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2024-03-31-accounts

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Surrey Community Action

Report of the Trustees and Financial Statements

Year Ended 31 March 2024

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

As I write this introduction – my second as Chair of Surrey Community Action – the UK's county, borough and district councils are under severe financial pressure, with many reported to be close to bankruptcy. Having lived and worked in Surrey since 1955, I have never seen our county's valued council services so vulnerable to spending cuts or closure.

Increasingly, our councils now focus on the services they have a statutory responsibility to provide. At county level these include adult social care, children’s services, roads and transport, schools and learning and waste and recycling; boroughs and districts manage council tax collection, democratic services, planning, housing and waste collection.

Demand for these services – but also for discretionary (nonstatutory) services – is challenging councils that are already stretched financially. Successive governments have failed to heed calls by the County Councils Network, Local Government Association and others to restore central grants that have gradually been eroded and it remains to be seen what will be the impact of Surrey’s new Devolution Deal, agreed earlier this year.

It is against this backdrop that Surrey Community Action continued to work closely throughout 2023-24 with Surrey County Council – one of our core funders – as it has done for over 70 years providing a mixture of financial and practical support to Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector organisations and communities in Surrey

During 2023-24, and like many other organisations, Surrey Community Action has grown used to “doing more with less”. At every Board meeting we review a risk register that assesses possible existential threats to our organisation. Our leadership role in the VCSE continues to be vital as greater reliance is being placed on the sector to an extent that some might find surprising.

Throughout 2023-24 Surrey Community Action’s board of trustees received regular updates on the organisation’s support of the Surrey VCSE Alliance. The Alliance works with our local NHS partners and Surrey County Council to support collaborative working that puts the needs of local people first and foremost and ensures their voices are at the heart of decision-making. Surrey Community Action played and will continue to play a leading role in the Alliance as we demonstrate the importance of partnership working and cross-sector collaboration to achieve our goal of a healthy and resilient VCSE sector.

On behalf of the trustees I want to express our thanks to the whole staff team for all that was achieved in 2023-24, enabling Surrey Community Action to finish once again in a financially sound position from where we can build a strong and secure VCSE future.

Chris Stanton

Chairman

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Chief Executive’s Report

2023-2024 was yet another demanding but satisfying year for Surrey Community Action and the sector we serve, in which the previous year’s challenges (e.g. cost of living, inflationary pressures, recruitment difficulties, NHS reform) have not gone away and new ones (e.g. political change, climate crisis, local authority funding, etc.) have been added.

This has left our sector with a lot to do and limited resources with which to do it, so I am delighted that Surrey Community Action has been able to help ease the burden on Surrey’s voluntary sector and communities, while successfully navigating our own challenges.

Our core services remain very strong and 2023-2024 saw us venturing into some different avenues of work that allowed us to apply our expertise and skills in new areas. I am particularly proud of our Research Ready Surrey project in which we helped health partners identify and work with groups of people who do not typically get involved in clinical research, but whose insight is essential.

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.

If 2023-2024 was challenging, I suspect 2024-2025 will be worse. We are seeing the huge impact of local authority spending cuts and I fear this will pose a great challenge to our sector and to our own organisation, but rest assured that I, my staff, and my board of trustees will work tirelessly to help our sector weather this, and any other storms that come our way.

Jason Gaskell

Chief Executive

Indeed, health and care work remained an integral part of what we do, including supporting the 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.

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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

With London and two major airports easily accessible by road and rail yet surrounded by stunning countryside, homes in Surrey’s rural villages command premium prices. The average house price in Surrey for first-time home owners has risen by more than a tenth over the past five years, which explains why the average age of these buyers is now 33 years old. Whether looking to buy or rent, many local people on low or even average salaries cannot afford to live in the places where they grew up or where they need to work.

Our Rural Housing Enabler works as an honest broker between residents, landowners, housing associations and councils to assess the level of need for affordable housing in rural villages, and identify suitable land where homes can be built for local people in Mole Valley, Tandridge, Guildford and Waverley. Our Rural Housing Enabler also co-ordinates the Surrey Rural Housing Partnership Group which aims to respond to changes in housing policy and share good practice. This year we have supported housing needs surveys in Bramley, Wonersh, Charlwood, Chiddingfold and Albury and researched the potential for accessing church land to build affordable housing.

It can often take years before affordable housing developments reach the stage where homeowners and renters can take the keys for their new home. This year saw the completion of two significant affordable housing sites in the parish of Brockham and Betchworth in Mole Valley, and in Hambledon in Waverley. These developments provide a total of 26 new affordable homes for local people to rent or buy in rural Surrey.

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 often the beating heart of Surrey’s communities. They are a place to meet, to learn new skills or to host a business, to play and to celebrate, to seek respite from the cold weather and emergency shelter during extreme events. 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 any other issues that arise.

This year our Community Buildings Administrator dealt with over 330 queries from nearly 200 organisations, and launched a new Find a Hall facility on the Surrey Community Action website to enable every hall to have an online presence and help residents and organisations to find a local venue.

We also successfully helped halls to apply for grants from ACRE’s Platinum Jubilee Village Halls Fund. Dormansland War Memorial Hall in Tandridge received a grant for the renovation of their hall, while Holmbury St. Mary Village Hall in Mole Valley secured over £8,000 to update their kitchen to a commercial standard.

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Voluntary Car and Good Neighbour Schemes

Good Neighbour Schemes provide community support such as transport to medical appointments, shopping and social activities to enable mostly older people to remain physically and mentally well. There are some 100 schemes across Surrey, almost 80 of which are supported by Surrey Community Action’s Voluntary Car Scheme Adviser.

Surrey Community Action helps existing schemes to survive and thrive and works to establish new schemes in areas where there’s a need. This year, our Voluntary Car Scheme Adviser launched three new schemes in Staines (Spelthorne), Ash (Guildford) and in Hambledon (Waverley), and prevented the closure of a scheme in Elmbridge.

Gypsy and Traveller Support

Working in multi-agency partnerships to help our GRT community with housing and financial issues, our Community Development Workers have supported over 250 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 vaccination take-up and hosting school assemblies to help increase understanding of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller culture and heritage.

We’ve also provided schemes with DBS checks as well as 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. More pragmatically, our Adviser is always just a phone call or email away when a voice of reassurance or reason is needed.

In November, the incumbent Voluntary Care Schemes Adviser, Vicki Turton retired after more than 30 years in the post. During this time, Vicki helped to establish 69 schemes across the county.

This year our Skills Impact project also helped 65 adults from the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller community to improve their literacy and numeracy skills, by offering specialist support and training.

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.

As well as one to one tuition, our Skills Impact tutor also provided practical support such as accompanying a mother and daughter to a Guildford College open day, because they lacked the confidence to visit alone.

GRT women’s health group in Surrey

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Warmth Matters

Almost 1,500 individuals 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 officers this year.

Soaring heating expenses, stagnating or declining wages and energy inefficient housing is resulting in unaffordable energy bills for a rising number of people across the county. The people we support are at particular risk as they may be unemployed, living in more rural communities, disabled, elderly, digitally excluded, illiterate, or unable to speak English.

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. This year, we have introduced a Warmth Matters helpline to improve access to our support for residents who cannot attend our community events.

Our service has prevented people from spiralling further into poverty and debt, improved the energy efficiency of their homes and helped people to budget better and save money on energy bills.

Making Every Contact Count

Making Every Contact Count (MECC) is an approach to behaviour change that uses the millions of day-to-day interactions that organisations and people have with other people to support them in making positive changes to their physical and mental health and wellbeing. MECC enables the opportunistic delivery of consistent and concise healthy lifestyle information and enables individuals to engage in

conversations about their health at scale across organisations and populations.

Drawing on behaviour change evidence, MECC maximises the opportunity within routine health and care interactions for a brief or very brief discussion on health or wellbeing factors to take place.

This year our MECC Trainer delivered 15 MECC level one training courses to a total of 130 attendees from 40 different organisations. In-person training took place at locations across the county including Epsom, Redhill, Leatherhead, Guildford, Dorking and Reigate. Training was also provided online. Feedback from participants showed increased confidence and knowledge following our MECC training.

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.

We distributed over £20,000 to people most at risk.

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Funding

Funding for 2023-24 was sought from a range of organisations, directed by our funding strategy. Our long-term funders remain committed to our organisation, and we received additional funding for the MECC project from Surrey County Council, which developed from our Community Champions project and funding from the DfE (Department for Education) for the GRT Maths Multiply project via Surrey County Council.

We oversaw a further round of the Woking SPARKS fund for the wards of Canalside and Goldsworth Park (in partnership with Volunteer Woking) and administered a grant fund from ASSURA, in the Guildford ward. We also continued to distribute the Household Support Fund for Age UK and Surrey County Council and worked with Reigate and Banstead Borough Council to distribute funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF). Partnering with Action Hampshire we assisted in sign-ups to the Priority Services Register. Through Surrey Heartlands, we were contracted to deliver Research Ready Surrey including a small grants programme for VCSE organisations.

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.

Asylum Seeker Support

This year we received funding for an Asylum Seeker Development Project to support people who are seeking asylum and to strengthen communities in which they live.

Our Asylum Seeker Development Project Officer worked in locations where asylum seekers are hosted in hotels, hostels, and other rented units, to enable asylum seekers to get involved in their communities and to access community services and support.

The project also aimed to facilitate networking between asylum seekers, hosts and community organisations willing and able to support asylum seekers but lacking the skills and opportunities to do so.

We also helped people to access things like free SIM cards to help people stay in touch, clothes, toiletries, food boxes, baby care kits and hygiene packs and to develop new skills such as learning to cycle, grow vegetables and budgeting.

Sector Support

We support the sector through advocacy and representation to make sure their voice is heard, by co-ordinating forums and groups to share best practice, by providing a range of business services to help them run more effectively and by supporting community groups with advice and information.

For over 70 years, Surrey Community Action has supported Surrey’s voluntary sector. Our mission is to strengthen communities through advocacy, representation, and strategic advice. In 2023-24, we represented the sector on key boards, hosted networks like the Surrey Charities Forum, and launched the ‘Research Ready Surrey’ pilot to enhance VCSE health research engagement. We assisted charities with governance, GDPR, and training.

Our Charity Mash-Up conference helped 120+ attendees address the cost-of-living crisis. We also provided business services like payroll, DBS checks, office space, and virtual addresses.

We worked with 75 partner organisations to help over 400 individuals.

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Funders and Partners

ACRE

Community Foundation for Surrey

DEFRA

English Rural Housing Association

Guildford Borough Council

Mole Valley District Council

Reigate and Banstead Borough Council

Scottish & Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN)

Surrey County Council

Tandridge District Council

The National Lottery Community Fund

The Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames

UK Power Networks

Waverley Borough Council

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Financial Review

The total income for both Unrestricted and Restricted funds for the year amounted to £802,010 (2023: £588,441) with expenditure of £70 ,0213 (2023: £554,015). This resulted in net surplus of £98,989 of which £79,854 came from Restricted Funds. The remaining amount of £19,135 net surplus was from Unrestricted General Funds.

Surrey Community Action Funds now total £454,109 (2023: £355,120), of which £262,389 represents Unrestricted Funds and £191,720 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 £262,389 on 31st March 2024, which the Trustees regard as adequate.

Review of 2024 & Future Developments

The 2023-2024 financial year has been successful for the Charity. We have further expanded several of our Restricted projects and secured the financial continuation of our longstanding projects that so many of our beneficiaries rely on.

We have achieved a small surplus in Unrestricted funds across the year topping up the Charity's reserves after the impact of historical deficits.

I am especially proud of the vast number of Surrey residents we have helped with the distribution of our Household Support Funds across the year.

Looking forward to 24/25 the landscape is changing for many organisations, fundraising is becoming increasingly difficult and financial pressures are causing unexpected closures in all areas.

It is inevitable that the current sector wide decline in fundraising will affect Surrey Community Action, especially with the pressure on Local Authorities from which much of our funding comes from, however the Charity is in a strong position financially and remains as relevant as ever to the County and its countless beneficiaries.

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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.

Statement as to Disclosure of Information to Independent Examiners

So far as the trustees are aware, there is no relevant information (as defined by Section 418 of the Companies Act 2006) of which the charitable companys auditors are unaware, and each trustee has taken all the steps that they ought to have taken as a trustee in order to make them aware of any audit information and to establish that the charitable companys auditors are aware of that information.

Independent Examination

A resolution agreeing the charity to undertake an Independent Examination was agreed at the July 2024 board meeting.

On Behalf of the Board

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

20-Dec-2024

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

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Statement of Financial Activities (Incorporating the Income and Expenditure Account) Year Ended 31 March 2024

Unrestricted Restricted 2024
Total		 2023
Total
funds funds funds funds
Notes £ £ £ £
INCOME
Income from generated funds
Voluntary income 2 128,912 1,267 130,179 125,079
Activities for generating funds
Investment income 3 10,742 - 10,742 3,600
Income from charitable activities 4
Advice and support 87,303 138,380 225,683 212,720
Communities 329,007 329,007 172,022
Other 106,399 - 106,399 75,020
Total income 333,356 468,654 802,010 588,441
EXPENDITURE
Charitable activities		 5 - 8
Advice and support 269,655 114,632 384,287 383,705
Grant Making 21,250 17,340 38,590 -
Communities 256,828 256,828 150,926
Other 148,996 - 148,996 119,466
Less: Project re-charges (130,642) - (130,642) (102,992)
Governance costs 4,962 - 4,962 2,910
Total expenditure 314,221 388,800 703,021 554,015
NET INCOME
before transfers 9 19,135 79,854 98,989 34,426
Transfers between funds - - - -
Net income 19,135 79,854 98,989 34,426
RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS
Total funds brought forward 243,254 111,866 355,120 320,694
TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD £262,389 £191,720 £454,109 £355,120

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Balance Sheet At 31 March 2024

Balance Sheet
At 31 March 2024
2024 2023
Notes £ £
FIXED ASSETS 10 - 11
Tangible assets 16,758
6,758		 18,163
Intangibles 6,459
/459		 8,469
Investments 1 1
23,218 26,633
CURRENT ASSETS 12
Debtors: amounts falling due within one year 75,692
5,692		 81,195
Cash at bank and in hand 487,205
87,205		 608,103
562,897
62,897		 689,298
89,298
CREDITORS 13
Amounts falling due within one year (132,006)
132,006)		 (360,811)
NET CURRENT ASSETS 430,891
30,891		 328,487
TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES 15 454,109
54,109		 355,120
NET ASSETS 454,109
54,109		 355,120
FUNDS 16-17
Unrestricted funds 262,389
62,389		 243,254
Restricted funds 191,720
91,720		 111,866
TOTAL FUNDS 454,109
54,109		 355,120

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-2024

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

Company Registration Number: 03203003

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Statement of Cashflow Year Ended 31 March 2024

2024 2023
£ £
Reconciliation of Net Movement in Funds to Net Cash Flow
from Operating
Activities
Net movement in funds 98,989 34,425
Add back depreciation charge 8,112 7,600
Decrease in debtors 5,503 10,649
(Decrease)
increase
in creditors		 (228,805) 101,701
Net cash used in operating activities (116,201) 154,375
Cash fows from investing activities
Purchase of tangible fxed assets (4,697) (17,861)
Cash provided by (used in) investing activities (4,697) (17,861)
Cash fows from fnancing activities
Borrowing - -
Repayment of borrowing - -
Cash used in fnancing activities - -
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents in the year (120,898) 136,514
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year 608,103 471,589
Total cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year 487,205 608,103

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Notes to the Financial Statements Year Ended 31 March 2024

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. Grants offered subject to conditions which have not been met at the year end date are noted as a commitment but not accrued as expenditure.

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 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
2024 2023
£ £
Gifts in kind 35,362 35,362
Donations 1,267 622
Grants 93,550 89,095
130,179 125,079

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:

2024 2023 £ £ 89,095

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3. Investment Income

3. Investment Income
2024 2023
£ £
Deposit account interest 10,742 3,600

4. Income from Charitable Activities

Income Total Total
Grants from services 2024 2023
£ £ £ £
Advice and support 138,380 87,303 225,683 212,720
Communities 329,007 - 329,007 172,022
Other - 106,399 106,399 75,020
467,387 193,702 661,089 459,762

5. Direct Costs of Charitable Activities

2024 2023
£ £
Staff costs 442,165 378,364
Offce costs 63,050 50,323
Travel and meetings 8,307 9,988
513,522 438,675
Staff costs include the following: 2024 2023
£ £
Wages and salaries 382,472 329,388
Social security costs 28,009 20,736
Other pension costs 17,351 15,295
Recruitment and temporary staff costs 14,333 12,946
442,165 378,365

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

2024 2023
Projects 10 7
Administration 5 7
15 14

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5. Direct Costs of Charitable Activities - continued

One employee was paid more than £60,000 in the year under review (2023: One). 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 £131,507 (prior year: £129,357 – 3 key personnel). The total amount of redundancy for the period was nil (2023: NIL).

Defined pension contribution costs for the period were £17,351 (prior year: £20,099) and were allocated directly to the appropriate activity/fund in both Restricted and Unrestricted funds.

One volunteer was engaged by Surrey Community Action throughout the year.

6. Support Costs and Project Recharges

Restricted Restricted Unrestricted Unrestricted Governance Total
Communities Advice &
Other		 Advice & 2024
Support Support
£ £ £ £ £ £
Staff costs 180,385 50,290 - 211,490 - 442,165
Travel & meetings 5,054 376 - 2,877 - 8,307
Office costs 15,076 3,986 11,061 32,927 - 63,050
IT cos ts - - - 8,210 - 8,210
Comm unications 3,353 245 - 6,980 - 10,578
Finan ce costs - - - 1,210 - 1,210
Premi ses costs - - 117,025 812 - 117,837
Depre ciation - - 2,963 5,149 - 8,112
Grant Payments 17,340 - 21,250 - - 38,590
Gover
Mana		 nance
gement costs		 52,960
-		 59,735
-		 17,947
-		 -
-		 4,962
-		 130,642
4,962
Recha rges of management cost s
-		 - - (130,642) - (130,642)
274,168 114,632 170,246 139,013 4,962 703,021

7. Governance Costs

7. Governance Costs
2024 2023
£ £
Independent Examiners remuneration 4,901 2,711
Legal and professional fees 61 61
Board expenses - 138
4,962 2,910

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:
2024 2023
£ £
Independent Examiners remuneration 4,901 2,711
Depreciation - owned assets 8,112 7,599
13,013 10,310

10. Fixed Assets

10. Fixed Assets
Intangibles Fixtures Computer Totals
£ & Fittings £ equipment £ £
COST
At 1 April 2023 10,051 249,868 66,760 326,679
Additions - 1,997 2,700 4,697
At 31 March 2024 10,051 251,865 69,460 331,376
DEPRECIATION
At 1 April 2023 1,582 240,376 58,089 300,047
Charge for year 2,010 3,109 2,993 8,112
At 31 March 2024 3,592 243,485 61,082 308,159
NET BOOK VALUE
At 31 March 2024 6,459 8,380 8,378 23,217
At 31 March 2023 8,469 9,492 8,671 26,632

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 2024 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

2024 2023
£ £
Trade debtors 69,628 61,665
Prepayments and accrued income 6,064 19,530
75,692 81,195

13. Creditors: amounts falling due within one year

2024 2023
£ £
Trade creditors 14,310 16,872
Social security and other taxes 8,054 7,268
VAT (2,662) 1,553
Other creditors 93,057 153,434
Accruals and deferred income 19,247 181,684
132,006 360,811

Other creditors includes £34,837 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:

2024 2023
£ £
Not later than one year - 13,722
Later than one year and not later than fve years - 2,396
Later than fve years - -
Total - 16,118

15. Analysis of Net Assets Between Funds

2024 2023
Unrestricted Restricted Total Total
funds funds funds funds
£ £ £ £
Fixed assets 23,217 - 23,217 26,632
Investments 1 - 1 1
Current assets 310,620 252,277 562,897 689,298
Current liabilities (71,449) (60,557) (132,006) (360,811)
262,389 191,720 454,109 355,120

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16. Movement in Funds

At Incoming Resources Transfers At
1st April Resources Expended Between 31st March
2023 Funds 2024
Utitd Fd £ £ £ £ £
nresrce uns
General Fund		 243,254 333,356 (314,221) - 262,389
Total Unrestricted Funds 243,254 333,356 (314,221) - 262,389
Restricted Funds
Advice & Support
Village & Community Halls Advisory		 9,159
Service		 18,304 (17,148) - 10,315
Rural Housing 2,889 36,845 (27,989) - 11,745
Community Led Housing 41,461 - (8,000) - 33,461
Advice on the Run 8,405 - - - 8,405
Rural Community Action Network - 38,735 (38,735) - -

Homes For Farnham		 1,402
-
(216)		 - 1,184
Research Ready Surrey - 44,496 (22,544) - 21,952
Total Communities 63,316 138,380 (114,632) - 87,062
Communities
Asylum Seekers		 397 30,151 (29,514) - 1,034
COVID Champions 3,611 32,500 (22,758) - 13,353
Rural Transport Car Schemes 18,497 45,213 (41,566) - 22,144
Gypsy & Traveller Support Worker 3,435 40,913 (31,859) - 12,489
GRT Kingston 14,300 36,000 (20,881) - 29,419
GRT Literacy 8,313 49,900 (47,787) - 10,426
Warmth Matters (1) 78,257 (62,463) - 15,793
Sparks Grant - 17,340 (17,340) - -
Total Communities 48,550 330,274 (274,168) - 104,658
Total Restricted Funds 111,866 468,654 (388,800) - 191,720
TOTAL FUNDS 355,120 802,010 (703,021) - 454,109

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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, inc l uding 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

Research Ready Surrey

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

Building community connections in Health and Care Research

Communities

Asylum Seekers

Covid Champions Rural Transport Car Schemes GRT Support Worker

GRT Kingston

GRT Literacy

Warmth Matters

Sparks Grant

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

Grant scheme funding small charities & community led initiatives in Woking

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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 2024.

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:

20-Dec-2024 Dated:

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 2024

2024 2023
INCOMING RESOURCES £ £
Voluntary income
Gifts in kind 35,362 35,362
Donations 1,267 622
Grants 93,550 89,095
130,179 125,079
Investment income
Deposit account interest 10,742 3,600
Incoming resources from charitable activities
Grants 467,387 312,695
Income from services provided 193,702 147,067
661,089 459,762
Total 802,010 588,441
RESOURCES EXPENDED
Charitable activities
Staff costs		 442,165 378,364
Office costs 63,050 50,323
Travel and meetings 8,307 9,988
Grants to institutions 38,590 -
Governance costs 552,112 438,675
Independent Examiners remuneration
Legal and professional fees		 4,901
-		 2,711
61
Board expenses 61 138
4,962 2,910
Support costs
Management costs 130,642 102,992
IT costs 8,210 7,497
Premises costs 117,837 88,923
Offce costs 19,900 16,010
Project re-charges (130,642) (102,992)
145,947 112,430
Total 703,021 554,015
Net income 98,989 34,426

This page does not form part of the statutory financial statements

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