OpenCharities

This text was generated using OCR and may contain errors. Check the original PDF to see the document submitted to the regulator.

2024-03-31-accounts

Citizens Advice South West Surrey

Annual Report and Accounts 2023-24

For the Year Ended 31 March 2024

A Company Limited by Guarantee Charity no: 1061067 Company no: 03258272

Content

Page
Legal and Administrative Information 2
Report of the Trustees 4
Auditor’s Report 19
Statement of Financial Activities 23
Statement of Cash Flows 25
Balance Sheet 26
Notes to the Financial Statements 27

Citizens Advice South West Surrey Annual Report and Accounts For the Year Ended 31 March 2024

Legal and Administrative Information

Charity Name: Citizens Advice South West Surrey (CASWS) Charity number: 1061067 Company number: 03258272

Authorised & regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority FRN:

Authorised & regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority FRN: 617618 Registered office: 15-21 Haydon Place Guildford GU1 4LL

Trustee Directors:

The following people are or have been directors for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006. Unless otherwise stated, they have served as directors throughout the year, and up to the date of the signing of these accounts.

Paul Jarrett (Chair) Clare Johns (Treasurer) (Resigned as Trustee Director 09.11.23) Norman Wren (Appointed as Treasurer 10.11.23) George Rushton John Tonks Richard Smith (Appointed as Trustee Director 01.06.23) Alex Kundert (Appointed as Trustee Director 15.04.24) Robert Lanyon (Appointed as Trustee Director 15.04.24) Nigel Jewkes (Resigned as Trustee Director 06.11.23) Janet Edwards (Resigned as Trustee Director 29.01.24) Jocelyn Prudence (Resigned as Trustee Director 01.06.23 ) Alexandra Bliss (Resigned as Trustee Director 01.06.23) Graham Eyre (Resigned as Trustee Director 01.06.23) Richard Tolley (Resigned as Trustee Director 01.06.23)

None of the directors who held office during the year had a disclosable interest in the company.

Senior management team: (2023/24)

Rebecca Jeffrey Chief Officer Rachel Saffrett Business Support Manager Anna Rogerson Advice Services Manager Emma Scanlon Macmillan Project Manager Catherine Rogan Service Manager Lou Danaher People and Culture Manager Lucy Harris Surrey Adviceline Co-ordinator Lewis Green Casework Services Manager (Resigned on 11.12.23)

Citizens Advice South West Surrey Annual Report and Accounts For the Year Ended 31 March 2024

Auditor:

Brewers Chartered Accountants Bourne House, Queen Street Gomshall GU5 9LY

Bankers: Bank of Scotland plc CAF Bank Ltd The Mound 25 Kings Hill Avenue, Kings Hill Edinburgh West Malling EH1 1YZ ME79 4JQ

Citizens Advice South West Surrey Annual Report and Accounts For the Year Ended 31 March 2024

Report of the trustees

The trustees (who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act) present their report and audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024.

The financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Companies Act 2006, the Memorandum and Articles of Association, and Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP), 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 2015).

1. Structure, Governance and Management

Governing document

Citizens Advice South West Surrey (CASWS) is a charitable company limited by guarantee incorporated on 2 October 1996 and registered as a charity on 5 March 1997 (Company no: 03258272; Charity no: 1061067). The company was established under a Memorandum of Association, which sets out the objects of the company, and is regulated by the provisions of its Articles of Association.

Under the Articles, the trustees are elected at the annual general meeting, nominated by member organisations or co-opted by the trustee board.

Recruitment and appointment of trustees

The charity is governed through a trustee board. Trustees who have held office during the year are listed on page 2. The Articles of Association provide for a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 15 trustees. The trustees meet at least 4 times per year with additional quarterly meetings for the sub-committees listed below.

Trustees are recruited from the local community; two trustees, one of whom will normally be the Chair or Vice Chair, meet potential trustees and recommend suitable candidates to the board for election. Trustees are elected to the Board for a three-year period and are appointed by a resolution of its members at an Annual General Meeting (AGM). The Board has powers to co-opt members who shall retire at the following AGM and may offer themselves for re-election.

The trustees are also the directors of the company. The Board is supported by a network of subcommittees, covering Finance, Governance and Compliance, HR and Remuneration. None of the Trustees has any beneficial interest in the company. All trustees are members of the company and guarantee to contribute £1 in the event of the winding up.

Following the resignation of 3 Trustees from the Board in November 2023 a Trustee recruitment process was initiated. In April 2024 2 new Trustees were appointed. Further appointments are planned.

In June 2023 Citizens Advice Guildford and Ash (CAGA) incorporated the assets and liabilities of Citizens Advice Waverley (CAW), the details of which are covered in more detail later in this report, and the company was renamed as Citizens Advice South West Surrey.

Citizens Advice South West Surrey Annual Report and Accounts For the Year Ended 31 March 2024

The organisation is co-ordinated from its office in Haydon Place, Guildford.

Trustee induction and training

Newly appointed trustees were provided with an induction to CASWS by the Chair of Trustees and are briefed on their legal obligations under charity and company law, the content of the Articles of Association, the committee and decision-making processes, the business plan and the recent financial performance of the charity. They also meet key employees and other trustees. Trustees are encouraged to attend appropriate external training events where these will facilitate the understanding of their role.

A skills audit with the updated Board will be undertaken in the summer of 2024. This will include the completion of a governance questionnaire that will allow us to assess the effectiveness of the Board, to identify areas of weakness and associated actions and training to address those weaknesses.

Organisation Structure

CASWS is a member of Citizens Advice, the operating name of the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux, which provides a framework for standards of advice and casework management as well as monitoring progress against these standards. Operating policies are independently determined by the Board of Trustees in order to fulfil its charitable objectives and comply with the national membership requirements.

CASWS is governed by the Trustee Board which is responsible for:

The trustees carry the ultimate responsibility for the conduct of the organisation and for ensuring that the charity satisfies its legal and contractual obligations. The trustees also operate a number of subcommittees and working groups. These may vary depending on the current needs of the charity but normally include a Finance Committee, Governance and Compliance Committee, an HR Committee and a Remuneration Committee.

The Working Party established to manage the merger with Citizens Advice Waverley continued to meet until the merger was formally approved by both Boards. A shadow board with membership from Boards was established to develop the Business Plan for CASWS.

The Premises and Delivery Model working party was suspended as the premises requirements for CASWS are a key output of the new Operational Model for CASWS that will be implemented following the Service Review, more details below.

The Chief Officer of the organisation has been appointed by the trustees to manage the day-to-day operations of the charity. In addition, there is an experienced team of paid staff and volunteers who are key to the service offered by the charity. Decisions are made by the Trustee Board in line with the Business Development Plan and are reviewed at least annually. The Chief Officer continues to demonstrate sound leadership of the team, good communication channels both internally and externally

Citizens Advice South West Surrey Annual Report and Accounts For the Year Ended 31 March 2024

remain in place and strong ties with new and existing partners and funders continue to be developed. One of the key objectives of the Business Plan developed by the Shadow Board was to use the first year of the merger in getting to know each other and to undertake a service review of the new organisation. Fundamental to that objective was that nothing significant would change in terms of service delivery in the first year. Therefore, the Management Teams and staff for CAGA and CAW were combined with no fundamental changes to the organisation’s roles and responsibilities.

The combined Senior Management Team meet to review progress against targets and the Charity's financial position and to discuss issues. Reports and recommendations are taken to the full board for approval, and their implementation is organised by the Chief Officer and the staff team. There are regular staff, volunteer meetings and Senior Management team meetings which ensure that progress is being made against targets. There is an AGM, which involves the staff team, Trustee Board, members, and other stakeholders.

As at 31/3/24, the Senior Management Team was 7 strong and reported to the Chief Officer. The specific roles and the number of direct reports was as follows.

In addition, a Transition Manager was appointed for six months to support the Service Review and an Interim Business Support Manager was also in place to support the premises and IT activities as a result of the merger.

There was a total of 174 volunteers which included 133 Advisers, 18 Assessors, 17 Reception and Administrators, 3 outreach and community engagement workers, 2 research and campaigns volunteers and a Friends of CASWS coordinator.

Pay and Remuneration of Key Management Personnel

The trustees consider that the Board of Trustees and the Senior Management Team (SMT) comprise the key management personnel of the charity. The charity’s Senior Management Team are all paid in accordance with salary scales agreed by the trustee board. Any increases to these scales are approved by the trustee board. A pay review of remuneration for all non-transferring staff was completed and the adopted pay policy was implemented for the salary reviews in April 2023

Related parties

The charity co-operates and liaises with a number of other advisory services, local charities and statutory service departments on behalf of clients. Where one of the trustees holds the position of trustee/director

Citizens Advice South West Surrey Annual Report and Accounts For the Year Ended 31 March 2024

of another charity they may be involved in discussions regarding that other charity but not in the ultimate decision-making process.

Key Risks and uncertainties

A review of corporate risks is carried out on a regular basis and a risk register has been established by the board. The major risks to which the charity is exposed are assessed and systems put in place to mitigate those risks. The Citizens Advice Performance Quality Framework and the Quality of Advice (QAA) system also assist in identifying and assessing risks.

The key risks to the organisation are reviewed by the Governance and Compliance sub-committee every 6 weeks and are presented to the Board at the quarterly Board meetings. As at 9/4/24, the following risks have a net risk score of 15 or more. Many of these risks have been impacted by the merger and in addition to the mitigation in place, the implementation of the new Operating Model as a result of the Service Review should have a positive impact on the risk register.

Risk Impact Mitigation
Unable to recruit and
keep quality staff,
volunteers and Trustees		 Unable to meet requirements for
the advice function due to lack of
numbers and skills		 Defined role specifications and
organisation chart, regular
appraisals, training plans, succession
planning
Compromised
performance due to
workplace tensions		 Additional management time,
lost adviser time resulting in
reduced service to clients		 a) define acceptable behaviour
through HR policies and values and
behaviour framework
b) improved communication through
Volunteer Forum and regular team
meetings
c) staff and volunteer reps in place
Loss of IT systems or
loss of data		 Unable to provide advice as data
is either unavailable or corrupt
due to an IT failure		 a) implement an agreed IT recovery
plan
b) develop and implement a backup
and recovery policy
c) implement security measures
d) create a disaster recovery plan
e) discuss additional support
available for IT helpdesk support
HR issues Management time and resource
diverted from elsewhere
impacting ability to deliver
priorities, additional spend		 a) legal expenses cover
b) employment helpline
c) XpertHR and HR department
d) additional management training e)
review of performance, appraisal and
behaviour policies f) review of
recruitment and probation process

Citizens Advice South West Surrey Annual Report and Accounts For the Year Ended 31 March 2024

2. Objectives and Activities

Objects

The charity’s objects are to promote any charitable purpose for the public benefit by the advancement of education, the protection and preservation of health and relief of poverty, sickness and distress in particular, without limitation, for the benefit of the community in Guildford and surrounding areas.

Following our merger earlier in the year, we will be updating our objectives and area of benefits to better reflect our new service area of Guildford, Waverley and surrounding areas. This year, we also reviewed our fundamentals as an organisation, working with staff, volunteers and trustees to do this. These refreshed fundamentals are set out below.

Citizens Advice South West Surrey Annual Report and Accounts For the Year Ended 31 March 2024

Ensuring our work delivers our aims

We review our aims, objectives, and activities each year. The annual review seeks to examine our achievements and outcome. Together with the success of individual key projects and the benefits that have been born from them. In carrying out the review, we are ensuring that that our aims, objectives and activities are in line with our stated purpose.

As part of the merger process, the Merger Working Party reviewed the strategic objectives for both CAW and CAGA to ensure that they were aligned and set out new objectives for our merged organisation. These are set out in the table below.

CAW’s Business Development Plan CAGA’s Strategic Business Plan
Accessibility
Advice
Sustainability
Management
Governance
Communications
Research and Campaigns		 1. Advice - We will radically improve the experience people
have when they come to us for help, so everyone leaves with
the knowledge and confidence they need to find a way
forward.
2. Research and Campaigns - We will be a stronger voice on
the issues that matter most to the people who come to us for
help.
3. Sustainability - We will be a sustainable, efficient,
collaborative, and effective organisation.
4. People and culture - We will foster a culture that is
collaborative, generous, & empowering. Through this we will
promote well-being, champion equality, diversity and
inclusion, and challenge discrimination.

Whilst there are understandably some minor differences in the terminology and emphasis between the previous business plans of CAGA and CAW, they were broadly similar and remained in place ahead of the wider work planned as part of the Service Review in the second part of the year.

Whilst these goals underpin everything that CASWS does, the Shadow Board recognised that in addition to these goals there were a number of merger objectives that needed to be met if the merger was to be a success. These four merger objectives were identified as follows.

  1. Coming together so it feels like one organisation (People and Culture, Management, Communications, Governance)

  2. Continue to improve services – learning from each other and developing a shared delivery model for local communities (Advice, Accessibility)

  3. Build our community profile and relationships as CASWS (Research and Campaigns)

  4. Improve our financial security through securing funding and bringing together a seamless back office (Sustainability)

  5. 9 -

Citizens Advice South West Surrey Annual Report and Accounts For the Year Ended 31 March 2024

As in previous years, detailed work plans were developed to support the objectives. Every activity within the work plans is referenced back to at least one of the merger objectives. Progress against the work plans is updated regularly by the Senior Management Team and reviewed quarterly by the Board.

Completion of the merger

As reported in last year’s report, the original target date for the merger of 31/3/23 slipped to 1/6/23 as we were unable to secure the leases on the four Waverley offices until that date. In addition to securing the premises, there were three other criteria which had to be resolved before the merger could take place. These were:

These criteria were all completed to the original timetable.

We committed not to make significant changes to service delivery in the first year post merge. However, there were some functions which needed to be brought together from Day 1, including financial management, governance and communications. All these tasks were completed without any delays. See ‘Progress against objectives’ below for more detail.

How our activities deliver public benefit

Our main activities and who we try to help are described below. All our charitable activities focus on providing the advice people need for the problems they face and are undertaken specifically to provide public benefit. The trustees have had due regard to the Charity Commission guidance on public benefit and have complied with the duty in section 4 of the Charities Act 2011.

3. Achievements and Performance

Advice and Information Services

The main areas of charitable activity are:

Throughout the year we have continued to offer Advice and Information in the following ways:

Citizens Advice South West Surrey Annual Report and Accounts For the Year Ended 31 March 2024

Delivering a balanced means of access for all CASWS clients across our 6 locations, on the phone and online, has been a key element of the Service Review (see below).

As well as general advice, we also provide the following specialist and targeted services.

Progress against Objectives

Progress against the four key merger objectives is set out below.

1. Coming together so it feels like one organisation

This work focused largely on the implementation of the technical merge. This included branding roll out, developing an interim business plan and communications plan and bringing together the financial management and governance (including regulatory and legal compliance). We completed a merge of the IT systems on 1 July 2023 which brought all of our data into one CASWS platform and updated all emails and sites to the new @casws.org.uk domain. This IT work also included bringing together Waverley and Guildford and Ash on the national systems (Casebook and Skillbook) to enable us to work as one organisation

We had an away day to bring the organisation together to get to know each other, build a better understanding of what the different parts of the organisation do and to focus on the objectives for the first year post merge. This has been supported by a number of organisation -wide meetings which have developed into a communication plan implemented in the latter part of the year.

2. Continuing to improve services

The majority of this work started in Q3 with the Service Review which was facilitated by the Transition Manager and included consultation with staff and volunteers, research into local client and community need, research into best practice across other LCAs and extensive discussion with the Chief Officer and the Board (see below).

Citizens Advice South West Surrey Annual Report and Accounts For the Year Ended 31 March 2024

Whilst the day-to-day service delivery continued as it was prior to the merge, there were some small-scale improvement including streamlining of the task lists facilitated by the IT merge and better provision for clients with casework staff able to meet clients locally across our 6 offices.

There were other improvements which were achieved including agreeing a referral process, agreeing an SLA with GBC for their core funding, and working on recommissioning the Mental Health Service for the next five years.

3. Build our community profile and relationships as CASWS

We brought together our research and campaigns work under one part of the organisation which involved joining up the active team of volunteers from Waverley with the paid resource and volunteer coordinator from Guildford and Ash, as well as other volunteers. There was a focus on community engagement through the Waverley Levelling Up project which enabled us to conduct research into our most deprived communities to better understand their needs and how we might be best placed to help them solve their problems through outreach information, signposting and advice. This also involved developing partnerships which facilitate internal referrals such as NHS social prescribers and Barnado's family support workers.

We implemented a communications plan post merge to inform our key stakeholders about the new organisation and have engaged our key stakeholders further in our service review. Throughout the year we have also been actively engaged with our borough, county, health and VCSE partners through the Guildford and Waverley Alliance, including sitting on the board, taking part in partnership meetings, and operational work such as looking at gaps in mental health provision.

4. Improve our financial security through securing funding and bringing together a seamless back office

We completed a review of the back office and management duties to reallocate responsibilities and avoid duplication in roles and achieve greater efficiency. As part of bringing the financial management together, we were about to review our contract arrangements for services to our premises and we were able to combine and streamline these to reduce our costs.

There were a few items that were not completed but sufficient progress has been made that they will be managed under BAU activity for next year.

Service Review and Operational Model

Although all the tasks completed above were important, the most significant was the completion of the Service Review and the development of a future operating model.

Unfortunately, the resource identified to lead this was unable to continue due to ill health but we were very fortunate to secure the services of a retired CO from another LCA who had successfully completed a similar process previously.

The process started with the agreement of our vision and fundamentals. This involved all the staff and volunteers and provided the base that underpins everything that we do. At the top it defined our purpose as existing to help people face fewer problems in Guildford and Waverley. Supporting this we defined:

Citizens Advice South West Surrey Annual Report and Accounts For the Year Ended 31 March 2024

The review then mapped out the Client Journey, what initial and subsequent access channels our clients need and candidly assessed where services can be provided better by others and how we can build twoway referral relationships. By defining our service delivery vision and what locations were needed to deliver that vision, we were able to define how our operating model should look. Understandably, our current model would need to change to support the new vision.

A business case for change was prepared. It recommended changes to the service and operating model to prioritise the client service and address the operational and financial challenges that we are facing in the next year and beyond.

The main drivers for change were summarised as follows.

The business case proposed a new staff structure and a change to our premises strategy with the introduction of new Community Information Points (CIP) with the replacement of some of our existing core offices to CIPs.

The new staff and premises proposals are expected to deliver some savings this year though some reserves have been set aside to fund the transformation costs.

The business case was presented to the Board on 15/04/24 and was unanimously approved. The implementation of the new model, its impact on staff, volunteers and premises will be the critical objective for 2024/25.

Citizens Advice South West Surrey Annual Report and Accounts For the Year Ended 31 March 2024

Contribution of Volunteers and Paid Staff

The charity's success could not have been achieved without the hard work and dedication of volunteers and staff. The trustee board and senior management team recognise the tremendous contribution made by the charity’s volunteers in advising the public and administering the service without which the service could not operate.

Throughout 2023/24 the service employed 41 paid workers (27 FTEs) (2022/23: 24 paid workers, 17.9 FTE), and had 175 volunteers (2022/23: 45 volunteers).

Our volunteers give their valuable time to help people through life’s problems and challenges –and our services would not be the same without them. The volunteers contribute, on average, just over 1,000 hours per week (2022/23: 270) This may be expressed as an annualised value of £596,376 (2022/23: £160,540). However, their value is inadequately expressed in monetary terms. Indeed, volunteers bring many skills to the service and very often the experience gained helps individuals return to full employment.

CASWS are working hard to review our approach to attracting and keeping volunteers, including through our partnership with the University of Surrey, University of Reading and University of Law. It is our intention to consistently monitor our approach to training, to provide an accessible and welcoming place to volunteer. We have agreed a student volunteer agreement with all the universities to improve welfare and accountability and have had our first student placement with the University of Surrey who volunteered for over 1000 hours and now have 3 further placements lined up for September onwards.

Who used and benefited from our services?

During the reporting year 7,900 clients (2022/23: 4,343) benefited from the services of CASWS generating 42,934 contacts (2022/23: 26,197). We supported people with 31,256 (2022/23: 14,923) and advise on any issue that they may face. Through our partnerships with other Citizens Advice (like Surrey Adviceline), this meant 5,609 Guildford and Waverley residents received support from Citizens Advice in 2023/24. The most common issue CASWS support clients with is benefits (making up 41% of all enquiries), which mirrors the key issues faced by Guildford and Waverley residents.

The service helps clients to secure successful outcomes to their problems. During 2023/24, Citizens Advice South West Surrey achieved annualised income gains totaling more than £7 million (2022/23: £9.1 million). For every £1 invested this represented £2.41 in fiscal benefits, £15.90 in public value and £9.03 in value to the people we help.

Clients continue to present with multiple problems and on average clients are presenting with 4 issues each. On average clients have 5.4 contacts each before their issues are resolved.

Factors Affecting the Achievement of Objectives

Clearly the effort required to deliver not one but two mergers, and to then undertake a major service review is enormous. Given the confidentiality that surrounds these activities the workload has fallen to a handful of staff and trustees, primarily to the Chief Officer. Maintaining a service under these circumstances, completing so many of the workplan tasks and delivering the outcomes above has required a huge commitment. This has been a challenging period for all of us but we are now well placed to look forward positively.

Citizens Advice South West Surrey Annual Report and Accounts For the Year Ended 31 March 2024

4. Financial Review

The availability of funding in the charity sector remains difficult in a period of austerity. The charity is focussed on providing added value to its funders from a base of sound financial management and ensuring that our services remain relevant to the strategic objectives of stakeholder at local and national level. CASWS is working hard to deliver a cost-effective service that genuinely meets the needs of our clients.

The financial results of the company for the year are set out in detail on pages 23 to 39. Total income in the year was £1,545,866 (2022/23 £722,268) and expenditure was £1,034,467 (2022/23: £709,294). A surplus of £511,399 was made in the year (2022/23: surplus £12,974). At 31 March 2024 total reserves were £1,091,440 (2022/23: £580,041) of which £599,560 represented unrestricted funds (2022/3: £367,427). The surplus is made up of £319,339 of assets transferred from CA Waverley and £225,354 funds received in advance for project spend in future years. This means that CASWS made a small operating loss of £33,294.

Principal funding sources

The total income for the year of £1,545,866 represents an increase of £823,598 compared to 2022/23. Income of £841,831(2022/23 £420,246) related to restricted project and donated funds and £319,339 relates to the transfer of assets from Citizens Advice Waverley as a result of the merger. The trustees extend their gratitude to Guildford Borough Council, Waverley Borough Councils, Farnham, Godalming and Haslemere Town Councils, and Cranleigh Parish Council who continue to support the core operating capacity of the organisation, but which unfortunately do not meet the entire operating costs of the charity.

To meet these costs in full, CASWS is dependent upon the receipt of additional project-specific funding from other sources or donations in order to supplement local authority funding. The trustees also extend their gratitude to: Surrey County Council, Surrey Heartlands Health and Care Partnership, Guildford and Waverley Healthcare Alliance, The Money and Pensions Service, Macmillan Cancer Support, the Fountain Centre, The Brain Tumour Charity, Guildford Number Five Project and Citizens Advice. The trustees believe that at present the charity has sufficient resources to fulfil its charitable obligations. However, they appreciate there remains an unfulfilled need for the charity's services.

Designated funds

The trustees regularly review the requirements for the development of the organisation. The designated funds are used to where specific key areas of development expenditure have been identified. The current areas for investment are investment in the development and implementation of our revised Service Model, including upgrading our information technology infrastructure and finding more suitable accommodation. Information on the movement in the designated funds is included in note 11 to the accounts. It is expected that these funds will be spent over the coming year.

Citizens Advice South West Surrey Annual Report and Accounts For the Year Ended 31 March 2024

Reserves policy

CASWS is required to ensure that free monies are available each financial year to meet any reasonable, foreseeable contingency. The trustees have established a policy which is reviewed annually, whereby the unrestricted funds not committed or invested in tangible fixed assets ('the free reserves') held by the charity should represent the equivalent of 5-6 months of annual expenditure. This equates to approximately £517k to £621k (2023: £304k to £365k) based on 2024/25 budgeted expenses. In these circumstances it would obviously be necessary to consider how additional funding could be secured or alternatively the organisation's activities restricted in order to reduce expenditure.

Total funds held at year end are £1,091,440 (2023: £580,041), comprising unrestricted reserves £599,560 (2023: £367,427), restricted reserves £387,479 (2023: £53,903) and designated reserves £104,401 (2023: £158,711). Unrestricted funds at the year end, as described above, are £599,560 (2023: £367,427). Free reserves at the year end, as described above, are £596,167 (2022/23 £366,619). This is slightly below the upper end of the Reserves Policy but remains within the current reserve policy range. Restricted reserves held at the year-end represent funding for on-going projects in accordance with agreements with funders. The use of any unspent funds at the end of a project has to be agreed with funders and may have to be repaid.

Investments

As required in its Articles of Association, paragraph 5.11, in furtherance of its objects, and for no other purposes, the company has the power to invest or deposit funds.

Proposed dividends

The Memorandum of Association does not permit the payment of a dividend.

Taxation status

The company is a registered charity and, as such, is entitled to exemption from United Kingdom taxation under the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988.

Going Concern

After making appropriate enquiries, the Trustees have a reasonable expectation that the company has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. For this reason, they continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the financial statements.

5. Future Plans

The completion of the Service Review and the agreement of the new operating Model demonstrates CASWS’s commitment to continually improve access to its services and meet the needs of its clients whilst maintaining a high-quality service. Developing a sustainable service that meets the needs of our clients remains the priority of the trustee board for 2024/25.

To achieve this, the charity has developed a clear plan and business strategy, including setting the following two key objectives for the coming year.

Citizens Advice South West Surrey Annual Report and Accounts For the Year Ended 31 March 2024

Objective 1: Deliver a better service for clients with the resources we have

Develop and implement our new CASWS service delivery model, putting this into practice t improve our services for clients, volunteers, staff, and partners.

We’ll have succeeded if we have:

Objective 2: Improving our sustainability

Improve our leadership and culture and shift to a path of long-term financial sustainability, managing our costs and diversifying our income.

We’ll have succeeded if we:

The specific activities to achieve these objectives have been described in detailed workplans that are updated regularly by the management team and reviewed by the Board at their quarterly meetings.

The annual report was approved by the trustees of the charity on 13 August 2024 and signed on its behalf by

Paul Jarrett

Paul Jarrett (Aug 20, 2024 15:46 GMT+1)

………………..

Paul Jarrett Chair of Trustees

Citizens Advice South West Surrey Annual Report and Accounts For the Year Ended 31 March 2024

Statement of trustees’ and directors’ responsibilities

The trustees and directors are responsible for preparing the Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and regulations.

Company and charity law requires the trustees and directors to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under that law, the directors have elected to prepare the financial statements in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (United Kingdom Accounting Standards and applicable law). Company law requires that the trustees and directors must not approve the financial statements unless they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the company and of the surplus or deficit of the charitable company for that period. In preparing those financial statements, the trustees are required to:

In preparing this report, the Trustees have taken advantage of the small company’s exemptions provided by section 415A of the Companies Act 2006.

Approved by the trustees of the charity on 13 August 2024 and signed on its behalf by:

Paul Jarrett

Paul Jarrett (Aug 20, 2024 15:46 GMT+1)

……………………

Paul Jarrett Chair of Trustees

Citizens Advice South West Surrey Annual Report and Accounts For the Year Ended 31 March 2024

Auditor’s Report

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF CITIZENS ADVICE SOUTH WEST SURREY

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of Citizens Advice South West Surrey (the 'charitable company') for the year ended 31 March 2024 which comprise the Statement of Financial Activities, the Balance Sheet, the Cash Flow Statement and notes to the financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

In our opinion the financial statements:

Basis for opinion

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

Conclusions relating to going concern

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

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

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

Citizens Advice South West Surrey Annual Report and Accounts For the Year Ended 31 March 2024

Other matter

The company was eligible for audit exemption for the comparative period ended 31 March 2023. Accordingly, the financial statements for that year, which are the corresponding figures for the period to 31 March 2024, were not subject to audit.

Other information

The trustees are responsible for the other information. The other information comprises the information included in the Annual Report, other than the financial statements and our Report of the Independent Auditors thereon.

Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.

In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact. We have nothing to report in this regard.

Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006

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

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the charitable company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the Report of the Trustees.

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

Citizens Advice South West Surrey Annual Report and Accounts For the Year Ended 31 March 2024

Responsibilities of trustees

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

In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the charitable company's ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

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

The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below:

Discussions were held with, and enquiries made of, management and those charged with governance with a view to identifying those laws and regulations that could be expected to have a material impact on the financial statements. During the engagement team briefing, the outcomes of these discussions and enquiries were shared with the team, as well as consideration as to where and how fraud may occur in the entity.

Based on our discussions with the charity's management and the Trustees, we identified that the following laws and regulations are significant to the entity:

Citizens Advice South West Surrey Annual Report and Accounts For the Year Ended 31 March 2024

Audit procedures undertaken in response to the potential risks relating to irregularities (which include fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations) comprised of: inquires of management and the Trustees as to whether the entity complies with such laws and regulations; enquiries with the same concerning any actual or potential litigation or claims; inspection of relevant legal correspondence; testing the appropriateness of journal entries; and the performance of analytical review to identify unexpected movements in account balances which may be indicative of fraud.

No instances of material non-compliance were identified. However, the likelihood of detecting irregularities, including fraud, is limited by the inherent difficulty in detecting irregularities, the effectiveness of the entity's controls and the nature, timing and extent of the audit procedures performed. Irregularities that result from fraud might be inherently more difficult to detect than irregularities from error. As explained above there is an unavoidable risk that material misstatements may not be detected, even though the audit has been planned and performed in accordance with ISAs (UK).

A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council's website at www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our Report of the Independent Auditors.

Use of our report

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

AM Skilton ACA Brewers, Chartered Accountants Bourne House, Queen Street, Gomshall, Surrey GU5 9LY Date: 13 August 2024

Citizens Advice South West Surrey Annual Report and Accounts For the Year Ended 31 March 2024

Statement of Financial Activities

Incorporating the income and expenditure account current year

No separate statement of Total Recognised Gains and Losses has been presented as all such gains and losses have been dealt with above. The results for the year derive from continuing activities.

Notes
INCOME FROM:
Donations and Legacies
3
Charitable activities
4
Unrealised gains
5
Other
5
TOTAL INCOME
EXPENDITURE ON:
Charitable activities
TOTAL EXPENDITURE
6
NET (EXPENDITURE)/INCOME
Transfer Between Funds
NET MOVEMENT IN FUNDS
Total Funds Brought Forward
TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED
FORWARD		 2024
Restricted
Funds
£
134,464
698,393
-
8,974
841,831
523,734
523,734
318,097
15,479
333,576
53,903
387,479		 2024
Designated
Funds
£
-
-
-
-
-
54,310
54,310
(54,310)
-
(54,310)
158,711
104,401		 2024
Unrestricted
Funds
£
199,845
451,652
36,028
16,510
704,035
456,423
456,423
247,613
(15,479)
232,134
367,427
599,560		 2024
Total
£
334,309
1,150,045
36,028
25,484
1,545,866
1,034,467
1,034,467
511,399
-
511,399
580,041
1,091,440		 2023
Total
£
9,680
707,669
-
4,919
722,268
709,294
709,294
12,974
-
12,974
567,067
580,041

Citizens Advice South West Surrey Annual Report and Accounts For the Year Ended 31 March 2024

Statement of financial activities

Incorporating the income and expenditure account prior year

Notes
INCOME FROM:
Donations and Legacies
3
Charitable activities
4
Other
5
TOTAL INCOME
EXPENDITURE ON:
Charitable activities
Other
TOTAL EXPENDITURE
6
NET
(EXPENDITURE)/INCOME
Transfer Between Funds
NET MOVEMENT IN FUNDS
Total Funds Brought
Forward
TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED
FORWARD		 2023
Restricted
Funds
£
-
420,074
172
420,246
399,544
-
399,544
20,701
(26)
20,675
33,228
53,903		 2023
Designated
Funds
£
-
-
-
34,562
-
34,562
(34,562)
46,651
12,089
146,621
158,710		 2023
Unrestricted
Funds
£
9,680
287,595
4,747
302,022
275,188
-
275,188
26,834
(46,625)
(19,791)
387,218
367,427		 2023
Total
£
9,680
707,669
4,919
722,268
709,294
-
709,294
12,974
-
12,974
567,067
580,041		 2022
Total
£
128,716
547,732
17,144
693,592
507,579
-
507,579
186,013
-
186,013
381,054
567,067

Citizens Advice South West Surrey Annual Report and Accounts For the Year Ended 31 March 2024

Statement of cash flows

Net cash used in operating activities
Net movement in funds for the reporting period
Adjustments for:
Depreciation Charges
Decrease/(increase) in debtors
(Decrease)/increase in creditors
Net cash (used by)/provided by operating activities
Cash flows from investing activities
Acquisition of investments on merger
Transfer of fixed assets
Proceeds of fixed asset disposals
Total net cash (used by)/provided by operating and investing
activities
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year
Total cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year		 2024
£
511,399
600
(35,668)
(64,752)
411,579
(225,857)
(3,185)
-
(3,185)
182,537
671,309
853,846		 2023
£
12,974
677
8,978
(50,007)
(27,379)
-
-
-
-
(27,379)
698,687
671,309

Citizens Advice South West Surrey Annual Report and Accounts For the Year Ended 31 March 2024

Balance sheet current year

nce sheet current year
Notes
FIXED ASSETS
Tangible fixed assets
7
CURRENT ASSETS
Investments
Debtors
8
Cash at bank
CREDITORS: amounts falling due within one year
9
NET CURRENT ASSETS
TOTAL NET ASSETS
FUNDS
Unrestricted Income funds
11
Designated funds
11
Restricted Income funds
11
TOTAL CHARITY FUNDS
11		 2024
£
3,393
225,857
73,468
853,846
1,153,171
(65,123)
1,088,047
1,091,440
599,560
104,401
387,479
1,091,440		 2023
£
808
37,800
671,309
709,109
(129,876)
579,233
580,041
367,427
158,711
53,903
580,041

For the year ended 31 March 2024, the members have required the charitable company to obtain an audit of its accounts in accordance with section 475 of the Companies Act 2006. At the last Annual General Meeting on 06/11/2023 the members required the company to obtain an audit in accordance with section 144 of the Charities Act 2011. The directors acknowledge their responsibility for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting records and for the preparation of accounts.

Approved by the board of trustees on and signed on its behalf by:

Paul Jarrett

Paul Jarrett (Aug 20, 2024 15:46 GMT+1) Norman Wren (Aug 27, 2024 18:03 GMT+1) ......................................................................... ……………………………………………….. P Jarrett – Chair N Wren – Treasurer Company Registration No. 03258272 Charity Registration No. 1061067

Citizens Advice South West Surrey Annual Report and Accounts For the Year Ended 31 March 2024

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

1. LEGAL STATUS

Citizens Advice South West Surrey is a charitable company limited by guarantee and has no share capital. The registered address is 15-21 Haydon Place, Guildford, GU1 4LL. The company was incorporated in England and Wales and meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102.

2. ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Basis of Accounting

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention and in accordance with applicable accounting standards, the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities SORP (FRS102) and the Companies Act 2006. The financial Statements are prepared in sterling which is the functional currency of the charity. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.

Preparation of the Accounts on a Going Concern Basis

At the time of approving the financial statements, based on the projections for at least the next 12 months, the trustees have a reasonable expectation that the organisation has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Therefore, the trustees continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.

Income

All grants and donated income are accounted for where there is entitlement, probability of receipt and the amount can be measured with reliability. Such income is only deferred when (i) the donor has imposed conditions which must be met before the charity has unconditional entitlement, or (ii) when the donor specifies that the grant or donation must only be used in future accounting periods.

Investments and Income

Current asset investments are initially recognised at cost and subsequently measured at their fair value as at the Balance Sheet date. All gains and losses are taken to the SOFA as they arise. Interest has been accounted for on a receivable basis.

Expenditure

Direct charitable expenditure comprises all expenditure directly relating to the charity’s objectives. All expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all costs related to the category. Support costs (including Governance costs) have been apportioned on the basis of direct staff and volunteer’s time as shown in note 6a.

Financial Instruments

The charity only has financial assets and liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value.

Fixed Assets

Fixed assets are included at cost and depreciation is provided to write off the cost less the estimated residual value of tangible fixed assets by equal instalments over their estimated useful lives as follows:

Leasehold improvements unexpired period of lease
Fixtures, fittings and furniture 5 years
Office equipment 4 years
- 27 -

Citizens Advice South West Surrey Annual Report and Accounts For the Year Ended 31 March 2024

Expenditure below £1,000 (2023: £1,000) on an individual asset is not capitalised and impairment reviews are considered annually.

Pension Costs

The pension costs represent the contributions made to personal pension schemes for staff members. Payments to defined contribution retirement benefit schemes are charged as an expense as they fall due. The pension cost for the year was £20,060 (2023: £11,091).

Fund Accounting

Unrestricted funds can be used in accordance with the charitable objects at the discretion of the trustees. Designated funds are unrestricted funds which the trustees have decided to set aside to use for a specific purpose. Restricted funds comprise income received for a restricted project and against which appropriate expenditure is allocated.

Critical judgements

In the application of the company’s accounting policies, the trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.

The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised where the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods where the revision affects both current and future periods.

It is considered that a critical judgement having the most significant effect on amounts recognised in the financial statements is in relation to the allocation of support costs across general advice services and projects. Support costs are allocated in proportion to the direct charitable activity costs.

Citizens Advice South West Surrey Annual Report and Accounts For the Year Ended 31 March 2024

3. DONATIONS AND LEGACIES

Donations and Legacies
Donations and gifts		 Restricted
£
134,464
134,464		 Unrestricted
£
199,845
199,845		 2024
£
334,309
334,309		 2023
£
9,860
9,860

2024 donated goods and services included £319,339 of assets that were donated to the charity from Citizens Advice Waverley.

Donations and gifts
Transfer of net assets from Citizens Advice
Waverley		 Restricted
£
134,033
134,033		 Unrestricted
£
185,306
185,306		 2024
£
319,339
319,339		 2023
£
-
-

On 1 June 2023, the assets and liabilities of Citizens Advice Waverley were transferred over to Citizens Advice Guildford and Ash. The assets transferred were as follows:

Tangible Fixed Assets
Current Assets
Current Liabilities
Provisions
Total Assets Transferred
The breakdown of funds transferred were as follows:
Unrestricted Funds (including Designated)
Training
Client Funds
No One Left Behind
Waverley Cost of Living
Godalming Office Projects		 3,185
439,672
(123,518)
-
319,339
185,306
10,000
9,368
7,527
7,138
100,000
319,339

Citizens Advice South West Surrey Annual Report and Accounts For the Year Ended 31 March 2024

4. INCOME FROM CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES

COME FROM CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
Generalist Advice
Cancer Support
Mental Health Support
Money Advice
Homelessness Prevention
Help to Claim - From National Citizens Advice
Waverley Cost of Living
Surrey Adviceline
Other
Total income from charitable activities		 Restricted
£
1,000
135,443
68,000
194,044
213,000
-
17,000
59,906
10,000
698,393		 Unrestricted
£
451,652
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
451,652		 2024
£
452,652
135,443
68,000
194,044
213,000
-
17,000
59,906
10,000
1,150,045		 2023
£
297,595
135,621
68,000
95,767
109,861
825
-
-
-
707,669

Local authority grants totalling £275k were received from Guildford Borough Council who continue to support the core operating capacity of the charity.

5. OTHER INCOME

Other unrestricted income
Investment income
Bank interest received
Unrealised gain		 Restricted
£
8,974
-
-
8,974		 Unrestricted
£
6,654
9,856
36,028
52,538		 2024
£
15,628
9,856
36,028
61,512		 2023
£
2,927
1,992
-
4,919

Other income includes income from fundraising activities such as the Legal Walk and quiz night.

Citizens Advice South West Surrey Annual Report and Accounts For the Year Ended 31 March 2024

6. ANALYSIS OF EXPENDITURE

ALYSIS OF EXPENDITURE
Charitable Activity
General Advice
Cancer Support
Mental Health Support
Money Advice
Homelessness Prevention
Waverley Cost of Living
Surrey Adviceline
Other		 Total
Total
Restricted
Unrestricted
2024
Restricted
Unrestricted
2023
£
£
£
£
£
£
6,911
456,318
463,229
4,829
309,750
314,578
129,596
-
129,596
125,592
- 125,592
66,846
-
66,846
67,227
-
67,227
156,810
-
156,810
93,592
-
93,592
67,072
-
67,072
108,305
- 108,305
21,413
-
21,413
-
-
-
41,848
-
41,848
-
-
-
55,612
32,041
87,653
-
-
-
546,108
488,359
1,034,467
399,544
309,750
709,294

Expenditure above includes the following from designated funds:

Reserves investment (Unrestricted) £31,936 Merger costs (Restricted) £22,374 Total £54,310

6a ANALYSIS OF EXPENDITURE ON CHARITABLE ACTIVITES - CURRENT YEAR

Allocati
on
/Apport
ionmen
t
*Basis
Direct costs
Salaries
(including
temp staff)
Direct
Staff &
volunteers
Direct
Office costs
Direct
Governance
costs
Direct
Other Costs
Direct*		 General
Advice
Cancer
Support
Mental
Health
Support
Money
Advice
Homelessnes
s Prevention
Waverley
Cost of Living
Surrey
Adviceline
Godalming
Projects
Other
2024
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
155,552
82,425
40,696
74,688
42,195
11,461
24,028
-
55,008
486,051
25,022
2,133
1,391
1,095
608
-
1,065
-
6,636
37,952
(19,985)
98
293
8,353
-
-
-
-
19,758
8,517
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
375
375
(44,550)
-
3
-
-
55
-
-
2,036
(42,455)
116,039
84,655
42,383
84,136
42,803
11,517
25,093
-
83,814
490,440

Citizens Advice South West Surrey Annual Report and Accounts For the Year Ended 31 March 2024

Support Costs
Salaries
(including temp
staff)
Staff &
volunteer
hours
Staff &
volunteers
Staff &
volunteer
hours
Office costs
Staff &
volunteer
hours
Governance
costs
Staff &
volunteer
hours
Other Costs
Staff &
volunteer
hours
Total Expenditure on
charitable activities**		 171,421
11,061
51,849
7,305
105,554		 23,403
1,804
5,255
643
13,837		 12,646
986
2,827
346
7,658		 33,854
2,992
7,446
997
27,386		 12,706
5,790
978
490
2,946
1,224
317
196
7,322
2,196		 5,964
-
834
-
1,428
-
236
-
8,293
-		 3,147
146
498
37
10		 268,931
19,293
73,472
10,076
172,256
347,190 44,941 24,463 72,675 24,269
9,896		 16,755
-		 3,839 544,027
463,229 129,596 66,846 156,810 67,072
21,413		 41,848
-		 87,653 1,034,467
Expenditure on Charitable
Activities
General Advice
Cancer Support
Mental Health Support
Money Advice
Homelessness Prevention
Waverley Cost of Living
Surrey Adviceline
Other
Total Expenditure on
Charitable Activities		 Direct
Support
2024
2023
Charitable
Activities
Total
Total
Activities
£
£
£
£
116,039
339,885
455,924
304,699
84,655
44,298
128,953
124,719
42,383
24,117
66,501
66,725
84,136
71,678
155,814
92,679
42,803
23,952
66,755
107,449
11,517
9,700
21,216
-
25,093
16,519
41,611
-
83,439
3,802
87,241
-
490,065
533,951
1,024,016
696,270

ANALYSIS OF EXPENDITURE ON CHARITABLE ACTIVITES - CURRENT YEAR continued

Other
Governance Costs
TOTAL		 10,451
13,024
1,034,467
709,294

Citizens Advice South West Surrey Annual Report and Accounts For the Year Ended 31 March 2024

NATURAL CLASSIFICATION OF RESOURCES EXPENDED

Staff
Premises
Telephone
Travel
Training
Other
Depreciation
IT
TOTAL		 2024
2023
£
£
757,507
532,040
128,715
80,834
6,791
6,922
9,157
1,350
15,799
5,541
70,288
47,078
600
677
45,610
34,852
1,034,467
709,294

GOVERNANCE COSTS

Strategic Management
Auditor’s remuneration
AGM and Other Expenses
TOTAL		 2024
2023
£
£
2,943 7,580
6,990
4,840
518
604
10,451
13,024

Citizens Advice South West Surrey Annual Report and Accounts For the Year Ended 31 March 2024

7. TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS

Cost 1 April 2023
Additions
Transfer of Fixed Assets at 1 June 2023
Disposals
Cost 31 March 2024
Depreciation 1 April 2023
Charge for the year
Transfer of Depreciation at 1 June 2023
Disposals
Depreciation 31 March 2024
NBV as at 31 March 2024
NBV as at 31 March 2023
8. DEBTORS
Debtors
Prepayments
Other Debtors including accrued income		 Unrestricted
Funds
Office
Equipment
£
7,823
-
78,329
-
86,152
7,015
422
77,893
-
85,330
822
808
2024
£
54,867
5,786
12,815
73,468		 Unrestricted
Funds
Fixtures &
Fittings
£
-
-
54,993
-
54,993
-
179
52,243
-
52,422
2,571
-
2023
£
29,116
2,340
6,343
37,800		 Total
£
7,823
-
133,322
-
141,145
7,015
600
130,137
-
137,752
3,393
808

Citizens Advice South West Surrey Annual Report and Accounts For the Year Ended 31 March 2024

9. CREDITORS

EDITORS
Accruals
Other
Taxes and Social Security Costs		 2024
£
42,805
9,389
12,929
65,123		 2023
£
48,025
80,140
1,710
129,876

10. INFORMATION REGARDING TRUSTEES, DIRECTORS AND EMPLOYEES

No employees (2023: 0) received remuneration in excess of £60,000. The average weekly number of employees paid by the organisation during the year was 37 (2023: 24), calculated on the basis of full-time equivalents this is 28 (2023:19). The total weekly number of employees paid by the organisation was 53 (2023:31).

Wages and Salaries
Social security costs
Pension costs		 2024
£
690,853
46,593
20,060
757,507		 2023
£
486,711
34,237
11,091
532,040

Pension costs are allocated between restricted and unrestricted funds according to the employee’s role within the organisation.

Pension Costs Allocation to Funds:
Unrestricted
Restricted		 2024
£
9,368
10,692
20,060		 2023
£
3,963
7,128
11,091

The key management personnel comprise the trustees, Chief Officer, Business Support Manager, Advice Services Manager, Services Manager, People and Culture Manager, Casework Services Manager, Macmillan Project Manager and Surrey Adviceline Co-ordinator. The total employee benefits of the key management personnel were £246,454 (2022: £167,211).

None of the trustees/directors received any remuneration during the period for their services to the Charity. However, trustees claimed a total of £201 (2023: £32) for reimbursement of expenses incurred while performing services for the Charity.

Citizens Advice South West Surrey Annual Report and Accounts For the Year Ended 31 March 2024

11. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS

Restricted funds:
General Advice
Cancer Support
Mental Health Support
Mental Health Project: CFS
Money Advice: MaPS
Money Advice: Other
Homelessness Prevention
Waverley Cost of Living
Surrey Adviceline
Godalming Project
Other
Restricted Funds
Designated Funds
Unrestricted Funds
TOTAL FUNDS		 Balance at
31/03/2023
£
5,240
35,618
2,837
-
1,704
6,948
1,556
-
-
-
-
53,903
158,711
367,427
580,041		 Income
Expenditure
£
£
9,974
6,911
135,443
129,596
68,000
66,846
-
-
52,638
66,383
148,933
90,427
213,000
67,072
24,138
21,413
59,906
41,848
100,000
-
29,800
33,238
841,831
523,734
-
54,310
704,035
456,423
1,545,866
1,034,467		 Transfer
£
-
-
-
-
12,041
-
-
-
-
-
3,438
15,479
-
(15,479)
-		 Balance at
31/03/2024
£
8,303
41,465
3,991
-
-
65,453
147,484
2,725
18,058
100,000
-
387,479
104,401
599,560
1,091,440

Restricted Funds: grants and donations given for specific purposes.

Cancer Support: advice to cancer patients and their families funded by Macmillan Cancer Support and The Fountain Centre.

Mental Health Project: provision of advice to people with mental health problems funded by Surrey Heartlands CCG, Guildford and Waverley Integrated Care Partnership and the Community Foundation for Surrey. Money Advice: increased capacity funding to train a specialist debt adviser funded by MaPS and support to people at risk of homelessness funded by Guildford Borough Council.

Citizens Advice South West Surrey Annual Report and Accounts For the Year Ended 31 March 2024

Designated Funds

In previous years the trustees reviewed the requirements for development of the organisation and identified three key areas, investment in developing our research and campaigning activity, succession planning for advice resources and a move from the office at Haydon Place to more suitable accommodation. The estimated cost of these three projects totalled £146,621.

In the year to 31 March 2024 there was a total of £54,310 of expenditure on these projects. It is expected that expenditure on these projects will continue in the following year.

Unrestricted Funds

The core service income includes funding from Guildford Borough Council for the provision of a general advice service in the Guildford area.

Citizens Advice South West Surrey Annual Report and Accounts For the Year Ended 31 March 2024

12. ANALYSIS OF NET ASSETS BETWEEN FUNDS

Funds are represented by:
Tangible fixed assets
Current assets
Current liabilities		 Unrestrict
ed
Funds
£
3,393
657,003
(60,835)
599,560		 Designated
Funds
£
104.401

104,401		 Restricte
d
Funds
£
391,768
(4,288)
387,479		 2024
Total
£
3,393
1,153,171
(65,123)
1,091,440		 2023
Total
£
808
709,109
(129,876)
580,041

13. TAXATION

The company is a registered charity and, as such, for taxation purposes, is entitled to exemption from United Kingdom taxation under the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988 and may recover income tax deducted from its investment income.

14. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

There have been related party transactions during the year between Citizens Advice South West Surrey and Citizens Advice in relation to information services. None of the trustees received any remuneration during the year and any expenses incurred while performing services for the Charity are outlined in note 10.

15. MEMBERS’ LIABILITY

The company is limited by guarantee – all members having a liability not exceeding £1 per member.

16. OPERATING LEASE COMMITMENTS

At the reporting date, the company had outstanding commitments for future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases, which fall due as follows:

2024 2023
£ £
Within one year 46,600 53,400

A total of £94,922 (2023: £43,400) was expensed in the year relating to the leases of Haydon Place, Guildford, the Ash Centre, Ash, Bridge Street, Godalming, South Street, Farnham and Well House, Haslemere. Village Way is leased at peppercorn rent.

The lease at Haydon Place is occupied under a tenancy at will following the end of the lease on 1 January 2024. The lease at the Ash Centre was renewed on 1 January 2022 for a five-year term with a break clause allowing us to serve six months’ notice after 18 months. The office in Village Way is leased from Cranleigh Parish Council on a one-year lease from 1 June 2024. The office in Bridge Street is leased from Waverley Borough Council on a

Citizens Advice South West Surrey Annual Report and Accounts For the Year Ended 31 March 2024

three-year lease from 1 June 2023 with a break clause allowing us to serve six months' notice. The office in South Street is leased from Waverley Borough Council on a five-year lease from 1 June 2023 with a break clause allowing us to serve six months' notice. The office in Well House is out of lease with a temporary relocation due to building works and a new lease is currently being negotiated.

17. CONTINGENT LIABILITIES

There were no contingent liabilities on 31 March 2024 or 31 March 2023.

18. FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

At the balance sheet date the Charity held the following financial instruments:

NANCIAL INSTRUMENTS
t the balance sheet date the Charity held the following financial		 instruments:
2024 2023
£ £
Financial assets measured at amortised cost
Investments 225,857 -
Net Trade Debtors 54,867 29,116
Other Debtors 18,600 6,343
Cash at bank and in hand 853,846 671,309
Financial liabilities at amortised cost
Trade creditors -
-
Accruals 42,805 48,025
Other creditors 4,288 80,140

Income, expense, gains and losses in respect of these financial instruments were:

2024 2023
£ £ £ £ £ £
Income Expense Gains/ Income Expense Gains/
(losses) (losses)
Financial assets at amortised cost
Interest on cash balances 9,856 - - 1,992 - -
Unrealised gains/(losses) 36,028

2024-08-27

CASWS final audited accounts

Final Audit Report

Created: 2024-08-20 By: Jonathan Skilton (jskilton@bg-brewers.com) Status: Signed Transaction ID: CBJCHBCAABAAJgDeZM5uz2NTsDiXffuomeHqaind4Bpm

"CASWS final audited accounts" History

Signature Date: 2024-08-20 - 2:46:48 PM GMT - Time Source: server

Document emailed to Andy Skilton (askilton@bg-brewers.com) for signature 2024-08-27 - 5:03:51 PM GMT