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← Brighton & Hove Speak Out

2025-03-31-accounts

REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 03807112 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1076995

REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES AND

UNAUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

FOR

BRIGHTON & HOVE SPEAK OUT (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

F1 CRT Limited Flat 24 Wellingtonia Court Laine Close Brighton East Sussex BN1 6TD

BRIGHTON & HOVE SPEAK OUT

CONTENTS OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Page
Report of the Trustees 1 to 7
Independent Examiner's Report 8
Statement of Financial Activities 9
Balance Sheet 10
Notes to the Financial Statements 11 to 18
Detailed Statement of Financial Activities 19

BRIGHTON & HOVE SPEAK OUT

REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

The trustees who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006, present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2025. The trustees have adopted the provisions of Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019).

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

Objectives and aims

Speak Out's Objects

The Charitable objects are : 'the relief of people who have learning difficulties and who live in Brighton and Hove or the immediately surrounding area'.

Speak Out believes people with a learning disability should have the support they need to speak up and be heard participate in decisions made about their lives and access the services they need.

Speak Out's Aims

-People with learning disabilities to claim their rights , and deliver the skills , confidence and knowledge to make choices and take control of their lives.

-People with learning disabilities to get support to speak up and be listened to.

-Services to change in a way that people with learning disabilities wan.

-The needs of people with learning disabilities to be included in local policies and public service plans.

Page 1

BRIGHTON & HOVE SPEAK OUT

REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES Significant activities

Speak out's activities

Brighton and Hove Speak Out is a dynamic, independent advocacy charity supporting people with learning disabilities to speak up and take action about the things that matter to them. Our mission is to work alongside people with learning disabilities to make sure they get their voices heard and can address problems they face and live fulfilling lives.

We deliver advocacy with impact, through which people with learning disabilities develop networks, skills and confidence so that they can:

We do this by offering a unique range of advocacy services and community projects for adults and young pwld (17+yrs). A team of staff and volunteers supported 427 beneficiaries in 2024/25 with a wide range of issues. Service users were supported to build their skills and confidence and develop community/peer networks leading to greater resilience, reduced isolation and improved wellbeing.

Our current services include:

1-1 issue advocacy . People with learning disabilities are supported by a trained advocate to solve problems, express opinions and make choices about issues in their life. We are part of the Sussex Advocacy Partnership which delivers community and statutory Care Act advocacy and also advocacy support for learning disabled parents going through child protection proceedings.

Citizen advocacy - People with learning disabilities are partnered with volunteers who provide longer term individual advocacy.

Self-advocacy groups and user led campaigning - We facilitate a number of self-advocacy groups which support members to explore and problem solve themes and issues whilst developing the confidence to speak out, learn new skills have a voice in the provision of local health, social care and mainstream services via close work with the Brighton and Hove Learning Disability Partnership Board. The Learning Disability Voices Network enables people to come together and campaign about the shared issues and positive changes for the wider learning-disabled community.

Transitions advocacy - We support young people with learning disabilities and autism aged 17 - 25 years who are going through transition from childhood to adulthood, through 1:1 advocacy and self-advocacy groups and drop-in sessions.

Weekly drop-in sessions - Drop ins offer a space for people to meet and support each other, access immediate short-term advocacy, information and signposting whilst providing peer support to each other.

Consultation activities. We run a variety of focus groups and interviews around themed consultations in conjunction with the Council in order to design services to meet local needs better. Speak Out's engagement work and partnership with the Council and NHS Sussex enables people with learning disabilities to have a voice and positively influence service development.

Easy read and training. We support people with learning disabilities to become trainers and run learning disability awareness training for a variety of services in order to improve the understanding and support of people locally. We also run Accessible Information Training. Additionally, we support local organisations to create accessible easy read information in order that their information can be understood by their learning-disabled service users.

Page 2

BRIGHTON & HOVE SPEAK OUT

REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES Public benefit

The trustees confirm that they have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit when reviewing the charity's aims and objectives and in the planning of future activities.

Speak Out has many links with council, health, leisure and other services in the city and we use these links to positively influence how they work with the learning disabled community. Through our group work and awareness raising training, we ensure that local services understand the needs and priorities of learning disabled people and have tools to help them work more effectively. Additionally, we work more formally with the council in facilitating the Learning Disability Partnership Board and the NHS in order to make plans for people with learning disabilities locally.

Page 3

BRIGHTON & HOVE SPEAK OUT

REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

ACHIEVEMENT AND PERFORMANCE Achievements and Performance in 2024-25

2024/25 was a year at Speak Out where, alongside our established advocacy services we tried new things. The Speak Out team held some unique events this year which helped to increase numbers of unique beneficiaries to 427 , and overall service beneficiaries to 532 . We completed our yearlong campaign on Housing. We succeeded in raising awareness about housing issues affecting people with learning disabilities in Brighton and Hove. We achieved this through:

We were particularly proud of our Exhibition at Jubilee library, which included art work, narrative, and film where local people with learning disabilities gave a realistic account of what it is like to navigate housing in the city when you have a learning disability.

'Such an important exhibition thankyou to Speak Out for shining a great big spotlight on a huge problem - everyone has the right to a safe home and we should all keep shouting until that happens! Wonderful art work, fantastic film, a great creative campaign well done everyone!'

Over the year we engaged 94 young people with a learning disability aged 17 - 25 through our young people's transition project, includes workshops/events/self-advocacy groups, in partnership with Team Dominica, Amaze, and St Johns College. A group of young self-advocates got very much involved in the housing campaign producing a Graffiti Wall.

In June 24 Speak Out partnered with Grace Eyre to run an accessible Hustings for people with learning disabilities, ahead of the general election. The event was attended by 30 - 40 people with learning disabilities who questioned the main candidates about various issues. Self-Advocates on our Learning Disability Voices Network project organized open advocacy meetings addressing topics such as housing, transport, and benefits/employment. 168 people with learning disabilities came to drop-ins, workshops, and self-advocacy groups/meetings

In July 2024 we held our first ever 'Speak Out East' festival: a day of creative activities at our Speak Out East drop-in, attracting over 30 people with learning disabilities. Speak Out took part in the 2024 Pride Parade, with some of our self-advocates getting involved for the first time, and we started a pilot LGBTQ+ group at the request of regular self-advocates. We also held a successful Speak Out Central drop-in open day where we ensured accessible activities were available for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities.

'coming to Speak Out always makes me feel better'

"Sometimes I feel quite lonely and isolated. I feel very disabled sometimes, and it makes me sad. But it helps coming here".

We continued to chair the Learning Disability Partnership Board. Our Link Group who report to the Board undertook assignments including:

The Thumbs Up team worked with the Royal Sussex County Hospital to review the accessibility of their buildings and processes. During the year they trained approximately 350 health and social care professionals and students directly through Thumbs Up learning disability awareness training, and approximately 150 more through work commissioned by NHS Sussex including work on Tobacco Dependency.

Page 4

BRIGHTON & HOVE SPEAK OUT

REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

During this final year of the Sussex Advocacy Partnership contract with lead provider Powher, Speak Out's Advocates completed 165 cases, assisting 115 people with learning disabilities with complex issues. We look forward to continuing our good track record with the new Advocacy partnership, led by The Advocacy People.

Speak Out had an excellent year delivering training and easy read work. Most notable was our partnership with Sussex Gender service where we produced numerous documents to help people with learning disabilities and other disabilities who may need accessible information when accessing the service. Our team also led training sessions on learning disability awareness, accessible information, advocacy, communication, and self-advocacy: recipients were both people with learning disabilities and those who support them.

Work with our governance board to deliver the charities strategic plan continued and we welcomed Sophie Cook as our new Chair on the Speak Out Board, Sally Jones as our new Treasurer, and Isobel Hope-Urwin and Seth Farsides to our Board, bringing skills, experience and enthusiasm, including campaigning, charity awareness, comms, finance, and life experience. We were sorry to see Jo Carden step down as Chair of the Board. Jo has been a Trustee since 2015 and has led Speak Out's Board for the past five contributing so much to the organisation - especially her wisdom and wealth of charity sector and advocacy knowledge. We thank Jo from the bottom of our hearts and wish her well.

FINANCIAL REVIEW

Financial position

The year ended 31st March 2025 recorded a net expenditure over income deficit of £596, with a £7,770 deficit on unrestricted funds and a surplus of £7,174 on restricted funds. Total reserves now stand at £127,233 of which £102,804 is unrestricted funds and £24,429 restricted funds. Total reserves in 2024 stood at £127,829 of which £110,574 was unrestricted and £17,255 was restricted funds.

Total income for the year ended 31st March 2025 amounted to £330,838 compared to £320,869 in the previous year, an increase of £9,969 from 2024.

Total expenditure for the year ended 31st March 2025 amounted to £331,434 compared to £310,690 in the previous year, an increase of £20,744 from 2024.

Reserves policy

Brighton & Hove Speak Out is committed to using its resources in pursuit of its charitable objectives. It is also committed however to maintaining a level of reserves that is prudent to meet on-going liabilities. In seeking to balance these priorities, the trustees have agreed to hold a level of reserves that equates to 4 months of current expenditure. At, 31 March 2025 there is £102,804 in general unrestricted reserves which equates to 3.8 months of expenditure at 2025/26 levels.

As this is slightly below the level set by our policy, the future financial outlook is to continue to pursue a policy of increasing reserves, both by diversifying income generation and by continuing to effectively manage resources. The trustees are confident they have sufficient reserves for funding forthcoming commitments in the coming year. The board of trustees monitors the level of reserves and takes appropriate action if reserves fall outside the desired range.

FUTURE PLANS

In 2024/25 we aim to secure long term funding for our self-advocacy work in Brighton and Hove, campaign more on issues that affect the lives of people with learning disabilities, and develop self-advocacy work in West Sussex, where there is little or no self-advocacy. We expect to continue to deliver high quality 1:1 advocacy under the new Sussex Advocacy Partnership led by Advocacy People. We will continue to target our funding strategy where there are gaps in services, identified by our members with learning disabilities. Where appropriate and possible, we will work in partnership with other organisations to give people with learning disabilities more opportunities to speak up and be heard.

Page 5

BRIGHTON & HOVE SPEAK OUT

REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT Governing document

The charity is constituted as a company limited by guarantee incorporated on 14 July 1999.

It is governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association.

It gained charitable status on 11 August 1999.

In the event of the company being wound up, members are required to contribute an amount not exceeding £1.

Organisational structure

Brighton & Hove Speak Out is currently governed by a Board of 8 people who are voted in at the AGM. Of the wider board, four people have a learning disability and/or autism. One Trustee resigned in 2024 and 4 new Trustees joined the Board in 2024. The board has two subgroups: Operations (overseeing finance, HR, and strategy), and Comms (overseeing comms, marketing and promotion). The board is advised by people with learning disabilities and Speak Out volunteers via focus groups and workshops and their feedback is incorporated into planning direct project work and longer-term goals. New board members are provided with training to understand their governance role and can attend external training about this.

Speak Out employed 12 permanent staff during 2023/24, two of whom are full time with the remaining working part time. The posts comprised the CEO, the Deputy, and project workers delivering front line advocacy, group work and outreach. One member of staff has a learning disability and other people with learning disabilities were employed on an ad hoc basis to deliver Learning Disability Awareness, Accessibility, and Health Training across the city. Our work was supported by a team of 18 volunteers including trustees.

Decision making

The Charity produces an annually updated 3 year development plan which outlines the project work plans for the year ahead and potential developments for future years. All staff and Board members participate in deciding the priorities for future work and fundraising. User views are influential in this process , supplied by evaluation and individual feedback throughout the year and the views provided by the Advisors Group. Staff make regular work reports to the Governance Board who monitor progress and targets reached throughout the year.

Risk review

The Trustees have conducted their own review of the major risks to which the charity is exposed and systems have been established to mitigate those risks. Internal risks are minimised by the implementation of procedures for authorisation of all transactions and events and by ensuring consistent quality of delivery for all operational aspects of the charity. These procedures are reviewed periodically to ensure that they still meet the needs of the charity.

REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS

Registered Company number

03807112 (England and Wales)

Registered Charity number

1076995

Registered office

The Brighthelm Centre 40 North Road Brighton East Sussex BN1 1YD

Page 6

BRIGHTON & HOVE SPEAK OUT

REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Trustees

Kate Mclachlan (resigned 6.6.25) Rohan Lowe Jo-Anne Carden (resigned 1.8.25) Victoria Goldfield Sophie Cook (Chair) (appointed 20.5.24) Rahul Bhoopal Sarnaik Margaret Wood Nathaniel Lawford Isabel Hope-Urwin (appointed 30.9.24) Seth Farsides (appointed 30.9.24) Sally Jones (appointed 30.9.24)

Independent Examiner

Christopher Robert Tyler FCA DChA FCIE F1 CRT Limited Flat 24 Wellingtonia Court Laine Close Brighton East Sussex BN1 6TD

Bankers CafCash Limited Kings Hill West Malling Kent ME19 4TA

STATEMENT OF TRUSTEES' RESPONSIBILITIES

The trustees (who are also the directors of Brighton & Hove Speak Out for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Report of the Trustees and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

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

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

Approved by order of the board of trustees on 29[th] September 2025 and signed on its behalf by:

Sophie Cook - Trustee

Page 7

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF BRIGHTON & HOVE SPEAK OUT

Independent examiner's report to the trustees of Brighton & Hove Speak Out ('the Company')

I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Company for the year ended 31 March 2025.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity's trustees of the Company (and also its directors for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 ('the 2006 Act').

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

Independent examiner's statement

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Christopher Robert Tyler FCA DChA FCIE

F1 CRT Limited Flat 24 Wellingtonia Court Laine Close Brighton East Sussex BN1 6TD

Date: 4[th] October 2025

Page 8

BRIGHTON & HOVE SPEAK OUT

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES (INCORPORATING AN INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Unrestricted
funds
Notes
£
INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM
Donations and legacies
2
7,264
Charitable activities
4
Grants
39,790
Other income
5,000
Sales
17,009
Contracts
-
Investment income
3
982
Total
70,045
EXPENDITURE ON
Raising funds
5
2,488
Charitable activities
6
Charitable activities
75,327
Total
77,815
NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE)
(7,770)
RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS
Total funds brought forward
110,574
TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD
102,804		 Restricted
funds
£
-
172,741
-
-
88,052
-
260,793
-
253,619
253,619
7,174
17,255
24,429		 2025
Total
funds
£
7,264
212,531
5,000
17,009
88,052
982
330,838
2,488
328,946
331,434
(596)
127,829
127,233		 2024
Total
funds
£
3,825
227,717
5,000
11,016
72,353
958
320,869
3,566
307,124
310,690
10,179
117,650
127,829

The notes form part of these financial statements

Page 9

BRIGHTON & HOVE SPEAK OUT

BALANCE SHEET 31 MARCH 2025

Unrestricted
funds
Notes
£
CURRENT ASSETS
Debtors
13
20,759
Cash at bank and in hand
88,215
108,974
CREDITORS
Amounts falling due within one year
14
(6,170)
NET CURRENT ASSETS
102,804
TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT
LIABILITIES
102,804
NET ASSETS
102,804
FUNDS
15
Unrestricted funds
Restricted funds
TOTAL FUNDS		 Restricted
funds
£
-
24,429
24,429
-
24,429
24,429
24,429		 2025
Total
funds
£
20,759
112,644
133,403
(6,170)
127,233
127,233
127,233
102,804
24,429
127,233		 2024
Total
funds
£
9,103
130,010
139,113
(11,284)
127,829
127,829
127,829
110,574
17,255
127,829

The charitable company is entitled to exemption from audit under Section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 for the year ended 31 March 2025.

The members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025 in accordance with Section 476 of the Companies Act 2006.

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to charitable companies subject to the small companies regime.

The financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees and authorised for issue on 29[th] September 2025 and were signed on its behalf by:

Sophie Cook - Trustee

The notes form part of these financial statements

Page 10

BRIGHTON & HOVE SPEAK OUT

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Basis of preparing the financial statements

The financial statements of the charitable company, which is a public benefit entity under FRS102, have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS102) 'Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS102) (effective 1 January 2019)', Financial Reporting Standard FRS102 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland' and the Companies Act 2006. The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention.

The accounts are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the charity. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.

The trustees/directors consider that there are no material uncertainties about the company's ability to continue as a going concern.

Income

Income is recognised when the charity has entitlement to the funds , any performance conditions attached to the item(s) of income have been met , it is probable that the income will be received and 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.

Incoming resources from charitable activities are recognised on an earned basis in the year in which the conditions for receipt are met.

Expenditure

Expenditure is recognised in the period in which it is incurred.

Expenditure on grants is recorded once the Charity has made an unconditional commitment to pay the grant and this has been communicated to the beneficiary or the grant has been paid , whichever is the earlier.

Expenditure is allocated to the particular activity where the cost relates directly to that activity. Support costs include central functions and have been allocated to activity cost categories on the basis consistent with the use of resources. Allocations are predominantly based on usage and staff time expended.

Tangible fixed assets

Depreciation is provided at rates calculated to write off the cost of each asset over its expected useful life , or where specifically for a project , over the life of the project. The company has a minimum value of £750 for capitalisation of fixed assets.

Depreciation policy applied:

Equipment - over 2 years on a straight line basis.

Taxation

The charity is considered to pass the tests set out in Paragraph 1 Schedule 6 Finance Act 2010 and therefore it meets the definition of a charitable company for UK Corporation Tax purposes. Accordingly the charity is potentially exempt from taxation in respect of income or capital gains received within categories covered by Chapter 3 Part 11 Corporation Tax Act 2010 or Section 256 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992 , to the extent that such income or gains are applied exclusively to charitable purposes.

Fund accounting

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

Restricted funds can only be used for particular restricted purposes within the objects of the charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes.

continued...

Page 11

BRIGHTON & HOVE SPEAK OUT

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - continued FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES - continued

Fund accounting

Further explanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is included in the notes to the financial statements.

Operating leases

Rentals payable under operating leases are charged on a straight line basis over the terms of the lease.

2. DONATIONS AND LEGACIES

Donations
3.
INVESTMENT INCOME
Deposit account interest
4.
INCOME FROM CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
Activity
Grants
Grants
Online filing incentive
Other income
Contracts
Sales
Contracts
Contracts
Grants received, included in the above, are as follows:
Access to Work
Bailey Thomas
Brighton and Hove City Council
Chalk Cliff Trust
East Brighton Trust
Ernest Kleinwort Charitable Trust
The February Foundation
Garfield Weston
Henry Smith Trust
Independent Lives
NHS Sussex ICB
The Open University - Social History Group
Postcode Society Trust
Rozinoor Foundation
Sussex Community Foundation
Trust for Developing Communities		 2025
£
7,262
2025
£
982
2025
£
212,531
5,000
17,009
88,056
322,596
2025
£
5,586
10,000
65,495
2,000
750
6,000
-
10,000
108,500
3,200
-
-
-
1,000
-
-
212,531		 2024
£
3,825
2024
£
958
2024
£
227,717
5,000
11,016
72,353
316,086
2024
£
-
-
64,322
-
-
-
5,000
10,000
89,100
-
27,395
2,400
25,000
-
750
3,750
227,717

continued...

Page 12

BRIGHTON & HOVE SPEAK OUT

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - continued

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

5. RAISING FUNDS

Raising donations and legacies

Raising funds
6.
CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES COSTS
Charitable activities
7.
DIRECT COSTS OF CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
Project costs
Staff costs
Premises and office costs
Professional costs
Governance costs
8.
NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE)
Net income/(expenditure) is stated after charging/(crediting):
Independent examiner's fee		 2025
2024
£
£
2,488
3,566
Direct
Costs (see
note 7)
£
328,946
2025
2024
£
£
30,333
28,042
253,847
231,330
30,864
28,889
10,544
14,403
3,358
4,460
328,946
307,124
2025
2024
£
£
1,000
1,000

9. TRUSTEES' REMUNERATION AND BENEFITS

There were no trustees' remuneration or other benefits for the year ended 31 March 2025 nor for the year ended 31 March 2024.

Trustees' expenses

Two trustees were reimbursed travel expenses of £21 (2024 : £9).

continued...

Page 13

BRIGHTON & HOVE SPEAK OUT

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - continued FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

10. STAFF COSTS

Staff costs were as follows:

Salaries
Social security costs
Pension costs

Other staff costs

Average number of employees		 2025
£
219,032
16,662
4,579

240,273
13,574

253,847
7		 2024
£
202,776
14,734
3,663

221,173
10,157

231,330

7

No employee received emoluments in excess of £60,000 (2024 : none).

Brighton & Hove Speak Out considers that the key management personnel comprise the Board of Trustees and the Director. The total employee benefits of the key management personnel of the charity were £41,215 (2024 : £37,977).

11. COMPARATIVES FOR THE STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES (2024)

Unrestricted
funds
£
INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM
Donations and legacies
3,823
Charitable activities
Grants
55,305
Other income
5,000
Sales
11,016
Contracts
-
Investment income
958
Total
76,102
EXPENDITURE ON
Raising funds
3,566
Charitable activities
Charitable activities
61,243
Total
64,809
NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE)
11,293
RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS
Total funds brought forward
99,280
TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD
110,573		 Restricted
funds
£
2
172,412
-
-
72,353
-
244,767
-
245,881
245,881
(1,114)
18,370
17,256		 Total
funds
£
3,825
227,717
5,000
11,016
72,353
958
320,869
3,566
307,124
310,690
10,179
117,650
127,829

continued...

Page 14

BRIGHTON & HOVE SPEAK OUT

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - continued FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

12.
TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS
COST
At 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025
DEPRECIATION
At 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025
NET BOOK VALUE
At 31 March 2025
At 31 March 2024
13.
DEBTORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR
Other debtors
Rent deposit
Prepayments and accrued income
14.
CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR
Trade creditors
Social security and other taxes
Accruals		 Office
equipment
£
870
870
-
-
2025
2024
£
£
18,896
7,246
1,000
1,000
863
857
20,759
9,103
2025
2024
£
£
1,179
6,796
3,991
3,488
1,000
1,000
6,170
11,284

Page 15

continued...

BRIGHTON & HOVE SPEAK OUT

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - continued FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

15. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS

Unrestricted funds
General fund
Designated fund - towards website
development and extra core staffing
support around marketing.
Restricted funds
Brighton and Hove City Council -
Advocacy
Brighton and Hove City Council - Speak
Out East
Cardiovascular Disease Prevention
Henry Smith Trust - LDVN
Henry Smith Trust - Transitions
Hydration
West Sussex Self Advocacy
TOTAL FUNDS
Net movement in funds, included in the above are
Unrestricted funds
General fund
Restricted funds
Brighton and Hove City Council -
Advocacy
Brighton and Hove City Council -
Engagement
Brighton and Hove City Council - Speak
Out East
Cardiovascular Disease Prevention
Henry Smith Trust - LDVN
Henry Smith Trust - Transitions
Housing Campaign Project
Hydration
NHS Sussex - Tobacco Dependency
Resource Project
West Sussex Self Advocacy
TOTAL FUNDS		 At 1.4.24
£
102,301
8,273
110,574
-
519
3,011
13,095
630
-
-
17,255
127,829
as follows:		 Net
movement
in funds
£
(7,770)
-
(7,770)
1,299
(519)
(3,011)
(3,112)
18
4,999
7,500
7,174
(596)
Incoming
resources
£
70,045
72,353
38,722
13,290
-
59,899
48,600
2,750
4,999
9,980
10,200
260,793
330,838		 Transfers
between
At
funds
31.3.25
£
£
8,273
102,804
(8,273)
-
-
102,804
-
1,299
-
-
-
-
-
9,983
-
648
-
4,999
-
7,500
-
24,429
-
127,233
Resources
Movement
expended
in funds
£
£
(77,815)
(7,770)
(71,054)
1,299
(38,722)
-
(13,809)
(519)
(3,011)
(3,011)
(63,011)
(3,112)
(48,582)
18
(2,750)
-
-
4,999
(9,980)
-
(2,700)
7,500
(253,619)
7,174
(331,434)
(596)

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continued...

BRIGHTON & HOVE SPEAK OUT

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - continued FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

15. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS - continued

Comparatives for movement in funds

Net
movement
At 1.4.23
in funds
£
£
Unrestricted funds
General fund
99,280
11,294
Designated fund - towards website
development and extra core staffing
support around marketing.
-
-
99,280
11,294
Restricted funds
Brighton and Hove City Council - Speak
Out East
-
519
Cardiovascular Disease Prevention
-
3,011
Henry Smith Trust - LDVN
18,370
(5,275)
Henry Smith Trust - Transitions
-
630
18,370
(1,115)
TOTAL FUNDS
117,650
10,179
Comparative net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows:
Incoming
resources
£
Unrestricted funds
General fund
76,102
Restricted funds
Archive Project
2,400
Brighton and Hove City Council -
Advocacy
72,354
Brighton and Hove City Council -
Engagement
38,000
Brighton and Hove City Council - Speak
Out East
15,517
Cardiovascular Disease Prevention
27,395
Henry Smith Trust - LDVN
59,401
Henry Smith Trust - Transitions
29,700
244,767
TOTAL FUNDS
320,869		 Transfers
between
At
funds
31.3.24
£
£
(8,273)
102,301
8,273
8,273
-
110,574
-
519
-
3,011
-
13,095
-
630
-
17,255
-
127,829
Resources
Movement
expended
in funds
£
£
(64,808)
11,294
(2,400)
-
(72,354)
-
(38,000)
-
(14,998)
519
(24,384)
3,011
(64,676)
(5,275)
(29,070)
630
(245,882)
(1,115)
(310,690)
10,179

The purpose of each restricted funding was as follows:

Learning Disability Voices Network (LDVN)

The LDVN is funded by The Henry Smith Charity, ir is a user led project which brings together people with learning disabilities to have a strong collective voice in order to address issues they face and bring about positive change for themselves and the wider community. The project supports a range of activities including group work, drop ins and other events.

continued...

Page 17

BRIGHTON & HOVE SPEAK OUT

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - continued FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

15. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS - continued

Transitions

The Henry Smith Foundation funds this project providing a range of advocacy support, including groups and one to one advocacy for young people aged 17 - 25 going through the transition from children to adults’ services and resulting in greater independence.

Speak Out East

Brighton & Hove City Council (BHCC) funds Speak Out East —The council fund Speak Out East, a drop in based in East Brighton which brings together people with learning disabilities and volunteers on a weekly basis and supports people with learning disabilities to link in with the local community. I believe the funding ran out end of April, so correct for this period. They are now funding for another year through the Community Catalyst Fund.

Engagement

Brighton & Hove City Council funds engagement work with people with learning disabilities through self-advocacy and focus groups, including the Link Group and Thumbs Up. It also funds Speak Out to lead the Learning Disability Partnership Board in the city. This work is part of a citywide engagement and community development partnership which is led by another local charity, The Trust for Developing Communities.

Cardiovascular Disease Prevention (CVDP)

Funded by NHS Sussex this project focusses on Improving access to cardiovascular disease prevention (CVDP) and management for those with a learning disability and autistic people. Delivery of co-produced short films, training and easy read resources.

Tobacco Dependency Resource project

Funded by NHS Sussex this project followed on from funding for the cardiovascular disease prevention work: focussing on tobacco dependency.

West Sussex Self Advocacy

Funded by Independent Lives and the Ernest Kleinwort Trust the project supports people with learning disabilities in West Sussex to have a voice and be heard.

Housing Campaign Project

Funded by the Chalk Cliff Trust and East Brighton Trust. This campaign focusses on gaining a better understanding of experiences of local people with leaning disabilities and their housing needs through participation in art projects supporting the campaign.

16. RELATED PARTY DISCLOSURES

There were no related party transactions for the year ended 31 March 2025.

17. COMMITMENTS UNDER OPERATING LEASES

At 31 March 2025 , the charity had the following commitments under non-cancellable operating leases , payable as follows:

Premises
Payments due:
Within one year
Between two and five years		 2025
£
19,310
-
19,310		 2024
£
18,390
-
18,390

The lease for the office premises at Brighthelm Church and Community Centre , North Road , Brighton, BN1 1YD is on a rolling contract since 1st September 2020.

Page 18

BRIGHTON & HOVE SPEAK OUT

DETAILED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS
Donations and legacies
Donations
Investment income
Deposit account interest
Charitable activities
Contracts
Online filing incentive
Grants
Total incoming resources
EXPENDITURE
Raising donations and legacies
Raising funds
Charitable activities
Project costs
Staff costs
Premises and office costs
Professional costs
Governance costs
Total resources expended
Net (expenditure)/income		 2025
£
7,262
982
105,063
5,000
212,531
322,594
330,838
2,488
30,333
253,847
30,864
10,544
3,358
328,946
331,434
(596)		 2024
£
3,825
958
83,369
5,000
227,717
316,086
320,869
3,566
28,042
231,330
28,889
14,403
4,460
307,124
310,690
10,179

This page does not form part of the statutory financial statements

Page 19