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2023-03-31-accounts

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Surrey Community Action Report of the Trustees and Financial Statements

Year Ended 31 March 2023

Company Resistered in England & Wales No. 03203003 Page 1

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Reference and Administrative Details

The trustees who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006, present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2023. The trustees have adopted the provisions of the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) ‘Accounting and Reporting by Charities’ issued July 2014.

Registered Company number 03203003 (England and Wales) Registered Charity number 1056527 Registered office Astolat, Coniers Way, New Inn Lane, Burpham, Guildford, Surrey, GU4 7HL Independent Examiners Menzies LLP, Magna House, 18-32 London Road, Staines-Upon-Thames, TW18 4BP Solicitors Morrisons Solicitors, Clarendon House, Clarendon Road, Redhill, Surrey, RH1 1FB Bankers CAF Bank Ltd, 25 Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent ME19 4JQ President Lord Lieutenant Michael More-Molyneux

Directors and Trustees

The Directors of the charitable company (the charity) are its trustees for the purpose of charity law and throughout this report referred to as the trustees. The trustees serving during the year and since are as follows;

Chris Stanton – Chair Company Secretary George Shackleton Keith McPherson – Treasurer Jason Gaskell Principal Officers Michael Cannon Chief Executive Roger Taylor Charlotte Morrison Jan Rogers Head of Communities John Skivington and Development Alison Keeley George Shackleton

George Shackleton Head of Finance

Contents
Chairman’s statement 3
Chief Executive’s report 4
Report of the Trustees - Objectives and Aims 5
Report of the Trustees - Achievements & Performance 6 - 9
Report of the Trustees - Fundraising Activities 10
Report of the Trustees - Financial Review & Future Developments 11
Report of the Trustees - Structure, Governance & Management 12
Statement of Trustees Responsibilities 13
Statement of Financial Activities 14
Balance Sheet
 15
Statement of Cashfow 16
17

Notes to the Financial Statements		 - 24
Report of the Independent Examiners
Detailed Statement of Financial Activities		 25
26		 Page 2

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Chairman’s Statement

On behalf of the Board of Trustees I am delighted to welcome you to Surrey Community Action’s Annual Report for 2022-23. I chaired my first Surrey Community Action Board meeting on 29 March 2023, following the decision of my predecessor Keith McPherson to step down, having steered the Board through the challenging years of Covid lockdowns and Zoom meetings.

Before he stepped down as Chair, Keith laid the ground for a strategic review of the services we provide to local communities and partner organisations. In this respect I am glad that Keith continues to serve the Board as a trustee, and Surrey Community Action’s treasurer.

Early in 2022-23, a new era of international uncertainty began with the start of the war in Ukraine, while closer to home the summer and autumn were dominated by the departure of two Prime Ministers and the passing of the monarchy from the late Queen to King Charles III.

Throughout 2022-23 we continued to work closely with Surrey County Council, as we have done for over 70 years, to deliver a mixture of financial and practical support to Voluntary, Community and Faith Sector (VCFS) organisations. Following years of public sector cuts to services, our leadership role in communities across Surrey continues to become increasingly vital – after Covid and during the cost of living crisis, the role of voluntary organisations has been even more critical in supporting the most vulnerable.

Of course, our trustees are volunteers too and we were sorry to lose Elliot Kortenray from the Board in December 2022, especially having attracted three new trustees just a few

months earlier. The issue of trustee recruitment, development and retention was already a concern and will continue to be a priority for the Board as the fall-out from local, national or even international events demands ever-diverse skills sets and blends of experience, knowledge and wisdom to ensure that the organisation can overcome any adversity and uncertainty.

As our CEO Jason Gaskell explains in his report, Surrey County Council commissioned a Snapshot of Rural Surrey Survey to explore the many social challenges faced by our rural communities (which are supported by our Rural Housing Enabler, Good Neighbour Scheme Co-ordinator and Community Buildings Administrator). As a life-long resident of Surrey with extensive personal and professional knowledge of our county’s wonderful countryside, I will continue to use my role to advocate on behalf of communities where – increasingly – poverty exists alongside affluence. This problem was highlighted in the Snapshot of Rural Surrey Report which was published as 2022-23 closed. It will, I hope, lead to a renewed focus on the special nature and importance of Surrey’s rural economy.

For whatever support you are giving to Surrey Community Action now - or might be able to provide in future as staff, trustees or partners - please accept my thanks on behalf of the Board. It is people like you who make a difference in shaping and sustaining our communities.

Chris Stanton

Chairman

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Chief Executive’s Report

2022-2023 was yet another challenging year for our sector, in which we have been in a “permacrisis” mode with the legacy of Covid, new inflationary pressures, recruitment challenges, the climate crisis, increasingly unaffordable housing pressures, NHS crisis and a polarised political and social environment all contributing to fatigue across the piste. With this in mind, we have been able to do our part to ease the burden on others while successfully navigating our own challenges. Our support has included our “business-as-usual” housing support, village halls support, voluntary car scheme advice, payroll, and all the other valuable services we offer, but in addition, 2022-2023 saw us venturing into some new avenues of work that allowed us to apply our expertise and skills in new areas, specifically the development of a new Asylum Seeker Community Development project in which we supported, and will continue to support, asylum seeking residents of hotels in Surrey to link with other partners keen to offer help and support.

Health and care work remained an integral part of what we do. We helped set up the new Surrey VCSE Alliance, a structure that will prove invaluable to link health and care statutory partners with their voluntary sector peers and should lead to better relationships between sectors and ultimately better support to Surrey residents.

Our strategic effort to advocate, represent and increase understanding was bolstered by two important pieces of research: The impact of the cost-of-living crisis on Surrey charities and community groups, and a Snapshot

of Rural Surrey, commissioned by Surrey County Council, and delivered by us as part of Cirican, the rural research consultant. Both were used extensively to help decision makers understand our sector, and rural Surrey better. The former also formed the backbone to Surrey Community Action’s very popular and well received annual conference, our Charity Mash-Up, the first face to face one in several years. Over 100 people came to discuss common issues across the sector, in particular the cost-of living crisis.

Whilst it is unfortunate that it is needed, we were able to distribute thousands of pounds to individuals in need, mainly those experiencing fuel poverty, via the Household Support Fund – a service that continued beyond the year.

Finally, I am very pleased to say that a review of infrastructure services commissioned by Surrey County Council concluded that the infrastructure sub-sector, of which we are part, remained excellent value for money for our main commissioner and delivered vital support and services to the wider voluntary sector, an achievement of which we can be rightly proud.

None of the above could have been possible without our amazing team of staff and trustees. As ever, I thank them for their enduring help and support.

Jason Gaskell Chief Executive

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Objectives and Aims

The objectives of the charity were revised in 2005 to read:

These objectives were clarified and updated in the strategic plan adopted by the Board in 2014, which identified 6 key strategic objectives for the organisation:

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Achievements & Performance

Enabling Rural Housing

While the difficulty of finding an affordable home in towns and cities is well-documented, it’s becoming impossible for young families and single people to put down roots in Surrey’s rural villages and market towns. The unaffordability crisis in rural areas is putting local shops, pubs and schools at risk of closure while ageing populations place additional pressure on small communities. Rural homelessness is a rising problem too.

Surrey Community Action’s Rural Housing Enabler works to assess the level of need for affordable housing in rural villages and consults with the local community to identify suitable land where homes can be built for local people in Mole Valley, Tandridge, Guildford and Waverley. These homes are usually developed as Rural Exception Schemes meaning that the homes remain in perpetuity for local people, often providing a mix of rented and shared owner homes so that communities remain mixed and sustainable.

Our new Rural Housing Enabler has been developing relationships with other important players who work in rural housing in Surrey and learning about the possibilities of using church land for affordable housing.

Work also commenced on two desktop housing needs surveys for Bramley and Wonersh parishes.

Community Led Housing

Our Community Led Housing project promotes and supports new ways of providing affordable housing in Surrey developed by local people for local people. We explain how community led housing can work and help interested people form groups, develop their ideas, engage their communities and navigate every step of the development process. We hope to develop this project should further funding become available.

Community Buildings Support

Village halls and community centres are at the heart of Surrey’s communities. They are valuable community assets which provide a focus for community activity and often house a range of services such as playgroups, activities for older people and shops. Surrey Community Action supports the committee members, volunteers and paid staff who manage these buildings with tailored one to one advice on constitutional matters, health and safety, business planning and funding for capital projects as well as a number of other issues.

This year our Community Buildings Administrator dealt with 521 queries and delivered training courses on safeguarding and GDPR. We also hosted a Going Green conference in September to help community buildings managers to improve the sustainability of their venues and reduce running costs.

We also administered the Community Buildings Covid Recovery Grant Fund during this financial year with a total of £34,417.48 awarded to 20 different projects. Awards ranged from £650 to £2,000 for improvements as diverse as kitchen upgrades to new sound systems. We also helped halls to apply for ACRE’s Platinum Jubilee Village Halls Fund.

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Voluntary Car and Good Neighbour Schemes

Voluntary Car Schemes and Good Neighbour Schemes provide transport for isolated or elderly people to GP and hospital appointments, to local shops and hairdressers’, as well as offering home support to enable people to remain physically and mentally well and independent. There are some 100 schemes across Surrey, almost 80 of which are supported by Surrey Community Action’s Voluntary Car Scheme Adviser.

This support is a key element in making a difference to community needs locally. The service ensures that vulnerable, isolated and elderly residents of Surrey are helped to sustain or improve their quality of life. Our Adviser strengthens and maintains the capacity of the local groups who provide this support.

Surrey Community Action helps to develop new schemes and provides on-going advice and support to existing schemes as well as DBS checks for volunteers. This year, our Voluntary Car Scheme Adviser has been working to establish a new scheme in The Ashes and has responded to over 1200 enquiries. We’ve also provided schemes with equipment and accessories such as car canes, lanyards, hi-vi vests and Driver on Duty discs which allow volunteers to park free of charge when accompanying a client to a hospital appointment.

Gypsy and Traveller Support

Working in multi-agency partnerships to help communities with housing and financial issues, our Community Development Workers have supported almost 300 families and individuals across Surrey and Kingston upon Thames with a multitude of issues including school exclusion, debt, health and well-being and employment. Families facing eviction, homelessness and poverty value the support and advice which enables them to stay in their homes and receive the benefits to which they are entitled. Personalised support plans, signposting and liaison with other agencies are all part of the service, and this year included working with health partners to boost Covid vaccination take-up and hosting school assemblies to help increase understanding of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller culture and heritage.

This year our Skills Impact project delivered over 400 hours of training to help adults from the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller community aged 18 and over to improve their literacy and numeracy skills.

Our personal tutoring is provided at a time and place to suit the learner and includes SPAG (Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar), the driving theory test, reading, form filling, digital literacy, budgeting and supporting parents to teach their children. Tutoring is not only giving students the skills for everyday life but also helping with loneliness, access to services, building confidence and self-esteem.

Professional working within the GRT community

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Warmth Matters

Over 1200 families living in, or at risk of, fuel poverty were given advice and information to help them save money on their fuel bills by our Warmth Matters Advice and Guidance Officer this year.The Cost of Living crisis is increasing the number of people at risk of fuel poverty as a result of high fuel prices, the pressure of inflation on incomes and large fuel bills due to energy inefficient homes. The people we support may be unemployed, living in more rural communities, disabled or older, digitally excluded or unable to speak English or cannot read or write.

As well as providing people with practical tips on how to keep their homes warm even on a tight budget, we also helped people to find support for debt and housing problems due to fuel poverty and helped older people to better understand the benefits of smart meters. Where people require more specialist help, we provide a signposting service to other sources of support.

Our service has prevented people from spiralling further into poverty and debt and helped people to budget better and save money on energy bills, Last year, the project helped people in Surrey to collectively save almost £50,000.

Community Champions

Our Community Champions Co-ordinator shared 750 briefing papers with the Surrey Community Champions Network, who in turn shared this information with approximately 200 people per quarter. Our Co-ordinator also made connections with organisations, charities and faith groups across Surrey and provided training on mental health, elder abuse, GRT awareness and opportunities to Make Every Contact Count.

Business Services

Surrey Community Action offers a wide range of business services to charities, voluntary groups and to small local businesses including payroll support, meeting room hire, DBS checks and research.

The number of visitors to Astolat (which hosts ten charities and not for profit organisations) each year has increased this year, with 1,080 visitors to the building. Our DBS service has also seen an uplift with 167 checks carried out during the year. Our payroll service is now contracted to provide outsourced payroll support to 39 organisations.

Recognising that some organisations have made the switch to remote working, we have seen additional users to our virtual correspondence address service to help charity leaders to protect their privacy when running a charity or community organisation from home.

A Community Champion is a local volunteer who helps residents in their community to stay up to date with the latest advice about Covid and other health matters, wellbeing and sources of financial support.

This year, our new Community Champions project recruited volunteer champions in marginalised communities, to share reliable health information and feedback problems and concerns to local councils and health authorities.

West Horsley Village Hall has been using Surrey Community Action’s payroll service for several years now. Having only one employee, it is a huge relief to have an expert team on hand to provide the necessary monthly and annual paperwork, all at a sensible cost. They are also always available - and very responsive - when queries occasionally crop up. We are really pleased to be using the service and are very happy to recommend the Surrey Community Action payroll service to anyone who may be thinking about signing up.” Page 8

Manager, West Horsley Village Hall

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Funding

We continue to seek funds from a variety of sources in line with our funding strategy. As well as on-going funding from many of our long-term funders in 2022/23, we received new funding from Surrey County Council for a Gypsy, Roma & Traveller (GRT) Math’s Multiply project with the DfE (Department for Education). We were also funded by Surrey County Council and Community Foundation Surrey for an Asylum Seeker project.

Working in partnership with Volunteer Woking we oversaw the Woking SPARKS fund for the wards of Canalside and Goldsworth Park. We also continued in our role as a distributor of the Household Support Fund for Age UK and Surrey County Council. Surrey Community Action is a founding partner of the rural consultancy Cirican. Through Cirican, we were contracted to deliver some paid research on rural Surrey.

We continue to build relationships with local and national funders, Council leaders and local businesses in order to promote everything we do to serve communities in need across Surrey. If you would like to find out more about our work, or how your funding could help us run new services or extend existing services, please get in touch.

Sector Support

While Covid was no longer front-page news in 2022-2023, its impact continued to be felt and, along with war in Ukraine led to a cost of living crisis that continues to hurt individuals, communities and charities across Surrey and beyond. Our services to support the voluntary sector remained even more important. We sat on the Surrey Cost of Living Partnership Group, feeding in the results of our research into the impact on our sector, and were instrumental in shaping local authority response.

Health and care integration has continued at a brisk pace. We were founder members of the Surrey VCSE Alliance, and have remained an integral part of the Alliance Leadership Group, helping charities and community groups navigate a rapidly evolving health and care system, and making sure local authorities and NHS colleagues understand and work effectively with our sector.

We continued to lead the Surrey Charities Forum during 2022-2023, bringing together organisations in the third and public sectors to discuss common issues and plan collective responses. This year we also established a peer-to-peer group for marketing professionals within Surrey’s third sector. Talking Shop meets every other month to discuss relevant topics, network, problem share and benefit from training opportunities.

In 2022-2023, Surrey County Council commissioned a review into Surrey’s infrastructure charities, including Surrey Community Action. We were delighted at the outcome; confirming the quality of services we offer to our sector, and the cost effectiveness to our funders, reaffirming that we improve the lives of our voluntary sector partners.

Our annual conference, the Charity Mash-Up, focussed on Covid recovery and was attended by over 120 people with excellent feedback. A bustling marketplace formed a backdrop to workshops ranging from charity finance to marketing, and a panel session with local and national leaders discussing the post-Covid world.

We finished 2022-2023 with an excellent piece of research, creating a snapshot of rural Surrey that combined census data and original research to better understand the issues facing rural Surrey, ranging from transport, to services, to house prices, and more. This research will help guide activities to improve services and the lives of rural Surrey residents.

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Funders and Partners

ACRE

Community Foundation for Surrey DEFRA

Dorking Foodbank

English Rural Housing Association

Good Company Surrey Guildford Borough Council Mole Valley District Council National Lottery Community Fund NHS Surrey Heartlands

North Guildford Foodbank

Scottish & Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN)

Surrey County Council Tandridge District Council The Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames UK Centre for Sustainability

Waverley Borough Council

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Financial Review

The total income for both Unrestricted and Restricted funds for the year amounted to £588,441 (2022: £539,654) with expenditure of £554,015 (2022: £515,046). This resulted in net surplus of £34,426 of which £20,594 came from Restricted Funds. The remaining amount of £13,832 (2022: £18,448) net surplus was from Unrestricted General Funds.

Surrey Community Action Funds now total £355,120 (2022: £320,694), of which £243,254 (2022: £229,422) represents Unrestricted Funds and £111,866 represents Restricted Funds (after transfers). Restricted Funds and income are only available for the specific projects and purposes as determined by the funders.

Investment Policy and Returns

The assets of a charity must be invested in accordance with the governing instrument and the Trustee Act 2000.

The overall objectives are to create sufficient income to enable the charity to carry out its purposes consistently year by year with due and proper consideration for future needs and the maintenance of the value of the invested funds while they are retained.

The foregoing policy and arrangements will be reviewed regularly by the Trustees in the following way; the Surrey Community Action treasurer reviews the investments and their performance every 3 months and if necessary, seeks advice before presenting any recommendations for change to investments to the Trustees. An investment report is presented to the Board every 6 months.

Reserves Policy

Surrey Community Action holds reserves to:

The General Funds are Unrestricted Funds which are available for the above purposes.

They are reviewed regularly by the Board of Trustees and stood at £243,254 on 31st March 2023, which the Trustees regard as adequate.

Review of 2023 & Future Developments

The 2022-23 financial year brought about many economic challenges for both the sector and Surrey Community Action, with extraordinary increases to fuel costs and the impact of the costof-living crisis in general.

Despite this we were able to continue our recent success of generating a small annual Unrestricted surplus for the Charity to bolster our reserves for future periods.

All of our Restricted funds have ended the year within budget and with the funding and reserves to secure their continued operation.

The upcoming financial year (2023-24) looks to be a year of expansion for the Charity with plans to scale existing projects and the addition of new projects in the pipeline.

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Structure, Governance and Management

Governing document

Surrey Community Action is an independent registered charity working with communities to strengthen voluntary action. The Memorandum and Articles of Association is the governing document of the charitable company.

An EGM (Extraordinary General Meeting) was held on 25th January 2011 to amend the Memorandum and Articles of Association

Recruitment and appointment of new trustees

The Trustees have powers to make appointments to the Board. These are ratified by a vote of the guarantor members at the Annual General Meeting.

Trustees serve for a three-year period and may be re-elected for a further three year period. The Board meets at least six times a year.

No Trustee has any beneficial interest in the company. All Trustees are members of the company and guarantee to contribute £1 in the event of winding up.

Induction and training of new Trustees

All Trustees receive an induction pack which explains their role, the role of the Board, Charity Commission and Companies Act requirements, background information on previous Board decisions, Board papers, information about all services and are invited to meet other Trustees and staff. They receive a copy of the staff handbook and an explanation of the current funding situation, the Business plan and future developments.

Organisational structure

The Board delegates responsibility for the day-to-day operation of the Charity to the Chief Executive. The delivery of services is organised into the following teams; Communities and Advice & Support.

Risk management

The Trustees have assessed the major risks to which the charity is exposed, in particular those related to the operations and finance of the charity and are satisfied that systems are in place to mitigate its exposure to these risks. A risk register is reviewed by the Board at its bi-monthly meetings and updated regularly.

The Trustees review the annual budget paying particular attention to the balance between income and expenditure and the amount needed to be retained in reserves. The Board of Trustees maintains a system of financial controls, appropriate to the size and nature of the organisation.

The Trustees liaised with its external Examiners on their recommendations regarding financial controls. The system of financial controls is designed to manage rather than eliminate risk. Thereafter there will be an ongoing process for reviewing financial controls which will also assist in identifying risks and management thereof.

Employee Involvement and Internal Control

Surrey Community Action is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. Our building and offices offer full disabled access and we also offer a comprehensive programme of training to support employees or volunteers who are new to the sector.

Surrey Community Action has a regular programme of staff meetings and senior staff and Board meet annually to review and plan future developments.

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Statement of Trustees Responsibilities

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

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

In preparing those financial statements, the trustees are required to

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

Independent Examination

A resolution agreeing the charity to undertake an Independent Examination was agreed at the July 2023 board meeting.

On Behalf of the Board

.............................................................................. C Stanton - Chair

20-Dec-2023

Date: ......................................

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Statement of Financial Activities (Incorporating the Income and Expenditure Account) Year Ended 31 March 2023

Unrestricted Restricted 2023
Total		 2022
Total
funds funds funds funds
Notes £ £ £ £
INCOME
Income from generated funds
Voluntary income 2 124,567 512 125,079 120,316
Activities for generating funds
Investment income 3 3,600 - 3,600 65
Income from charitable activities 4
Advice and support 72,047 140,673 212,720 235,881
Communities 172,022 172,022 108,462
Other 75,020 - 75,020 74,930
Total income 275,234 313,207 588,441 539,654
EXPENDITURE
Charitable activities 5 - 8
Advice and support 242,018 141,687 383,705 391,064
Communities - 150,926 150,926 94,534
Other 119,466 - 119,466 110,339
Less: Project re-charges (102,992) - (102,992) (84,782)
Governance costs 2,910 - 2,910 3,891
Total expenditure 261,402 292,613 554,015 515,046
NET INCOME
before transfers 9 13,832 20,594 34,426 24,608
Transfers between funds - - - -
Net income 13,832 20,594 34,426 24,608
RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS
Total funds brought forward 229,422 91,272 320,694 296,086
TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD £243,254 £111,866 £355,120 £320,694

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Balance Sheet At 31 March 2023

Balance Sheet
At 31 March 2023
2023 2022
Notes £ £
FIXED ASSETS 10 - 11
Tangible assets 18,163 16,370
Intangibles 8,469 -
Investments 1 1
26,633 16,371
CURRENT ASSETS 12
Debtors: amounts falling due within one year 81,195 91,844
Cash at bank and in hand 608,103 471,589
CREDITORS 13 689,298 563,433
Amounts falling due within one year (360,811) (259,110)
NET CURRENT ASSETS 328,487 304,323
TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES 15 355,120 320,694
NET ASSETS 355,120 320,694
FUNDS 16-17
Unrestricted funds 243,254 229,422
Restricted funds 111,866 91,272
TOTAL FUNDS 355,120 320,694

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the special provisions of Part 15 of section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.

No members have required the company to obtain an audit of its accounts for the year in question in accordance with section 476 of the Companies Act 2006.

The directors acknowledge their responsibility for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting records and or the preparation of accounts.

20-Dec-2023

The financial statements were approved by the Trustees on the ................................. and were signed on their behalf by:

..................................................................... C Stanton - Chair ..................................................................... J Skivington – Trustee

Company Registration Number: 03203003

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Statement of Cashflow Year Ended 31 March 2023

2023 2022
£ £
Reconciliation of Net Movement in Funds to Net Cash Flow
from Operating Activities
Net movement in funds 34,426 24,608
Add back depreciation charge 7,600 5,292
Decrease (increase) in debtors 10,649 (47,729)
Increase (decrease) in creditors 101,701 112,345
Net cash generated by operating activities 154,375 94,516
Cash fows from investing activities
Purchase of tangible fxed assets (17,862) (11,657)
Cash (used in) investing activities (17,862) (11,657)
Cash fows from fnancing activities
Borrowing - -
Repayment of borrowing - -
Cash used in financing activities
Increase in cash and cash equivalents in the year
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year		 -
136,514
471,589		 -
82,859
388,730
Total cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year 608,103 471,589

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Notes to the Financial Statements Year Ended 31 March 2023

1. Accounting Policies

Company status

The Charity is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in the United Kingdom. The members of the company are the Trustees named on page 1. 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 Charity's registered office is disclosed on page 1 of the financial statements. The functional and presentational currency is £(GBP).

Basis of preparation of financial statements

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 1 January 2019) - (Charities SORP (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006.

The Charity meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy.

Income

Voluntary income received by way of donations and gifts to the charity is included in the Statements of Financial Activities when received. Intangible income is not included unless it represents goods or services which would otherwise have been purchased. Gifts in kind are valued and brought in as income as is the appropriate expenditure.

Grants receivable which relate to a specific time period are recognised evenly over the relevant years. Other grants receivable are recognised when the charity becomes entitled to the relevant amounts.

Expenditure

Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all cost related to the category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings they have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources.

Liabilities

Liabilities are recognised when Surrey Community Action has an obligation to make a payment to a third party.

Grants payable are recognised when the commitment to pay has been ratified by the appropriate decision making committee.

Charitable activities

These costs which are in line with the objects of the charity, are grouped as follows:

Governance costs

Costs include costs associated with Trustees meetings, Independent Examiner's fees, professional and legal fees.

Allocation and apportionment of costs

Support costs are allocated between management, IT, premises and other office running costs according to an estimated usage for each project.

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1. Accounting Policies - continued

Tangible fixed assets

Depreciation is provided at the following annual rates in order to write off each asset over its estimated useful life.

Fixtures and fittings Straight line over 5 yearsIntangibles Straight line over 5 years Computer Equipment - Straight line over 5 years

Capital expenditure is defined as the purchase of an asset which has a life of more than 12 months and a value over £250.

Taxation

The charity is exempt from corporation tax on its charitable activities.

Fund accounting

Unrestricted funds can be used in accordance with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the trustees.

Restricted funds can only be used for particular restricted purposes within the objects of the charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes. Further explanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is included in the notes to the financial statements.

Hire purchase and leasing commitments

Rentals payable under operating leases where substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership remain with the lessor, are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities in the period in which they fall due.

Pension costs

The charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme. Contributions are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities as they become payable.

VAT

The charity is partially exempt for VAT, and any irrecoverable VAT is included with the individual transactions in income and costs.

Current asset investments

Investments in fixed term deposits, which cannot be readily accessed without penalty, are classified as current asset investments

2. Voluntary Income

2. Voluntary Income
2023 2022
£ £
Gifts in kind 35,362 35,362
Donations 622 (1,546)
Grants 89,095 86,500
125,079 120,316

Surrey Community Action leases premises (Astolat) from Surrey County Council at a peppercorn rent, which it occupies and manages as a resource centre, currently for the benefit of 8 other charities and voluntary organisations. For formal reporting purposes the notional rent in relation to space occupied by Surrey Community Action only is shown above as a Gift in kind of £35,362 as part of voluntary income and is included in note 6 as notional expenditure under premises costs.

Grants received, included in the above, are as follows:

Grants received, included in the above, are as follows:
2023 2022
£ £
Surrey County Council
89,095		 86,500

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3. Investment Income

2023 2022
£ £
Deposit account interest 3600 65

Deposit account interest

4. Income from Charitable Activities

U
Restricted		 nrestriced Income Total Total
Grants from services 2023 2022
£ £ £ £
Advice and support 140,673 72,047 212,720 235,881
Communities 172,022 - 172,022 108,462
Other - 75,020 75,020 74,930
312,695 147,067 459,762 419,273

5. Direct Costs of Charitable Activities

2023 2022
£ £
Staff costs 378,364 356,015
Offce costs 50,323 48,327
Travel and meetings 9,988 6,339
438,675 410,681
Staff costs include the following: 2023 2022
£ £
Wages and salaries 329,388 310,223
Social security costs 20,736 26,585
Other pension costs 15,295 15,212
Recruitment and temporary staff costs 12,946 3,995
378,365 356,015

The average number of employees (part-time and full time) during the year was as follows:

2023 2022
Projects 7 7
Administration 7 7
14 14

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5. Direct Costs of Charitable Activities - continued

One employee was paid more than £60,000 (banding: £60-70K) in the year under review (2022: NIL). Pension costs are allocated in proportion to the related staffing costs in both Unrestricted and Restricted funds.

The key management personnel comprise the Trustees (who received no remuneration for the period), Chief Executive, Head of Finance & Resources, and Head of Communities & Development. The total employee benefits of the 3 key management personnel were £129,357(prior year: £126,174 – 3 key personnel). The total amount of redundancy for the period was nil (2022: NIL).

Defined pension contribution costs for the period were £20,099 (prior year: £16,172) and were allocated directly to the appropriate activity/fund in both Restricted and Unrestricted funds.

No volunteers were engaged by Surrey Community Action throughout the year.

6. Support Costs and Project Recharges

Restricted Restricted Unrestricted Unrestricted Governance Total
Communities Advice &
Other		 Advice & 2023
Support Support
£ £ £ £ £ £
Staff costs
108,759		 76,044 - 193,561 - 378,364
Travel & meetings
4,708		 3,175 - 2,105 - 9,988
Office costs
4,833		 6,667 10,342 28,483 - 50,325
IT costs
129		 130 - 7,238 - 7,497
Communications
1,047		 1,430 - 5,024 - 7,501
Finance costs
-		 - - 908 - 908
Premises costs
-		 647 87,616 660 - 88,923
Depreciation
-		 - 3,561 4,038 - 7,599
Governance costs
-		 - - - 2,910 2,910
Management costs
31,450		 53,595 17,947 - - 102,992
Recharges of management costs
-		 - - (102,992) - (102,992)
150,926 141,688 119,466 139,025 2,910 554,015

7. Governance Costs

7. Governance Costs
2023 2022
£ £
Independent Examiners remuneration 2,711 3,843
Legal and professional fees 61 48
Board expenses 138 -
2,910 3,891

8. Trustees Remuneration and Benefits

No Trustee received remuneration in the period. No Trustee claimed expenses the in year under review (prior year - NIL)

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9. Net Income

Net resources are stated after charging:

Net resources are stated after charging:
2023 2022
£ £
Independent Examiners remuneration 2,711 3,843
Depreciation - owned assets 7,600 5,292
10,311 9,135

10. Fixed Assets

10. Fixed Assets
Intangibles Fixtures, fittings Computer equipment Totals
£ £ £ £
COST
At 1 April 2022 - 248,936 59,881 308,817
Additions 10,051 932 6,879 17,862
Disposals - - - -
At 31 March 2023 10,051 249,868 66,760 326,679
DEPRECIATION
At 1 April 2022 - 236,620 55,827 292,447
Charge for year 1,582 3,756 2,262 7,600
Disposals - - - -
At 31 March 2023 1,582 240,376 58,089 300,047
NET BOOK VALUE
At 31 March 2023 8,469 9,492 8,671 26,632
At 31 March 2022 - 12,316 4,054 16,370

11. Fixed Asset Investments

SCA Trading Ltd, a 100% subsidiary of Surrey Community Action, was incorporated in England and Wales on 30th August 2011, and has been dormant in the year ending 31st March 2023 and in the prior year. SCA Trading Ltd has aggregate capital and reserves of £1.

The company has taken exemption from preparing group accounts under the provisions of the Companies Act 2006 as it is subject to the small companies regime.

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12. Debtors: amounts falling due within one year

2023 2022
£ £
Trade debtors 61,665 76,519
Prepayments and accrued income 19,530 15,325
81,195 91,844

13. Creditors: amounts falling due within one year

2023 2022
£ £
Trade creditors 16,872 11,482
Social security and other taxes 7,268 7,939
VAT 1,553 9,916
Other creditors 153,434 113,742
Accruals and deferred income 181,684 116,031
360,811 259,110

Other creditors includes £5,877 for the Surrey County Council Community Buildings Capital Scheme. An additional £94,441 is held as part of the distribution of Household Support Funds.

14. Operating Lease Commitments

The total of future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases for each of the following periods:

2023 2022
£ £
Not later than one year 13,722 13,722
Later than one year and not later than fve years 2,396 16,118
Later than fve years - -
Total 16,118 29,840

15. Analysis of Net Assets Between Funds

2023 2022
Unrestricted Restricted Total Total
funds funds funds funds
£ £ £ £
Fixed assets 26,632 - 26,632 16,370
Investments 1 - 1 1
Current assets 336,062 353,236 689,298 563,433
Current liabilities (119,441) (241,370) (360,811) (259,110)
243,254 111,866 355,120 320,694

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16. Movement in Funds

At Incoming Resources Transfers At
1st April Resources Expended Between 31st March
2022 Funds 2023
Utitd Fd £ £ £ £ £
nresrce uns
General Fund		 229,422 275,234 (261,402) - 243,254
Total Unrestricted Funds 229,422 275,234 (261,402) - 243,254
Restricted Funds
Advice & Support
Village & Community Halls Advisory		 7,453
Service		 17,280 (15,574) - 9,159
Rural Housing (1,843) 35,293 (30,561) - 2,889
Community Led Housing 50,285 6,000 (14,824) - 41,461
Advice on the Run 6,621 43,777 (41,993) - 8,405
Rural Community Action Network - 38,735 (38,735) - -

Homes For Farnham		 1,402
-
-		 - 1,402
Total Advice & Support
 63,918 141,085 (141,687) - 63,316
Communities
Asylum Seekers		 - 11,000 (10,603) - 397
COVID Champions - 22,500 (18,889) - 3,611
Rural Transport Car Schemes 18,051 44,316 (43,870) - 18,497
Gypsy & Traveller Support Worker 1,743 33,498 (31,806) - 3,435
GRT Kingston 5,618 36,000 (27,318) - 14,300
GRT Literacy 1,943 22,934 (16,564) - 8,313
Warmth Matters - 1,874 (1,875) - (1)
Total Communities 27,354 172,122 (150,926) - 48,550
Total Restricted Funds 91,272 313,207 (292,613) - 111,866
TOTAL FUNDS 320,694 588,440 (554,015) - 355,120

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17. Purpose of Funds

Unrestricted Funds

General Fund

Purpose

Administration & management of SCA’s operations, services, advocacy projects and other General Unrestricted function, incuding the management and maintenance of a large office building sublet to other VCFS organisations

Restricted Funds

Advice & Support

Village & Community Halls Advisory Service Rural Housing

Community Led Housing Advice on the Run Rural Community Action Network

Homes for Farnham

Advice & Support service for local community buildings Development of rural affordable housing

Support for local community housing initiatives

Advisory to vulnerable people on financial issues

Strategic and developmental support to benefit rural communities.

Holding & Distributing Funds on Behalf of a Local Community Housing Project

Communities

Asylum Seekers

Covid Champions

Rural Transport Car Schemes

Gypsy & Traveler Support Worker

GRT Kingston

GRT Literacy

Warmth Matters

Support to Asylum Seekers and local authorities

Engaging local volunteers “Champions” to support COVD recovery

Support and development of voluntary car schemes

Advice and support to individuals regarding housing, employment and benefits.

Advice and support to individuals within the GRT community, specifically focused on the Kingston area.

Advice and support to individuals within the GRT community, specifically focusing on literacy & education

Alleviation of fuel poverty

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Independent Examiners Report to the Members of Surrey Community Action

I report to the Charity Trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Charity for the year ended 31 March 2023.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the Charity’s Trustees of the Company (and its directors for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 (‘the 2006 Act’).

Having satisfied myself that the accounts of the Charity are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of the Charity’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the 2011 Act’). In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.

Independent Examiner’s statement

Since the Company’s gross income exceeded £250,000 your examiner must be a member of a body listed in Section 145 of the 2011 Act. I confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, which is one of the listed bodies.

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

1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the Charity as required by section 386 of the 2006 Act; or

2. the accounts do not accord with those records; or

3. the accounts do not comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the 2006 Act other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair’ view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or

4. the accounts have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities [applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)].

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

This report is made solely to the Charity’s Trustees, as a body, in accordance with Part 4 of the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008. My work has been undertaken so that I might state to the Charity’s Trustees those matters I am required to state to them in an Independent examiner’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, I do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the Charity and the Charity’s Trustees as a body, for my work or for this report.

Signed:

Dated:

20-Dec-2023

Janice Matthews FCA

Independent Examiner Menzies LLP Magna House 18-32 London Road Staines-Upon-Thames TW18 4BP

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Detailed Statement of Financial Activities for the Year Ended 31 March 2023

2023 2022
INCOMING RESOURCES £ £
Voluntary income
Gifts in kind 35,362 35,362
Donations 622 (1,546)
Grants 89,095 86,500
125,079 120,316
Investment income
Deposit account interest 3,600 65
Incoming resources from charitable activities
Grants 312,695 238,422
Income from services provided 147,067 180,851
459,762 419,273
Total 588,441 539,654
RESOURCES EXPENDED
Charitable activities
Staff costs 378,364 356,015
Offce costs 50,323 48,327
Travel and meetings 9,988 6,339
Governance costs 438,675 410,681

Independent Examiners remuneration
Legal and professional fees		 2,711
61		 3,843
-

Board expenses		 138 48
2,910 3,891
Support costs
Management costs 102,992 84,782
IT costs 7,497 9,195
Premises costs 88,923 81,058
Offce costs 16,010 10,221
Project re-charges (102,992) (84,782)
112,430 100,474
Total 554,015 515,046
Net income 34,426 24,608

This page does not form part of the statutory financial statements

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