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← Barnet Citizens Advice Bureau

2025-03-31-accounts

Registered Company Number: 02627909 (England & Wales) Registered Charity No: 1065835

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BARNET CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU

(A charitable company limited by guarantee)

TRUSTEES’ REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

BARNET CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU

LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS

COMPANY NUMBER

02627909 (England & Wales)

CHARITY NUMBER 1065835

General Information

The activities of Barnet Citizens Advice Bureau are carried out by an organisation that is both a Registered Charity (no: 1065835) and a company limited by guarantee (No. 02627909). Both the charity and the company are formally registered as Barnet Citizens Advice Bureau. Citizens Advice Barnet is also part of the national Citizens Advice service through its membership of The National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux.

The trustees of the charity are also the members of the company limited by guarantee and under the provisions of the Companies Act 2006 are liable to contribute a sum not exceeding £1 each in the event of the winding up of the Company; they are collectively referred to as the Trustees throughout this report.

The organisation’s governance rules are set out in the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the company limited by guarantee which reflects the advice of the Charity Commission and conforms to the membership requirements of Citizens Advice.

Trustees act collectively as the Board of Citizens Advice Barnet and assume overall responsibility for the strategic development and financial management of the organisation, in line with Charity Commission recommended practice.

The governance rules provide for a Board of between 4 and 21 persons, but the current Trustees have determined that a number between 10 and 13 provides an optimal size for its work while allowing for orderly succession planning. Trustees serve in a voluntary and unremunerated capacity and are appointed for terms of three years, if willing they can be re-elected for subsequent terms with no limit. Trustees are normally elected by the Annual General Meeting, but the constitution allows the Board to co-opt trustees, providing their number does not exceed one-third of the total. The Board’s practice is to use co-option for appointments made between Annual General Meetings and for co-opted trustees to stand for election at the next Annual General Meeting following their appointment. Accordingly, all current Trustees are elected members of the Board.

The Trustees serving during the year and since the year-end were as follows.

Valerie Harrison (Chair) Kimberly Ong (Vice-Chair) Julian Shaw (Treasurer) Ben Ingber (resigned 10/03/2025) Keri Landau (resigned 09/09/2024) Alison Blair Ellis Mandelstam Rosie Shepherd Wendy Alcock Danielle Donougher (appointed 10/03/2025) Paul Ouseley (appointed 10/03/2025)

The organisation’s HR policies are followed for recruitment and induction of trustees and recruitment is by open selection through press advertising and other media. The Board regularly consider succession planning and reviews the skills and experience it needs against those of existing trustees in order to identify gaps that can be filled by future recruitment.

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BARNET CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU

LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS (continued)

Current Trustees possess an effective mix of skills encompassing professionalism in Personnel, Change Management, Accountancy, and Education. Some members combine their professional backgrounds with extensive experience of voluntary work.

The Company Secretary is appointed by Trustees and may be a paid member of staff. The term of the appointment is for Trustees to decide and the practice is for this to be at the first meeting of the Board following each AGM when other appointments are determined by Trustees.

CHIEF OFFICER Daniel Bamford
COMPANY SECRETARY Sheetal Anand
REGISTERED OFFICE 40-44 Church End
London
NW4 4JT
AUDITORS Sayer Vincent
110 Golden Lane
London
EC1Y 0TG
BANKERS HSBC Bank plc
Coventry District Service Centre
Harry Western Road
Binley
Coventry
CV3 2TQ

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BARNET CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU

TRUSTEES’ REPORT (INCORPORATING DIRECTORS’ REPORT)

Introduction

Citizens Advice Barnet (CAB) exists to help people who live, work or study in the London Borough of Barnet to resolve their problems. We do this through providing free, confidential, impartial and independent advice, information and assistance. We are here for everyone, whatever their advice needs.

2024/25 saw a continued increase in demand for our services, with cost of living pressures the main driver of this, in particular concerning housing costs. This is exacerbated by poor availability of free advice locally, and the closure of several legal aid solicitors’ firms drove that unmet demand towards CAB, and meant that many of the issues we helped people with were more complex and took more interactions to advise on.

Our Work

Our core work is delivered through the Community Advice Service (CAS), funded by the London Borough of Barnet and procured by competitive tender. This service provides general information and advice to people who live, work or study in the Borough, and is available through all channels - telephone, face to face and email. During the year we moved towards a more volunteer-focused delivery model for this service, driven in part by impending funding cuts for 2025/26 from London Borough of Barnet, but also to enable us to provide a face to face service in more locations across the borough. We are now delivering regular drop-in advice sessions at libraries and community locations across Barnet. This continues our strategic use of community resources, placing our teams alongside other vital local services so that people can get the right help when and where they need it. We work to support smaller local community organisations by providing ‘Advice First Aid’, which trains local volunteers to quickly identify advice needs for people they are working with, enabling them to either support or to refer vulnerable people to CAB. This increases the support available to people in Barnet.

We successfully extended and expanded our Help to claim project, funded by the Department for Work and Pension, via national Citizens Advice. This national, phone-based service offers advice and support to people claiming Universal Credit, including providing benefits checks, better-off calculations and tactical advice on approaching this complex welfare benefit. We continued to see heavy demand, as more people find themselves needing to claim Universal Credit, especially those in work, to help make ends meet.

Our Macmillan welfare benefits advice service, funded by Macmillan and supporting people affected by cancer, was expanded and now covers hospital sites in Barnet, Haringey, Enfield and Islington.

An important area of our work is complex casework. While the Community Advice Service is focused on general advice, our other projects aim to fill the gap where Legal Aid is not available but where the most vulnerable people need support to understand their rights and to access justice. This adds a great deal of value to our general advice service as we are able to offer a holistic package of support to our clients. Much of our work in this area would have been available under Legal Aid a decade ago, but due to continued cuts to this provision, we have stepped in to do work which would historically only have been carried out by solicitors. Our work in this sphere has led us to be awarded 'Centre of Excellence' status by the London Legal Support Trust, and it is vital in a Borough like Barnet where access to complex legal advice is in very short supply. We provide expert legal casework and litigation support in Employment, Immigration, Welfare Benefits and Debt. However, the availability of this kind of complex support in Barnet is very limited and is under threat due to funding pressures.

We measure our success in all these services against stringent and targeted monitoring requirements, and more widely against independently audited quality of advice, financial management, and client and workforce satisfaction using the Citizens Advice Performance and Quality Framework.

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BARNET CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU

TRUSTEES’ REPORT (INCORPORATING DIRECTORS’ REPORT)

The People we help, and the Issues we help them with

Over 9,800 individuals received information and advice in the year, (12,000 in 2023/24) and we dealt with over 48,000 individual advice issues (2023/24: 42,300). This shows the complicated nature of people's problems as well as the pressures on our service. By helping the most vulnerable, and those with the most complex problems, we unsurprisingly saw fewer clients. It is extremely rare for someone to come to us now needing advice on just one thing, and on average, each client comes to us with approximately 5 issues (up from 4 last year). We had 23,426 interactions with or on behalf of clients which is (2023/24: 27,038) showing that it is more often than not the case that we need to engage with the people we help multiple times before their problem can be solved. This also illustrates the highly vulnerable situations many of our clients are in and the complexity of their multifaceted needs. We seek to empower people who can address their issues themselves, and 33,845 people accessed advice self-help through our website (2023/24: 43,000).

Citizens Advice Barnet runs a universal core service which is available for everyone who lives, works or studies in the borough. Having said that, there is a clear link between deprivation and the need for advice, and it is notable that most of our clients come from the most deprived wards in Barnet. This is an indication both of the above average need for advice in those areas, but also a reflection of where we have proactively target our partnership work and outreach provision.

Client demographics show little change from the previous year, with no statistically significant differences. However, we did see a continuing increase in the proportion of our clients who say they are disabled or have a long-term health condition, rising to 59% of all people we saw (2023/24: 53%). This shows two things - firstly that people with health problems or disabilities are disproportionately affected by cost of living issues, and secondly that the after-effects of Covid and the systemic collapse of social welfare and social housing support have caused many more people’s health to suffer.

66% of all issues we advised on were welfare benefit-related (2023/24: 56%), followed by housing at 9% (2023/24: 12%), debt at 5% (2023/24: 8%) and immigration at 5% (2023/24: 4%). This suggests that income maximisation through in-work benefits as well as out of work benefits is of paramount importance to people in financial crisis.

We generated over £7.8 million of positive financial outcomes for our clients, primarily through successful benefits claims and challenges (2023/24: £7.5 million). This is money that is available to our clients that was not accessed before our advice, and as such represents additional money in the local economy, providing direct benefit to our clients and indirect benefits to wider society.

Working in Partnership

We continued to strengthen our existing relationships within the voluntary, community and faith sector in Barnet, as well as building new partnerships locally and with wider stakeholders. We know that the demand for advice, especially in the highly disrupted society we inhabit, cannot be fully met, so our partnership work rightly focuses on increasing capacity and expertise within the sector, sharing best practice and supporting each other to the ultimate benefit of those who use our services. To this end, we meet regularly with voluntary and statutory sector partners to work together, find synergies and avoid unnecessary duplication of services.

During 2024/25 we have established or continued partnerships with Chipping Barnet food bank, St James Church in New Barnet, St Mary’s Church in Finchley, Chipping Barnet Library, Sebby’s Corner, and numerous local Citizens Advice offices across London, among others. We have also worked with partners and the wider sector to increase incoming referrals, to help join up the advice sector and simplify our client journey. In 2024/25 we received 1037 incoming referrals for advice from third-party organisations (2023/24: 647), which shows clear and unprecedented demand for our services. We also took over the Support through Court service, based at Finchley Civil Court, after its funding was terminated, and integrated this with our local outreach advice service.

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BARNET CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU

TRUSTEES’ REPORT (INCORPORATING DIRECTORS’ REPORT)

Our People

Our services are delivered by a staff team of 43 people (2023/24: 41), and 69 volunteers supported us over the year (2023/24: 60). Our staff and volunteers are committed professionals who provide unrivalled support to the poorest and most vulnerable residents of Barnet. Volunteers undertake a wide variety of roles, including advisers, assessors, researchers, fundraisers and trustees. All new volunteers complete a comprehensive competency-based training programme that underpins the high quality of advice that the role demands. We continue to support our people as a key strategic priority, and we have introduced much more flexibility to our volunteering programme to cater to the needs of the community. We recruited 35 new volunteers in the year, and volunteer engagement has significantly improved, with volunteers learning faster, interacting more confidently, and enjoying their roles more, thanks to enhanced training, support and engagement efforts.

Financial Review

The SOFA on page 15 shows an increase in income to £1,494,912 compared to the previous year (2024: £1,397,130).

The local authority remains the second largest provider for services.

The reduction in reliance on LBB funding was supported by continued funding for its main projects by Macmillan Cancer Trust, Trust for London, National Citizens Advice, the National Lottery Community Fund (restricted income with project name: Community Organisations Cost of Living Fund), RCJ Advice and Henry Smith Foundation and those funds represented significant percentages of overall income as follows:

Macmillan Cancer: 16% (2024:15%)

Trust for London: 6% (2024: 5%)

Citizens Advice 32% (2024:31%)

The National Lottery Community Fund (restricted income with project name: Community Organisations Cost of Living Fund) 0% (2024:4%)

RCJ Advice 4% (2024: 5%)

Henry Smith Foundation 3% (2024:4%)

City Bridge Foundation 3% (2024: 3%)

Although there was planned investment in increased capacity, CAB continued to monitor and control costs effectively, in line with the increase in income. Expenditure in the financial year ending 31st March 2025 has increased to £1,455,644 compared with £1,341,323 in the previous year.

Of the costs in the year, 86% (2024: 80%) relate to our people and include the costs of recruiting, rewarding and developing our paid staff and training and supporting our volunteers. Management and trustees regularly review the allocation of work among staff and volunteers to identify ways of improving both service quality and cost efficiency. In other areas, our finance and administrative staff keep a close control of costs.

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BARNET CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU

TRUSTEES’ REPORT (INCORPORATING DIRECTORS’ REPORT)

Reserves Policy and Designated Funds

Our free reserves target is set at 18 weeks of operating expenditure, currently £503,876. As our reserves are above the minimum level set in this target (currently £670,995, of which £131,385 is already designated and £539,610 is free), trustees have agreed in principle to invest funds for further development of our services.

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

Governance

Citizens Advice Barnet is a member of Citizens Advice (the national association of Citizens Advice organisations) which, via its Membership Scheme, provides a framework for all charitable activities that are delivered to service users. Citizens Advice sets defined quality standards for advice and information services, financial and information management and intensively reviews members' organisational performance to ensure these standards are met.

The Board of Trustees has overall responsibility for the strategic development and financial management of the organisation, in line with Charity Commission recommended practice. Trustees are committed to creating an inclusive workplace, to participation by staff and volunteers in the development of the service and provide opportunities for this through the business planning process and the formulation of service priorities and objectives.

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The Board meets at least four times a year and in 2024/25 it met on five occasions. The Board delegates certain staff and HR matters to the People and Culture Committee, while financial scrutiny, risk management and development of financial policy and procedures are delegated to the Finance Committee. The minutes and recommendations of all committees are presented and reviewed at full Board meetings. The Board delegates day to day responsibility to the Chief Officer who is required to attend Board meetings and report on operational and financial matters.

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BARNET CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU

TRUSTEES’ REPORT (INCORPORATING DIRECTORS’ REPORT)

The Board seeks to ensure that Trustees are broadly representative of the local community and have the necessary skills and abilities to ensure good governance. Trustees are recruited following Citizens Advice guidance through advertising in local and national media as well as canvassing local Voluntary and Community Sector organisations, with a focus on recruiting those with skills identified as desirable through regular Board skills audits.

Suitable candidates are interviewed by a panel of Trustees and are invited to attend at least one meeting of the Board before being formally appointed.

New Trustees are provided with a comprehensive induction, including observation of service delivery, and provided with relevant governance documentation. Board members are also encouraged to participate in relevant governance training and conferences provided by Citizens Advice and other bodies.

All Trustees give their time freely and no Trustee received remuneration in the year. Details of Trustees expenses and related party transactions are disclosed in the notes to the accounts.

Organisational Management

The Executive Team consists of the Chief Officer, Daniel Bamford, the Head of Advice Services, Nadya Bari, the Head of Business Development, Louise Broadbent, and the Head of People and Central Services, Sheetal Anand.

The Chief Officer meets regularly with the Chair for supervision and to plan the work of the Board. The Chief Officer and Executive Team are responsible for putting into effect the strategies and objectives of the Board as expressed in the Business Plan. The Chief Officer works closely with staff, volunteers and external stakeholders to ensure effective implementation of the Business Plan.

The Trustees have in place arrangements for setting the pay and remuneration of the Executive Team. Remuneration for all staff is reviewed annually, by the Board's People and Culture Committee and as part of the annual budget setting process. External benchmarking is carried out every three years and inflationary increases are considered annually. Any increase is made with regard to affordability for the charity.

RISK MANAGEMENT

The Board carries out risk assessments four times a year through the Finance Committee, and the organisation updates its risk register on an ongoing basis throughout the year. The register is reviewed quarterly by the Finance Committee and the Chief Officer presents a report on emerging risks to each meeting of the Trustees. The Board has assessed the major risks to which the charity is exposed, and these are detailed below with a summary of plans for managing those risks.

The Executive Team works to identify and apply for new sources of income to enable the organisation to meet its strategic priorities and support service delivery and the trustees receive a report on the number of applications made and their outcome at each meeting. Expenditure is closely monitored, and plans developed to reduce management and overhead costs.

We have policies and processes in place to recruit and retain suitable staff and volunteers. We ensure training plans are in place and revised annually. Staff and volunteers' annual feedback is reported to Trustees and we strive to increase engagement and satisfaction from staff and volunteers. We have a full internal HR support function now in place and have made sure that wellbeing is at the heart of our People processes, recognising that the work we do is difficult and emotionally draining and doing all we can to mitigate that and provide a rewarding working and volunteering experience.

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BARNET CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU

TRUSTEES’ REPORT (INCORPORATING DIRECTORS’ REPORT)

PUBLIC BENEFIT

The Trustees have paid due regard to the Charity Commission's guidance on public benefit in deciding the activities undertaken by the organisation during the year. The Trustees are satisfied that the information provided in the report and accounts meets the public benefit reporting requirements and are in line with our charitable aims and objectives. Citizens Advice Barnet's main activities are described in the 'our work' section of this report.

FUNDRAISING

Fundraising Statement 162a of the Charities Act 2011 requires charities to make a statement regarding fundraising activities.

Barnet Citizens Advice Bureau understands its duty to protect the public, including vulnerable people, from unreasonably intrusive or persistent fundraising approaches and undue pressure to donate. The charity does not use any internal fundraisers or external agencies for either telephone or face-to-face campaigns and received no fundraising complaints during the year (2023/24: none).

The trustees monitor fundraising activities on a regular basis.

PLANS FOR THE FUTURE

In 2024/25 we worked within the strategic objectives specified in our Business and Development Plan. The plan set out the aims and purposes of the organisation and the context in which we work. We have three main objectives:

These objectives remain relevant and are at the heart of our strategic planning and service delivery. We know that demand on advice services continues to grow, and the advice sector as a whole in Barnet is poorly funded, with cuts in effect for most Local Authority commissioned services. However, despite this we are continuing to focus on meeting local needs, including by expanding our community outreach programme so we can more proactively reach the people who need our advice most.

We have already successfully explored new sources of funding, and will continue this, alongside making a concerted effort to raise our public profile and investigate individual and corporate giving, to further support our future sustainability. The funding environment will remain extremely challenging, however, and increased competition for dwindling sources of traditional sector funding (Trusts and Foundations, for example) means that we will continue to face the disconnect between public expectations of what CAB should deliver and what we are able to with limited resources. In particular, we will work to raise awareness that we are an independent local charity for the benefit of local people. Our partnership working will continue, and we will look to share resources without compromising on quality, bringing skills and expertise to the wider sector, enabling community groups and increasing their confidence in advice giving.

We will continue to support our staff and volunteers - we will work to implement and live our organisational values, offer development opportunities and rewarding career paths for our people, while making sure that their wellbeing is effectively supported. We will follow our people strategy, retaining and training high quality staff and volunteers and developing them for the future. This will ensure our continued resilience as an organisation and that we continue to provide high-quality advice, information and casework to all Barnet residents well into the future.

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BARNET CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU

TRUSTEES’ REPORT (INCORPORATING DIRECTORS’ REPORT)

TRUSTEES’ RESPONSIBILITIES STATEMENT

The trustees (who are also directors of Barnet Citizens Advice Bureau for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ 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 Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under that law the Trustees have elected to prepare the financial statements in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (United Kingdom Accounting Standards and applicable law). Under Company law the Trustees 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 and of the 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:

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

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

In so far as the trustees are aware:

SMALL COMPANY EXEMPTIONS

This report has been prepared taking advantage of the small companies’ exemption of section 41SA of the Companies Act 2006.

This report was approved and authorised for issue by the Trustees and signed on its behalf

……………………. Valerie Harrison (Chair)

Date: 13th October 2025

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BARNET CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU

Independent auditor’s report

Independent auditor’s report to the members of Barnet Citizen’s Advice Bureau

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of Barnet Citizen’s Advice Bureau (the ‘charitable company’) for the year ended 31 March 2025 which comprise the statement of financial activities, balance sheet, statement of cash flows and notes to the financial statements, including significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including FRS 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

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 material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on Barnet Citizen’s Advice Bureau'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.

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BARNET CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU

Independent auditor’s report

Other Information

The other information comprises the information included in the trustees’ annual report, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. The trustees are responsible for the other information contained within the annual report. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.

We have nothing to report in this regard.

Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006

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

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 trustees’ annual 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:

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BARNET CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU

Independent auditor’s report

Responsibilities of trustees

As explained more fully in the statement of trustees’ responsibilities set out in the trustees’ annual report, 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 extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud are set out below.

Capability of the audit in detecting irregularities

In identifying and assessing risks of material misstatement in respect of irregularities, including fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations, our procedures included the following:

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BARNET CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU

Independent auditor’s report

financial statements or that had a fundamental effect on the operations of the charity from our professional and sector experience.

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 concealment, forgery, collusion, omission or misrepresentation.

A further description of our responsibilities is available on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor’s report.

Use of our report

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

Joanna Pittman (Senior statutory auditor)

xxxx

for and on behalf of Sayer Vincent LLP, Statutory Auditor 110 Golden Lane, LONDON, EC1Y 0TG

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Barnet Citizens Advice Bureau

Statement of financial activities (incorporating an income and expenditure account)

For the year ended 31 March 2025

For theyear ended 31 March 2025
Note
Income from:
2
3
4
5
6
Reconciliation of funds:
Charitable activities
Advice Services
Investments
Total income
Expenditure on:
Donations and legacies
Total expenditure
Total funds brought forward
Net income / (expenditure) for the year
Total funds carried forward
Transfers between funds
Net movement in funds		 Unrestricted
£
23,950
407,553
11,658		 Restricted
£
-
1,051,751
-		 2025
Total
£
23,950
1,459,304
11,658
1,494,912
1,455,643
1,455,643
39,269
-
39,269
654,391
693,659		 Unrestricted
£
35,549
347,553
10,761		 Restricted
£
-
1,003,267
-		 2024
Total
£
35,549
1,350,820
10,761
443,161 1,051,751 393,863 1,003,267 1,397,130
393,115 1,062,529 338,056 1,003,267 1,341,323
393,115 1,062,529 338,056 1,003,267 1,341,323
50,046
-		 (10,777)
-		 55,807
11,386		 -
(11,386)		 55,807
-
50,046
620,949		 (10,777)
33,442		 67,193
553,756		 (11,386)
44,828		 55,807
598,584
670,995 22,665 620,949 33,442 654,391

All of the above results are derived from continuing activities. There were no other recognised gains or losses other than those stated above. Movements in funds are disclosed in Note 17a to the financial statements.

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Barnet Citizens Advice Bureau

Company no. 02627909

Balance sheet

As at 31 March 2025

As at 31 March 2025
Note
Fixed assets:
11
Current assets:
12
Liabilities:
13
17a
General funds
Total unrestricted funds
Total charity funds
Cash at bank and in hand
Tangible assets
The funds of the charity:
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
Net current assets
Total net assets
Restricted income funds
Unrestricted income funds:
Designated funds
Total assets less current liabilities
Debtors		 £
165,228
619,519		 2025
£
22,688		 £
121,765
651,929		 2024
£
28,855
22,688
670,970		 28,855
625,536
784,747
(113,777)		 773,694
(148,158)
131,385
539,610		 131,385
489,564
693,659 654,391
693,659 654,391
22,664
670,995		 33,442
620,949
693,659 654,391

Approved by the trustees on 13th October 2025 and signed on their behalf by

Valerie Harrison Chair

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Barnet Citizens Advice Bureau

Statement of cash flows

For the year ended 31 March 2025

For the year ended 31 March 2025
Cash flows from operating activities
Net income / (expenditure) for the reporting period
(as per the statement of financial activities)
Depreciation charges
Dividends, interest and rent from investments
(Profit)/loss on the disposal of fixed assets
(Increase)/decrease in debtors
Increase/(decrease) in creditors
Net cash provided by / (used in) operating activities
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the
year
Net cash provided by / (used in) investing
Cash flows from investing activities:
Dividends, interest and rents from investments
Proceeds from the sale of fixed assets
Purchase of fixed assets
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year
Change in cash and cash equivalents in the year		 £
£
39,269
16,894
(11,658)
-
(43,463)
(34,382)
(33,341)
11,658
-
(10,728)
930
(32,410)
651,929
619,519
2025		 £
£
55,807
18,118
(10,761)
-
88,885
8,346
160,395
10,761
-
(5,854)
4,907
165,302
486,627
651,929
2024
(33,341)
930		 160,395
4,907
(32,410)
651,929		 165,302
486,627
619,519 651,929

16

Barnet Citizens Advice Bureau

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2025

1 Accounting policies

a) Statutory information

Barnet Citizens Advice Bureau is a charitable company limited by guarantee and is incorporated in England and Wales.

The registered office address is 40 – 44 Church End, London, NW4 4JT.

b) Basis of preparation

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) - (Charities SORP FRS 102), The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006/Charities Act 2011.

Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy or note.

In applying the financial reporting framework, the trustees have made a number of subjective judgements, for example in respect of significant accounting estimates. Estimates and judgements are continually evaluated and are based on historical experience and other factors, including expectations of future events that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. The nature of the estimation means the actual outcomes could differ from those estimates. Any significant estimates and judgements affecting these financial statements are detailed within the relevant accounting policy below.

c) Public benefit entity

The charity meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102.

The trustees do not consider that there are any sources of estimation uncertainty at the reporting date that have a significant risk of causing a material adjustment to the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities within the next reporting period.

d) Going concern

The trustees consider that there are no material uncertainties about the charity's ability to continue as a going concern. A forecast has been prepared for a period of more than 12 months from the date of approval of these financial statements. The forecast indicates that, whilst taking into account reasonable downsides, sufficient funds are expected to be generated within the charity so as to meet liabilities as they fall due.

17

Barnet Citizens Advice Bureau

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2025

Income is recognised when the charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the income have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and that the amount can be measured reliably.

Income from government and other grants, whether ‘capital’ grants or ‘revenue’ grants, is recognised when the charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the grants have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably and is not deferred.

Income received in advance of the provision of a specified service is deferred until the criteria for income recognition are met.

Donated professional services and donated facilities are recognised as income when the charity has control over the item or received the service, any conditions associated with the donation have been met, the receipt of economic benefit from the use by the charity of the item is probable and that economic benefit can be measured reliably. In accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102), volunteer time is not recognised so refer to the trustees’ annual report for more information about their contribution.

On receipt, donated gifts, professional services and donated facilities are recognised on the basis of the value of the gift to the charity which is the amount the charity would have been willing to pay to obtain services or facilities of equivalent economic benefit on the open market; a corresponding amount is then recognised in expenditure in the period of receipt.

Interest on funds held on deposit is included when receivable and the amount can be measured reliably by the charity; this is normally upon notification of the interest paid or payable by the bank.

Unrestricted funds are donations and other incoming resources received or generated for the charitable purposes.

Designated funds are unrestricted funds earmarked by the trustees for particular purposes.

Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to make a payment to a third party, it is probable that settlement will be required and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is classified under the following activity headings:

18

Barnet Citizens Advice Bureau

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2025

Support costs are apportioned on a per capita basis, based on the number of staff employed on a particular activity where the grant agreement or contract allows.

Governance costs are the costs associated with the governance arrangements of the charity. These costs are associated with constitutional and statutory requirements and include any costs associated with the strategic management of the charity’s activities.

Rental charges are charged on a straight line basis over the term of the lease.

Items of equipment are capitalised where the purchase price exceeds £250. Assets are reviewed for impairment if circumstances indicate their carrying value may exceed their net realisable value and value in use.

Depreciation is provided at rates calculated to write down the cost of each asset to its estimated residual value over its expected useful life. The depreciation rates in use are as follows:

10 years 3 years 10 years

m) Debtors

Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount due after any trade discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid net of any trade discounts due.

Cash at bank and cash in hand includes cash and short term highly liquid investments with a short maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition or opening of the deposit or similar account.

o) Creditors and provisions

Creditors and provisions are recognised where the charity has a present obligation resulting from a past event that will probably result in the transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably. Creditors and provisions are normally recognised at their settlement amount after allowing for any trade discounts due.

p) Pensions

Employees of the charity are entitled to join a defined contribution ‘money purchase’ scheme.

The costs of the defined contribution scheme are included within the associated staff costs and allocated therefore to charitable activities, support and governance costs.

19

Barnet Citizens Advice Bureau

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2025

2
Income from donations and legacies
Donations
3
Community Advice Service
Sub-total for local government contracts
Advice – Welfare Benefits
Specialist Advice and Casework
Community Outreach
Other Services
Sub-total for grants
Total income from charitable activities
Income from charitable activities
Local government contracts
Grants		 Unrestricted
£
23,950		 £
-
Restricted		 2025
Total
£
23,950		 Unrestricted
£
35,549		 £
-
Restricted		 2024
Total
£
35,549
23,950 - 23,950 35,549 - 35,549
Unrestricted
£
407,553		 £
-
Restricted		 2025
Total
£
407,553		 Unrestricted
£
347,553		 £
-
Restricted		 2024
Total
£
347,553
407,553 -
708,879
260,377
66,840
15,655		 407,553
708,879
260,377
66,840
15,655		 347,553
-
-
-
-		 -
564,589
289,156
76,863
72,659		 347,553
564,589
289,156
76,863
72,659
- 1,051,751 1,051,751 - 1,003,267 1,003,267
407,553 1,051,751 1,459,304 347,553 1,003,267 1,350,820

Total income of £407,553 (2024: £347,553) was received from the London Borough of Barnet. These funds were received to deliver the Community Advice Support service. There were no unfulfilled conditions or other contingencies attaching to these grants.

Income from investments
Bank interest Unrestricted
£
11,658		 £
-
Restricted		 2025
Total
£
11,658		 Unrestricted
£
10,761		 £
-
Restricted		 2024
Total
£
10,761
11,658 - 11,658 10,761 - 10,761

20

Barnet Citizens Advice Bureau

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2025

5a Analysis of expenditure (current year)

Generalist Advice
Advice - Welfare Benefits
Specialist Advice & Casework
Community Outreach
Other Services
Total expenditure 2025
Total expenditure 2024
Support Costs
Generalist Advice
Advice - Welfare Benefits
Specialist Advice & Casework
Community Outreach
Other Services
Total
Governance Costs
Legal and professional fees
Auditors remuneration
Accountancy and taxation services
Trustees meeting cost		 Direct Costs
£
252,423
489,228
191,433
45,741
15,655
994,479
994,479
853,761
Staff Costs
£
79,367
118,465
48,460
11,211
-
257,502		 Support
costs
£
138,029
222,295
79,740
21,099
-
461,163
461,163
487,562
Admin &
Premises
Costs
£
49,462
94,487
27,780
8,467
-
180,196		 2025
Total
£
390,452
711,523
271,173
66,840
15,655
1,455,643
1,455,643
Governance
costs
£
9,201
9,343
3,500
1,422
-
23,466		 2024
Total
£
332,526
564,589
318,252
76,863
49,093
1,341,323
1,341,323
2025
Total
£
138,029
222,295
79,740
21,099
-
461,163
2025
Total
£
9,606
13,860
-
-
23,466		 2024
Total
£
118,193
223,764
116,273
18,369
10,963
487,562
2024
Total
£
1,313
21,426
2,640
9,655
35,034

21

Barnet Citizens Advice Bureau

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2025

5b Analysis of expenditure (prior year)

Generalist Advice
Advice - Welfare Benefits
Specialist Advice & Casework
Community Outreach
Other services
Total expenditure 2024
Support Costs
Generalist Advice
Advice - Welfare Benefits
Specialist Advice & Casework
Community Outreach
Other Services
Total
Governance Costs
Legal and professional fees
Auditors remuneration
Accountancy and taxation services
Trustees meeting costs		 Direct Costs
£
214,333
340,825
201,979
58,494
38,130
853,761
Staff Costs
£
51,977
119,935
55,000
324
6,091
233,327		 Support
costs
£
118,193
223,764
116,273
18,369
10,963
487,562
Admin &
Premises
Costs
£
57,142
88,342
52,473
16,917
4,327
219,201		 2024 Total
£
332,526
564,589
318,252
76,863
49,093
1,341,323
Governance
costs
£
9,074
15,487
8,800
1,128
545
35,034		 2024 Total
£
118,193
223,764
116,273
18,369
10,963
487,562
2024 Total
£
1,313
21,426
2,640
9,655
35,034

22

Barnet Citizens Advice Bureau

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2025

This is stated after charging / (crediting):

This is stated after charging / (crediting):
2025 2024
£ £
Depreciation 16,894 18,118
Operating lease rentals payable:
Property 1,542 1,960
Auditor's remuneration (excluding VAT):
Audit 11,400 15,000
Other services - 2,200

Staff costs were as follows:

Staff costs were as follows:
Salaries and wages
Redundancy and termination costs
Social security costs
Employer’s contribution to defined contribution pension schemes		 2025
£
1,091,160
17,000
98,528
22,382		 2024
£
966,187
-
85,553
20,522
1,229,070 1,072,262

The following number of employees received employee benefits (excluding employer pension costs and employer's national insurance) during the year between:

2025 2024
No. No.
£60,000 - £69,999 1 1
£70,000 - £79,999 - -
£80,000 - £89,999 - -
£90,000 - £99,999 - -

The total employee benefits (including pension contributions and employer's national insurance) of the key management personnel were £258,334 (2024: £203,992).

The charity trustees were neither paid nor received any other benefits from employment with the charity in the year (2024: £nil). No charity trustee received payment for professional or other services supplied to the charity (2024: £nil).

Trustees' expenses represents the payment or reimbursement of travel and subsistence costs totalling £0 (2024: £nil).

8 Staff numbers

The average number of employees (head count based on number of staff employed) during the year was 43 (2024: 41).

Staff are split across the activities of the charity as follows (full time equivalent basis):

Staff are split across the activities of the charity as follows (full time equivalent basis):
Managers
Other		 2025
No.
4.0
39.0		 2024
No.
4.0
37.0
43.0 41.0

23

Barnet Citizens Advice Bureau

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2025

9 Related party transactions

The company pays a premium for professional indemnity insurance for its Trustees which is included within the total insurance premium payable each year. It is not separately identifiable.

During the year, donations of £358 (2024: £603) were received from 1Trustees (2024: 3).

10 Taxation

The charity is exempt from corporation tax as all its income is charitable and is applied for charitable purposes.

11 Tangible fixed assets

Tangible fixed assets
At the end of the year
At the start of the year
Charge for the year
At the start of the year
Additions in year
Disposals in year
Depreciation
Eliminated on disposal
At the end of the year
Net book value
At the end of the year
Cost
At the start of the year		 Leasehold
Improvements
£
92,802
-
-		 Fixtures and
fittings
£
84,178
-
-		 Computer
equipment
£
216,694
10,728
-		 Total
£
393,674
10,728
-
92,802 84,178 227,422 404,402
89,958
511
-		 82,137
414
-		 192,724
15,969
-		 364,819
16,894
-
90,469 82,551 208,693 381,713
2,333 1,627 18,729 22,688
2,844 2,041 23,970 28,855

All of the above assets are used for charitable purposes.

24

Barnet Citizens Advice Bureau

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2025

12 Debtors

12
Debtors
13
Accruals and deferred income
Trade creditors
Taxation and social security
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
Trade debtors
Accrued income and prepayments
Other creditors		 2025
£
76,621
88,607		 2024
£
57,362
64,403
165,228 121,765
2025
£
13,851
26,529
9,670
63,727		 2024
£
20,064
19,295
18,814
89,985
113,777 148,158

14 Deferred income

Deferred income comprises payments received in advance for services to be provided in the future.

Balance at the beginning of the year
Amount released to income in the year
Amount deferred in the year
Balance at the end of the year		 2025
£
48,082
(40,462)
25,510		 2024
£
70,172
(70,172)
48,082
33,130 48,082

15 Pension scheme

The charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme. Pension costs for the period have been charged at £22,382 (2024: £20,522) as outlined above. At the period end, £3,584 was owed to the scheme (2024: £3,447).

16a Analysis of net assets between funds (current year)

Analysis of net assets between funds (current year)
Tangible fixed assets
Net current assets
Tangible fixed assets
Net current assets
Net assets at 31 March 2024
Net assets at 31 March 2025
Analysis of net assets between funds (prior year)		 General
unrestricted
£
22,688
516,922		 Designated
£
-
131,385		 Restricted
£
-
22,664		 Total funds
£
22,688
670,971
539,610 131,385 22,664 693,659
General
unrestricted
£
28,855
460,709		 Designated
£
-
131,385		 Restricted
£
-
33,342		 Total funds
£
28,855
625,436
489,564 131,385 33,342 654,291

16b Analysis of net assets between funds (prior year)

25

Barnet Citizens Advice Bureau

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2025

Movements in funds (current year)
Total restricted funds
Total designated funds
General funds
London Borough of Barnet Winter
Help to Claim
LBB Barnet
Henry Smith Foundation
Chipping Barnet Foodbank
Finchley Foodbank
Total funds
Total unrestricted funds
IT/Premises Fund
Service Development fund
Restricted funds:
Macmillan Cancer Research
RCJ Advice – GLA
The National Lottery Community Fund -
Community Organisations Cost of Living Fund
National Citizens Advice – Open Door
National Citizens Advice – Others
Other Restricted Funds
BOOST Notting Hill Genesis & Barnet Homes
City Bridge Foundation
Trust for London
Talisman Account
Home Office
Staff fund
Unrestricted funds:
Designated funds:		 At 1 April
2024
£
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
10,778
12,761
-
9,903
-
-
-
-
-
-		 Income &
gains
£
244,233
89,481
-
20,000
-
464,646
-
37,917
37,574
6,146
-
23,120
52,192
60,788
-
13,529
2,126		 Expenditure &
losses
£
(244,233)
(89,481)
-
(20,000)
-
(464,646)
-
(48,695)
(37,574)
(6,146)
-
(23,120)
(52,192)
(60,788)
-
(13,529)
(2,126)		 Transfers
£
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-		 At 31 March
2025
£
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
12,761
-
9,903
-
-
-
-
-
-
33,442 1,051,751 (1,062,529) - 22,664
25,000
96,386
9,999		 -
-
-		 -
-
-		 -
-
-		 25,000
96,386
9,999
131,385 - - - 131,385
489,564 443,161 (393,115) - 539,610
620,949 443,161 (393,115) - 670,995
654,391 1,494,912 (1,455,643) - 693,659

The narrative to explain the purpose of each fund is given at the foot of the note below.

26

Barnet Citizens Advice Bureau

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2025

For the year ended 31 March 2025
17b
Total restricted funds
Total designated funds
General funds
Movements in funds (prior year)
Restricted funds:
Citizens Advice Energy Best Deal
The National Lottery Community Fund -
Community Organisations Cost of Living Fund
National Citizens Advice – Open Door
National Citizens Advice – Others
Total funds
Macmillan Cancer Research
Unrestricted funds:
Designated funds:
Staff fund
IT/Premises Fund
Trust for London
Talisman Account
Home Office
London Borough of Barnet Winter
Help to Claim
LBB Barnet
Henry Smith Foundation
Chipping Barnet Foodbank
Finchley Foodbank
Other Restricted Funds
BOOST Notting Hill Genesis & Barnet Homes
City Bridge Foundation
RCJ Advice – GLA
Total unrestricted funds
Service Development fund		 At 1 April
2023
£
-
-
-
1,336
-
3,800
-
6,250
10,778
12,761
-
9,903
-
-
-
-
-
-		 Income &
gains
£
207,572
17,225
71,744
-
1,000
-
357,017
-
56,800
20,193
11,822
-
44,849
45,926
65,513
49,173
13,846
40,587		 Expenditure &
losses
£
(207,572)
(17,225)
(71,744)
-
(1,000)
-
(357,017)
-
(56,800)
(20,193)
(11,822)
-
(44,849)
(45,926)
(65,513)
(49,173)
(13,846)
(40,587)		 Transfers
£
-
-
-
(1,336)
-
(3,800)
-
(6,250)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-		 At 31 March
2024
£
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
10,778
12,761
-
9,903
-
-
-
-
-
-
44,828 1,003,267 (1,003,267) (11,386) 33,442
55,080
87,772
68,105		 -
-
-		 -
-
-		 (30,080)
8,614
(58,106)		 25,000
96,386
9,999
210,957 - - (79,572) 131,385
342,799 393,863 (338,056) 90,958 489,564
553,756 393,863 (338,056) 11,386 620,949
598,584 1,397,130 (1,341,323) - 654,391

Purposes of restricted funds

Macmillan Welfare Benefits project, funded by Macmillan Cancer Support, which provided specialist welfare benefits support to cancer patients.

Citizens Advice Energy Best Extra project, funded by Citizens Advice, which provide advice on reducing energy costs to people in need.

Trust for London funded project which supports people in need of legal advice casework for employment and immigration issues.

Talisman Account was a fund established to support destitute clients in emergency circumstances whereby the funding is not immediately available. The transfer represents the closure of the project and reimbursement of unrestricted funds for money spent, with disbursements to destitute clients now made from unrestricted funds.

The European Settlement Scheme is funded by the Home Office to deliver practical support to vulnerable EU Citizens and their family members and to help them make their EU Settlement Scheme application.

27

Barnet Citizens Advice Bureau

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2025

17b Purposes of restricted funds (conitnued)

The London Borough of Barnet Winter was a fund for giving advice in group sessions to local residents on energy efficiency and debt advice to help manage utility costs in the winter. The transfer represents the closure of the project and reimbursement of unrestricted funds for money spent.

Help to Claim is funded by Citizens Advice to provide advice and support to clients claiming Universal Credit.

London Borough of Barnet was a fund to help organisations recover from Covid lockdowns. The transfer represents the exhaustion of the funds and reimbursement of unrestricted funds for money spent on Covid recovery and adaptations.

Henry Smith Foundation funded costs of the welfare benefits and debt casework.

Chipping Barnet Foodbank and Citizen Advice Barnet are partnering to increase the breadth of support and advice they can offer service users by utilising professional advice services.

Finchley Foodbank - Funding for an Outreach adviser to work in Finchley Foodbank alongside existing community services.

BOOST – Notting Hill Genesis & Barnet Homes - Funding for an Outreach adviser to work in Burnt Oak and Grahame Park alongside existing community services.

City Bridge Foundation - Funding to support existing immigration advice and to train a new immigration adviser to OISC level 3 accreditation.

RCJ Citizens Advice – GLA Funding as part of a London-wide project to increase access to specialist debt and welfare benefits advice.

The National Lottery Community Fund - Community Organisations Cost of Living Fund- funding to provide critical advice in the cost of living crisis.

National Citizens Advice – Cost of Living - Open Door - funding to an open door service at our main office in Hendon.

National Citizens Advice – Pop Up Advice – funding for creative initiatives in service delivery that support clients through the cost of living crisis.

National Citizens Advice – Energy Advice Programme – funding to provide one to one energy advice appointment to clients who are in or at risk of fuel poverty

Transfer between funds were undertaken to update the designations of some the general funds.

Purposes of designated funds

The Staff Fund has a balance of £25,000 are set aside to fund any inflationary cost of living increase to support staff with the current economic climate.

The IT/Premises Fund includes a designated balance of £96,386 relates to funds to upgrade IT server and equipment (2024:

The Service Development Fund includes a designated balance of £9,999 which are funds set aside to cover unfunded posts.

28

Barnet Citizens Advice Bureau

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2025

18 Operating lease commitments payable as a lessee

The charity's total future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases is as follows for each of the following periods


periods
Less than one year
One to five years
Over five years		 2025
£
-
-
-
Land and		 2024
£
-
-
-
Buildings		 2025
2024
£
£
1,200
1,152
2,544
3,696
-
-
3,744
4,848
Other
- - 3,744 4,848

19 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 winding up is limited to £1.

29