2024-03-31-accounts

REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Year ended 31 March 2024

Registered number: 03124204 Registered charity number: 1053184

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Contents

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|||| |---|---|---| |Chair’s statement|.............................|4| |Directors’ Report|..............................|6| |Independent Auditor’s| |Report to the Members|...............|25| |Consolidated Statement| |....................|28| |of Financial Activities| |Group and Company| |Balance Sheets|................................|29| |Consolidated Cash Flow| |Statement|.........................................|30| |Notes to the Financial| |Statements|.......................................|31|

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Chair’s statement

That the public realm is a key facet of a just and inclusive society, is probably not a controversial statement. That the public realm, of which the voluntary sector is a key part, has been underfunded and, sometimes, criticised over the last 14 years is hardly debatable. These two statements define the context of the voluntary sector after 14 years of Austerity.

On July 4th the electorate delivered a resounding no to the past 14 years and it seems, voted for change. The new government offers grounds for optimism and potential for change which we hope will recognise and value the input of our sector in contributing to a just and inclusive society with the resources and financial backing to do so.

Birmingham is being managed by commissioners as a result of Section 114 declaration; other authorities for which we provide services are under substantial financial pressure and this is inevitably reflected in contract values. While inflation may now be returning to the Bank of England’s statutorily defined range, the year under review brought substantial cost pressures not least in relation to employment. Additionally, obtaining grant funding is increasingly challenging; demand is very high resulting in huge competition for what is available and many funders restricting what and who they fund. It is thanks to the skill and application of our Business Development Team working in collaboration with our operational services, that we are still able to report success in maintaining this important income stream.

It is against this background that this report assesses BID’s work to date and it’s against this background that our strategy for 2024 – 2027 is to operate. One of BID’s unique strengths is its depth of expertise and knowledge acquired over many years underpinning the services we deliver. This knowledge and skill is largely held by our staff and, in recognition of this, the Board had little difficulty agreeing a significant in year addition to the wage bill. Our financial performance for the year ending

March 2024 shows a surplus, despite the challenges of the wider sector and our principal income sources (local authority contracts and grants) which is more than creditable and a direct result of the energy and commitment of our staff and volunteers that clearly demonstrates BID’s strength and resilience.

During the year we have:

• Agreed on a new vision, purpose, values and strategic priorities which went live in December 2023; since then we have been building on the priorities and establishing plans to meet these.

• Our commercial arm, Signing Tree Venue, continues its post Covid recovery and is attracting new customers while retaining established relationships. It is performing well and enables us to continue to fund a range of community activities.

• Our new website launched offering a more service user friendly platform and a new online Information Library launched in response to feedback from stakeholders and requests from commissioners for more digital/self-help information.

• Despite the BSL Act and increased profile of BSL as a language, with a few exceptions, provision for D/deaf people remains intermittent and of variable quality. We continue to participate in the BSL Alliance, working with other providers across the country to progress the Alliance’s priority areas; interpreting and translation, early years, BSL teaching and health and care. Staff continue to work to reduce inequalities, breaking down barriers, increasing awareness of sensory impairments and supporting our communities to overcome the challenges they experience in their day to day lives.

• Fed into commissioning and worked to raise the profile of our clients with commissioners and ensure our clients’ voices are heard. For example, in Birmingham we were commissioned to complete a gap analysis for the D/deaf community. We have also taken part in various market engagement

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activities across the country and tried to increase the awareness of the needs of those with sensory impairments across services when speaking with commissioners, local networks and other stakeholders.

• Resecured our Northumberland contract now expanded to cover all sensory impairments.

• Continued to work on various projects across the country focused on addressing health inequalities and, as part of this, launched a brand-new grant funded hearing aid clinic provision in Cumbria.

• Expanded delivery of our community services in Birmingham offering a dedicated community day, a monthly community evening and regular community events including day trips, bringing the D/deaf and hard of hearing community together, an example of the work our commercial activity enables. In Leeds we now run a successful arts group for people with visual impairments, a Ladies Group, a Deafblind Group and various other community groups, all bringing people together and supporting and creating communities.

• Continued to work with a range of valued partners across the country and developed new partnerships, helping to maximise the impact of our work and offer a more expansive provision to our shared clients.

Work continued throughout the year researching and developing our strategy for 2024 – 2027. This involved consultation with the full range of stakeholders including staff, clients, commissioners and the trustees. This culminated in April with a staff conference at which we explored further how the strategy is to be delivered. Its key priorities are:

• [ A strong and sustainable organisation. ]

• [ BID – an excellent place to work. ]

• [ To deliver high quality services that promote ]

independence, financial, physical and mental wellbeing.

• [ To grow and extend the reach and range of our ] services.

• [ To promote equality, diversity, and inclusion.]

Despite challenges the financial environment brings in, we remain confident that these objectives are both realistic and achievable.

During the year the Board said goodbye to Alison Beachim (Vice Chair) and Sam Humphray. Our thanks and best wishes are extended to both of them for their contributions throughout a difficult time for BID Services which included both COVID and increasing financial pressures. We welcome Sasha Lloyd to the Board and look forward to her contributions during the years to come.

The Board continues to monitor how its membership reflects our client groups and currently over 50% of our trustees are D/deaf or hard of hearing. Our recruitment efforts continue with appropriate diversity and skill sets being the key requirements.

As well as its role in oversight and good governance, the Board has brought a range of valued partners and continues to assist in maintaining and developing relationships.

BID’s achievements in the past and success in years to come is directly attributable to the quality and commitment of its staff and so, by way of conclusion to my statement, I offer the Board’s substantial and heartfelt thanks to our staff and volunteers.

Michael Price Chair

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Directors’ report

Constitutional and administrative details

Charity Name BID Services (known as BID)

1053184 Charity Registration Number 03124204 Company Registration Number

Deaf Cultural Centre Registered Office Ladywood Road Birmingham B16 8SZ

Board of Trustees

The Directors, who are also trustees of the charity, serving during the year were as follows:

(resigned 28 September 2023)

Alison BEACHIM (resigned 28 September 2023) Matthew COLLINGWOOD Gail CONWAY (resigned 29 June 2023) Sam HUMPHRAY (resigned 28 September 2023) Sandeep KAUR Sasha LLOYD (appointed 30 November 2023) Andrew MCGEOGHAN (Treasurer; appointed 28 September 2023) Michael PRICE (Chair) Sophie WALMSLEY (resigned 29 June 2023)

The Directors retiring by rotation were M Price, S Humphray and S Kaur. All three agreed to stand for re-election and were reappointed to the Board. A McGeoghan was appointed Treasurer on 28 September 2023 after the position was vacant since November 2021.

Independent Auditors

The charitable company maintains management indemnity insurance for its directors and officers at an annual premium of £4,853 (2023: £4,280).

Directors are selected against pre-determined skills criteria designed to ensure that the Board has the necessary knowledge with which to direct BID.

The Board has an establishment of 5 members with powers of co-option.

Cooper Parry Group Limited Sky View Argosy Road Castle Donington Derby DE74 2SA

Company Secretary Michael Price

Bankers

Senior Management Team

Chief Executive

Gail Penberthy Heather Davis Tony Morroll Ian Laing

Head of Human Resources & Organisation Development Head of Finance & I.T. Head of Operations

National Westminster Bank Plc 30a Harborne Road Birmingham B15 3AA

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About us

BID Services is a charity which works to remove barriers and deliver services which enable and empower those who are D/deaf, hard of hearing, sight impaired, deafblind or have other disabilities to live full lives.

We specialise in working with children, young people, adults and their families and carers, who are D/deaf, hard of hearing, sight impaired, severely sight impaired or have a dual sensory loss. Through delivery of ever evolving services, our staff and volunteers work in partnership with our clients to maximise independence, remove barriers and support clients to make informed choices, ensuring they have access to information, advice, support and activities in the right place, at the right time. We aim to enable and empower our clients to live the lives they choose, access the opportunities which matter to them and achieve their individual goals.

We provide specialist services, activities and social opportunities and our work is shaped by local need and communities. Examples include:

• Information, advice and guidance services of behalf of local authorities.

• Specialist equipment and technology assessments, advice and training.

• British Sign Language interpreting and training.

• Employment support helping people into education, training and employment.

• Housing and benefit related support.

• Social activities and groups enabling people to access peer support, socialise and build friendships.

• Rehabilitation and mobility training supporting those with sight loss to regain or maintain independence and daily living skills.

Our work is funded through local authority contracts, grants, donations, legacies and fundraising activities and our social enterprise, The Signing Tree Venue; an accessible, high-quality conference & meeting spaces, which houses our head office and also supports a range of community, arts and leisure activities for people living with sensory loss.

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Our vision

A society where everyone, whether they are D/deaf, hard of hearing, sight impaired, deafblind or have other disabilities can live full lives and experience a world without barriers.

Our purpose

Working together to remove barriers and deliver services which enable and empower those who are D/deaf, hard of hearing, sight impaired, deafblind or have other disabilities to live full lives.

Company status

The charity is a company limited by guarantee and as such has no share capital. The company is governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association, which were revised 18 March 2022 and approved by the Charity Commission on 26 January 2023. The liability of the members as set out in the Memorandum of Association is limited to £1 per member.

Trustee and director induction and training

New directors receive induction training appropriate to the role they are to fulfil. Directors regularly review their training needs. Additional training is provided as and when required, including directors’ responsibilities under charity law.

Organisational structure

The Board meets a minimum of five times a year and additional meetings are held as required. Day-to-day management of the organisation is delegated to the Chief Executive and her team. Limits to authority are detailed through policies, procedures and a scheme of delegation. The charity’s main operating base is at the Deaf Cultural Centre in central Birmingham.

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ORGANISATIONAL OBJECTIVES

Our strategy and vision focus on removing barriers and delivering services which enable and empower those of all ages who are D/deaf, hard of hearing, sight impaired, deafblind or have other disabilities to live full lives. Within our strategic plan we set out five key priorities which reflected this focus, aligning to the needs of those we support and enabling us to deliver adaptable and responsive services. During 2019-2022, and into 20222024, we developed and delivered innovative services and opportunities which have supported clients and their families to live healthy, fulfilling and independent lives and achieve the best possible outcomes.

Key priority areas:

A strong organisation, fit for today and prepared for tomorrow

Maintaining a strong and stable future for the charity, to ensure the continued provision of sensory support services that are highly valued remains central to everything our organisation does.

Improve employment opportunities for service users

Removing obstacles people face in accessing employment, education and training underpins our objective for people to live independently.

Increase service user access to information and services

Through developing communications solutions that reduce the barriers people face in accessing information and services, we support people to find what they need to help make more informed life choices.

Support people to live healthy, independent lives

Working in partnership with people to identify and address needs and gaps in service provision, we facilitate a wide range of activities that help people manage their health, improve their physical and emotional wellbeing, maximise independence and become connected to their local community.

Be an exceptional place to work and volunteer

By investing in training, learning and development and promoting initiatives that support a positive work/life balance, we strive to recruit and retain the best employees and volunteers to help deliver our sensory support services.

During 2022-24, we continued working to the 2019-22 strategy whilst reflecting on our progress, achievements and ever-evolving community needs. We utilised this period to engage with our stakeholders and set out our objectives for the next three years, 2024-2027:

• A strong and sustainable organisation.

• To grow and extend the reach and range of our services.

• BID – an excellent place to work.

• To deliver high quality services that promote independence, financial, physical and mental wellbeing.

• To promote equality, diversity, and inclusion.

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Highlights of achievements and performance

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KEY INITIATIVES & PROGRESS

A strong organisation, fit for today and prepared for tomorrow

Whilst we developed our new strategic plan for 2024-2027, we continued to work towards our priorities for 2019-2022 and have been able to deliver strong financial results, with excellent expenditure controls, despite the continued challenging economic environment, and further develop a resilient infrastructure ensuring continued support for our service users.

• We have worked to achieve a high level of organisational governance, strengthening

• our Board of Trustees, maintaining skills and knowledge needed to develop our services and creating a Board with lived experience of sensory impairment.

• Continued to develop & strengthen our infrastructure, improving connectivity internally and externally and ensuring high quality IT infrastructure is in place to support service delivery and management.

• Added functionality to our integrated HR and payroll system enabling even better personnel data management.

• We remain committed to developing our people and have continued to invest in volunteer and staff learning and development, delivering quality core training, supporting professional development and cascading specialist sensory knowledge throughout the organisation.

• We have continued to work to identify and train high performing staff and those with specialist skills, supporting with succession planning, retention and delivery high quality services and business functions.

• We continue to develop our passionate in-house team of communication professional who share

a diverse skill set with many years’ experience, enabling cross training and supporting across the team to deliver an exceptional level of diverse communication support.

• We continue to make developmental progress with our HR integrated system to further streamline our HR systems, utilising the learning and development and E-recruit functions.

• We have continued to explore and implement hybrid service delivery models and working arrangements, enabling us to deliver responsive, flexible and highquality services to our clients whilst supporting employees to develop a positive work/life balance.

• We have secured renewed contracts for existing services including Leeds, Milton Keynes and North Yorkshire and been offered extensions for services in Kirklees, Coventry and Cumbria ensuring we are able to continue delivering valuable services to our local communities

• Through reviewing management resources, we have created more effective and efficient service structures enabling more resources to be focused on frontline service delivery.

• Our Marketing Strategy (2020-2023) has been successfully implemented. During this period we have launched a new, user friendly website incorporating a host of new features including

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an accessible online Information Library for service users, families/carers, professionals and communities, online referral functions and local service/event searches. We have also continued to grow our online presence through use of social media, developing social media as a key channel for storytelling, information sharing and two-way stakeholder engagement.

• Our Business Development Team continue to work hard to retain existing provisions, secure funding to respond to local and national needs and diversify income, exploring new and innovative opportunities to meet the needs of our local communities.

• Our social enterprise, the Signing Tree Venue, remains a strong market competitor with an expanding client base and repeat business enabling continued growth with 13,457 people attending training, conferences, events and meetings held at the Signing Tree Venue.

• We have maintained recognised accreditations evidencing our high-quality, professional approach to service delivery and organisational governance including Matrix, ASDAN, ISO:14001, ISO9001, Disability Confident Level 2, CQC and Thrive.

F O R W A R D A I M S

To complete the organisation’s migration to MS365/cloud, to continue to diversify income streams and drive forward the development of our new strategic plan ensuring the ongoing delivery of high-quality services which enable and empower those living with sensory impairments, disabilities and associated health conditions.

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Improve employment opportunities for service users

We continue to build on our experience, developing new opportunities and approaches within our specialist Employment Service and wider activities to support those who are D/deaf, hard of hearing, sight or severely sight impaired or Deafblind to move towards or into employment, to retain employment, progress in their careers and to access education and training opportunities. We also worked to break down barriers, engaging with employers and training providers to increase awareness and understanding around employing and delivering training to those with sensory impairments. This included identifying employment opportunities, helping create accessible recruitment processes and increasing awareness of Access to Work.

• We continued supporting people aged 25 plus with complex needs to overcome barriers to employment and gain meaningful employment as specialist delivery partners of Birmingham City Council’s PURE (Placing Vulnerable Urban Residents into Employment) project.

• Through partnership with Better Pathways and Disability Resource Centre (DRC) as part of the European Social Fund (ESF) funded Disability Inclusion Pathways (DIP) project, we delivered employment support to those who are D/deaf or sight/severely sight impaired.

• Our 3 year The National Lottery Community Fund, Step Ahead employment project in Birmingham concluded. Through this we exceeded target numbers, engaging a total of 285 D/deaf and hard of hearing participants over the course of the project. Our Step Ahead project enabled us to offer a breadth of wrap around support to Employment Service clients including job clubs, Personal, Social, Development Training, BSL training for international signers, employer engagement and Deaf Awareness Training.

• We have continued to provide 1:1 and group support and training to clients across our Employment Services, providing support to 227 clients

• during 2023-2024, of which 27 went on to gain employment and 30 accessed education and training opportunities.

• Responding to changing demands and client needs, we have continued to operate a hybrid delivery model across our Employment Service offering face to face and remote support with 372 online and face to face events taking place during the course of 2023-2024, enabling us to provide a flexible, responsive service to our clients.

• We adapted accredited ASDAN courses, making them accessible for D/deaf BSL users, and supported 13 learners to successfully achieve ASDAN qualifications.

• Employment Service clients completed an accredited 10-week employability course delivered in partnership with Aston Villa Football Club.

• We have worked with organisations such as Amazon, Natwest and HSBC to explore and identify training and employment opportunities for our clients.

• We conducted a national survey around delivery and development of our Employment Services ensuring service users have been directly involved in the design, development and delivery of our services and initiatives locally and nationally.

F O R W A R D A I M S

We plan to explore ways to address the digital inequalities our clients experience when entering or moving towards employment and to continue expanding the range and geographical reach of our employment, training and education services across England. We will continue exploring local and national funding opportunities and partnerships to enable us to continue supporting those with sensory impairments to access and progress within employment.

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Increase service user access to information and services

We continue to work to ensure those who are D/deaf, hard of hearing, sight or severely sight impaired and those who have a dual sensory loss have access to the information, support and services they want and need, when they need them. We do this through delivery of services and sharing of accessible information alongside raising awareness of the communication and access needs of those with sensory impairments amongst other service providers. Through this we work we aim to ensure people with sensory impairments are able to make informed choices and have equal access to opportunities in all areas of their lives.

• Our communication service has built a strong team of in-house interpreters to deliver bespoke communication needs in a variety of settings, both face to face and remote, and across a large spectrum of preferred communication support.

• Our communication service continues to provide interpreting services in NHS settings and we have secured an extension to continue delivering a specialist provision for Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust within Birmingham’s d/Deaf/hard of hearing mental health unit. We have successfully retendered for the provision of interpreting services including those delivered on behalf of North Yorkshire Council and continue to deliver services on behalf of Coventry City Council.

• The expansion of our service in Northumberland saw recruitment of new staff enabling us to deliver services for those who are D/deaf/hard of hearing, alongside our existing services for clients with sight/ severe sight impairments. To support this, funding was secured to develop a resource room enabling clients to access and receive training on a range of assistive technology and equipment, increasing independence and access to information.

• Our BSL Tutors continue to develop their skills and knowledge to deliver high quality Signature accredited British Sign Language training up to Level 3. We have achieved a high pass rate for learners who progress through the levels with BID training and 124 people accessed BSL training during the year.

• We supported 27 learners through our BSL International course, providing opportunities for those who use an international sign language or who have no formal sign language to develop

BSL skills up to Level 2 whilst also increasing their access to wider services, information and services, addressing isolation and increasing independence.

• We continue to offer sensory impairment awareness training across the country, including Signature accredited Deaf Awareness Training, for individuals and organisations, such as the NHS, employers, local community services, leisure services and education providers. Through this we are breaking down barriers and increasing access to information, support and services for those with a sensory impairment.

• We continue to work in partnership with health services and providers to increase awareness of sensory impairments and improve access to health services and information for those with sensory impairments. This has included working with organisations such as Umbrella, a sexual health organisation in Birmingham, Northumberland Royal Victoria Infirmary, Leeds Community Health Care, North Cumbria Integrated Care, Milton Keynes Hospital, Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and Healthwatch services.

• Working in collaboration with our partners, My Menopause Centre, with Fairer Futures funding, we delivered a series of workshops for D/deaf and hard of hearing women across Birmingham focused on the menopause, increasing awareness and understanding around topics related to the menopause from treatments and symptoms to healthy eating and sleep. We are also creating an accessible online resource dedicated to the menopause with recordings of the workshops and more. Working in collaboration, we supported the University of Wolverhampton, to further their research around D/deaf women’s access to information and support around the menopause.

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Key initiatives & progress

• We have continued to participate in the BSL Alliance, working with other providers across the country to progress the Alliance’s priority areas; interpreting and translation, early years, BSL teaching and health and care.

• We secured an extension to continue delivering the Birmingham Community Advocacy service through which we provide support and representation to service users residing in forensic settings across Birmingham through our Independent Mental Health Advocates, ensuring individuals have access to independent information and support, enabling them to make their own, informed decisions on issues that affect their lives.

• On behalf of the Neighbourhood Network Scheme to support future commissioning and strategic direction, we consulted with Birmingham’s Deaf community to conduct a gap analysis, identifying strengths, barriers, priorities and gaps within services, activities and support for the city’s Deaf community.

training, supporting delivery of hearing aid maintenance services in locations across England.

• We have increased our online following on social media platforms, in particular Instagram and LinkedIn, and continued to utilise these platforms to share news, information and resources with key stakeholders in a timely manner, supporting service delivery, increasing access to information and increasing awareness around sensory impairments.

• We launched our online Information Library through which we provide access to a range of information in accessible formats for clients, families/carers, employers and other professionals on a range of topics supporting self-help and awareness raising. New resources are being added to the Information Library on an ongoing basis.

• We secured funding to invest in new equipment for our Marketing Team, enabling the team to create high quality digital content, supporting communications and service delivery.

• We launched a much-needed hearing aid drop in provision across Cumbria which saw a total of 1,040 attendees during 2023-24. This has enabled people to access hearing aid maintenance support at locations closer to their homes within a timely manner whilst helping the local NHS Audiology Team by reducing their waiting list enabling them to focus on diagnostics and rehabilitation services.

• We have continued to upskill our staff teams, working in partnership with NHS Audiology and Specsavers to access hearing aid maintenance

• Working closely with partners in Ladywood and Yardley, Birmingham, through the Neighbourhood Network Scheme; our Community Project Workers continue to support people with disabilities to access local services, community groups and projects. They do this by supporting local community-based organisations to apply for funding so they can deliver accessible activities, projects and groups to help improve the lives of individuals with disabilities, helping them to reduce isolation, improve health and wellbeing and form friendships and support networks.

F O R W A R D A I M S

To continue delivering innovative, responsive services and increase access to information and services for those with sensory impairments. To work in partnership with local and national organisations to increase access for those with sensory impairments across all areas of their lives, through creating inclusive, accessible services and increasing awareness and understanding of the access and communication needs of those with a sensory impairment(s). To continue building our Information Library and online resources.

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Key initiatives & progress 2111; 18

Support people to live healthy, independent lives

Our vision is for a world without barriers where everyone can live full lives and access the opportunities, services and activities which matter to them. We continue to work towards this vision, delivering activities and support across England through contracted and grant funded services, for those who are D/deaf, hard of hearing, sight/severely sight impaired or deafblind. We continue to work collaboratively with our local communities to understand needs, designing and delivering services which enrich people’s lives and support them to live the lives they choose.

• We have secured renewed contracts for existing full sensory services including our Leeds Sensory Services and Milton Keynes Sensory Services enabling us to continue delivering valuable services to clients across Leeds and Milton Keynes.

• We have been offered extensions for services in Coventry and Cumbria where we deliver support to D/deaf and hard of hearing clients and Kirklees where we deliver services for those with sight/ severe sight impairments in partnership with Outlookers.

• Our newly launched Hearing Aid drop-ins in Cumbria have enabled people to maintain their hearing aids in a timely manner, helping ensure they have working aids, supporting them to maintain social connections, enjoy the activities which matter to them and complete day to day tasks.

• We worked with Birmingham City Council to understand the gaps in service provision and support for D/deaf and hard of hearing people across Birmingham, feeding this information into the council to inform future commissioning.

• We continue to work in partnership with local and national organisations across the country, from Lincoln Deaf Children’s Society, Focus Birmingham and Leeds Society for Deaf and Blind people to Hearing Dogs for the Deaf and Royal National Institute for the Deaf, delivering services which complement one another and enable clients to access specialist support and activities where and when they need them.

• Through youth services in Leeds, Lincolnshire and Birmingham we have continued to create opportunities for children and young people to access a breadth of activities from arts and crafts and learning about different faiths to bowling,

swimming and arts and crafts. These sessions have helped our members learn new skills, develop their confidence and build valuable friendships.

• In Lincolnshire we continued to support children and young people aged 0 to 18 and their families to access activities, build confidence, communication skills and independence and benefit from peer support through our Chance to Meet project. This year the group went on their first Chance to Meet pantomime trip, enjoyed a bowling party and much more. With funding from Sport England, we also delivered accessible family yoga and tennis sessions.

• In Birmingham the local community joined us for a number community events from Christmas and Easter Days to a Family Sports Day with fun for all the family. Working in collaboration with Birmingham Deaf Community Group, we also hosted a Halloween Night and Valentine’s Night Party.

• Our community services in Birmingham for those who are D/deaf or hard of hearing have gone from strength to strength with regular activities on offer for the local community from arts and crafts and day trips to information sessions with partners such as Umbrella and West Midlands Police along with a monthly community evening.

• Chesterberry, our residential service for those who are D/deaf and have additional needs, remains full and residents have enjoyed a range of activities from bowling, meals out, cinema trips, weekly fitness sessions, holidays and life skills sessions, enabling them to access information, support and activities which matter to them.

• Radnor Road, our supported living provision, continues to offer safe and affordable housing to those with a sensory impairment.

continued...

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Key initiatives & progress

» Support people to live healthy, independent lives

• We received an extension to our subcontract delivering support around mental health to those with sensory impairments under the Live Well Leeds contract.

• We have continued to deliver social groups across England, offering access to activities, peer support and friendship with members taking part in a wide range of activities and day trips from sewing, bowling and meals out, to a trip to Buckingham Palace and the National Mining Museum.

• Our Befriending service in Birmingham for those who are D/deaf, hard of hearing or deafblind, continues to help reduce isolation and provide individuals with access to social connections and support.

• We have launched a brand new, volunteer led Arts Group in Leeds for people with visual impairments which has grown from strength to strength.

• With funding from The Ian Karten Charitable Trust, we have established our second Karten Centre. Our new Karten Centre is in Leeds and offers our clients access to a wide range of specialist equipment and technology for use independently along with use within training sessions and within delivery of our assistive technology and equipment services.

• Our specialist Eye Clinic Liaison Officers, Visual Rehabilitation Officers (VRS) and Rehabilitation Assistants, continue to support those with newly acquired or existing sight impairments come to terms with, adapt to, and live with sight loss through emotional support and practical advice including mobility training and adaptations working in Milton Keynes, Leeds, Kirklees, Solihull and Northumberland.

• Through our Care Plus service in Lincolnshire, we continue to support children, young people and adults with sensory impairments to maintain their independence, deal with day-to-day tasks and access opportunities.

• We continue to work with local authorities and other commissioning bodies across the country, sharing best practises and experience to inform service development helping ensure those with sensory impairments receive quality support which meets their needs, addresses the challenges they experience and is appropriate to their access needs and communication preferences.

F O R W A R D A I M S

To work with all stakeholders from our local communities to commissioners to understand need and increase awareness of the needs, barriers and challenges experienced by those with sensory impairments. To continue delivering and developing, existing and new services, which respond to these flexibly, maximising resources available to achieve maximum impact for our clients.

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Be an exceptional place to work and volunteer

We value our staff and volunteers highly and aim to support people to develop professionally whilst benefiting from a positive work/life balance. Through this we aim to enable people to achieve their potential and create a culture where employees and volunteers are positive and proud of being part of BID Services.

• Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) working group continued to meet and implemented a new Communication Inclusion Policy.

• We continue to host a range of staff wellbeing initiatives, led by our Wellbeing Champion, as we strive to achieve the next level of Thrive accreditation.

• We have continued to invest in the learning and development of employees and volunteers delivering quality core training utilising the skills of our experienced staff to cascade specialist sensory knowledge.

• We hosted a CMI accredited management development programme to a cohort of 12 staff to upskill current managers and succession plan for the future, providing regular HR workshops to support further management development.

• We remain committed to developing our people, supporting professional development for all staff and offer a range of training opportunities for staff including apprenticeships across many areas of the organisation from marketing and rehabilitation to social work.

• To attract and retain quality staff and support positive work/life balance, we have continued exploring and offering opportunities such as jobs shares, compressed hours, flexible working and hybrid working.

• Our Volunteer Strategy continues to be implemented across the organisation retaining a sound base of committed volunteers that are integrated and supported within staff teams to provide valued support to our service users.

• We have trialled new initiatives such as skills swaps, with all our staff in Leeds completing immigration training, in return we delivered sensory impairment awareness training.

• We continue to support the next generation of interpreters, offering placements for students from the University of Wolverhampton and Heriot Watt University.

F O R W A R D A I M S

To continue to embed our Volunteer Strategy and develop our infrastructure to support volunteering activities including implementing a new volunteer database. To continue to invest in staff and volunteer learning and development and work to identify and retain high performers across the organisation whilst ensuring initiatives to support wellbeing are further developed, helping staff achieve work/life balance and feel valued.

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ACHIEVEMENT & PERFORMANCE

Public benefit

Pay Policy for Senior Staff

As reported above, BID has delivered its products and services with public benefit at the fore of all it does. The trustees confirm that they have reviewed and considered the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit and have taken it into account when considering the charity’s activities and future plans.

Key Performance Indications

Payroll costs represent a substantial portion of operating costs and their continuing control is crucial to the financial wellbeing of the organisation.

The directors consider that the Board of directors, who are the charity’s trustees, and the senior management team are the key groups of people who determine strategy, direct, control and operate the charity on a day-to-day basis.

The senior management team during the year in question is as previously listed in this document. Their remuneration is reviewed by the executive group of the Board who use benchmarking against comparable charities along with an assessment of market rates and consideration of performance.

• Wages as a percentage of incoming resources is 58.1% (2023: 60.2%)

Growing income from commercial trading as a proportion of turnover and growing income from grants and donations as a proportion of turnover is a strategic objective in order to better balance the risk associated with current income distribution.

• Commercial trading income as a percentage of incoming resources is 3.0% (2023: 2.9%)

• Donations and legacies as a percentage of incoming resources is 7.4% (2023: 5.9%)

Risk Management

The Board has changed and expanded how risks are reported, so that it is more aware of the changing situation and can carry out its risk management responsibilities from a more informed and nuanced perspective. In addition, it has formalised a number of items that require regular review by the Board.

Income diversification continues to be at the forefront of BID’s strategy, and the trustees continue to respond to the economic uncertainty by increasing the general fund (where possible), closely monitoring the financial performance of all activities and assessing any project requiring capital expenditure.

Deaf Cultural Centre

The brief of the Deaf Cultural Centre is to provide a space where the uniqueness of deaf culture is celebrated and to raise its profile.

Due to the level of reserves and cash balances held and contractual basis of most of our income streams we are well placed to continue operating. See accounting policy titled Going Concern for further details.

22

FINANCIAL REVIEW

Net incoming funds for the year amounted to £182,975 compared to £83,537 last year. After transfers between funds, the general unrestricted fund increased to £2,604,794.

Notes to the accounts show clearly the adjustments required under FRS 102 in the recognition of pension deficit recovery liabilities. Pension scheme deficits remain of considerable concern but the trustees are keen to maintain a sensible balance between longer-term liabilities and costs, and the need to maintain the schemes as a key part of our employee reward package.

The organisation’s financial position will provide a satisfactory foundation to respond to both the uncertain economic post-election landscape and other challenges and opportunities. The focus of future planning is principally about business development alongside long-term sustainability in an environment that is expected to be far from favourable to organisations like ourselves.

Investment Policy and Performance

Taking account of the changing economic conditions, along with forecast demands on resources, the trustees have decided to continue their policy of keeping reserves in cash or near cash. A risk averse view of financial institutions has been maintained and this, while limiting overall returns, means that our exposure to loss of funds is limited. The trustees continue to review this policy.

Reserves Policy

The trustees have given careful consideration to the charity’s reserves policy and regularly review the reserves we need to maintain current services and safeguard future programmes. As well as funding the day-to-day operation of the charity, and allowing the investment needed to maintain the business infrastructure, the reserves allow us to support people by responding proactively to opportunities as they become available.

Continuing assessment of the current economic and political situation, recognition of risks to contract provision, exposure to low investment returns manifesting themselves through defined benefit scheme recovery payments along with working and risk capital requirements when combined, result in a significantly increased risk profile. On this basis the charity has determined that it wants to retain a general reserve of at least £2 million, which would represent around 6 months of operating expenditure.

The charity’s free reserves (general unrestricted reserves not represented by fixed assets and net of the pension liability) at 31 March 2024 are £978,424. We continue to review operating expenditure levels, grow trading revenues, and aim to successfully gain and manage contracts to deliver increased surpluses and increase general reserves.

23

Directors’ responsibilities

The directors (who are also trustees of BID Services for the purposes of charity law) are responsible for preparing the Directors’ Report including the Strategic Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepting Accounting Practice).

Company law requires the directors 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 the group and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company and the group for that period. In preparing those financial statements, the directors are required to:

• select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;

• observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP 2019;

• make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;

• state whether applicable UK 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 and the group will continue in operation.

The directors are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and the group and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

In so far as the directors are aware:

• there is no relevant audit information of which the charitable company’s auditors are unaware; and

• the directors have taken all steps that they ought to have taken to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the auditors are aware of that information.

The directors are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charitable company’s website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

Approved by the Board and signed on its behalf by:

Michael Price, Director 03 October 2024

24

Independent Auditor’s report to the members and trustees of BID Services

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of BID Services (“the parent charitable company”) and its subsidiaries (“the group”) for the year ended 31 March 2024 which comprise the group Statement of Financial Activities, the group and parent charitable company Balance Sheets, the group Statement of Cash Flows and the related notes to the financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

In our opinion the financial statements:

• give a true and fair view of the state of the group’s and of the parent charitable company’s affairs as at 31 March 2024 and of the group’s incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure for the year then ended;

• have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and

• have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the group and the parent charitable company in accordance with the ethical requirements relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Conclusions relating to going concern

In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the directors’ use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the group and parent charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least 12 months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.

Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the directors with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.

Other information

The other information comprises the information included in the directors’ annual report, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. The directors are responsible for the other information contained within the annual report. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.

Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.

We have nothing to report in this regard.

Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006

In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit:

• the information given in the Directors’ Report (incorporating the strategic report) for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and

• the strategic report and the Directors’ Report have been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

25

Independent auditor’s report to the members and trustees of BID Services continued

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the group and the parent charitable company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified any material misstatements in the strategic report and the Directors’ Report.

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:

• adequate accounting records have not been kept by the parent charitable company, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or

• the parent charitable company financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or

• certain disclosures of directors’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or

• we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit

Responsibilities of directors

As explained more fully in the directors’ responsibilities statement, the directors (who are also the trustees of the charitable company for the purposes of charity law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the directors determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, the directors are responsible for assessing the group’s and the parent charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters

related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the directors either intend to liquidate the group or the parent charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The specific procedures for this engagement and the extent to which these are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud are detailed below:

Our assessment focussed on key laws and regulations the group and parent charitable company has to comply with and areas of the financial statements we assessed as being more susceptible to misstatement. These key laws and regulations included but were not limited to compliance with the Companies Act 2006, Charities Act 2011, taxation legislation, data protection, anti-bribery and employment legislation.

We are not responsible for preventing irregularities, including fraud. Our approach to detecting irregularities including fraud included, but was not limited to, the following:

26

• obtaining an understanding of the legal and regulatory framework applicable to the group and parent charitable company and how the group and parent charitable company are complying with that framework, including agreement of financial statement disclosures to underlying documentation and other evidence;

• obtaining an understanding of the group and parent charitable company’s control environment and how the group and parent charitable company have applied relevant control procedures, through discussions with directors and other management and by performing walkthrough testing over key areas;

• obtaining an understanding of the group and parent charitable company’s risk assessment process, including the risk of fraud;

• reviewing meeting minutes of those charged with governance throughout the year; and

• performing audit testing to address the risk of management override of controls, including testing journal entries and other adjustments for appropriateness, evaluating the business rationale of significant transactions outside the normal course of business and reviewing accounting estimates for bias.

Whilst considering how our audit work addressed the detection of irregularities, we also considered the likelihood of detection of fraud based on our approach. Irregularities arising from fraud are inherently more difficult to detect than those arising from error.

Because of the inherent limitations of an audit, there is a risk that we will not detect all irregularities, including those leading to a material misstatement in the financial statements or noncompliance with regulation. This risk increases the more that compliance with a law or regulation is removed from the events and transactions

reflected in the financial statements, as we will be less likely to become aware of instances of non-compliance. The risk is also greater regarding irregularities occurring due to fraud rather than error, as fraud involves intentional concealment, forgery, collusion, omission or misrepresentation.

A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located at the Financial Reporting Council’s (“FRC’s”) website at: https://www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor’s report.

Use of our report

This report is made solely to the charitable company’s members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company’s members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company and the charitable company’s members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Glen Bott (Senior Statutory Auditor)

For and on behalf of: Cooper Parry Group Limited Statutory Auditors

Sky View, Argosy Road, Castle Donington, Derby, DE74 2SA

Date: 20th December 2024

27

BID Services

Consolidated statement of financial activities

(Incorporating the Income and Expenditure Account)

YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024

Income Donatons and Legacies Income from charitable actvites: Contract service income and grants Income from other trading actvites: Commercial trading operatons Investment income Total income Expenditure Costs of raising funds: Commercial trading operatons Costs of generatng voluntary income Expenditure on charitable actvites: Contract service income and grants Other resources expended Interest and other fnance costs Total expenditure Net income / (expenditure) before transfers and other recognised gains and losses Transfers between funds Net income / (expenditure) before other recognised gains and losses Other recognised gains and losses Actuarial (losses) / gains on defned beneft pension schemes Net income / (expenditure) and net movement in funds for the year Reconciliation of funds Total Funds brought forward Total Funds carried forward	Note 2 4 5 3 5 6 16/17 22	Unrestricted funds	Designated funds	Restricted funds £ 437,210 – – – 437,210 – – 356,513 – – 356,513 80,697 – 80,697 – 80,697 661,811 742,508	2024 Total £ 441,814 5,304,965 178,026 24,047 5,948,852 119,824 54,891 5,601,077 41,085 – 5,816,877 131,975 – 131,975 51,000 182,975 5,893,514 6,076,489	2023 Total
		£	£			£
		4,604	–			338,296
		5,304,965	–			5,195,295
		178,026	–			166,527
		24,047	–			6,154
		5,511,642	–			5,706,272
		119,824	–			206,134
		54,891	–			25,715
		5,168,124	76,440			5,447,977
		41,085	–			26,909
		–	–			10,000
		5,383,924	76,440			5,716,735
		127,718	(76,440)			(10,463)
		–	–			–
		127,718	(76,440)			(10,463)
		51,000	–			94,000
		178,718	(76,440)			83,537
		2,426,076	2,805,627			5,809,977
		2,604,794	2,729,187			5,893,514

All amounts above are derived from continuing operations and the charitable company has no recognised gains or losses other than those passing through the Statement of Financial Activities and hence no separate statement of total recognised gains and losses is presented. The notes on pages 32 to 52 form part of these financial statements.

28

BID Services

Company number 03124204 Group and company balance sheets

YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024

Fixed assets Tangible assets Investments in subsidiary undertakings Current assets Stocks Debtors Cash at bank and in hand Creditors: Amounts falling due within one year Net current assets Total assets less current liabilities Creditors: Amounts falling due afer more than one year Net assets excluding pension scheme liability Defned beneft pension scheme liability NET ASSETS	Note 10 11 12 13 14 15	Group 2024 2023 £ £ 4,149,288 4,274,743 – – 4,149,288 4,274,743 15,505 15,148 883,227 701,690 1,759,980 1,596,697 2,658,712 2,313,535 (480,511) (479,764) 2,178,201 1,833,771 6,327,489 6,108,514 – – 6,327,489 6,108,514 (251,000) (215,000) 6,076,489 5,893,514	Company	Company
		2024 £ 4,149,288 – 4,149,288 15,505 883,227 1,759,980 2,658,712 (480,511) 2,178,201 6,327,489 – 6,327,489 (251,000) 6,076,489	2024 £ 4,110,415 10,000 4,120,415 13,829 971,766 1,683,589 2,669,184 (462,308) 2,206,876 6,327,291 – 6,327,291 (251,000) 6,076,291
				2023
				£
				4,228,817
				10,000
				4,238,817
				12,798
				814,966
				1,504,782
				2,332,546
				(463,047)
				1,869,499
				6,108,316
				–
				6,108,316
				(215,000)
				5,893,316

The funds of the charity:

RESTRICTED FUNDS Unrestricted funds General funds – general – pension fund Designated funds TOTAL FUNDS	16 17 17 17	742,508 2,855,794 (251,000) 2,729,187 6,076,489	661,811 2,641,076 (215,000) 2,805,627 5,893,514	742,508 2,855,596 (251,000) 2,729,187 6,076,291	661,811
					2,640,878
					(215,000)
					2,805,627
					5,893,316

Approved by the Board of Directors on 03 October 2024. Signed on its behalf by:

Michael Price, Director

29

BID Services

Company number 03124204 Consolidated Cash Flow Statement

YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024

Net cash infow from operatng actvites Returns on investments and servicing of fnance Capital expenditure (Decrease) / increase in cash Cash fow statement Defned Beneft Pension Scheme Interest payable Net valuaton changes / contributons (Increase) / decrease in debtors Increase / (decrease) in creditors Net cash infow from operatng actvites Reconciliation of net income to net cash fow from operating activities Net income Depreciaton charges and losses on disposal Net interest (Increase) / decrease in stocks	(a) 10 (b) 13 14 Note 10 3 12	179,517 24,047 (40,281) 163,283 – 36,000 (181,537) 747 179,517 2024 £ 182,975 165,736 (24,047) (357)	2023
			£
			83,537
			170,889
			(6,154)
			(2,951)
			10,000
			(190,000)
			331,136
			(318,324)
			78,133
			78,133
			6,154
			(562,175)
			(477,888)

30

BID Services

Notes to the Consolidated Cash Flow Statement

YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024

(a) (b) (c) (d)	Note Returns on investment and servicing of fnance Interest received Decrease in cash Balance at beginning of year Net cash infow (c) Balance at end of year Reconciliation of net cash fow to movements in net funds Decrease in cash during year being change in net funds Net funds at 1 April 2023 Net funds at 31 March 2024 At April 1 2023 £ Analysis of changes in net funds Cash at bank 1,596,697	2024 £ 24,047 2024 £ 1,596,697 163,283 1,759,980 Cash fows £ 163,283	2023 £
			6,154
			2023 £
			2,074,585
			(477,888)
			1,596,697
			£
	Decrease in cash during year being change in net funds		163,283
	Net funds at 1 April 2023		1,596,697
	Net funds at 31 March 2024		1,759,980
	Analysis of changes in net funds Cash at bank
			At 31 March
			2024
			£
			1,759,980

31

BID Services

Notes to the financial statements

YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024

1. Accounting policies

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with applicable Accounting Standards in the United Kingdom. A summary of the more important policies is set out below.

a) General information and basis of preparation

BID Services is a charitable company limited by guarantee in the United Kingdom. In the event of the charity being wound up, the liability in respect of the guarantee is limited to £1 per member of the charity. The address of the registered office is given in the charity information on page 5 of these financial statements. The nature of the charity’s operations and principal activities are to work in partnership with people with a sensory impairment, as well as those with a physical disability or mental health problems. Working with children, young people and adults and their families and carers to make a positive difference by providing innovative services that empower those people to control their own lives.

The charity constitutes a public benefit entity as defined by FRS 102. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with 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 from 1 January 2019, the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102), the Charities Act 2011, the Companies Act 2006 and UK Generally Accepted Practice.

The financial statements are prepared on a going concern basis under the historical cost convention, modified to include certain items at fair value. The financial statements are prepared in sterling which is the functional currency of the charity and rounded to the nearest pound.

The significant accounting policies applied in the preparation of these financial statements are set out below. These policies have been consistently applied to all years presented unless otherwise stated.

Basis of consolidation

The group financial statements consolidate those of the charity and its wholly owned subsidiary undertaking drawn up to 31 March 2024. The results of the charity’s subsidiary, Deaf Cultural Centre (Trading) Limited, have been incorporated on a line by line basis.

A separate Statement of Financial Activities and Income and Expenditure Account for the Charity has not been presented because the Charity has taken advantage of the exemption afforded by section 408 of the Companies Act 2006.

b) Funds

Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity and which have not been designated for other purposes.

Designated funds comprise unrestricted funds that have been set aside by the trustees for particular purposes. The aim and use of each designated fund is set out in the notes to the financial statements.

Restricted funds are funds which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors or which have been raised by the charity for particular purposes. The cost of raising and administering such

32

funds are charged against the specific fund. The aim and use of each restricted fund is set out in the notes to the financial statements.

c) Income recognition

All incoming resources are included in the Statement of Financial Activities (SoFA) when the charity is legally entitled to the income after any performance conditions have been met, the amount can be measured reliably and it is probable that the income will be received.

For donations to be recognised the charity will have been notified of the amounts and the settlement date in writing. If there are conditions attached to the donation and this requires a level of performance before entitlement can be obtained, then income is deferred until those conditions are fully met or the fulfilment of those conditions is within the control of the charity and it is probable that they will be fulfilled.

Income from trading activities includes income earned from fundraising events and trading activities to raise funds for the charity. Income is received in exchange for supplying goods and services in order to raise funds and is recognised when entitlement has occurred.

No amount is included in the financial statements for volunteer time in line with the SORP (FRS 102).

Income from grants is recognised at fair value when the charity has entitlement after any performance conditions have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably. If entitlement is not met then these amounts are deferred.

Investment income is earned through holding assets for investment purposes such as shares and property. It includes bank interest. Interest income is recognised using the effective interest method.

d) Expenditure recognition

All expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all costs related to the category. Expenditure is recognised where there is a legal or constructive obligation to make payments to third parties, it is probable that the settlement will be required and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. It is categorised under the following headings:

• Costs of raising funds includes the expenses of the commercial trading operation and those associated with fundraising activities, including personnel costs;

• Expenditure on charitable activities includes all direct expenditure in relation to the delivery of both contract services and operations for which it receives funding from grants and trusts; and

• Other expenditure represents those items not falling into the categories above.

Irrecoverable VAT is charged as an expense against the activity for which expenditure arose.

e) Support costs allocation

Support costs are those that assist the work of the charity but do not directly represent charitable activities and include office costs, governance costs, and administrative payroll costs. They are incurred directly in support of expenditure on the objects of the charity.

Where support costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings they have been allocated to cost of raising funds and expenditure on charitable activities on a basis consistent with use of the resources. Premises overheads have been allocated using the calculated surface area utilised/occupied, and other overheads have been allocated on the basis of full-time equivalent staff or units of I.T. equipment accordingly.

Fundraising costs are those incurred in seeking voluntary contributions and do not include the costs of disseminating information in support of the charitable activities. The analysis of these costs is included in note 7.

33

continued Notes to the financial statements | Accounting policies

f) Tangible fixed assets

Tangible fixed assets are stated at cost (or deemed cost) or valuation less accumulated depreciation and accumulated impairment losses. Cost includes costs directly attributable to making the asset capable of operating as intended, with a capitalisation limit of £250.

Depreciation is provided on all tangible fixed assets, at rates calculated to write off the cost, less estimated residual value, of each asset on a systematic basis over its expected useful life as follows;

Freehold buildings: over 50 years. Leasehold land and buildings: over 50 years. Plant and machinery: over 3-5 years.

Fixtures and fittings: over 3-10 years. Motor vehicles: over 4 years.

g) Investments

Investments in subsidiaries are measured at cost less impairment.

h) Stocks

Stocks are stated at the lower of cost and estimated selling price less costs to complete and sell.

i) Debtors and creditors receivable / payable within one year

Debtors and creditors with no stated interest rate and receivable or payable within one year are recorded at transaction price. Any losses arising from impairment are recognised in expenditure.

j) Loans and borrowings

Loans and borrowings are initially recognised at the transaction price including transaction costs. Subsequently, they are measured at amortised cost using the effective interest rate method, less impairment. If an arrangement constitutes a finance transaction it is measured at present value.

k) Impairment

Assets not measured at fair value are reviewed for any indication that the asset may be impaired at each balance sheet date. If such indication exists, the recoverable amount of the asset, or the asset’s cash generating unit, is estimated and compared to the carrying amount. Where the carrying amount exceeds its recoverable amount, an impairment loss is recognised in profit or loss unless the asset is carried at a revalued amount where the impairment loss is a revaluation decrease.

l) Leases

Assets acquired under finance leases are capitalised and depreciated over the shorter of the lease term and the expected useful life of the asset. Minimum lease payments are apportioned between the finance charge and the reduction of the outstanding lease liability using the effective interest method. The related obligations, net of future finance charges, are included in creditors. Rentals payable and receivable under operating leases are charged to the SoFA on a straight line basis over the period of the lease.

m) Employee benefits

When employees have rendered service to the charity, short-term employee benefits to which the employees are entitled are recognised at the undiscounted amount expected to be paid in exchange for that service.

34

The charity operates a defined contribution plan for the benefit of its employees. Contributions are expensed as they become payable. It also operated a defined benefit plan and two multi-employer defined benefit schemes for the benefit of its employees. A liability for the charity’s obligations under the plan is recognised net of plan assets.

The net change in the net defined benefit liability is recognised as the cost of the defined benefit plan during the period. Pension plan assets are measured at fair value and the defined benefit obligation is measured on an actuarial basis using the projected unit method. Actuarial valuations are obtained at least triennially and are updated at each balance sheet date.

n) Tax

The charitable company meets the definition of charity within the Charities Act 2011 and is considered to pass the tests set out in Paragraph 1 Schedule 6 Finance Act 2010 and therefore it meets the definition of a charitable company for UK corporation tax purposes.

o) Going concern

At the time of signing the accounts, the Trustees have considered the going concern position and judge that the charity will continue to operate for a period of at least 12 months from the date of signing these accounts due to the level of funding already secured with its key partners. At the balance sheet date the charity held significant cash balances. The charity has reserves which are sufficient to absorb short-term in-period deficits if required.

The financial forecasts prepared by the executive team show that the charity will be able to operate within the facilities available to it. On that basis the Trustees have prepared these financial statements on a going concern basis.

p) Financial instruments

The Group only has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value with the exception of bank loans which are subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.

q) Key estimates and areas of judgement

Estimates and judgements are continually evaluated and are based on historical experience and other factors, including expectations of future events that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances.

Critical accounting estimates and assumptions:

The group makes estimates and assumptions concerning the future and those assumptions will, by definition, seldom equal the related actual results. The estimates and assumptions that have a significant risk of causing a material adjustment to assets and liabilities within the next financial year are;

The present value of the Local Government Pension Schemes defined benefit liabilities depends on a number of factors that are determined on an actuarial basis using a variety of assumptions. The assumptions used in determining the net cost or income for pensions include the discount rates. Any changes in these assumptions (which are disclosed in note 22) will impact the carrying amount of the pension liabilities. Furthermore, a roll forward approach which projects results from the latest full actuarial valuations performed has been used by the actuaries in valuing the pension liabilities at 31 March 2024. Any differences between the figures derived from the roll forward approach and a full actuarial valuation would impact on the carrying amount of the pension liabilities.

35

Notes to the financial statements

2. Voluntary income

Grants, donations and other income Legacies Donatons Grants Employment projects (incl. Lotery) Sport England / Children in Need Other grants and donatons from Trusts	2024 £ 3,682 11,350 166,038 36,901 223,843 441,814	2023
		£
		8,502
		15,633
		148,176
		33,150
		132,835
		338,296

Income from grants, donations and other sources was £441,814 (2023: £338,296) of which £4,604 (2023: £10,626) was attributable to unrestricted funds, £nil (2023: £nil) was attributable to designated funds and £437,210 (2023: £327,670) was attributable to restricted funds.

3. Investment income

Interest earned	2024 £ 24,047	2023
		£
		6,154

Investment income was £24,047 (2023: £6,154) of which £24,047 (2023: £6,154) was attributable to unrestricted funds and £nil (2023: £nil) was attributable to restricted funds.

4. Incoming resources from charitable activities

Statutory bodies – contract service income Trading and other actvites	2024 £ 4,135,255 1,169,710 5,304,965	2023
		£
		4,071,805
		1,123,490
		5,195,295

Incoming resources from charitable activities was £5,304,965 (2023: £5,195,295) of which £5,304,965 (2023: £5,195,295) was attributable to unrestricted funds and £nil (2023: £nil) was attributable to restricted funds.

36

5. Trading operations

The charitable company owns 100% of the share capital of Deaf Cultural Centre (Trading) Limited which provides catering and conference facilities. During the year, Deaf Cultural Centre (Trading) Limited made sales of £56,845 (2023: £43,713) to the parent company and recharges of £115,047 (2023: £4,106).

Deaf Cultural Centre (Trading) Limited Turnover Cost of sales Gross proft Administratve expenses Other income Operating proft / (loss) Tax on proft on ordinary actvites Retained in subsidiary The assets and liabilites of the subsidiary at 31 March were: Tangible assets Net current assets Total assets less current liabilities Aggregate share capital and reserves	2024 £ 234,871 (37,549) 197,322 (197,322) – – – – 38,874 (28,676) 10,198 10,198	2023
		£
		210,240
		(27,998)
		182,242
		(182,242)
		–
		–
		–
		–
		45,926
		(35,728)
		10,198
		10,198

6. Resources expended by charity

Charitable activities Community services Residental services Public educaton development and Research Costs of generating funds Other resources expended Total resources expended	Finance Costs £ – – – – – –	Direct Costs £ 4,002,129 669,683 86,321 157,819 41,085 4,957,037	Support Costs £ 753,827 68,757 20,360 16,896 – 859,840	2024 Total £ 4,755,957 738,440 106,681 174,715 41,085 5,816,877	2023 Total
					£
					4,753,327
					623,549
					71,101
					231,849
					36,909
					5,716,735

Total resources expended was £5,816,877 (2023: £5,716,735) of which £5,383,924 (2023: £5,264,906) was attributable to unrestricted funds, £76,440 (2023: £110,190) was attributable to designated funds and £356,513 (2023: £341,640) was attributable to restricted funds.

37

Notes to the financial statements

7. Support costs by activity

Facilites Human resources and administraton Finance Informaton Technology	Community Services £ 196,901 289,608 124,260 143,058 753,827	Residential Services £ 676 35,403 15,190 17,488 68,757	Public education development and research £ 5,438 7,760 3,329 3,833 20,360	Activities for generating funds £ 4,513 6,439 2,763 3,181 16,896	2024 Total £ 207,528 339,210 145,542 167,560 859,840	2023 Total
						£
						222,563
						267,597
						162,607
						166,611
						819,378

Support costs are allocated as follows: Facilities – surface area utilised / occupied Finance/HR – full time equivalent staff members IT – units of equipment

8. Charitable expenditure

Expenditure includes: Auditors’ remuneraton – in respect of audit Depreciaton – owned assets Rentals payable under operatng leases – ofce equipment	2024 £ 32,400 165,736 3,450	2023
		£
		30,000
		170,889
		3,450

38

9. Trustee and staff costs

Staff costs during the period were:

Staf costs during the period were:
Wages and salaries Social security costs Pension costs	2024 £ 3,163,051 259,362 213,699 3,631,004	2023
		£
		3,154,930
		280,309
		130,149
		3,565,388

Staff restructuring costs compromise:

Redundancy costs 343 6,644

The average number of employees in the year was as follows:

Volume; Community services Educaton, development and research Actvites for generatng funds Governance Support FTE’s; Community services Educaton, development and research Actvites for generatng funds Governance Support	2024 120 6 4 1 14 145 76 4 3 1 11 95	2023
		119
		13
		5
		1
		13
		151
		80
		8
		4
		1
		10
		103

£60,001-£70,000 £70,001-£80,000 £80,001-£90,000	2024 No. 1 0 1	2023 No.
		1
		0
		1

The key management personnel of the charity comprise the trustees and the senior management team as listed on page 6. The total amount of employee benefits (incl. employer pension contributions) received for their services to the charity was £300,144, being 4.0 FTE (2023: £306,477, 4.0 FTE).

Members of the trustee Board and committees do not receive any remuneration for their services. During the year, no directors received travel and subsistence expenses (2023: £nil).

Charitable funds were used to purchase indemnity insurance for the trustees at a cost of £4,853 (2023: £4,280).

39

Notes to the financial statements

10. Tangible fixed assets

Group

Total cost At 1 April 2023 Additons Disposals At 31 March 2024 Net book values At 31 March 2024 At 31 March 2023 Depreciation At 1 April 2023 Charge for year Eliminaton on disposal At 31 March 2024	Long leasehold property £ 4,536,846 – – 4,536,846 2,994,290 3,085,027 1,451,819 90,737 – 1,542,556	Freehold land and buildings £ 1,306,410 – – 1,306,410 981,232 1,007,359 299,050 26,128 – 325,178	Motor vehicles £ 19,500 – – 19,500 – – 19,500 – – 19,500	Plant machinery fxtures & fttings £ 358,159 40,281 – 398,440 173,766 182,357 175,802 48,871 – 224,673	Total
					£
					6,220,914
					40,281
					–
					6,261,195
					1,946,171
					165,736
					–
					2,111,907
					4,149,288
					4,274,743

Company

Total cost At 1 April 2023 Additons Disposals At 31 March 2024 Net book values At 31 March 2024 At 31 March 2023 Depreciation At 1 April 2023 Charge for year Eliminaton on disposal At 31 March 2024	Long leasehold property £ 4,536,846 – – 4,536,846 2,994,290 3,085,027 1,451,819 90,737 – 1,542,556	Freehold land and buildings £ 1,306,410 – – 1,306,410 981,232 1,007,359 299,050 26,128 – 325,178	Motor vehicles £ 19,500 – – 19,500 – – 19,500 – – 19,500	Plant machinery fxtures & fttings £ 293,370 40,281 – 333,651 134,894 136,341 156,939 41,818 – 198,757	Total
					£
					6,156,125
					40,281
					–
					6,196,407
					1,927,308
					158,683
					–
					2,085,991
					4,110,416
					4,228,817

40

11. Investment in subsidiary undertakings

The charitable company owns 100% of the ordinary share capital of Deaf Cultural Centre (Trading) Limited, a company incorporated in the United Kingdom. The shares were acquired at a cost of £10,000. The principal activity of Deaf Cultural Centre (Trading) Limited is the provision of catering services and facilities hire.

The results of the subsidiary undertakings are set out in note 5.

12. Stock

12. Stock
Equipment and catering stocks	Group 2024 2023 £ £ 15,505 15,148	Company
	2024 £ 15,505	2024 £ 13,829
			2023
			£
			12,798

13. Debtors: amounts falling due within one year

Fees receivable Other debtors and accrued income Prepayments Amounts due from group company	Group 2024 2023 £ £ 768,681 552,007 448 7,181 114,098 142,502 – – 883,227 701,690	Company	Company
	2024 £ 768,681 448 114,098 – 883,227	2024 £ 725,454 448 114,098 131,766 971,766
			2023
			£
			521,049
			760
			142,502
			150,655
			814,966

41

Notes to the financial statements

14. Creditors: amounts falling due within one year

Trade creditors Taxaton and social security Other creditors Accruals Provisions Deferred income Deferred Income Deferred income brought forward Deferred in year Recognised in year Deferred income carried forward	Group 2024 2023 £ £ 176,998 162,377 62,196 85,291 53,432 55,685 73,291 66,863 40,000 40,000 74,594 69,548 480,511 479,764 Group 2024 2023 £ £ 69,548 102,504 174,785 113,676 (169,739) (146,632) 74,594 69,548	Company	Company
		2024 £ 170,365 53,626 53,432 70,291 40,000 74,594 462,308
			2023
			£
			158,942
			75,009
			55,685
			63,863
			40,000
			69,548
			463,047
		Company
	2024 £ 69,548 174,785 (169,739) 74,594	2024
			2023
		£	£
		69,548	102,504
		174,785	113,676
		(169,739)	(146,632)
		74,594	69,548

Income is deferred when the charitable company may not have unconditional entitlement to the income or when the invoice relates to the delivery of a service and is therefore only recognised to the extent that the charitable company has provided the service.

15. Pension scheme liability – group and company

At 1 April 2023 Movement for the year At 31 March 2024	£
	215,000
	36,000
	251,000

42

16. Restricted funds

Group and company

Restricted funds Arts Community Employment Residental Sports Other B&DTG Capital appeal Company restricted funds Total Group restricted funds	1 April 2023 £ 7,100 363,840 102,341 43,935 50,547 11,983 16,646 65,420 661,811 661,811	Incoming £ – 224,879 166,038 9,373 36,900 20 – – 437,210 437,210	Outgoing £ – (174,214) (150,929) – (26,954) (1,000) (1,496) (1,920) (356,513) (356,513)	Transfers £ – 10,483 – – – (10,483) – – – –	31 March 2024
					£
					7,100
					424,988
					117,449
					53,308
					60,493
					520
					15,150
					63,500
					742,508
					742,508

2023 (Prior year)

Restricted funds Arts Community Employment Residental Sports Other B&DTG Capital appeal Company restricted funds Total Group restricted funds	1 April 2022 £ 7,100 351,952 127,583 31,805 64,736 7,486 17,779 67,340 675,781 675,781	Incoming £ – 128,078 148,176 12,130 33,150 4,835 1,300 – 327,670 327,670	Outgoing £ – (116,190) (173,419) – (47,339) (338) (2,433) (1,920) (341,640) (341,640)	Transfers £ – – – – – – – – – –	31 March 2023
					£
					7,100
					363,840
					102,340
					43,935
					50,547
					11,983
					16,646
					65,420
					661,811
					661,811

Purposes of restricted funds

Arts: Funds from various sources supporting deaf arts projects. Community: Funds to support a range of community activities. Employment: Funds held to support activities furthering opportunities for employment for deaf people. Residential: Funds to support deaf people in our accommodation. Sport: Funds to support a range of sporting activities for deaf people. Other: Funds donated to support a range of activities across the charity. B&DTG: Funds held to support the activities of Birmingham and District Tinnitus Group. Capital appeal: Funds donated to support the construction of the Deaf Cultural Centre.

43

Notes to the financial statements

17. Unrestricted funds (group and company)

Group Designated Business development fund Building development fund Total designated funds General funds Pension fund Total unrestricted funds Company Designated Business development fund Building development fund Total designated funds General funds Pension fund Total unrestricted funds	1 April 2023 £ 206,269 2,599,358 2,805,627 2,641,076 (215,000) 5,231,703 1 April 2023 £ 206,269 2,599,358 2,805,627 2,640,878 (215,000) 5,231,504	Incoming £ – – – 5,511,642 – 5,511,642 Incoming £ – – – 5,448,663 – 5,448,663	Outgoing £ – (76,440) (76,440) (5,296,924) (4,000) (5,377,364) Outgoing £ – (76,440) (76,440) (5,233,945) (4,000) (5,314,385)	Losses/Transfers £ – – – – (32,000) (32,000) Losses/Transfers £ – – – – (32,000) (32,000)	31 March 2024
					£
					206,269
					2,522,918
					2,729,187
					2,855,794
					(251,000)
					5,333,981
					31 March 2024
					£
					206,269
					2,522,918
					2,729,187
					2,855,596
					(251,000)
					5,333,782

Purposes of designated funds

Business development fund: Building development fund:

To support the organisation in its future organisational development initiatives. This fund was created to support the construction of the Deaf Cultural Centre. The balance will reduce in line with depreciation of the building.

2023 (Prior year)

Group Designated Business development fund Building development fund Total designated funds General funds Pension fund Total unrestricted funds Company Designated Business development fund Building development fund Total designated funds General funds Pension fund Total unrestricted funds	1 April 2023 £ 240,019 2,675,798 2,915,817 2,613,379 (395,000) 5,134,196 1 April 2023 £ 240,019 2,675,798 2,915,817 2,613,181 (395,000) 5,133,998	Incoming £ – – – 5,378,602 – 5,378,602 Incoming £ – – – 5,216,182 – 5,216,182	Outgoing £ (33,750) (76,440) (110,190) (5,350,906) 86,000 (5,375,096) Outgoing £ (33,750) (76,440) (110,190) (5,188,485) 86,000 (5,212,675)	Losses/Transfers £ – – – – 94,000 94,000 Losses/Transfers £ – – – – 94,000 94,000	31 March 2024
					£
					206,269
					2,599,358
					2,805,627
					2,641,076
					(215,000)
					5,231,703
					31 March 2024
					£
					206,269
					2,599,358
					2,805,627
					2,640,878
					(215,000)
					5,231,504

44

18. Operating lease commitments (Group and company)

At the year end the charitable company has guaranteed minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases as follows:

Within 1 year Within 1-2 years Within 2-5 years Total	Buildings 2024 2023 £ £ 66,880 21,661 27,738 – 9,901 – 104,519 21,661	Equipment	Equipment
	2024 £ 66,880 27,738 9,901 104,519	2024 £ 1,153 – – 1,153
			2023
			£
			1,153
			–
			–
			1,153

In addition to the above the charitable company holds a 125 year lease expiring in 2131 from Birmingham City Council on which a peppercorn rent is payable.

19. Analysis of group net assets between funds

Tangible fxed assets Net current assets Loans > 1 year Pension reserve Total net assets	Unrestricted £ 1,626,370 1,229,424 – (251,000) 2,604,794	Designated £ 2,522,918 206,269 – – 2,729,187	Restricted £ – 742,508 – – 742,508	Total
				£
				4,149,288
				2,178,201
				–
				(251,000)
				6,076,489

2023 (Prior year)

Tangible fxed assets Net current assets Loans > 1 year Pension reserve Total net assets	£ 1,675,385 965,691 – (215,000) 2,426,076	£ 2,599,358 206,269 – – 2,805,627	£ – 661,811 – – 661,811	£
				4,274,743
				1,833,771
				–
				(215,000)
				5,893,514

The net current assets within designated funds and restricted funds are represented by cash at bank.

45

Notes to the financial statements

20. Financial activities of the charitable company

The financial activities shown in the consolidated statement of financial activities includes those of the company’s wholly owned subsidiaries.

A summary of the financial activities undertaken by the parent charitable company is set out below:

Gross income Total expenditure Net (expenditure)/income for the year Actuarial (losses)/gains on defned beneft pension schemes Net income/expenditure Total funds brought forward Total funds carried forward Represented by: Unrestricted funds Designated funds Restricted funds	2024 £ 5,885,873 (5,753,898) 131,975 51,000 182,975 5,893,316 6,076,291 2,604,596 2,729,187 742,508 6,076,291	2023
		£
		5,543,852
		(5,554,315)
		(10,463)
		94,000
		83,537
		5,809,779
		5,893,316
		2,425,878
		2,805,627
		661,811
		5,893,316

21. Tax status

As a charitable company, BID Services, is exempt from tax on income and gains falling within Section 478 of the Taxes Act 2010 or Section 256 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992 to the extent that these are applied to its charitable objects. No tax charges have arisen within the charitable company. The trading subsidiary has no profits which are subject to taxation under the provisions of the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 2000.

22. Pensions

As at the year-end, pension contributions outstanding were £nil (2023: £nil).

a) Pension costs – West Midlands Local Government Pension Scheme

The West Midlands Local Government Pension Scheme is a funded defined benefit pension scheme, with the assets held in separate trustee-administered funds. The total contribution made for the year ended 31 March 2024 was £nil (2023: £4,184), of which employer’s contributions totalled £nil (2023: £3,562) and employees’ contributions totalled £nil (2023: £622). The final contributions were paid into the scheme in March 2023, with settlement and exit from the scheme finalised in September 2023.

46

» Pensions continued

Principal actuarial assumptions Pension Increase Rate (CPI) Rate of increase in salaries Discount rate for scheme liabilites Infaton assumpton (CPI)	At 31 March 2024 – – – –	At 31 March
		2023
		3.00%
		4.00%
		4.75%
		10.10%

Life expectancy is based on the Fund’s VitaCurves with improvements in line with the CMI 2021 model, with a 10% weighting of 2021 (and 2020) data, standard smoothing (Sk7), initial adjustment of 0.25% and a long-term rate of improvement of 1.5% p.a. for both males and females.

Based on these assumptions, the average future life expectancies at age 65 for the Employer are summarised below:

Current Pensioners Males Females Retiring in 20 years Males Females	At 31 March 2024 – – – –	At 31 March
		2023
		21.6
		25.6
		21.6
		25.7

The charity’s share of the assets in the scheme were:

Equites Bonds Property Cash Total market value of assets	Fair value at 31 March 2024 £000 – – – – –	Fair value at 31 March 2023
		£000
		561
		181
		58
		25
		825

The actual return on scheme assets was £nil (2023: £80,000).

Amount recognised in the statement of financial activities

Current service cost (net of employee contributons) Net interest cost Administraton expenses, gain / (loss) on curtailment and gain / (loss) on setlement Total operatng charge	2024 £000 – – – –	2023 £000
		(5)
		–
		(1)
		(6)

47

Notes to the financial statements

» Pensions continued

Changes in the present value of defined benefit obligations were as follows:

At 1 April Current service cost Interest cost Employee contributons Actuarial (gain) / loss Benefts paid Past service costs, including curtailments At 31 March	2024 £000 – 672 – – (672) – – –	2023 £000
		798
		5
		21
		1
		(76)
		(77)
		–
		672

Changes in the fair value of charity’s share of scheme assets:

At 1 April Interest income Return on plan assets (excluding net interest on the net defned pension liability) Other actuarial gains / (losses) Employer contributons Employee contributons Benefts paid Administraton expenses At 31 March	2024 £000 825 – – (734) – – – (91) –	2023 £000
		876
		23
		(27)
		26
		3
		1
		(77)
		–
		825

48

» Pensions continued

b) Pension costs – Pensions Trust (CARE Scheme)

The company participates in the scheme, a multi-employer scheme which provides benefits to some 36 non-associated employers. The scheme is a defined benefit scheme in the UK.

It is not possible for the company to obtain sufficient information to enable it to account for the scheme as a defined benefit scheme. Therefore it accounts for the scheme as a defined contribution scheme.

The scheme is subject to the funding legislation 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 Reporting Council, set out the framework for funding defined benefit occupational pension schemes in the UK.

The scheme is classified as a ‘last-man standing arrangement’. Therefore the company is potentially liable for other participating employers’ obligations if those employers are unable to meet their share of the scheme deficit following withdrawal from the scheme. Participating employers are legally required to meet their share of the scheme deficit on an annuity purchase basis on withdrawal from the scheme.

A full actuarial valuation for the scheme was carried out at 30 September 2022. This valuation showed assets of £49.6m, liabilities of £57.1m and a deficit of £7.5m. To eliminate this funding shortfall, the Trustee has asked the participating employers to pay additional contributions to the scheme as follows:

Deficit contributions

From 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2027: £1,672,000 per annum (payable monthly and increasing by 3.0% each year on 1st April)

The recovery plan contributions are allocated to each participating employer in line with their estimated share of the scheme liabilities.

Where the scheme is in deficit and where the company has agreed to a deficit funding arrangement the company recognises a liability for this obligation. The amount recognised is the net present value of the deficit reduction contributions payable under the agreement that relates to the deficit. The present value is calculated using the discount rate detailed in these disclosures. The unwinding of the discount rate is recognised as a finance cost.

Present value of provision

Present value of provision
Present value of provision	Period Ending 31 March 2024 (£s) 228,965	Period Ending 31 March 2023 (£s) 316,689	Period Ending 31 March 2022
			(£s)
			398,072

49

Notes to the financial statements

» Pensions continued

Reconciliation of opening and closing provisions

Provision at start of period Unwinding of the discount factor (interest expense) Defcit contributon paid Remeasurements – impact of any change in assumptons Remeasurements – amendments to the contributon schedule Provision at end of period	Period Ending 31 March 2024 (£s) 316,689 14,496 (74,620) 721 (28,321) 228,965	Period Ending 31 March 2023
		(£s)
		398,072
		9,153
		(72,446)
		(18,090)
		–
		316,689

Income and expenditure impact

Income and expenditure impact
Interest expense Remeasurements – impact of any change in assumptons Remeasurements – amendments to the contributon schedule Contributons paid in respect of future service Costs recognised in income and expenditure account	Period Ending 31 March 2024 (£s) 14,496 721 (28,321) (26,692) (34,450)	Period Ending 31 March 2023
		(£s)
		9,153
		(18,090)
		–
		(22,190)
		(31,127)

Assumptions

Assumptons
Rate of discount	31 March 2024 % per annum 4.95	31 March 2023 % per annum 5.18	31 March 2022
			% per annum
			2.55

The discount rates shown above are the equivalent single discount rates which, when used to discount the future recovery plan contributions due, would give the same results as using a full AA corporate bond yield curve to discount the same recovery plan contributions.

c) Pension costs – Pensions Trust (Growth Plan)

The company participates in the scheme, a multi-employer scheme which provides benefits to some 638 non-associated participating employers. The scheme is a defined benefit scheme in the UK. It is not possible for the company to obtain sufficient information to enable it to account for the scheme as a defined benefit scheme. Therefore it accounts for the scheme as a defined contribution scheme.

The scheme is subject to the funding legislation 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 Reporting Council, set out the framework for funding defined benefit occupational pension schemes in the UK.

50

» Pensions continued

sions contnued
Present value of provision	Period Ending 31 March 2024 (£s) 22,228	Period Ending 31 March 2023 (£s) 47,585	Period Ending 31 March 2022
			(£s)
			74,640

The scheme is classified as a ‘last-man standing arrangement’. Therefore the company is potentially liable for other participating employers’ obligations if those employers are unable to meet their share of the scheme deficit following withdrawal from the scheme. Participating employers are legally required to meet their share of the scheme deficit on an annuity purchase basis on withdrawal from the scheme.

A full actuarial valuation for the scheme was carried out at 30 September 2020. This valuation showed assets of £800.3m, liabilities of £831.9m and a deficit of £31.6m. To eliminate this funding shortfall, the Trustee has asked the participating employers to pay additional contributions to the scheme as follows:

Deficit contributions

From 1 April 2022 to 31 January 2025: £3,312,000 per annum

Unless a concession has been agreed with the Trustee the term to 31 January 2025 applies.

Note that the scheme’s previous valuation was carried out with an effective date of 30 September 2017. This valuation showed assets of £794.9m, liabilities of £926.4m and a deficit of £131.5m. To eliminate this funding shortfall, the Trustee asked the participating employers to pay additional contributions to the scheme as follows:

Deficit contributions

From 1 April 2019 to 30 September 2025: £11,243,000 per annum

(payable monthly and increasing by 3% each on 1st April)

The recovery plan contributions are allocated to each participating employer in line with their estimated share of the Series 1 and Series 2 scheme liabilities.

Where the scheme is in deficit and where the company has agreed to a deficit funding arrangement the company recognises a liability for this obligation. The amount recognised is the net present value of the deficit reduction contributions payable under the agreement that relates to the deficit. The present value is calculated using the discount rate detailed in these disclosures. The unwinding of the discount rate is recognised as a finance cost.

Reconciliation of opening and closing provisions

Provision at start of period Unwinding of the discount factor (interest expense) Defcit contributon paid Remeasurements – impact of any change in assumptons Remeasurements – amendments to the contributon schedule Provision at end of period	Period Ending 31 March 2024 (£s) 47,585 1,821 (27,194) 16 – 22,228	Period Ending 31 March 2023
		(£s)
		74,640
		1,410
		(27,194)
		(1,271)
		–
		47,585

51

Notes to the financial statements

» Pensions continued

Income and expenditure impact

Interest expense Remeasurements – impact of any change in assumptons Remeasurements – amendments to the contributon schedule Contributons paid in respect of future service Costs recognised in income and expenditure account	Period Ending 31 March 2024 (£s) 1,821 16 – (1,727) (31,307)	Period Ending 31 March 2023
		(£s)
		1,410
		(1,271)
		–
		(1,842)
		(30,396)

Assumptions

Assumptons
Rate of discount	31 March 2024 % per annum 5.31	31 March 2023 % per annum 5.52	31 March 2022
			% per annum
			2.35

The discount rates shown above are the equivalent single discount rates which, when used to discount the future recovery plan contributions due, would give the same results as using a full AA corporate bond yield curve to discount the same recovery plan contributions.

23. Related party transactions

In the year, Deaf Cultural Centre (Trading) Limited made sales of £56,845 (2023: £43,713) to the parent company and there was £6,604 (2023: £6,413) owed at the year-end. There were also recharges from the parent company to Deaf Cultural Centre (Trading) Limited of £115,047 (2023: £4,106), with £212 (2023: £nil) owed at the year-end.

The inter-group debtor balance, owed by Deaf Cultural Centre (Trading) Limited, at the year-end was £131,766 (2023: £150,655).

24. Third party supported accounts

Included in the Balance Sheet are cash balances of £nil (2023: £3,461) held in respect of third party supported accounts where BID Services have agreed to take on the payment of support monies under custodian arrangements, in a partnership with Penderels Trust, in relation to Lincolnshire service users. Lincolnshire C.C. pay the required support monies to Penderels Trust at varied time periods, who in turn transfer to BID Services who disburse the support monies to the service providers on behalf of the users, based on service assessment and arrangement. The receipts and payments regarding the TPSA funds are not shown as part of SOFA.

25. Ultimate controlling party

The members of BID Services are trustees and hence BID Services is controlled by the Board of trustees.

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BID Services

Deaf Cultural Centre, Ladywood Road, Birmingham, B16 8SZ

Tel [phone] Email [e-mail]

www.bid.org.uk

BID Services registered in England Charity No. 1053184. A company limited by guarantee. Registered number 03124204