Directors and Trustees

The directors of SRCC are also its Trustees for the purpose of charity law and throughout this report are collec�vely referred to as the Trustees.

The Trustees during the year and since the year end have been:

Alex Ingham Clark – Chair William Anderson

Colin Brown Appointed 17 January 2023 Rob Dillingham Resigned 1 June 2023 Owen Ingram Appointed 17 November 2020 Sandra Jill Llewellyn Resigned 17 March 2022 John Moore-Bick Neil David Smith Resigned 31 March 2022 Kris�n Sjovorr Appointed 17 November 2022

Steven Haasz

Independent Examiners

Knill James LLP, Chartered Accountants, One Bell Lane, Lewes, East Sussex BN7 1JU

Bankers

Barclays Bank plc, The Old Bank, High Street, Lewes, East Sussex BN7 2JP CAF Bank Limited, 25 Kings Hill Avenue, Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent ME19 4JQ Shawbrook Bank Ltd, Lutea House, Warley Hill Business Park, Great Warley, Brentwood, Essex CM13 3BE The Charity Bank Ltd, Fosse House, 182 High Street, Tonbridge TN9 1BE

Na�onwide Building Society, Kings Park Road, Moulton Park, Northampton NN3 6NW

Waterside Centre Suite F1, North Street, Lewes BN7 2PE

Sussex Rural Community Council

(Limited by Guarantee)

AIRS CHAIR OF THE BOARD REPORT April 2021 to March 2022

Spring of 2021 finally brought about the thawing of Covid restrictions and a welcome return to our preferred practices of direct engagement with individuals and groups in their communities. Our thoughts go out to all the people of Sussex that have been impacted by the pandemic, whether that is due to the death or illness of a loved one, to hardship due to being furloughed or to a range of other issues, great and small, that arose from this unprecedented situation.

AirS has had its own challenges. Gordon Ackroyd resigned as Chief Executive in September 2021 after 10 months in post. I want to thank Gordon for his contribution, hope his health has improved and wish him every success in the next stage of his career.

In December 2021, Steven Haasz was appointed as interim CEO and has worked hard to restore stability, manage the organisation, lead a strategic review and an overhaul of our policies and processes. Steven’s appointment has had a very positive impact. I and my fellow trustees have every confidence in him and thank him for his commitment to our charity.

There have also been a number to changes to our Trustees. Sandra Llewelyn and Neil Smith stood down on March 17[th] 2022, and March 31[st] 2022 respectively. I thank them for their support and dedication to our Board. At the time of writing, we welcome three additional Trustees in Owen Ingram, Kristin Sjovorr and Colin Brown who bring a wealth of diverse skills and experience. I look forward to working with them.

AirS continues to be largely dependent on statutory sector funding. The extended period of the pandemic and the associated economic impacts will see continued pressure on statutory bodies and other funders. Charities like Airs will need to work even more closely with local authorities, funders and coordinating bodies to ensure that we remain connected and aligned to their priorities.

We have begun a strategic review, to assess the challenges faced by rural communities in Sussex and to refresh and revise our services considering these challenges and the evolving needs of statutory bodies and funders. This has involved a good deal of work on developing our thinking on a range of key issues facing rural communities, the outcome of which will be a suite of Position Papers and service area proposals. Any long-term strategy will also need to acknowledge and address the challenges and widespread implications presented by the Climate and Nature Crisis and the evolving UK Government Policy.

This forward-looking strategic review will help inform a number of key issues for AirS including:

how to leverage best practise from other voluntary sector bodies both in Sussex and across the UK
how to evolve our services to remain relevant to beneficiaries, funders and stakeholders
how to ensure synergy between our services such that ‘the whole is greater than the sum of the parts’
how to develop our approach to funding to ensure sustainability and successful achievement of strategic aims
how to deploy the capital receipt from the sale of Sussex House – whether to fund specific issues/assets or a more general ‘investment for income’ approach.

Sussex Rural Community Council

(Limited by Guarantee)

Our overall strategic intention is that AirS remains able to address the real needs of rural communities and is fully aligned with the priorities of statutory bodies and funders – today and in the years to come.

During this busy and complex 2021-2022 period, the AirS staff have adapted and continued to deliver the vital rural services for which AirS is well known. I know how hard our staff have worked to continue the important work they do in their communities despite the challenges of engagement in recent times. Work that will be essential in the months and years ahead as we help rural communities to bounce back from the pandemic, economic downturn and the inevitable implications for rural economies, community resilience and for individual mental health and well-being. A huge amount of work has been done to enable us to maintain the standard of work that we do and to enhance communications both internally and externally. I wish to thank them all again for the great effort they have all shown during this time.

I would now like to highlight some of the excellent work our team has been doing in the last year.

Housing and Planning

The Sussex Community Housing Hub has continued to support a pipeline of some 27 community led housing groups and projects throughout this time.

With three housing schemes having now secured planning consent, we have seen the first of these start on site this year, Icklesham Community Land Trust (CLT). Icklesham CLT became the first CLT in East Sussex for a new build scheme of 15 affordable homes on a rural exception site, which ensures these will remain affordable and for local people in perpetuity. There will be 12 Social Rented homes (so genuinely affordable rent levels) and 3 for Shared Ownership.

Herstmonceux CLT and Angmering CLT both have planning but have yet to start on site given the considerable challenges of cost inflation in light of Covid and a post Brexit environment which has hampered supply chains and affected procurement. Another scheme to have gained planning consent this year is Arundel CLT which will secure 20 Social Rented homes in partnership with Aster Housing Association, as part of a 90 home development.

We have been able to help secure circa £450,000 in pre-development funds for four CLTs this year via the last round of the Community Housing Fund (CHF). Herstmonceux, Angmering, Eastbourne and Bexhill CLTs each obtained over £100,000 enable them to work towards submission of planning or starting on site. For a £4M national fund which was only open for a 9 month period this was a real success.

The lack of a renewed Community Housing Fund (CHF) - the national programme of grants to support the sector – has continued to frustrate community led housing groups and projects, and so we continue to campaign on this crucial issue. There is a good deal of momentum around community led housing in Sussex and thus considerable support for it amongst key decision makers including several local MPs, which is much appreciated. A roundtable discussion was held with Andrew Griffiths MP and five local CLTs in October 2021.

The Hub team has undertaken several Housing Needs Surveys this year including those in Pett, Guestling and Northiam. All of which identified significant local housing needs.

The Hub team have continued to undertake a series of Webinars covering key topics such as Finance, Planning, Community Engagement and Sustainable Development. These have been very well received, providing a valued space for sharing of good practice, peer support and networking.

Sussex Rural Community Council

(Limited by Guarantee)

At the time of writing AirS has also now embarked on the process of forming its own Registered Provider of affordable housing. This is to meet the needs of smaller rural and community led housing projects which struggle to find a Housing Association partner.

Neighbourhood Planning work has picked up following the easing of Covid restrictions with several parishes renewing this work and nearing completion of their Plans; West Wittering, Ninfield and Uckfield. Other communities supported with community engagement work were Aldingbourne, Nuthurst and Send.

The Housing and Planning Team have continued to explore the scope for community led plans to address some of the key challenges of our times including the climate and nature crises and how communities can respond to these to become stronger and more sustainable. Alongside a re-design of the community led planning service offer, the team have developed a Re-thinking our communities and places survey and sought feedback from key stakeholders in advance of wider circulation across Sussex.

Village Halls and Community Buildings Service

It has been another challenging year for village halls and community buildings. Although less restricted by lockdowns than the previous one, the gradual easing of restric�ons has been hampered by a spirit of cau�on with many regular users not returning immediately. Ac�on in Rural Sussex has con�nued to issue regular updates on permited ac�vi�es to all halls via email, our website and the online forum.

Our Basecamp forum has been invaluable during the pandemic and remains popular as a place for ques�ons, ideas and peer support. During the year there have been over 200 ac�ve conversa�ons or threads covering a wide range of topics including COVID safety checks for halls (the most popular topic) but also governance, legisla�on, renewable energy, and fundraising. We have also supported halls across Sussex to carry out risk assessments and ensure that buildings were safe to use when people were slowly allowed back in.

Funding is s�ll a challenge for halls looking to make improvements or refurbishments. The government grants to cover the lockdown period were an essen�al part of halls funding. However, some of the normally available grants were refocussed towards covid support leaving halls struggling to find addi�onal funds for normal works. Some were able to make COVID-19 related improvements e.g., ven�la�on, acous�cs to enable them to be safer on reopening. Our halls consultant Louise Beaton was kept busy delivering consultancy support on a range of topics primarily around governance and changes in charity status.

The Sussex Community Buildings Advisory Group (SCBAG) con�nues to support the AirS Village Halls Advisory service with its knowledge and on the ground feedback. AirS realises how crucial the role village halls play in rural community life and remains commited in its support in these challenging �mes.

Community Based Services

Our two major projects that progressed during this period were the Lost Woods environmental project, largely in West Sussex, and the Making it Happen project in the Wealden district of East Sussex.

Lost Woods is a Heritage Lottery funded project working alongside conservation and environmental charities to improve access and management of local woodlands. For Airs this is about encouraging and facilitating community groups to better understand, protect and preserve their local environment. During the last year, the Lost Woods team have continued to engage in the 18-month development phase and, during this time, have been working with communities to develop and test ideas and create a project brochure giving ideas for enjoying local woods. Some successes were the series of August Ambles in 2021,

Sussex Rural Community Councll (Limited by Guarantee} woodland activities for young carer5 and community led experiences, such as the Scaynes Hill Family Trail and Dawn Chorus Walk. The end of the Lost Woods development stage meant that work on this project had to cease while the lottery considered whether to fund the full delivery phase. At the time of writing, we are very pleased to confirm that we have won 5 years of additional Lost Woods Phase 2 project funding and over £800,000 of funds which was confirmed in Quarter 3 of 2022. The Making it Happen project involves three part-time Village Agents supporting this project through community activities in four medium-sized towns Iuckfield, Hailsham, Polegate and Crowboroughl. The Village Agents have been providing advice, signpostin& and assistsnce with small and medium sized grants. The Village Agents have been able to get out into communities to a greater degree through the year, although Covid restrictions were still having a significant impart on this. However, they have been able to support a growing number of community artivities from small projects such as a new communal planter within a neighbourhood to the community acquisition of a new natu land asset by Polegate Town Council and the process of this becoming community led. They have also been involved in the creation of Uckfield Green Partnership and a fantastic skatepark project that has led to the involvement of young volunteers through a youth club in Crowborough. While recent focus has been on managing the transitions and work around the Lost Woods bid- Phase 2- and Making it Happen team changes, some thought is being given to the developrnent of the team after the Community Lottery fund bid was unsuccessful. There are themes emerging around climate action and community, while some links are being made with potential partners that may help us move forward with new ideas. Hopefully this next year will see some of these bear fruit. All in all, it has been a positive year for Airs, re-engaBing with communities and getting back to doing what we do best. Alex Ingham Clark- Chair

Sussex Rural Community Council

(Limited by Guarantee)

Trustees’ report April 2021 – March 2022

1. Introduction

The trustees who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006, present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2022. The trustees have adopted the provisions of Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019.

2. Charitable objects

The charity’s objects are to promote any charitable purposes for the benefit of the community of the counties of East and West Sussex; in particular to promote and organise partnership working to achieve the advancement of education, the protection of health, relief of poverty, distress and sickness, by bringing together representatives of the statutory authorities, voluntary organisations and other bodies and any interested persons. We set out our strategic aims and activities in more detail later in this report.

3. Structure, governance and management Legal and administrative details

Sussex Rural Community Council (SRCC) is a company limited by guarantee and a registered charity. The governing body is the Board of Trustees. The governing document is the Memorandum and Articles of Association.

Operating name

SRCC has operated during the year under the operating name “Action in rural Sussex” (AirS).

Trustees

The trustees are elected by the members of the charity at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) and may serve a maximum of 10 years. Any remaining vacancies not filled at the AGM are filled by co-option on the initiative of the trustees.

New trustees receive an induction pack and meeting to brief them on their legal obligations under charity and company law, the committee and decision-making processes, the business plan and the recent financial performance of the charity. During that meeting, they also meet key trustees and employees. Trustees are encouraged to attend appropriate training where this will facilitate the undertaking of their role.

Presidency

Joint Presidents:

Sir Peter Field Lord Lieutenant of East Sussex - resigned on 9 December 2021

Susan Pyper - Lord Lieutenant of West Sussex

Sussex Rural Community Council

(Limited by Guarantee)

4. Strategic objectives Target demographic of the charity

All people living in rural areas of Sussex, but especially those who are at risk of isolation and/or disadvantage, and for whom living in a rural area brings an additional challenge and cost to their daily lives.

Our vision

Our vision is a rural Sussex that is thriving, economically active and full of choice and opportunities for everyone.

Our mission

Our mission is to support and empower people in rural Sussex to maintain vibrant and diverse communities through advice, services and practical support, and by representing their interests at a local, regional and national level.

Public benefit

In shaping our objectives and planning our activities for the year, the trustees have given consideration to the duties set out in section 17(5) of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to public benefit and to the Charity Commission Guidance on public benefit.

In particular, the trustees have considered how planned activities contribute to the overall aims and objectives they have set, related in detail in the following paragraphs, which describe the benefit that the charity provides to the public.

Risk Management

The trustees recognise their responsibility for identifying, managing and mitigating all strategic, operational and technical risks facing the charity. AirS also recognises the need to have a planned and systematic approach to risk.

The trustees have adopted a formal policy for risk at both a strategic and operational level.

The comprehensive risk register that is in place is reviewed at every Board meeting.

Involvement by beneficiaries of the charity

The beneficiaries of the work of AirS are those living and/or working in rural Sussex, and especially those for whom living in a rural location can easily become an additional excluding or disadvantaging factor in their lives. In particular this includes: those not sharing the general prosperity of the region; those unable to secure affordable housing; people dependent on rural public transport and limited local services, those experiencing isolation and loneliness and those who are dependent on the support of a local community that is undergoing fundamental changes, whilst remaining superficially attractive and prosperous.

We have day-to-day contact with our beneficiaries through our outreach work with communities. In addition to this we canvass users and gather their views via housing needs surveys, community led plan consultations neighbourhood planning. We also participate in rural community networks in both East and West Sussex, and continually seek wider participation from potentially hard-to-reach groups.

In addition to the above, we introduced free membership of the charity in order to encourage more local village organisations and individuals to take part in our formal governance processes.

Sussex Rural Community Council

(Limited by Guarantee)

We are also considering whether some representatives of disadvantaged groups or rural community organisations could be recruited onto the board to increase the involvement of beneficiaries.

How do we fund Action in rural Sussex’s work?

We would like to thank everyone who contributes financially in any way to our work with rural communities.

Individuals both join and also make donations. Village organisations, most notably village halls and parish councils, subscribe to our Village Hall and Community Buildings Advisory Service (VHCBAS). Parish councils purchase help from us over local housing initiatives, housing needs surveys, assistance with neighbourhood plans or assistance with local consultation exercises. Community led housing groups – mainly Community Land Trusts – also purchase support from us as part of the enabling services offered by the Sussex Community Housing Hub. As do Housing Associations.

Various forms of government - county councils, district councils, government departments and their agencies - fund projects or contribute to our general work with rural communities.

We also secure funding from national and local funders to enable us to deliver specific projects for the benefit of rural communities across Sussex.

In total over 250 individuals and organisations have contributed to our work, indicating the diversity of our funding streams, which continues to grow. We are especially grateful to East Sussex County Council and the Big Lottery Fund for their financial contributions to our community-based Village Agents project, and to DEFRA for their support across a range of our services.

Successful applications were submitted to Lewes and Mid Sussex District Councils for continued support for our Village Hall Service while we were unsuccessful with a bid to the Prince’s Countryside Fund for funding to begin a digital inclusion project for later life residents.

Successful applications were also submitted to Rother, Wealden, Mid Sussex and Arun District Councils and to Hastings Borough Council to further the work of the Sussex Community Housing Hub in these areas.

We could not exist without your support, and we thank you all on behalf of the rural communities we serve in Sussex, for the tangible difference you are helping us make.

5. Review of 2021/22

The main features of the year:

As an agency that focusses on Community Development being able to come out of the deep Covid freeze has been a big part of the story this year. Staff have been keen to get back out into communities to both re-kindle and establish new working relationships.
We have expanded our Sussex Community Housing Hub (SCHH), a community led housing enabling service providing advice and support to co-operatives, self-build and Cohousing groups as well as Community Land Trusts (CLTs). The Hub continues to support projects in East and West Sussex. Our first CLT scheme is now on-site in Icklesham (15 affordable homes completed in August 2022).
Our Village Agent Scheme, funded by ESCC and Big Lottery, continued to support individuals and community groups in East Sussex, tackling social isolation and loss of services.
The Lost Woods project (Village Agents) has progressed very well despite the challenges of Covid with lots of activity and learning taking place in the communities involved.

Sussex Rural Community Council

(Limited by Guarantee)

We have reviewed our specialist provision of Community Led and Neighbourhood Planning Services, which continues to work with parishes in both East Sussex and West Sussex, thus ensuring rural residents’ voices are heard.
We have reviewed and expanded our Community Buildings Service so that it remains the source of expertise, advice and guidance for community buildings across Sussex but offers additional support via our online ‘Basecamp’ forum and message board where over 300 individuals come together to offer peer support, local knowledge and advise and to share best practice.
Our CEO and Senior Management have represented rural communities at East Sussex Strategic Partnership, Wealden Local Strategic Partnership, East Sussex Voluntary Alliance, Partnership Plus, Southeast Local Economic Partnership Rural Working Group and the Sussex Nature Partnership.

Helping communities plan for the future

We continue to support rural communities explore their needs and aspirations, through community-led plans such as parish and neighbourhood plans.

Neighbourhood Planning support has seen West Wittering undertake a second regulation 14 consultation following feedback from their first regulation 14 and the pandemic. A second submission plan has been prepared with amended policies for the steering group and parish council to approve. Ninfield received intensive support (ongoing) as they prepare their draft plan to share with Wealden district Council. We resumed support for Uckfield Town Council working with the Steering Group to re-engage with residents and interested stakeholders on their plan post pandemic.

The team also submitted Scopes of Service to Aldingbourne and Ewhurst to support with consultation activities to identify current and future needs towards planned redevelopment of key community facilities and buildings. Aldingbourne user groups and residents were consulted in the form of workshops, telephone conversations and a general household survey. The workshops attracting over 40 individuals representing various groups and organisations. We also undertook a parish wide survey work for Send Parish Council on their Recreation Grounds Improvement Project.

The team also began to explore wider issues in relation to community led planning. The impact of the pandemic and a reflection on communities and their role in addressing issues of resilience; climate change and adaptability, nature recovery and biodiversity, local food supply, regenerative agriculture and supporting a circular economy. We developed a survey and sought feedback from key stakeholders in advance of wider circulation across Sussex.

A total of 7 Farming in Protected Landscape (FiPL) grant panel meetings were attended with AirS role being to ensure that the projects approved will have sustainable benefits for residents of the communities in which they are located. This is being led by the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Community Buildings Service

The Village Hall and Community Buildings Advisory Service continued to support trustees, management committees and volunteers involved with the day to day running of village halls and community buildings across Sussex. AirS maintained contact with over 200 halls across both counties and is aware that there are many other community buildings such as scout huts, sports pavilions etc spread across both counties.

The cost of subscription to the service remained at £120+VAT (£144) per year and membership levels remained the same with 158 subscribers. This shows a sustained confidence in the service with all those that joined the previous year electing to stay on.

Sussex Rural Community Council

(Limited by Guarantee)

COVID-19 continued to be the greatest challenge for most halls and community buildings during the year. Although the third UK lockdown period came to an end early on there was a continued need for advice on the cautious reopening’s and the challenge of following the government’s advice and the law. As previously, many relied on the guidance issued from ACRE which was easier to understand and specifically tailored to Village Hall’s needs. A further 15 update briefings were issued during the year with additional information sheets and templates, and these were sent out to all contacts regardless of subscription status.

The annual Village Hall conferences were postponed for a second year due to restrictions on gatherings and the vulnerable status of many trustees. Sussex Community Buildings Advisory Group (SCBAG) working with the advisory service felt that it would be better to hold off for another year and aim to relaunch live conferences in 2022-2023.

There were a few changes in staff delivering the service during the year with the main VH advisor leaving in September and the former VH advisor/consultant stepping in to fill the gap with additional support from core staff. An experienced VH advisor was recruited in January.

There was a continued demand for AirS consultancy services to support on a range of issues predominantly governance arrangements, incorporation (CIO), business plan development, roles and responsibilities of trustees, and the search for funding to update/rebuild halls.

Community Based Village Agents

Our two major projects that progressed during this period were the Making it Happen project in the Wealden district of East Sussex and the Lost Woods environmental project, largely in West Sussex.

The AirS Making it Happen (MiH) team support work in four rural-hub towns in Wealden. MiH began in September 2019 and is a five-year East Sussex County Council funded, Asset Based project, alongside four other voluntary sector partners. The project involves three part-time Village Agents supporting community activities in four medium-sized towns (Uckfield, Hailsham, Polegate and Crowborough). The Village Agents have been providing advice, signposting, and assistance with small and medium sized grants. It is a countywide project with five delivery partners and led by SCDA.

The MiH project is informed by the Asset Based Community Development model’s principles of being citizen led, relationship-oriented, asset-based, place-based and inclusion focused. Looking to address the rural priorities identified by the County Council, the Village Agents support community groups to tackle issues such as social isolation, poor mental health, access to services and the needs of an ageing population.

The village agents have been able to get out into communities to a greater degree through the year, although Covid restrictions were still having a significant impact on this. However, they have been able to support a growing number of community activity from small projects such as a new communal planter within a neighbourhood to the community acquisition of a new nature land asset by Polegate Town Council and the process of this becoming community led. They have also been involved in the creation of Uckfield Green Partnership and a fantastic skatepark project that has led to the involvement of young volunteers through a youth club in Crowborough.

Although more recent, it is worth noting that the MiH project has had some significant changes. The loss of Chiara, due to retirement, and Steve Lewis has meant that we have been recently going through a period of transition as Laura Heales has taken over as Team Leader and we have welcomed Jo Peters into the project. However, the team is now feeling positive and have lots of ideas about how the project can move forward in new and interesting ways.

While recent focus has been on managing the transitions and work around the Phase 2 Lost Woods bid and MiH team changes, some thought is being given to the development of the team after the Community

Sussex Rural Community Council

(Limited by Guarantee)

lottery fund bid was unsuccessful. There are themes emerging around climate action and community, whiles some links are being made with potential partners that may help us move forward with new ideas. Hopefully this next year will see some of these bear fruit.

The second major Village Agent project is The Lost Woods of the South Downs and Low Weald. This project began in July 2020, is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund until May 2022 as part of the first phase.

Lost Woods is a 5-year, multimillion pound lottery funded project alongside conservation and environmental charities such as the Woodland Trust, the Environment Agency and the Small Woods Association. During the last year, the Lost Woods team have continued to engage in the 18 month development phase and, during this time, have been working with communities to develop and test ideas and create a project brochure giving ideas for enjoying local woods. Some successes were the series of August Ambles in 2021, woodland activities for young carers and community led experiences, such as the Scaynes Hill Family Trail and a Dawn Chorus Walk.

The end of the Lost Woods development stage meant that work on this project had to cease while the lottery considered whether to fund the full delivery phase. This meant that we had to lose most of the Lost Woods Team as there was not sufficient funding to retain them during this interim period. As at the time of writing we are very pleased to confirm that we have won 5 years of additional Lost Woods Phase 2 project funding and over £800,000 of funds which was confirmed in Quarter 3 of 2022.

Community Led Housing and the Sussex Community Housing Hub

The Hub service at AirS has continued to work closely with 27 community led housing groups and projects across East and West Sussex. These are all Community Land Trusts – CLTs - (including one Co-Housing project). Icklesham CLT became the first CLT in East Sussex to start on site for a new build scheme of 15 affordable homes on a rural exception site, which ensures these will remain affordable and for local people in perpetuity. There will be 12 Social Rented homes (so genuinely affordable rent levels) and 3 for Shared Ownership. Herstmonceux CLT and Angmering CLT both have planning but have yet to start on site given the considerable challenges of cost inflation in light of Covid and a post Brexit environment which has hampered supply chains and affected procurement. Another scheme to have gained planning consent this year is Arundel CLT which will secure 20 Social Rented homes in partnership with Aster Housing Association, as part of a 90 home development.

We have been able to help secure circa £450,000 in pre-development funds for four CLTs this year via the last round of the Community Housing Fund (CHF) Herstmonceux, Angmering, Eastbourne and Bexhill CLTs each obtained over £100,000 each to enable them to work towards submission of planning or starting on site. For a £4M national fund which was only open for a 9 month period this was a real success.

The Hub team has undertaken several Housing Needs Surveys this year including those in Pett, Guestling and Northiam. All of which identified significant local housing needs.

The Hub and Sussex CLTs are at the forefront in terms of lobbying to make the case for a renewal of the Community Housing Fund to secure this vital funding stream for the sector.

Research and Policy

Numerous networking events were held in various communities, right across the county, attracting attendees from a wide range of business sizes and types. These events provided a valuable opportunity for

Sussex Rural Community Council

(Limited by Guarantee)

the sharing of knowledge, experiences and business contacts, as well as signposting to the diverse range of support available.

We have also consistently continued to provide housing needs surveys to provide evidence and information for community housing initiatives throughout the year.

6. Developments and changes to activities

Volunteers

We encourage time to be freely given by volunteers in their own communities. We have always encouraged them to contribute in this way rather than directly to us. In some communities (eg Mayfield) we have been happy to see the growth and development of local community organisations, owned and run by local community, with AirS (and other agencies) giving support of different kinds along the way.

Work with other charities

The core of our work is its support of smaller voluntary organisations and charities throughout Sussex, including in their conception and creation. In addition, we work in partnership with a wide range of other voluntary organisations to help rural communities access specialist skills and services, and to disseminate key information.

Our work is diverse and consequently so are the specialisms of voluntary sector partners that we work with - for instance environmental protection, health, poverty, housing needs, farming, domestic abuse, transport provision, education, and infrastructure.

Impact beyond the area of benefit

Our staff work closely with our national body, ACRE to ensure the voice of Sussex is heard nationally and that it is strengthened via the national campaigning this offers and the rurally focussed guidance and information it provides.

7. Financial review

Overview

Action in rural Sussex carries out a wide range of projects and programmes in pursuit of its strategic aims. The outcome of this activity has been reported earlier in the trustees' report.

Restricted Funds

The detail of the restricted fund activity is set out in Note 18 of the financial statements. Where individual projects show a deficit on completion or termination, this has been made good from unrestricted funds. Restricted funds at the year end amounted to £33,834.

Unrestricted Funds

The total unrestricted funds are set out in Note 17 of the financial statements amounted to £1,583,805. Of this total the Trustees have designated that £1,208,000 is held for specific purposes.

Reserves policy

The Board of Trustees has developed this reserves policy to cover the ongoing employee commitments, ensure business continuity and allow for its investment in developing sustainable income streams, contingent liabilities, working capital requirements and to take account of its annual risk review. The free reserve is maintained primarily in case Action in rural Sussex suffers a sudden and unforeseen contraction of activities.

Sussex Rural Community Council

(Limited by Guarantee)

This is mitigated through full cost recovery budgeting, accurate forecasting, advantageous contract negotiation where possible and careful treasury management. Any remaining free reserves not required under the reserves policy are available to develop the work of the charity, to meet its charitable objectives and to fulfil any latent contractual obligations entered by the charity as part of its primary purpose trading.

The Board of Trustees confirms that each restricted fund has sufficient assets to meet its obligations, or arrangements exist with the funders that these obligations will be met at the point at which the requirement arises. Trustees will annually review the reserves policy in the light of a continuing shift in funding profile, and the linked investment in strategic and business development.

Restatement of 2022 Financial Results

In reviewing the result for the year to 31 March 2023, errors were discovered in the way Accrued Income and Deferred Income had been analysed in the previous year’s accounts. As a result, we have had to restate the results for the year to 31 March 2022, for which the loss was understated by some £108,000.

An internal review was prepared, explaining how the errors arose, and a copy of the review was forwarded to the Independent Examiner who had originally reported on the accounts, for their comment. No comments on the review have been received from the former Independent Examiner who resigned from that position a week later.

The Trustees appointed Knill James, Chartered Accountants of Lewes, East Sussex, to act as Independent Examiner for the restated accounts to 31 March 2022.

The members of the company will be invited to approve both the restated accounts for the year to 31 March 2022 as well as the audited accounts to 31 March 2023 at the Annual General Meeting.

The Trustees will then inform both the Registrar of Companies and the Charities Commission of the circumstances of the restated accounts.

8. Statement of trustees’ responsibilities

The trustees (who are also the directors of Sussex Rural Community Council for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Report of the Trustees and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

Company law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that period.

In preparing those financial statements, the trustees are required to:

select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently.
observe the methods and principles in the Charity Statement of Recommended Practice.
make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent.
state whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and
prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charitable company will continue in business.

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding

SusseJ( Rural Community Council (Limited by Guarantee) the assets of the charitsble company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. Small Company Exemptlons We confirm that the accounts comply with current statutory requirements and with the requirements of the governing document. Approved by the Board of Trustees on É 2LIS and signed on its behalf by: Alex Ingham Clark- Chair

Sussex Rural Community Council

(Limited by Guarantee)

Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees

of Sussex Rural Community Council

I report to the trustees on my examination of the financial statements of Sussex Rural Community Council (the charity) for the year ended 31 March 2022.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the trustees of the charity you are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act).

I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s financial statements carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act. In carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.

Independent examiner’s statement

Since the charity’s gross income exceeded £250,000 your examiner must be a member of a body listed in section 145 of the 2011 Act. I confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a member of ICAEW, which is one of the listed bodies.

Your attention is drawn to the fact that the charity has prepared financial statements in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) in preference to the Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice issued on 1 April 2005 which is referred to in the extant regulations but has now been withdrawn.

I understand that this has been done in order for financial statements to provide a true and fair view in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Practice effective for reporting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2015.

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:

accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 130 of the 2011 Act; or
the financial statements do not accord with those records; or
the financial statements do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the financial statements to be reached.

Mark Filsell FCA, Knill James LLP, Chartered Accountants, One Bell Lane, Lewes, East Sussex BN71JU

11 December 2023

Sussex Rural Community Council

(Limited by Guarantee)

Statement of Financial Activities (including Income and Expenditure Account) For the year ended 31 March 2022

Unrestricted Restricted
Funds
funds
as restated as restated
Notes
£
£
Income and endowments from:
2
Donations and legacies
Page 18
55,822
-
Charitable activities:
Operational programmes
page18
246,808
141,256
Investments
3
8,345
-
Total
310,975
141,256
Expenditure on:
Charitable activities:
Operational programmes
page 19 – 20
503,533
110,398
Net income (expenditure) before
4
(192,558)
30,858
Other recognised gains (losses)
Other recognised gains and losses:
Actuarial valuation gains
20
1,108
-
Net Movement of funds
(191,450)
30,858
Reconciliation of funds:
Total funds brought forward
1,775,156
2,976
Total funds carried forward
16,17
1,583,706
33,834

2022
2021
Total
Total
as restated
£
55,822
59,589
388,064
441,531
8,345
16,062
452,231
517,182
613,931
595,157
(161,700)
(77,975)
1,108
-
(160,592)
(77,975)
1,778,132
1,856,107
1,617,540
1,778,132

All income and expenditure derives from con�nuing ac�vi�es.

Sussex Rural Community Council

(Limited by Guarantee)

Year ended 31 March 2022

Income from dona�ons and legacies Grants Ac�on with Communi�es in Rural England (ACRE) HMRC Job Reten�on Scheme Dona�ons Dona�ons Income from Charitable Ac�vi�es Income from opera�onal programmes as restated Housing Hub Fees Village Hall consultancy/Subscrip�on Sussex Community Development Assoc. Neighbourhood Planning Other Income Project specifc funding Grants/Dona�ons as restated Local & Regional Government Community Led Homes Funding Lost Woods Grants ACRE – Safeguarding Funding for Interns	2022 £ 47,395 - 47,395 8,427 55,822 122,929 25,787 72,498 24,238 1,356 246,808 13,226 14,635 109,395 1,000 3,000 141,256	2021 £ 47,395 10,110 57,505 2,084 59,589 100,875 18,712 69,135 - 2,889 191,611 102,550 63,720 82,650 1,000 - 249,920

Sussex Rural Community Council

(Limited by Guarantee)

Year ended 31 March 2022

Expenditure on charitable ac�vi�es Opera�onal programmes Direct project costs as restated Informa�on technology Events Delegated and other grants Funding RVA for Reaching Communi�es Print post sta�onery Consultancy Marke�ng nad publicity Small equipment Communica�ons Travel Legal Recruitment and training Salaries/social security/pension Support costs – page 20 Governance costs – page 20	2022 £ 5,939 3,060 - - 2,913 12,187 1,022 618 1,050 4,407 - - 79,202 110,398 499,235 4,298 613,931		2021 £ 7,432 765 75,353 9,624 6,202 7,313 1,114 1,385 2,194 1,559 100 4,840 309,476 427,357 163,778 4,022 595,157

Sussex Rural Community Council

(Limited by Guarantee)

Year ended 31 March 2022

Support and governance costs
Support costs
Ofce overheads
Rent
Power and light
Communica�ons
Insurance
Informa�on technology
Repairs and maintenance
Deprecia�on
Administra�on costs as restated
Salaries, social security, pensions
Other pension costs
Staf recruitment, training and support
Informa�on technology
Travel
Print, Post, Sta�onery
Adver�sing and marke�ng
Membership fees
Sundries
Growth Plan Pension Scheme
Irrecoverable VAT
Governance costs
Trustee travel and mee�ngs
Legal and professional

2022
2021
£
£
£
£
18,444
17,614
2,258
2,436
3,942
3,339
2,112
2,581
10,170
9,809
2,291
733
455
812
39,672
37,324
389,992
119,376
45,501
15,766
29,509
25,550
1,261
-
373
24
132
927
1,742
3,580
4,825
4,500
144
540
(16,239)
(46,771)
2,323
2,962
459,563
126,454
499,235
163,778
340
22
3,958
4,000
4,298
4,022

Sussex Rural Community Council

(Limited by Guarantee)

Balance Sheet as at 31 March 2022

2022 as restated Notes £ £ Fixed Assets Tangible assets 9 638 Investment 10 2 640 Current assets Stocks 11 - Debtors 12 76,636 Cash balances 1,799,127 1,875,763 Liabili�es Creditors: amounts falling due in under one year 13 (246,948) Net current assets 1,628,815 Total assets less current liabili�es 1,629,455 Provisions 20 (11,915) Net assets 1,617,540 The funds of the charity Unrestricted funds 16 - General funds 387,621 - Designated funds 1,208,000 - Pension reserve 20 (11,915) 1,583,706 Restricted funds 17 33,834 Total charity funds 1,617,540	2022 as restated Notes £ £ Fixed Assets Tangible assets 9 638 Investment 10 2 640 Current assets Stocks 11 - Debtors 12 76,636 Cash balances 1,799,127 1,875,763 Liabili�es Creditors: amounts falling due in under one year 13 (246,948) Net current assets 1,628,815 Total assets less current liabili�es 1,629,455 Provisions 20 (11,915) Net assets 1,617,540 The funds of the charity Unrestricted funds 16 - General funds 387,621 - Designated funds 1,208,000 - Pension reserve 20 (11,915) 1,583,706 Restricted funds 17 33,834 Total charity funds 1,617,540	2022 as restated Notes £ £ Fixed Assets Tangible assets 9 638 Investment 10 2 640 Current assets Stocks 11 - Debtors 12 76,636 Cash balances 1,799,127 1,875,763 Liabili�es Creditors: amounts falling due in under one year 13 (246,948) Net current assets 1,628,815 Total assets less current liabili�es 1,629,455 Provisions 20 (11,915) Net assets 1,617,540 The funds of the charity Unrestricted funds 16 - General funds 387,621 - Designated funds 1,208,000 - Pension reserve 20 (11,915) 1,583,706 Restricted funds 17 33,834 Total charity funds 1,617,540	2021 £ £ 442 2 444 1,919 48,845 1,864,957 1,915,721 (108,771) 1,806,950 1,807,394 (29,262) 1,778,132 596,418 1,208,000 (29,262) 1,775,156 2,976 1,778,132

		1,617,540 387,621 1,208,000 (11,915)
		1,583,706 33,834 1,617,540

Sussex Rural Community Counc51 (Llmited by Guarantee) For the year ending 31 March 2022 the company was entitled to exemption from audlt under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companie5. Directors, responsibilities: The members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its accounts for the year In question in accordance with Section 476 of the Companies Art 2006,. The Directors acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting records and the preparation of accounts. These financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees on E kn15 and signed on its behalf by.. Alex Ingham Clark Chair ohn Moore-Bick Trustee 22

Sussex Rural Community Council

(Limited by Guarantee)

Cash Flow Statement For the year ended 31 March 2022

Notes Cash fows from opera�ng ac�vi�es 22 Cash fows from inves�ng ac�vi�es: Dividends, interest and rents from investments Purchase of equipment Net cash provided by investment ac�vi�es Change in Cash balances in the repor�ng period Cash balances at the beginning of the repor�ng period Cash balances at the end of the repor�ng period	2022 as restated £ (73,524) 8,345 (651) 7,694 (65,830) 1,864,957 1,799,127		2021 £ (194,223) 16,062 - 16,062 (178,161) 2,043,118 1,864,957

Sussex Rural Community Council

(Limited by Guarantee)

Notes to the Financial Statements For the year ended 31 March 2022

1. Accoun�ng policies

by Chari�es: Statement of Recommended Prac�ce (issued October 2019) applicable to chari�es preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Repor�ng Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effec�ve 1 January 2019) - (Chari�es SORP (FRS 102)), and the Companies Act 2006.

liabili�es are ini�ally recognised at historical cost or transac�on value unless otherwise stated in relevant accoun�ng policy notes.

1.2

Statements by virtue of sec�on 398 of the Companies Act 2006 as the group it heads qualifies as a small group. These financial statements therefore present informa�on about the company as an individual undertaking and not about its group.

1.3. Prepara�on of the accounts on a going concern basis

The company is dependent on the con�nued support of grant aiding bodies. The trustees believe that the company will con�nue to receive this support and accordingly consider that it is appropriate to prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis.

1.4 Incoming resources

All incoming resources are included in the Statement of Financial Ac�vi�es when:

the charity is legally en�tled to the funds;
any performance condi�ons atached to the income have been met or are fully within
the control of the charity;
the amount can be reliably measured.

Dona�ons and legacies

Grants and dona�ons are recognised in incoming resources in the year in which they are receivable, except as follows:

When donors specify that grants or dona�ons given to the charity must be used in future
accoun�ng periods, the income is deferred to those periods;
when donors impose condi�ons which becomes en�tled to use such income. the income is deferred and not included in
incoming resources un�l the precondi�ons for use are met.

Sussex Rural Community Council

(Limited by Guarantee)

Notes to the Financial Statements For the year ended 31 March 2022

Charitable ac�vi�es

Income from opera�onal programmes included in the incoming resources in the period in which the relevant programme takes place.

restricted purposes, which do not amount to pre-condi�ons regarding en�tlement. this income is included in incoming resources of restricted funds when receivable.

Investment income

Interest on funds held on deposit is included when receivable and the amount can measured reliably by the charity; this is normally upon no�fica�on of the interest paid or payable by the bank.

1.5 Expenditure

An expenditure is included on an accruals basis inclusive of any VAT which cannot be recovered and is recognised when:

there is a legal or construc�ve obliga�on to make a payment;
it is probable that setlement will be required;
the amount of the obliga�on can measured reliably.

Charitable ac�vi�es

and allocated to the relevant heading within resources expended.

Support costs

company operates as well as governance costs. Support costs are wholly atributable to opera�onal programme costs.

Governance costs

Costs associated with the cons�tu�onal and statutory requirements of the charity.

1.6. Fund accoun�ng

Funds held by the charity are either.

Unrestricted General funds - these are funds which can be used in accordance with the
charitable objects at the discre�on of the trustees.
Unrestricted Designated funds - these are unrestricted funds of the charity which the
trustees have decided at their discre�on to set aside to use for a specific purpose.

Sussex Rural Community Council

(Limited by Guarantee)

Notes to the Financial Statements

For the year ended 31 March 2022

Restricted funds - these are funds that can only be used for par�cular restricted purposes within the objects or the charity. Restric�ons arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for par�cular restricted purposes.

each asset over its expected useful life. as follows:

of the project

1.8. Investments

Fixed asset investments are stated at cost less provision tor diminu�on in value.

1.9 Debtors

Trade and other debtors are recognised at the setlement amount due a�er any trade discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid a�er taking account of any trade discounts.

1.10 Cash Balances

Cash balances include cash and short term highly liquid investments with a short maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisi�on or opening of the deposit or similar account.

1.11 Creditors and provisions

Creditors and provisions are recognised where the charity has a present obliga�on resul�ng from a past event that will probably result in the transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to setle the obliga�on can be measured or es�mated reliably. Creditors and provisions are normally recognised at their setlement amount a�er allowing for any trade discounts due.

1.12 Pensions

to certain members of staff in accordance with the terms of their employment contracts. Such payments are charged to the statement of financial ac�vi�es as they become payable.

Sussex Rural Community Council

(Limited by Guarantee)

Notes to the Financial Statements For the year ended 31 March 2022

1.13. Financial Instruments

financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are ini�ally recognised at transac�on value, and subsequently measured at their setlement value.

In determining the carrying amounts of certain assets and liabili�es, the charity makes assump�ons of the effects of uncertain future events on those assets and liabili�es at the balance sheet date. The charity's es�mates and assump�ons are based on historical experience and expecta�on of future events and are reviewed annually.

2. Incoming Resources

The total incoming resources for the year have been derived from the principal ac�vity undertaken wholly in the UK.

3. Interest receivable Bank interest 4. Net income/(expenditure) for the year is stated a�er charging: Deprecia�on of tangible assets Independent examina�on	2022 £ 8,345 2022 £ 455 4,000	2021 £ 16,062
		2021 £ 812 4,000

5. Trustees’ emoluments and reimbursed expenses

The trustees received no remunera�on during the year (2021 - £Nil). The aggregated amount reimbursed to trustees during the year was £298 (2021 - £29).

Sussex Rural Community Council

(Limited by Guarantee)

Notes to the Financial Statements For the year ended 31 March 2022

6. Staf costs and numbers Staf costs Salaries, social security and pension costs Other pension costs	2022 £ 469,194 29,262 498,456	2021 £ 428,852 15,766 444,618

No employee earned more than £60,000 during the year (2021 – £Nil).

The key management personnel of the charity comprise the Trustees and the Senior Management Team. The total employee costs of the key management personnel of the charity were £93,684 (2021 - £81,508).

made up as follows:

Support /opera�onal programmes	2022 Number 14	2021 Number 12

7. Pension costs

The scheme and its assets are held by independent managers. The pension charge represents contribu�ons due from the company and amounted to £16,239 (2021 - £15,766).

8. Corpora�on taxa�on

The company is exempt from tax on income and gains falling within sec�on 505 of the Taxes Act 1988 or sec�on 252 of the Taxa�on of Chargeable Gains Act 1992 to the extent that these are applied to its charitable objects.

Sussex Rural Community Council

(Limited by Guarantee)

Notes to the Financial Statements For the year ended 31 March 2022

9. Fixed Assets -tangible assets Cost 1 April 2021 Addi�ons 31 March 2022 Deprecia�on 1 April 2021 Charge for year 31 March 2022 Net book values 31 March 2022 31 March 2021 10. Fixed Asset Investments Cost 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2022 Net book values 31 March 2022 31 March 2021	Furniture Fixtures Equipment £ 7,690 651 8,341 7,248 455 7,703 638 442 Subsidiary Undertaking Shares £ 2 2 2	Total £ 7,690 651 8,341 7,248 455 7,703 637 442 Total £ 2 2 2

The company owns 100% of the issued share capital of SRCC (Trading) Limited, a company registered in England and Wales, number 03101724. SRCC (Trading) Limited was incorporated to carry out the non-charitable ac�vi�es of the company and has not traded during the year; SRCC (Trading) Limited has net assets of £2 as at 31 March 2022.

Sussex Rural Community Council

(Limited by Guarantee)

Notes to the Financial Statements For the year ended 31 March 2022

11. Stocks Work in progress 12. Debtors Trade debtors Other debtors Prepayments Accrued Income 13. Creditors: amounts falling due within one year Trade creditors Other taxa�on and social security Other creditors Accruals Deferred income (Note14) 14. Deferred Income Balance at 1 April 2021 Amount released to incoming resources Amount deferred in the year Balance at 31 March 2022	2022 £ - 2022 as restated £ 65,866 1,725 958 8,087 76,636 2022 as restated £ 8,858 29,544 8,915 18,997 180,634 246,948	2021 £ 1,919 2021 £ 25,167 - 3,210 20,468 48,845 2021 £ 22,718 10,102 3,931 25,298 46,722 108,771 £ as restated 46,722 (46,722) 180,634 180,634

Deferred income relates to grants and other income received in advance

Sussex Rural Community Council

(Limited by Guarantee)

Notes to the Financial Statements For the year ended 31 March 2022

15. Limited by guarantee

Sussex Rural Community Council is a private company, limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales without a share capital. Each member guarantees to contribute £1 to the company in the event of its winding up. At 31 March 2022 there were 110 members.

Unrestricted funds	Brought	Incoming	Outgoing		Carried
	forward	resources	resources	Pension	forward
	£	£	£	£	£
Designated funds:
Development Fund	534,984	-	-	-	534,984
Reloca�on Fund	500,000	-	-	-	500,000
Sussex Community Housing Hub 92,016		-	-	-	92,016
IT Rolling Replacement Fund	18,000	-	-	-	18,000
Recruitment Fund	63,000	-	-	-	63,000
Total designated funds	1,208,000	-	-	-	1,208,000
General fund	596,418	312,083	(503,533)	(17,347)	387,621
Excep�onal item-
Pension scheme	(29,262)	-	-	17,347	(11,915)
	1,775,156	312,083	(503,533)	-	1,583,706

Sussex Rural Community Council

(Limited by Guarantee)

Notes to the Financial Statements For the year ended 31 March 2022

17. Restricted funds Objec�ves ACRE safeguarding Funding for Interns	Brought Incoming Outgoing Carried forward resources resources forward £ £ £ £ 2,976 141,256 (110,398) 33,834 - 1,000 (1,000) - - 3,000 (3,000) - 2,976 145,256 (110,398) 33,834

Objec�ves

These funds are for three main objec�ves:

Tackling Rural Disadvantage
Building Community capacity and Resilience
Rural Voice

Acre – safeguarding

Funding from Ac�on with Communi�es in Rural England to cover safeguarding responsibili�es.

Funding for Interns

Funding from the University of Sussex as part of the University’s CareerLab programme.

Sussex Rural Community Council

(Limited by Guarantee)

Notes to the Financial Statements For the year ended 31 March 2022

18. Analysis of net assets between funds

Fund balances at 31 March 2022 are represented by: Tangible fxed assets Investments Net current assets Long term liabili�es	General Designated Restricted Total Funds funds funds £ £ £ £ 637 - - 637 2 - - 2 386,982 1,208,000 33,834 1,628,816 (11,915) - - (11,915) 375,706 1,208,000 33,834 1,617,540

19. Financial commitments

At 31 March 2022 the company had total future commitments under non-cancellable opera�ng leases as follows:

Due: Within one year	2022 2021 £ £ 17,962 -

Sussex Rural Community Council

(Limited by Guarantee)

Notes to the Financial Statements For the year ended 31 March 2022

20. Pension scheme

The company is a par�cipa�ng employer in the Growth Plan operated by the Pensions Trust to provide pension benefits for members of staff. This scheme is a mul�-employer scheme which provides benefits to some 950 non-associated par�cipa�ng employers. The scheme is

The scheme is subject to the funding legisla�on outlined in the Pensions Act 2004 which came into force on 30 December 2005. This, together with documents issued by the Pensions Regulator and Technical Actuarial Standards issued by the Financial Repor�ng Council, set out the framework for funding defined benefit occupa�onal pension schemes in the UK.

poten�ally liable for other par�cipa�ng employers’ obliga�ons if those employers are unable to meet their share of the scheme deficit following withdrawal from the scheme. Par�cipa�ng employers are legally required to meet their share of the scheme deficit on an annuity purchases basis on withdrawal from the scheme.

showed a deficit of £31.6m, which has reduced from £131.5m at 30 September 2017. To eliminate this funding shor�all, the Trustee has asked the par�cipa�ng employers to pay addi�onal contribu�ons to the scheme over a period of twelve years, which commenced in April 2013.

For the company the addi�onal contribu�ons are to be levied at the original rate of £11,998 in the first year (2013-2014) with an increase of 3% per annum therea�er, subject to revision. Full provision for the revised total amount has been made in these accounts. The company has been no�fied that the latest es�mated employer debt on its

withdrawal for the Growth Plan would be £163,287 (2020: £197,905). A number of employees remain as ac�ve members of the Growth Plan and there is no inten�on to withdraw from the Plan in the foreseeable future. In the event that the company did withdraw, its employer debt would be recalculated and would take into account the addi�onal contribu�ons made under the Recovery Plan.

The recovery plan contribu�ons are allocated to each par�cipa�ng employer in line with their es�mated share of the Series 1 and Series 2 scheme liabili�es.

Sussex Rural Community Council

(Limited by Guarantee)

Notes to the Financial Statements For the year ended 31 March 2022

arrangement the company recognises a liability for this obliga�on. The amount recognised is the net present value of the deficit reduc�on contribu�ons payable under the agreement that relates to the deficit. The unwinding of the discount rate is recognised as a finance cost.

The scheme has been valued by The Pensions Trust at £11,915 as at 31 March 2022.

payments. However, the trustees have in 2022 received an actuarial valua�on of the scheme liability leading to a gain recognised in the SOFA of £1,108.

21. Related party transac�ons

During the year the company had no related party transac�ons that require disclosure.

22. Reconcilia�on of net income (expenditure) to net cashfow from opera�ng ac�vi�es Net income (expenditure) for the repor�ng period (as per the statement of fnancial ac�vi�es) Dividends and interest Deprecia�on Decrease in stocks (Increase) decrease in debtors (Decrease) increase in provisions (Decrease) increase in creditors Net cash ou�low from opera�ng ac�vi�es	2022 £ (160,593) (8,345) 455 1,919 (27,791) (17,345) 138,176 (73,524)	2021 £ (77,975) (16,062) 812 (1,919) (18,320) - (80,759) (194,223)