2025-03-31-accounts

SUTTON BOROUGH CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAUX Operating as CITIZENS ADVICE SUTTON

Charity number: 1061654 Company number: 03179963

Financial Report and Accounts for the Year Ended 31 March 2025

Contents

	Page
TRUSTEES’ REPORT
Reference and Administrative Deiails	2
Name and Registered Office	2
Professional Advisers	2
Structure, Governance and Management	2
Governing Document	2
Trustee Board	2
Elections to theTrustee Board	2
Trustee Induction and Training	2-3
Organisational Structure	3
Related Parties	3
Internal Control	3-4
Objectives and Activities forthe Public Benefit	5
Strategic Objectives	5
Activities and Outcomes	5
Achievements and Performance	6-8
Plans for Future Periods	8
Financial Review	8-9
Statementof Directors’ Responsibilities	9
IndependentAuditor's Report	10-12
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Statement ofFinancial Activities and Income& Expenditure Report	13
Balance Sheet	14
Cash Flow Statement	15
NotestotheFinancialStatements	16-27

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Financial Report and Accounts 2024/25

SUTTON BOROUGH CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAUX Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 March 2025

Reference and Administrative Details

Name, Charity Number, Company Number and Registered Office Sutton Borough Citizens Advice Bureaux (operating as Citizens Advice Sutton) is a charitable company limited by guarantee. The registered Charity Number is 1061654 and the Company Number is 03179963. Citizens Advice Sutton is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority - FRN617761. The registered office is 68 Parkgate Rd, Wallington, SM6 OAH.

Professional Advisers Bankers CAF Bank 25 Kings Hill Avenue, West Malling, Kent ME19 4JQ

Independent Auditors Palmer McCarthy Suite 70, Capital Business Centre, 22 Carlton Road, South Croydon,CR2 OBS

Structure, Governance and Management

The trustees present their annual report and financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2025. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in Note 1 to the accounts and comply with the Charity’s trust deed, the Charities Act 2011, the Companies Act 2006, Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP), Accounting and Reporting by Charities and United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice.

Governing Document

Citizens Advice Sutton was incorporated on 29'" March 1996 as amended by special resolutions dated 14 May 2003, 8" September 2004, and 8'" September 2009, and registered as a charity on 2°4 April 1997. The company was established under a Memorandum of Association which established the objects and powers of the charitable company and is governed under its Articles of Association. In the event of the company being wound up each member is required to contribute £1.00.

Trustee Board

The directors of the company are also charity trustees for the purposes of charity law and under the company's articles as members of the Trustee Board. Citizens Advice Sutton has a broad client base, and the Trustee Board seeks to reflect the diversity of the local community. The Trustee Board has a minimum of four and a maximum of 25 trustees who meet quarterly and are responsible for the strategic direction and policies of the charity. The trustees are from professional or business backgrounds relevant to the charity or with involvement in other voluntary sector organisations. The Finance Manager and Chief Executive Officer attend the Board meetings but have no voting rights. All Board members give their time freely and no remuneration was paid in the year beyond the reimbursement of reasonable expenses. The Board members listed below held office during the whole year to 31S' March 2025 and to the date of this report unless otherwise stated.

Board members 2024/25

Andrew Theobald, Chair; Phillip Ang, Treasurer; Jason Gold, Chair of Risk Committee; Ashley Thomas, Information Assurance Accounting Officer; Paul Lawrence; Veronica Miller; Peter Honour; Nigel Quinney and Sam Sundaram (from 30 October 2024).

Principal Executives 2024/25

Steve Triner, CEO and Company Secretary.

Godfrey Bwalya, Finance Manager.

Elections to the Trustee Board

Under the requirements of the Memorandum and Articles of Association, the members of the Trustee Board are elected to serve for a period of three years after which they must be re-elected at the next Annual General Meeting. In practice, all the members of the Trustee Boardretire just before each Annual General Meeting and offer themselves for re-election if they wish to stand. At the 2024 AGM ail the Trustees who stood down were re-elected.

Trustee Induction and Training

The Trustee Board operates a formal selection procedure for potential new members. The procedure includes:

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Financial Report and Accounts 2024/25

• e Invitation to informally meet the Chief Executive and Chair; e Provision of information about the organisation including the organisation’s aims and principles, research and campaigns, annual review, and annual report;

• e Provision of an application form and confidentiality declaration; e Formal nomination to Trustee Board and invitation to attend the next meeting; e Provision of an induction pack including: welcome letter, information about the Trustee Board, schedule of board meetings, details of sub-committees, equalities data form, code of conduct, and register of interests. New Trustees are encouraged to visit the offices, meet staff and volunteers, and observe interviews. Trustees are offered opportunities to attend suitable trustee training courses, either locally or at the offices of National Citizens Advice.

Organisational Structure Day to day responsibility for running the organisation rests with the Chief Executive Officer, wno works with a Senior Management Team (SMT) to ensure the service meets its aims and complies with relevant standards. The SMT includes the Chief Executive and five Senior Managers, including the Finance Manager. The SMT ensures that advice is delivered to the standards required by Citizens Advice and other stakeholders. Carefully selected, trained, and supported volunteers provide a high proportion of the advice to our clients, including supporting our telephone contact centre, dropin centre, and advice by appointment.

The remuneration of key management staff is set by the board. It is informally benchmarked against comparable roles in London Local Citizens Advice. We also benchmark against the salaries in job adverts. The trustees believe that senior salaries are average for London LCAs of our size.

Related Parties Citizens Advice Sutton is a member of Citizens Advice (the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux) and complies with their membership scheme.

The charity was funded in 2024/25 by:

• e The London Borough of Sutton through a sub-contract with Community Action Sutton, who have a contract with the council to provide information and advice to residents;

• e The London Borough of Sutton through grants to support people from Ukraine and Afghanistan;

• e The Legal Aid Agency through a contract to provide housing advice to people entitled to legal aid; e The Money and Pension Service who, through Toynbee Hall, fund the Debt Free Advice partnership of which Citizens Advice Sutton is a member;

• e The Money and Pension Service who, through Citizens Advice, fund Pension Wise; e The National Lottery; e Citizens Advice through the Energy Advice programme and the Energy Casework project; e Trust for London; e City Bridge Trust; e The Energy Redress Scheme, via the Energy Savings Trust; e The Home Office who fund our e-visa transition project.

• Citizens Advice Sutton works in partnership with other local public services, the local voluntary sector, and local solicitors’ firms to deliver advice and information services in line with its aims.

• Internal Control The Trustee Board carries out the following internal control activities: e Setting a budget for each financial year;

• e Approving authorised signatories for bank accounts and setting limits on delegated financial authorities; e Monitoring financial performance against budget; e Monitoring performance against charitable objectives, quality of advice and client feedback; e Reviewing the risk register; e Reviewing the reserves policy; e Conducting such internal reviews as it sees fit; e Ensuring that accounting rules are followed and that an independent audit is conducted.

The Planning and Finance Committee is a standing committee of the Trustee Board. The Planning and Finance Committee membership comprises: the Trustee Board Chair; the Treasurer, who chairs the Committee, and up to four other Trustees. The Chief Executive attends the Planning and Finance Committee meetings. The Committee considers financial and strategic issues and formulates recommendations to the Trustee Board. The Committee has given delegated authority to decide on the initiation or termination of projects where the income or expenditure in those projects is up to 10% of the total income of Citizens Advice Sutton.

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Financial Report and Accounts 2024/25

The Risk Committee is a sub-committee of the Trustee Board. The Risk Committee membership comprises the Risk Committee Chair, the Trustee Board Chair, the Treasurer, and up to three other Trustees. The Chief Executive attends Risk Committee meetings. The Committee considers non-financial and strategic risks and formulates recommendations to the Planning and Finance Committee and the Trustee Board. The role of the Risk Committee is to support the Trustee Board in the management of risk, by helping ensure significant risks are identified and analysed and an action plan to mitigate risk is drawn up and implemented effectively.

Investment Policy

Under the Memorandum and Articles of Association, the Charity has the power to make any cash investments that the Trustees see fit.

Reserves Policy

The designated reserves as of 318! March 2025 stood at £19,358 (2024: £19,358) and other unrestricted reserves amounted to £464,110 (2024: £447,938). A valuation of the final salary pension scheme (under FRS102 rules) was carried out on 17 April 2025. The valuation determined that the pension was at a net asset position of £169,000 as at 318! March 2025 (2024: deficit of £155,000). No asset is recognised on the balance sheet as the charity does not have an unconditional right to a refund of the surplus. The details of the pension scheme are given in Note 12 to the accounts. Total unrestricted reserves, including the pension deficit, stood at £483,468 (2024: £212,675). Restricted reserves at the year-end were £47,904 (2024: £19,376). The charity has unrestricted reserves (excluding designated reserves) to provide for about three months operating costs. Citizens Advice Sutton will aim to raise the level of these reserves to about four months operating costs in the future. The Trustee Board will continue to monitor closely the financial position and take any necessary actions to maintain its status as a going concern.

Risk Management

• The Trustee Board and the Risk Committee maintain and monitor a risk register to ensure that action is taken, and systems are in place to manage identified areas of risk. Citizens Advice Sutton continues to review its procedures and policies to ensure that they are consistent with best practices. The charity focuses on the following major areas of risk: e Financial Control. The Finance Manager produces detailed management accounts every month which are reviewed by the Treasurer. Current management accounts are presented to the Trustee Board and the Planning and Finance Committee at every meeting. The performance against budget is monitored and any actions required to rectify underperformance are identified.

• e Non-Financial Risk control. The Chair of the Risk Committee works closely with the CEO to maintain an up-to-date Risk Register. The Risk Register is reviewed by the Risk Committee.

• e External Stakeholder Relationships. The Trustee Board attaches high importance to developing and maintaining good external stakeholder relationships. Citizens Advice Sutton relies on its excellent reputation for delivering timely and effective advice to members of the public to persuade stakeholders to support Citizens Advice Sutton financially and in other ways.

Key risks have been mitigated in the following ways:

• e Income. Ensuring that the organisation maintains an adequate level of income to carry out its charitable objectives. e Training. Ensuring that all staff and volunteers are properly trained, supported, and supervised as they carry out their activities.

• e Financial Procedures. The Trustee Board has approved and keeps under review, a set of financial procedures which define the ways in which all financial transactions are to be authorised and recorded.

• e Insurance. Ensuring adequate insurance cover for professional indemnity, assets, cyber-attack, employees, trustees, and volunteers carrying out work for and on behalf of Citizens Advice Sutton.

Information Assurance

• Citizens Advice Sutton has adopted the Information Assurance (IA) policy as recommended by Citizens Advice. In summary, the way in which information risks are managed under this policy is as follows: e A member of the board, who has undertaken appropriate training, is the Information Assurance Accounting Officer (IAAO) and ensures that all significant information risks are discussed and approved at Trustee Board level.

• e The Chief Executive is the Senior Information Risk Officer (SIRO) who owns the information risk policy and provides advice to the Trustee Board.

• e Specific groups of information assets, for example client data, have been identified and individual members of staff appointed as the Information Asset Owners (IAQ) for each group.

• e All staff, volunteers, and board members complete basic data protection training with annual refresher training. The IAAO, SIRO and all |AOs have completed additional, advanced, IA training. All staff and volunteers sign, and re-sign every year, the Acceptable IT Usage policy.

• e Management of information risks is a standing item on the agenda of Trustee Board meetings, to ensure they are reviewed alongside other risks.

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Financial Report and Accounts 2024//25

CONSUMER DUTY

We are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. We comply with the Consumer Duty and therefore we act to deliver good outcomes for our clients. We can provide evidence that these outcomes are being met.

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFIT

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

The stated objectives of Citizens Advice Sutton are the promotion of any charitable purposes for the public benefit by the advancement of education, the protection of health and the relief of poverty, sickness, and distress in particular, but without limitation, for the benefit of the community in the area of the London Borough of Sutton and the surrounding areas. Citizens Advice Sutton meets these objects through the following activities:

e Providing the advice people need for the problems they face; * Working to improve the public policies and practices that affect people's lives.

The Trustee Board has complied with the duty in section 4 of the 2011 Charities Act to have due regard to guidance published by the Charity Commission on public benefit, both when reviewing Citizens Advice Sutton’s aims and objectives and in planning future activities.

OUR BENEFICIARIES

All of the information below relates to the year 1 April 2024 to 31° March 2025 and is from our Charitylog system. We provide information about our debt and Pension Wise services in separate sections of this report as these services use separate case recording systems.

in 2024/25, we recorded contacts with 7,327 named individual people. Many of our clients contacted us multiple times during the year. We also recorded 4,018 anonymous contacts. These figures exclude people who contacted our specialist debt service or Pension Wise.

61.4% of our clients were female and 38.6% male. People of working age are particularly likely to need our service. People aged between 25 and 64 were, compared to the population of the borough, a high proportion of clients. People aged between 25 and 64 made up 79% of our clients but are only 68% of the Sutton population (excluding children). People of working age are, for several reasons, more likely to need advice. For example, welfare benefits for people of working age are subject to more conditionality and working aged people are, at least in Sutton, less likely to own their homes than retired people.

Young adults aged between 16 and 24 were, compared to the borough population, a smaller proportion of our clients — 5.0% of clients (12.7% of the population). Young people are less likely to need our service — but are encouraged to access it when needed. Young people are more likely to be living with their family and so are not liable for housing costs. They are also more likely to be in education — and so less likely to have employment problems and less likely to claim means-tested benefits.

People aged 65 and over made up 14% of our clients compared to 19.1% of the population aged 16 and over. Older people are less likely to need our service but are encouraged to access it when needed. Older people are less likely to have welfare benefit disputes and in Sutton, older people are less likely to be resident in private rented accommodation.

A high proportion of our clients are minority ethnic people, with people who are relatively new to the country making up a higher proportion of our clients — e.g. people who described themselves as ‘white-other (than British)’ made up 15.2% of our clients compared to only 11.1% of the borough population.

65.4% of our clients did not live with a partner, including 50.6% of our clients described themselves as single. This compared to 41% of the borough’s population as a whole who did not live with a partner.

23.9% of our clients were resident in private rented accommodation compared to 18.7% overall for the borough. 42.6% of our clients were resident in social rented accommodation, compared to 14.2% for the local population as a whole.

The London Borough of Sutton contains 20 wards. 26.3% of our clients were resident in just three of these wards: Sutton Central, St Helier West and Sutton South. Relatively high proportions of people resident in these wards lived in private rented accommodation and/or claimed Universal Credit.

ACCESS TO OUR SERVICE

Our main services were available to anyone who lived or worked in the London Borough of Sutton. We aimed to be as accessible as possible to people who needed our service. Our telephone contact centre ran from Monday to Friday between 9.00 am and 5.00 pm. Our Drop-In Centre was open to visitors from Monday to Friday between 10.00 am and

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3.00 pm. People could also submit enquiries to us through simple forms on the Citizens Advice Sutton and Together for Sutton websites.

We aimed to resolve clients’ enquiries at the first point of contact, when possible and appropriate. We collaborated with partner agencies to ensure that everyone who needed our service could easily access it. We provided outreach advice with partner organisations across the borough. We provided advice two days a week at Sutton Carers Centre. We provided advice at the Sutton Mental Health Foundation one day each week and attended the Domestic Abuse One Stop Shop.

Telephone contact centre

In 2024/25, we handled 12,174 incoming telephone calls. We received calls from 5,204 individual named residents; many of these residents called us more than once. We also answered 1,908 calls from people who did not provide their names. 6,082 (50.0%) of calls to our contact centre were answered by 41 carefully selected and fully trained volunteers, and the remainder by paid staff.

Drop-in Centre

In 2024/25, the Drop-in centre team recorded 11,194 visits. The visits were made by 2,054 individual named people. We recorded 2,077 visits by anonymous clients. Most people made more than one visit. 877 Drop-in centre contacts were handled by 23 carefully selected and fully trained volunteers. Our Drop-in service was particularly important for people who could not access online services, and vulnerable people, including people living with mental health difficulties.

Website enquiries

People can contact us by completing a simple form on our website or the Together for Sutton website. We often responded to website enquiries by making a phone call to clients. in 2024/24, we received 1,697 online enquiries from 1,343 individual named people.

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

ADVICE ISSUES

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Debt Advice

In 2024/2025, 645 people contacted us with a specific request for debt advice. Our debt team provided specialist advice to 1,233 individual people. We also recorded 198 anonymous contacts about debt. Many people contacted us about a different ‘presenting issue’ but then disclosed a need for debt advice. The Citizens Advice Sutton debt advice service was part of the Debt Free Advice project and provided specialist advice to people resident in Sutton and neighboring London boroughs. We also had funding from the London Borough of Sutton for a ‘Debt First Aid’ project. The adviser provided outreach debt advice at the Carers Centre, Age UK Sutton, and a local health centre. Sutton & East Surrey Water provided us with a generous grant to support our debt advice work.

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Financial Report and Accounts 2024/25

Housing Advice

In 2024/25, we provided housing advice to 1,623 individual named clients. We also recorded 732 anonymous contacts relating to housing. Our housing advice is funded from several sources, including London Borough of Sutton, via Together for Sutton. We are one of the small number of Local Citizens Advice offices to hold a contract with the Legal Aid Agency to provide housing advice to people eligible for Legal Aid. Our housing solicitor opened 30 Legal Help housing cases during the year, out of which ten clients were advised under a Legal Aid certificate. Certificated cases are more complex cases that may involve disbursements to other professionals, such as barristers, health professionals, and surveyors.

Energy Advice

The rises in fuel bills led to an increased demand for energy advice. Most of the beneficiaries of our energy advice projects were experiencing, or at risk of, fuel poverty. We had funding for energy advice from the Energy Redress Scheme and national Citizens Advice. Two members of our Citizens Advice team hold a level three qualification in energy awareness. We deliver energy advice in partnership with Thinking Works, a not-for-profit company tacking fuel poverty. Our energy advice projects include information and advice on energy efficiency measures, support with fuel bills and support in disputes with supplies.

Support for people in food poverty

We work closely with our local food bank. We provide income maximisation and welfare benefits advice to people using the food bank and the Community Food Shop. We referred more people to the foodbank than any other organisation in the borough. In 2024/25, we made 1,069 foodbank referrals.

Pension Wise

Citizens Advice Sutton is one of 38 local Citizens Advice services which have been delivering the government's Pension Wise service since its launch in April 2015. Pension Wise is a guidance service from Money Helper that supports people aged 50 and over with their defined contribution pension options. In 2024/25 Pension Wise:

• e Supported 83,000 clients with their pension options across the service in England, Wales and Northern Ireland;

• e Reduced the waiting time for an appointment, dropping from 30 days to an average of 18 days, meaning people could get the support they needed quicker; .

• e Client satisfaction rates remained high, exceeding 91% across the year; e Clients reported an increased confidence in recognising and avoiding pension scams, with 92% saying they felt confident in this area after a Pension Wise appointment.

• The Citizens Advice Sutton Pension Wise guiders delivered 5,258 appointments, with around 5% of them f2f and the rest by telephone.

Advice for people with mental health difficulties

We have a contract with the Southwest London & St. George’s Mental Health NHS Trust to provide advice to people with mental health difficulties. We deliver the service in partnership with Age UK Sutton and Sutton Carers Centre. The Mental Health Trust refers people in need of our service to the project worker through a dedicated web-portal. Most of the clients need advice on welfare benefits. We also attend the Sutton Mental Health Foundation’s Drop-in service. Our service supported 668 people in the year.

Advice for women experiencing domestic abuse

We attend the weekly Domestic Abuse One Stop Shop. The DAOSS is a multi-agency Drop-in service, supported by agencies including the DWP, the police and solicitors. A specially trained Citizens Advice Sutton adviser attended the DAOSS and provides a casework service for women living with or escaping from, domestic abuse.

Advice for Carers

We havea grant from the City Bridge Trust to work with Sutton Carers Centre. We took referrals from the Carers Centre, provided advice at the Carers Centre premises, and provided home visits for carers. We worked closely with the Carers Centre staff to provide a comprehensive service for carers, including welfare benefits casework. In 2024/25 we supported 226 individual carers.

Support for people from Ukraine

We have funding from the London Borough of Sutton to support people who had to leave Ukraine because of the war. In 2024/25, we provided support to 226 people and their families who had moved to Sutton because of the Russian invasion.

Free advice from Local Solicitors Three local solicitors firms provided 254 free advice appointments for people referred to them by Citizens Advice Sutton staff and volunteers. Most of these appointments were concerned with family law, with a small number of appointments

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relating to other issues such as property and probate. Four firms of solicitors had also agreed that we could give their contact details to clients for free advice.

Citizens Advice Sutton in the Community

Over the course of the year, Citizens Advice Sutton staff and volunteers provided presentations and training sessions to a wide range of local community groups including the Sutton Mental Health Foundation, Sutton Social Services, together for Sutton Information Network events and the Anti-Poverty forum. In 2024/25, we delivered four ‘Advice First Aid’ training sessions to local voluntary organisations, social services, and health professionals.

OUTCOMES FOR OUR CLIENTS

Our service produces quantifiable financial outcomes for clients. We produce financial gains for our clients, by for example, helping challenge an unfavourable benefit decision, identify an unclaimed entitlement, or help a client with an application for a grant or other form of financial support. in 2024/25, we obtained financial gains for our clients of £62,267,253. The table below shows the breakdown of those financial gains.

VOLUNTEERING

Citizens Advice Sutton is one of the largest providers of volunteering opportunities in the borough. During 2024/25, 53 individual volunteers recorded at least one client contact. Our volunteers recorded a total of client 10,111 contacts in the year ~ 24.11% of the total number of non-specialist contacts. In addition, other people volunteered in valuable supporting roles such as admin. support and research and campaigns. We estimated that the volunteer contribution to our service was approximately equivalent to eight full time members of staff who would have cost over £200,000 per year.

RESEARCH AND CAMPAIGNS

Citizens Advice Sutton, like every Local Citizens Advice service, undertakes ‘Research and Campaigns’ work. We use the information from our case records to make recommendations to public authorities to improve the policies and practices that affect people’s lives. In 2024/25, our research and campaigns work included work on private sector rents, and poor customer service from utility companies.

PLANS FOR FUTURE PERIODS: COST OF LIVING CRISIS

We have been supporting large numbers of clients impacted by the cost-of-living crisis. This is evidenced by the numbers of people that we are referring to the local food bank and other sources of charitable support. We expect that, for the foreseeable future, we will continue to support large numbers of clients whose incomes are inadequate to meet their outgoings.

We will focus our fundraising activities on projects to meet the needs of people in crisis and needing advice on benefits and debt. We are also seeing an increase in the number of housing enquiries. We will seek to expand our capacity for housing advice. We will also seek unrestricted sources of income that will help us meet overhead costs including rent and utilities.

Financial Review

Total income increased by £92,486 (5.2%) to £1,886,377 compared with the previous year’s £1,793,891. Grant income increased by £137,979 (11%) to £1,358,468 from £1,220,489. This was due to increased income in Pension Wise, Ukrainian Refugee Support, Debt Free London, Food Bank Project and new funding for Reaching Communities, Energy Caseworker, Afghan Support, Al Project, Energy Outreach, eVisa and Propel. There was a reduction in funding for Debt

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Financial Report and Accounts 2024/25

First Aid, City Bridge Trust, Trust for London and EU Settlement Grant. Contract income decreased by £11,842 (2.7%) to £455,028 from £443,186.

Costs increased by £4,568 (0.25%) to £1,817,677 from £1,813,109. The net result for the year was a surplus before other recognised gains and losses of £68,700 (2024: deficit of £19,218).

The pension scheme is now in surplus by £169,000 (2024: deficit of £155,000). No asset is recognised on the balance sheet in connection with the pension scheme (2024: liability of £155,000). The accounts recognise an actuarial gain of £125,000 (2024: gain of £214,000).

The overall result is a net surplus for the year of £193,700 (2024: £194,782) and total funds of £525,372 (2024. £331,672).

Statement of Directors’ Responsibilities

The Trustees (who are also the directors of Sutton Borough Citizens Advice Bureaux for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the trustees’ annual report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

Company Law requires the directors to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under company law, the directors must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company as at the balance sheet date and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that period. In preparing these financial statements the directors are required to:

• Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently.

• Observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP 2019 (FRS 102).

• • Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; and

• Prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charitable company will continue in operation.

The directors are responsible for maintaining 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.

In so far as the trustees are aware:

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

• • the Trustees have taken all steps that they ought to have taken to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the auditor is aware of[that][information.]

Auditors

Palmer McCarthy are our auditors of the accounts for the year ended 31% March 2025 and are deemed to be reappointed under section 487(2) of the Companies Act 2006.

Small Company Provision

This report has been prepared in accordance with the special provisions for small companies under part 15 of the Companies Act 2006.

Approval

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_— signed on their behalf by:
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Andrew Theobald — Chair and Trustee

Date: 8S. //. 2025”

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INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF SUTTON BOROUGH CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAUX (Citizens Advice Sutton)

Opinion

;

We have audited the financial statements of Sutton Borough Citizens Advice Bureaux (the ‘charitable company’) for the year ended 31 March 2025 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 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

In our opinion the financial statements:

• . give a true and fair view of the state of the charitable company’s affairs as at 31 March 2025, and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure, for the year then ended;

• ° have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and e have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the 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 materiai 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.

Other information

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

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 or a material misstatement of the other information. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.

We have nothing to report in this regard.

Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006

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

• ’ the information given in the trustees’ report (incorporating the directors’ report prepared for the purposes of company law) for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and

• . the directors’ report, included within the trustees’ report, has been prepared in accordance with applicable iegal requirements.

Financial Report and Accounts 2024/25

Sutton Borough Citizens Advice Bureaux 10

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF SUTTON BOROUGH CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAUX (Citizens Advice Sutton)

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

in the light of our 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 directors’ report, included within the trustees’ report.

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

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

• . the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or . certain disclosures of directors’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or . we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit; or . the trustees were not entitled to prepare the financial statements in accordance with the small companies’ regime and take advantage of the small companies’ exemptions in preparing the directors’ report and from the requirement to prepare a strategic report.

Responsibilities of trustees

As explained more fully in the Directors’ Responsibilities Statement (set out on page 10), 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.

Auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

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

• Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The specific procedures for this engagement and the extent to which these are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below: e Enquiry of management and those charged with governance about actual and potential litigation or claims and the identification of non-compliance with laws and regulations.

• @ Reviewing minutes of meetings of those charged with governance. e Reviewing financial statement disclosures and testing to supporting documentation to assess compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

• e Auditing the risk of management override of controls, including testing journal entries and other adjustments for appropriateness; and assessing whether the judgements made in making accounting estimates are indicative of a potential bias.

• e Performing analytical procedures to identify any unusual or unexpected relationships that may indicate risks of material misstatement due to fraud.

• e Professional scepticism in course of the audit and with audit sampling in material audit areas.

Because of the inherent limitations of an audit, there is a risk that we will not detect all irregularities, including those leading to a material misstatement in the financial statements or non-compliance with regulation. This risk increases the more that compliance with a law or regulation is removed from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, as we will be less likely to become aware of instances of non-compliance. The risk is also greater regarding irregularities occurring due to fraud rather than error, as fraud involves intentional conceaiment, forgery, collusion, omission or misrepresentation.

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 auditor's report.

Financial Report and Accounts 2024/25

Sutton Borough Citizens Advice Bureaux 11

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF SUTTON BOROUGH CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAUX (Citizens Advice Sutton)

Use of our report

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

Peter Mills FCA ACCA CTA For and on behalf of Palmer McCarthy Chartered Certified Accountants Suite 70, Capital Business Centre 22 Carlton Road South Croydon CR2 0BS

Date: 6/1/2025

Sutton Borough Citizens Advice Bureaux

12

Financial Report and Accounts 2024/25

SUTTON BOROUGH CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAUX Statement of Financial Activities and Income & Expenditure Report For the year to 31 March 2025

	Notes	Unrestricted	Restricted	Total	Total
		funds	funds	2025	2024
		£	£	£	£
Income
Activities for generating funds
Investment income	3	5,606	-	5,606	2,759
Income from charitable activities
Grants	4	-	1,358,468	1,358,468	1,220,489
Contracts and service level
agreements	5	455,028	-	455,028	443,186
Fee income	6	65,367	-	65,367	124,047
Other	7	1,908	-	1,908	3,410
Total income		527,909	1,358,468	1,886,377	1,793,891
Expenditure
Raising funds	8	411,812	-	11,812	11,326
Charitable activities	8	409,522	4,396,343	1,805,865	4,801,783
Total expenditure		421,334	1,396,343	4,817,677	1,813,109
Net income/(expenditure)
fortheyear beforetransfers		106,575	(37,875)	68,700	(19,218)
Transfers betweenfunds		(60,403)	60,403	-	-
Net income/(expenditure) before		46,172	22,528	68,700	(19,218)
otherrecognised gains and losses
Other recognised gains/(losses)
Actuarial gains/(losses) on defined	12	125,000	-	125,000	214,000
benefit pension scheme
Net movement in funds		171,172	22,528	193,700	194,782
Reconciliation offunds
Total funds broughtforward	20	312,296	19,376	331,672	136,890
Totalfundscarriedforward	20	483,468	41,904	525,372	331,672

This statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year.

All incoming resources and resources expended derive from continuing activities

The “Net income before other recognised gains and losses” of £68,700 is before payments to fund the pension deficit, which have been accounted for within “Actuarial gains on the defined benefit pension scheme”. If those payments had been accounted for as an operating expense, the operating surplus would be reduced by £30,000 to £38,700.

The notes on Pages 16 - 27 form part of these accounts.

Sutton Borough Citizens Advice Bureaux

Financial Report and Accounts 2024/25

13

SUTTON BOROUGH CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAUX Balance Sheet as at 31 March 2025 Company Number 03179963

			2025	2024
		Notes	£	£
Fixed assets
	Tangible fixed assets	14	:	-
Currents assets
	Debtors	15	183,466	160,949
	Short term deposits		$5,000	200,000
	Cash at bank and in hand		454,497	312,845
			722,963	673,794
Creditors: amounts falling due
within one	year	16	(197,591)	(187,122)
Net current assets			525,372	486,672
Defined benefit pensionscheme
liability		12	-	(155,000)
Total net assets/(liabilities)		19	525,372	331,672
Funds
	Unrestricted:
	Designatedfunds	18	219,358	19,358
	Defined benefit pension schemefund	20	-	(155,000)
	Other unrestricted funds	20	264,110	447,938
	Total unrestricted		483,468	312,296
	Restricted	20	41,904	19,376
Totalfunds		20	§25,372	331,672

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the special provisions of Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies and with the Charities Act 2011.

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Approved by t rd on and signed on its behalf by
Andrew Theobaid - Trustee >hd /11 /z o2%om
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The notes on Pages 16 - 27 form part of these accounts.

Sutton Borough Citizens Advice Bureaux

Financial Report and Accounts 2024/25

14

SUTTON BOROUGH CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAUX Cash Flow Statement For the year to 31 March 2025

		2025	2024
		£	£
Cash flowsfrom operating activities:
Net cash provided by/(used in) operating activities		21,046	91,956
Cash flowsfrom investing activities
Returns on investments (Note 4)		5,606	2,759
Increase/(decrease) incash andcash equivalents in theyear		26,652	94,715
Netcashand cash equivalents at 1 April 2024	512,845		418,130
Net cash and cash equivalents at 31 March 2025	539,497		§12,845
Held as
Shortterm deposits		85,000	200,000
Cash at bank and in hand	454,497		312,845
Net cash and cash equivalents at 31 March 2025	539,497		512,845
Note to Cash Flow Statement
		2025	2024
—————— Reconciliation of netmovement in funds to net cash inflow from operations		£	£
Net incoming resources (as reported)	193,700		194,782
Adjustments for:
(Decrease) in FRS102 pension provision	(155,000)		(214,000)
Less income from interest and dividends		(5,606)	(2,759)
Decrease/(increase) indebtors	(22,517)		136,092
(Decrease)/increase in short term creditors		10,469	(22,159)
Netcashprovidedby/(usedin)operatingactivities		21,046	91,956

The notes on Pages 16 - 27 form part of these accounts.

Sutton Borough Citizens Advice Bureaux 15

Financial Report and Accounts 2024/25

SUTTON BOROUGH CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAUX Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025

1. Accounting Policies

Sutton Borough Citizens Advice Bureaux is a private company limited by guarantee and was incorporated in England and Wales under company number 03179963. The company is a registered charity under charity number 1061654. The address of the registered office is given in the charity information on page 2 of these financial statements.

a) Basis of preparation

The charity constitutes a public benefit entity as defined by FRS 102.

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102 Charities SORP 2019), the Charities Act 2011, and the Companies Act 2006. The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the charitable company. Monetary amounts within these financial statements are rounded to the nearest pound.

b) Going Concern

The Trustees consider it appropriate for the financial statement for the year ended 31 March 2025 to be prepared on a going concern basis under the historical cost convention, modified to include certain items at fair value.

The balance sheet shows net assets for the year end of £525,372.

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

• c) Fund Accounting

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

Designated Funds are those received which have been earmarked by the Trustees for special purposes.

Restricted funds are subjected to restrictions on their expenditure imposed by the donor.

d) Incoming Resources

All incoming resources are included in the statement of financial activities when the charity is entitled to the income and the amount can be quantified with reasonable accuracy. The following specific policies are applied to particular categories of income.

Voluntary income is received by way of donations and is included in full the Statement of Financial Activities when received.

Activities for generating funds consist of room hire and are accounted for on a receivable basis. Surplus funds are invested in a bank deposit account to earn interest. Interest is also earned on the bank current account. Interest is accounted for when receivable by the Charity.

Incoming resources from the charitable activities consist of Grants which are recognised as received or receivable, whichever is earlier, unless they relate to a future period in which case they are deferred.

Other Income consists of fees receivable, salary reimbursement and other income from the Legal Services Commission. These other sources of income are earned on a receivable basis.

e) Resources Expended

Expenditure and liabilities are recognised on an accruals basis as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to that expenditure. Cost of generating funds comprises those costs associated with attracting future income.

Charitable expenditure comprises those costs incurred by the charity in the delivery of its activities and services for its beneficiaries. It includes costs that can be allocated directly to such activities.

Financial Report and Accounts 2024/25

Sutton Borough Citizens Advice Bureaux 16

SUTTON BOROUGH CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAUX Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025

Resources Expended (Cont'd)

Governance costs include those costs associated with meeting the constitutional and statutory requirements of the Charity and include the audit fees and costs linked to the strategic management of the Charity. Overheads including Staff costs, accommodation costs and office running expenses have been charged to both the restricted and unrestricted funds and matched with the grant which have been provided under a service level agreement and contracts for this purpose. Salaries are allocated to the activity in the restricted and unrestricted funds on a time basis. Accommodation costs are allocated to each activity on a staff time basis and office running costs are allocated on a usage basis. Governance costs have been allocated to the general fund on a staff time basis.

f) Fixed Assets

Fixed Assets are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation. The costs of assets below £2,000 are not capitalised. Depreciation is provided on all tangible fixed assets at rates calculated to write off the cost of each asset over its useful life. For rates see note 14.

g) Pension Costs

Pension contributions payable are accounted for in the period to which they relate. The Charity makes contributions to defined benefit multi-employer pension scheme see note 12 of the accounts. The assets of the schemes are held separately from those of the charity in independently administered funds.

The portion of the pension surplus of the London Borough of Sutton which is allocated to Citizens Advice Sutton has been calculated at £169,000. The associated pension scheme asset of £169,000 has not been recognised on the balance sheet as the charity does not have an unconditional right to a refund of the surplus.

h) Leased Assets

Rentals applicable to operating leases where substantially all of the benefits and risks of ownership remain with the lessor are charged to the Income and Expenditure account on a straight line basis over the lease term.

i) Deferred Grants

Deferred grants are credited to the Statement of Financial Activities when receivable unless they relate to a specific future period in which case the relevant part is deferred and is recognised in that future period.

j) Taxation

As the company is a registered Charity (Registration Number 1061654), carrying out charitable purposes, it is exempt from corporation tax.

k) Transfers Between Funds

Trustees have the authority to transfer amounts from the general unrestricted funds to restricted and unrestricted funds when required.

1) Debtors and Creditors receivable / payable within one Year

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

m) Cash and cash equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents include cash in hand and deposits held with banks.

n) Redundancy

Redundancy costs are accounted for on the accruals basis.

1. Legal Status of the Charity

The charity is a company limited by guarantee and has no share capital. The liability of each member in the event of windingup is limited to £1.

Financial Report and Accounts 2024//25

Sutton Borough Citizens Advice Bureaux 17

SUTTON BOROUGH CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAUX Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025

SUTTON BOROUGH CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAUX

Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025

	Unrestricted	Restricted	Totais	Totals
	Funds	Funds	2025	2024
	£	£	£	£
Note 3 - investment income
Interest on bank deposits	5,606	-	5,606	2,759
	5,606	-	5,606	2,759
All ofthe£2,759 recognised in 2024 was unrestricted funds
Note 4 - Grants
PensionWise (Includes SESWater)	-	493,849	493,849	493,297
Debt Free Advice	-	252,637	252,637	235,885
Reaching Communities	-	87,105	87,105	-
City Bridge Trust - carers support	-	75,568	75,568	77,580
Trust for London - benefits research	-	14,375	14,375	43,125
EU Settlement Grant	-	-	-	6,483
EnergyMax	-	85,635	85,635	126,760
Ukrainian Refugee Support	-	132,472	132,472	123,472
Debt First Aid	-	40,501	40,501	45,094
Food Bank Project	-	78,022	78,022	54,876
Energy Caseworker		41,750	41,750	13,917
Afghan Support	-	2,181	2,181	-
Al Project	-	10,000	10,000	-
Energy Outreach	-	4,609	4,609	-
eVisa	-	17,429	17,429	-
Propel	-	22,335	22,335	-
	-	1,358,468	1,358,468	1,220,489
Note 5 - Contracts and service level
agreements
General Fund:
LBS I&8A	327,600	-	327,600	326,250
General Fund	327,600	-	327,600	326,250
EnergyAdvice Programme	49,215	-	19,215	11,551
SWL St George's NHS Trust	108,213		108,213	105,385
	455,028	-	455,028	443,186
Note 6 - Fee income
Legal Aid Agency Housing	65,367	-	65,367	124,047
	65,367	-	65,367	124,047
Note 7 -Other incoming resources
Sundry Income	1,908	-	1,908	3,410
	1,908	-	1,908	3,410

Sutton Borough Citizens Advice Bureaux

Financial Report and Accounts 2024//25

18

SUTTON BOROUGH CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAUX Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025

;

Note 8 - Charitable activities	Note 8 - Charitable activities
	Direct Costs			Support	Costs
	Staff	Staffand	Office	Premises	Other	Governance	Total	Total
	Costs	Volunteer	Costs	Costs	Costs	Costs	2025	2024
		Expenses
	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£
Fundraising costs	11,812	-	-	-	-	-	11,812	11,326
Designated Fund	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	19,290
General Fund	248,954	3,147	9,235	13,713	177	4,863	277,089	288,449
EnergyAdvice Programme	9,541	48	894	908	10	61	11,462	6,136
LAA Housing Contract	31,855	285	6,510	1,579	18	413	40,360	93,764
SWL StGeorge's NHS Trust	16,213	59	1,199	1,007	56,057	76	74,611	99,064
Defined benefitpension _scheme000 5000 Total Charitable Activities 306,563 3,539 17,838 17,207 62,262 2,113 409,522 506,703
Total Unrestricted Funds	318,375	3,539	17,838	17,207	62,262	2,113	421,334	518,029
PensionWise	415,969	2,677	35,016	38,469	321	1,397	493,849	494,112
Debt Free London	266,683	1,154	21,408	14,067	184	1,132	304,628	298,519
Reaching Communities	73,960	234	4,359	3,281	43	267	82,144	-
Trust for London -
benefits research	16,096	100	1,973	1,564	18	413	19,864	37,635
EU Settlement Grant	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	6,483
City Bridge Trust - carers
support	29,442	104	2,018	1,579	43,208	413	76,464	73,744
EnergyMax	44,907	199	3,745	2,759	42,248	189	94,047	136,331
Ukrainian Refugee
Support	102,233	419	8,273	6,610	78	481	118,094	133,469
Debt First Aid	34,113	173	3,364	2,632	30	189	40,501	47,519
Food Bank Project	59,178	244	4,705	3,994	46	280	68,447	53,351
Energy Caseworker	35,362	173	3,364	2,632	30	189	41,750	13,917
Afghan Support	1,814	7	200	94	-	67	2,182	-
Al Project	-	-	-	-	10,000	-	10,000	-
Energy Outreach	4,609	-	-	-	-	-	4,609	-
eVisas	17,429	-	-	-	-	-	17,429	-
Propel	18,287	4115	2,172	1,629	20	112	22,335	-
Total Restricted Funds	1,120,082	5,599	90,597	79,310	96,226	4,529	1,396,343	1,295,080
TotalExpenditure	1,438,457	9,138	108,435	96,517	158,488	6,642	1,817,677	1,813,109

Sutton Borough Citizens Advice Bureaux

19

Financial Report and Accounts 2024/25

SUTTON BOROUGH CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAUX Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025

Note 9 - Governance costs

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||||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---| |Unrestricted|Restricted|Total|Funds|Total|Funds| |Funds|Funds|2025|2024| |£|£|£|£| |Audit|fee|5,894|-|5,894|3,800| |Other|748|-|748|27| |6,642|-|6,642|3,827|

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All of the £3,827 expenditure recognised in 2024 was charged to unrestricted funds.

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||||||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |Note|10|-|Staff|costs|2025|2024| |£|£| |Wages|and|salaries|1,233,731|1,137,355| |Employer's|NI|costs|115,167|101,164| |Staff|pension|costs|(defined|contribution|scheme)|63,681|49,058| |Staff|pension|costs|(defined|benefit|scheme)|25,878|55,000| |Total*|1,438,457|1,342,577| |The|average|number|of employees|(FTE)|was:|34|32| |The|average|number|of employees|was:|42|40|

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During the year the charity made no statutory redundancy payments (2024: £19,290).

No employees received total employee benefits (excluding employer pension costs) of more than £60,000 per annum.

No trustee received any remuneration in respect of services as a trustee during the year (2024: £0). The total amount of employee benefits received by key management personnel was £355,704 (2024: £351,677). Under FRS 102 employee benefits include gross pay, benefits in kind, employer's National Insurance Contributions and employer's pension costs.

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||||||||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |Note|11|-|Net|incoming|resources|for the|year|2024|2024| |This|is|stated|after|charging:|£|£| |Operating|Lease|48,000|48,000| |Audit|Fee|5,894|3,800| |Net|pension|finance|cost|6,000|16,000|

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Note 12 — Pension Costs and Liabilities

The disclosures below relate to funded liabilities within the London Borough of Sutton Pension Fund (the Fund) which is part of the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS). Citizens Advice Sutton (CAS) participates in the Fund which up to 31 March 2025 provided defined benefits based on members' final pensionable salary. From 1 April 2014 the scheme provides benefits based on members’ career average salary, with preserved rights for benefits earned under the final salary provisions.

CAS closed the scheme to new members with effect from 1 January 2011 although existing members were permitted to accrue service benefits during their employment with CAS. CAS’s contribution for 2024/25 was 21.6% plus a fixed contribution of £36,000 and the employees’ contribution was 6.5% of gross salary.

In accordance with Financial Reporting Standard No. 102 (FRS102) disclosure of certain information concerning assets, liabilities, income and expenditure related to pension schemes is required. This is set out below.

CAS membership statistics

The table below summarises the CAS membership data, as at 31 March 2022 for members receiving funded benefits.

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Financial Report and Accounts 2024/25

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SUTTON BOROUGH CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAUX Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025

Note 12 — Pension Costs and Liabilities (continued)

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|||||| |---|---|---|---|---| |Member data summary|Number|Salary/Pension|Average age| |Actives|4|148|57| |Deferred|pensioners|7|26|59| |Pensioners|18|65|71|

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The service cost for the year ending 31 March 2025 is calculated using an estimate of the total pensionable payroll during the year. The estimated total pensionable payroll during the year is £120,000, as advised by CAS.

Scheduled contributions

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|||||||||||||||||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |The table|below summarises|the minimum|employer contributions|due from|CAS|to|the|Fund|over|this|inter-valuation|period.|The| |°|calculated|cost|of accrual|of future|benefits|is 21.6%|of|payroll|p.a.|The|monetary amounts|are|due|to|be|paid|in|monthly| |instalments.| |Minimum|employer contributions due|1|April|2022|1|April|2023|1|April|2024| |for the|period|beginning| |Percent|of|payroll|27.6%|21.0%|21.6%| |Plus|monetary amount|(£000s)|36|36|36|

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CAS may pay further amounts at any time and future periodic contributions, or the timing of contributions may be adjusted on a basis approved by the actuary.

Contributions for the accounting period ending 31 March 2026

CAS’s regular contributions to the Fund for the accounting period ending 31 March 2026 are estimated to be £26,000. There will be an additional fixed contribution of £36,000.

Financial assumptions

The financial assumptions used to calculate the results are as follows:

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|||||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |As|at|31|March|2025|2024|2023| |%p.a.|%|p.a.|%|p.a.| |Discount|rate|5.80%|4.80%|4.75%| |Pension|increases|2.80%|2.80%|3.00%| |Salary|increases|2.80%|2.80%|3.00%|

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As at 31 March 2025 the actuary’s estimate of the duration of CAS’s funded obligations is 14 years.

Demographic/Statistical assumptions

Life expectancy is based on the Fund's VitaCurves with improvements in line with the CM! 2023 model, with a 15% weighting of 2023 (and 2022) data, a 0% weighting of 2021 (and 2020) data, standard smoothing (Sk7), initial adjustment of 0.25% and a longterm rate of improvement of 1.5% p.a. for both males and females. Based on these assumptions, the average future life expectancies at age 65 for the Employer are summarised below:

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|||||||||||||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |Assumed|life|expectancy|from|age|65|years|31|Mar|2025|31|Mar 2024|31|Mar|2023| |Retiring|today|Males|20.9|21.0|21.1| |Females|23.9|23.9|24.1| |Retiring|in 20|years|Males|22.7|22.8|23.0| |Females|25.5|25.6|25.8| |Assets| |The|estimated|asset|allocation|for|CAS|as|at|31|March|2025|is|as|follows:| |Asset|breakdown|31|Mar|2025|31|Mar|2024| |£000|%|£000|%| |Equities|1,208|55%|1,252|58%| |Gilts|and|other|bonds|483|22%|367|17%| |Property|329|15%|281|13%| |Cash|176|8%|258|12%| |Total|2,196|100%|2,158|100%|

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Formal actuarial valuations are carried out every three years the most recent being the valuation as at 31 March 2022. The accounting balance sheet position as at 31 March 2025, and the projected charge to the P&L for 2024/25, are therefore based ona new roll-forward from the 2022 funding valuation.

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SUTTON BOROUGH CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAUX Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025

Note 12 — Pension Costs and Liabilities (continued)

Results and disclosures for the year to 31 March 2025

The actuary estimates that the pension scheme as at 31 March 2025 is in a net asset position of £169,000. No asset has been recognised on the balance sheet as the charity does not have an unconditional right to a refund of the surplus (“asset limit’).

The results of the actuary’s calculations for the year ended 31 March 2025, and the effect of the asset limit, are set out in the tables below:

Table 1: Statement of financial position as at 31 March 2025

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|||||||||||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |Net|pension|asset|as|at|31|Mar|2025|31|Mar|2024|31|Mar 2023| |£000|£000|£000| |Present|value|of the|defined|benefit|obligation|2,027|2,313|2,362| |Fair|value|of|Fund|assets|(bid|value)|2,196|2,158|1,994| |Net|defined|benefit|asset|/|(liability)|per Actuary|169|(155)|(369)| |Adjustment to|reflect|asset|limit|(169)|-|-| |Pension|liability|per|Balance|Sheet|~|(155)|(369)| |Table|2:|Statement|of|profit|and|loss|for the|year to|31|March|2025| |The|amounts|recognised|as|resources|expended|under FRS102|Year to|Year to| |31|Mar|2025|31|Mar|2024| |£000|£000| |Service|cost|26|55| |Net|interest|on|the|defined|liability|(asset)|6|16| |Administration|expenses|-|-| |Total|loss/(profit)|32|71| |Table|3a:|Asset|and|benefit|obligation|reconciliation|for the|year|to|31|March|2025| |Reconciliation|of opening and|closing|balances|of the|present|Year to|Year|to| |value|of the|defined|benefit|obligations|31|Mar|2025|31|Mar|2024| |£000|£000| |Opening|defined|benefit|obligation|2,313|2,363| |Current|service|cost|*|26|55| |Interest|cost|109|109| |Change|in|financial|assumptions|(300)|(88)| |Change|in|demographic|assumptions|(4)|(14)| |Experience|loss/(gain)|on|defined|benefit|obligation|-|-| |Estimated|benefits|paid|net|of|[transfers]|[in]|(101)|(190)| |Contributions|by Scheme|participants|and|other employers|6|6| |Other experience|(22)|72| |Closing|defined|benefit|obligation|:|2,027|2,313| |Reconciliation|of opening|and|closing|balances|of|Year to|Year|to| |the|fair|value|of|Fund|assets|31|Mar|2025|31|Mar|2024| |£000|£000| |Opening|fair|value|of|Fund|assets|2,158|1,994| |Interest|on|assets|103|93| |Return|on|assets|less|interest|(32)|160| |Contributions|by employer|including|unfunded|62|95| |Contributions|by Scheme|participants|and|other employers|6|6| |Estimated|benefits|paid|plus|unfunded|net|of transfers|in|(101)|(190)| |Other|experience|-|-| |Closing|Fair value|of Fund|assets|2,196|2,158|

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• The current service cost includes an allowance for administration expenses of 1.1% of payroll.

** Within other experience on obligations, the funded obligations have decreased by £22,000 as a result of the pension increase order being different to the previous assumption.

The actuary estimates that the present value of funded obligations (totalling £2,027,000) comprises approximately £690,000, £509,000 and £828,000 in respect of employee members, deferred pensioners and pensioners respectively as at 31 March 2025. CAS’s fair value of plan assets is less than 1% of the Fund's total.

Financial Report and Accounts 2024//25

Sutton Borough Citizens Advice Bureaux 22

SUTTON BOROUGH CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAUX Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025

Note 12 — Pension Costs and Liabilities (continued)

Table 3b: Changes in the net asset/(liability) position forthe yearto 31	March 2025
	Yearto	Yearto
	31 Mar 2025	31 Mar 2024
	£000	£000
Opening net (liability)/assez Amounts charged to Expenditure (table 2)	(155) (32)	(369) (71)
Actuarial gains Employer contributions	294 62	214 71
Closingnet(liability)/assat	169	(155)

Table 3c: Amounts charged to ‘actuarial gains/(losses) on defined benefit pension scheme’ within the Statement of Financial Activities

Financial Activities
	Yearto	Yearto
	31 Mar 2025	31 Mar 2024
	£000	£000
Actuarial gains (table 3b) Effect ofasset limit (table 1)	294 (169)	214 -
Actuarialgains/(losses)recognised	125	214

Table 4: Projected pension expense for the year to 31 March 2026

Projection forthe yearto 31 March	2026
	Assets £000	Obligations £000	Net £000	asset/(liability) % ofpay
Service cost *	-	20	(20)	(16.8%)
Net interest income on plan assets	126	-	126
Interest cost on defined benefit obligation -		115	(115)
Totalloss/(profit)	126	135	(9}

• The current service cost includes an allowance for administration expenses of 1.1% of payroll. The monetary value is based ona projected payroll of £120,009.

The actuary estimates that CAS’s contributions for the period to 31 March 2026 will be approximately £62,000.

Table 5: Sensitivity analysis

The sensitivities regarding the principal assumptions used to measure the scheme obligations are set out below:

Change in assumptions at 31 March 2025	Approximate%increasein defined benefitObligation	Approximate%increasein defined benefitObligation	Approximate monetary amount£000
.1% decrease in Real Discount Rate		0
1 year increase in member Ife expectancy		4%	81
0.1% increase in the Salary Increase Rate 0.1%increaseinthePensionIncreaseRate(CPI)		0% 1%	2 28

Note 13 — Trustees’ expenses No trustee was paid expenses during the year (2024: £nil)

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Financial Report and Accounts 2024/25

SUTTON BOROUGH CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAUX Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025

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Note 14—Tangible fixed assets		Lift	Computer	Fixtures &	Total
			Equipment	Fittings
				Equipment
		£	£	£	£
	Cost
	At 1 April 2024	86,297	13,560	28,704	128,561
	Additions	-	-	-	-
	Disposais	-	-	-	-
— '	At3iMarch20250 0°°=€£«20C—~—“—”——“‘“‘(ONNW#N#C#WBGWQOV)OUCI3560 ©©~©28,704.~=Si«128,564—C~CS~S Accumulateddepreciation
	At 1 April 2024	86,297	13,560	28,704	128,561
	Charge forthe year	-	-	-	-
	Disposals	-	-	-	-
~ At3iMarch202° 86207. ©#«4+13560 ° 28,704 4128501 °°° “NetBookValues 00000
	At 31 March 2024	-	-	-	-
“A381March2025000
Note 15 - Debtors			2025		2024
			£		£
	Trade Debtors		6,003		50,946
	Accrued Income and prepayments		177,379		106,919
	Other debtors		84		3,084
			183,466		160,949
Note 16 - Creditors: amounts falling duewithin one year
			2025		2024
			£		£
	Trade Creditors		44,146		114,174
	Deferred income and accruals		128,042		69,148
	Other creditors		25,403		3,800
			197,591		187,122
	Deferred income analysis		2025		2024
			£		£
	Deferred income broughtforward		41,059		44,103
	Additions during the year		122,342		41,059
	Amounts released to income		(41,059)		(44,103)
	Deferredincomecarriedforward		122,342		41,059

Deferred income of £122,342 (2024: £41,059 included above relates to grant income received during the year but relating to a future accounting period.

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Financial Report and Accounts 2024/25

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SUTTON BOROUGH CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAUX Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025

Note 17 - Obligations under leases

At 31 March 2025 the char'ty was committed to making the following payments: under non-cancellable operating leases

								2025		2024
					Photocopier			Land& Photocopier		Land&
							Buildings			Buildings
						£		£	£	£
Operating lease			which is renewabie within
One year						3,000		45,000	3,000	45,000
Two tofive	years					6,000		45,000	9,000	90,000
Total						9,000		90,000	12,000	135,000
Note 18 - Designatedfunds								2025		2024
								£		£
Redundancyfund								200,000		-
Replacement		ofEquipment fund						19,358		19,358
Balance at 31		March						19,358		19,358
Note 19 - Analysis offund assets
							Total
	Unrestricted			Designated	Pension	Unrestricted		Restricted	Totalfunds	Totalfunds
2025			funds	funds	fund		funds	funds	2025	2024
			£	£	£		£		£	£
Debtors			51,168	-	-	51,168		132,298	183,466	160,949
Deposits			85,000	-	-	85,000		-	85,000	200,000
Cash			161,246	219,358	-	380,604		73,893	454,497	312,845
Creditors			(33,304)	-	-	(33,304)		(164,287)	(197,591)	(187,122)
Provision			-	-	-		-	-	-	(155,000)
			264,110	219,358	-	483,468		41,904	525,372	331,672
Comparative information from the analysis ofnet					assets between funds		is as follows:
							Total
	Unrestricted			Designated	Pension	Unrestricted		Restricted	Totalfunds	Total funds
2024			funds	funds	fund		funds	funds	2024	2023
			£	£	£		£		£	£
Debtors			4,084	-	-		4,084	156,865	160,949	270,357
Deposits			200,000		-	200,000		-	200,000	200,000
Cash			253,590	19,358	-	272,948		39,897	312,845	218,130
Creditors			(9,736)	-	-	(9,736)		(177,386)	(187,122)	(182,597)
Provision			-	-	(155,000)	(155,000)		-	(155,000)	(369,000)
			447,938	19,358	(155,000)	312,296		19,376	331,672	136,890

Note 19 - Analysis of fund assets

Comparative information from the analysis of net assets between funds is as follows:

Sutton Borough Citizens Advice Bureaux

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Financial Report and Accounts 2024/25

SUTTON BOROUGH CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAUX Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025

Note 20 - Movement in funds
	Balance	Incoming	Resources	Transfers	Gains/	Balance
2025	01/04/2024	resources	expended	between	(Losses)	31/03/2025
				funds
Unrestricted funds
Designatedfunds	19,358	-	-	200,000	-	219,358
Other unrestricted funds:
General Fund and Other Income	438,597	335,114	(288,901)	(296,403)	-	188,407
EnergyAdvice Programme	5,414	19,215	(11,462)	-	-	13,167
Legal Aid Agency Housing	(2,393)	65,367	(40,360)	-	-	22,614
SWL St George's NHS Trust	6,320	108,213	(74,611)	-	-	39,922
TotalOther Unrestricted Funds	447,938	527,909	(415,334)	(96,403)	-	464,110
Defined benefit pension scheme	(155,000)	-	(6,000)	36,000	125,000	-
Total unrestrictedfunds	312,296	527,909	(421,334)	(60,403)	125,000	483,468
Restricted Funds
PensionWise	-	493,849	(493,849)	-	-	-
Debt Free Advice	-	252,637	(304,628)	51,991	-	-
Reaching Communities	-	87,105	(82,144)	-	-	4,961
Trust for London	5,489	14,375	(19,864)	-	-	-
City Bridge Trust	3,836	75,568	(76,464)	-	-	2,940
EnergyMax	-	85,635	(94,047)	8,412	-	-
Energy Caseworker	-	41,750	(41,750)	-	-	-
Debt FirstAid	-	40,501	(40,501)	-	-	-
Food Bank Project	1,525	78,022	(68,447)	-	-	11,100
Ukrainian Refugee support	8,526	132,472	(118,095)	-	-	22,903
Afghan Support	-	2,181	(2,181)	-	-	-
Al Project	-	10,000	(10,000)	-	-	-
Energy Outreach	-	4,609	(4,609)	-	-	-
eVisas Propel	- -	17,429 22,335	(17,429) (22,335)	- -	- -	- -
Total Restricted Funds	19,376	1,358,468	(1,396,343)	60,403	-	41,904
Total funds	331,672	1,886,377	(1,817,677)	-	125,000	525,372
Transfers have been made to reallocate	costs chargedto restrictedfunds.
Comparative information forthe movement in funds is as follows:
2024	Balance 01/04/2023	Incoming resources	Resources expended	Transfers between	Gains/ (Losses)	Balance 31/03/2024
Unrestricted funds
Designatedfunds	38,648	-	(19,290)	-	-	19,358
Other unrestricted funds:
General Fundand Other Income	474,527	332,420	(299,775)	(68,575)	-	438,597
Energy Advice Programme	-	11,549	(6,135)	-	-	5,414
Legal Aid AgencyHousing SWL StGeorge's NHSTrust	(32,677) -	124,048 105,385	(93,764) (99,065)	- -	- -	(2,393) 6,320
Total Other Unrestricted Funds	441,850	573,402	(498,739)	(68,575	-	447,938
Defined benefit pension scheme	(369,000)	-	-	-	214,000	(155,000)
Total unrestricted funds	111,498	573,402	(518,029)	(68,575)	214,000	312,296
Restricted Funds
PensionWise	-	493,297	(494,111)	814	-	-
Debt FreeLondon Trust forLondon	- -	235,885 43,125	(298,519) (37,636)	62,634 -	- -	- 5,489
EU SettlementGrant	-	6,483	(6,483)	-	-	“
City Bridge Trust	-	77,580	(73,744)	-	-	3,836
EnergyMax	6,868	126,760	(136,330)	2,702	-	-
EnergyCaseworker	-	13,917	(13,917)	-	-	-
Debt FirstAid	-	45,094	(47,519)	2,425	-	-
Food Bank Project	-	54,876	(53,351)	-	-	1,525
Ukrainian Refugee support	18,524	123,472	(133,470)	-	-	8,526
Total Restricted Funds	25,392	1,220,489	(1,295,080)	68,575	-	19,376
Totalfunds	136,890	1,793,891	(1,813,109)	-	214,000	331,672

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Financial Report and Accounts 2024/25

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SUTTON BOROUGH CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAUX Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025

Note 21 - Related parties

• CAS is a member of Citizens Advice and comply with their Performance Quality Framework. Membership entitles CAS to access the support systems provided by Citizens Advice. CAS holds the Advice Quality Standard with casework in welfare benefits, debt, and housing.

CAS holds the Lexcei Quality Mark as a condition of our legal aid housing contract.

CAS is a London Legal Support Trust Centre of Excellence.

There are no other related party transactions to report.

Note 22 — Contingent assets

The charitable company has been awarded multi-year grants with specified or implied timeframes which preclude recognition of the full amount.

The total amount of contingent assets at 31 March 2025 was £671,976 (2024: £638,979).

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Financial Report and Accounts 2024//25

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