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← Richmond Citizens Advice Bureaux Service

2025-03-31-accounts

REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 04140012 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1085878

REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES AND

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

FOR

RICHMOND CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAUX SERVICE (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

Hartley Fowler LLP Chartered Accountants 4th Floor Tuition House 27-37 St George's Road Wimbledon London SW19 4EU

RICHMOND CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAUX SERVICE CONTENTS OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

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Page
Report of the Trustees 1 to 8
Independent Examiner's Report 9
Statement of Financial Activities 10
Statement of Financial Position 11
Statement of Cash Flows 12
Notes to the Statement of Cash Flows 13
Notes to the Financial Statements 14 to 24
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RICHMOND CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAUX SERVICE (REGISTERED NUMBER: 04140012)

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 financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Companies Act 2006, the Articles of Association and 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).

The organisation operates as Citizens Advice Richmond (CAR) though the company name remains Richmond Citizens Advice Bureaux Service.

In this report the national Citizens Advice charity is referred to as Citizens Advice and the Council of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames is referred to as Richmond Council.

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

The Articles of Association of CAR state that the charity's objects are to promote any charitable purpose for the public benefit by the advancement of education, the protection and preservation of health and the relief of poverty, sickness and distress in particular, but without limitation, for the benefit of the community in and around the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and surrounding areas.

The key strategic objectives for the next three years are set out in the Strategic Business and Development Plan 2025-28 ("Plan"), along with an accompanying work plan. The Plan was developed from a planning meeting held in January 2025, attended by staff, volunteers and trustees. The draft Plan was consulted on with each of these groups and was approved by the trustees in July 2025. Progress towards the targets in the associated work plan are monitored quarterly by the trustee board. A new plan for 2026-29 will be developed in early 2026.

Our Aim:

The Citizens Advice service helps people resolve their legal, money and other problems by providing information and advice, and by influencing policymakers.

Statement of purpose:

Citizens Advice Richmond is a charity that empowers people to resolve their problems and changes their lives for the better. We do this on a free and impartial basis by:

Our Values:

To underpin our strategy and plans, trustees, staff and volunteers will always seek to:

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RICHMOND CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAUX SERVICE (REGISTERED NUMBER: 04140012)

REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Our Objectives:

Our vision for Citizens Advice Richmond involves working towards five key strategic priorities:

  1. Access to advice - we will prioritise advice to those who need it most and help people via the most appropriate channel; we will provide strategic leadership to the local advice sector

  2. Influence - we will be more influential and speak out on behalf of local residents, working with statutory and voluntary organisations to identify the source of peoples' problems and campaign for improvements in policy and practice at local and national level

  3. Sustainability - we will diversify our funding base by developing new sources of funding alongside efficiency gains where possible to ensure our sustainability

  4. Partners - we will develop effective partnerships to deliver cost effective services, focusing on the needs of disadvantaged people and communities and to share best practice

  5. Volunteers - we will attract a broad range of new volunteers and offer them more flexible opportunities.

Public benefit

How our activities deliver public benefit:

During the year, CAR provided advice to clients across the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames by phone, email and in person. We have offices at Hampton, Hampton Hill, Barnes and Sheen and delivered outreach advice services at the Whitehouse Community Centre, the Vineyard, Whitton Library, Ham Library and Etna Centre.

Staff and volunteers

As of the end of March 2025, CAR had a total of 19 paid staff; 11 of whom were part-time. The charity continues to benefit from the contribution of a large body of around 70 local volunteers who provide the advice service to the public or support the charity's administration. Volunteer advisers work an average of one day per week and it takes about twelve months for them to be fully trained to the exacting standard which is required. Over the course of the reporting period, a total of 26 new volunteers were recruited and trained (33 the previous year). It is estimated that our volunteers contributed over 26,950 person hours overall, throughout the year. The trustees who are all volunteers themselves, wish to express their gratitude to all our volunteers for their support and dedication.

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RICHMOND CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAUX SERVICE (REGISTERED NUMBER: 04140012)

REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

Over the year 2024-2025, 6,508 individual clients were provided with advice and information (2023-2024: 6,010). We continue to see many clients who have complex, multiple and interlinked problems. Advisers dealt with a total of 25,252 separate issues on their behalf (2023-2024: 17,495). The impact of the cost-of-living crisis on household expenditure and ability to pay for essentials such as fuel and food, has driven demand for our services.

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2024-25 2023-24
Main Enquiry Areas % %
Welfare Benefits including Universal Credit 44 34
Debt 12 10
Housing 18 16
Financial services & capability 5 3
Employment 4 3
Relationships & Family 3 3
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15% of our work involved supporting residents with charitable support and foodbank vouchers.

Advisers secured financial gains of £2,175,902 for our clients (2023-2024: £2,142,084) through debt write-off and receipt of benefits or other entitlements. This is a significant contribution not only to individuals and households, but also to the broader local economy. 53% of clients stated that they had a disability or chronic illness (2023-2024: 47%) and 34% were from black and minority ethnic groups (2023-2024: 32%).

During the year, staff and volunteers continued to provide quality information and advisory services by telephone advice, written and email correspondence, in person and at outreach services at community centres across the borough. We continued our direct referral service for partner organisations to refer clients to us and to upload relevant documents.

Citizens Advice carries out an independent survey, by email or text, of all clients who consent to be contacted. The results below are cumulative for the 12 months, April 2024 - March 2025. The number of CAR clients who responded was 332.

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|||| |---|---|---| |Positive or very positive|National| |response rate for CAR|Average| |Question|clients| |How easy or difficult did you find it to access the service?|72%|75%| |To what extent did the service help you find a way forward?|89%|85%| |To what extent is your problem now resolved?|77%|76%| |How likely would you be to recommend this service?|87%|86%|

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CAR supported clients in a range of ways; from listening and giving information, providing generalist and specialist advice and through negotiating with third parties. Where appropriate, clients were referred to other agencies, to statutory bodies, or to local legal firms. The service offers specialist advice in family law, immigration, and housing provided by legal professionals, where advice is given on a pro-bono basis.

Our Manage Your Money (MYM) team delivered appointments to 176 clients and carried out workshops for 46 people. We were involved in distributing the Household Support Fund on behalf of Richmond Council and supported 449 households and distributed £158,000.

Research and campaigns are an important aspect of our work. Advisers submitted a total of 374 evidence forms (EFs) for the whole of 2024-2025. The team's main focus during the year was on the following campaigns:

The Team is working closely with local organisations, including Richmond Council (particularly on housing issues), local MPs, RHP and PA Housing.

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RICHMOND CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAUX SERVICE (REGISTERED NUMBER: 04140012)

REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

FINANCIAL REVIEW

For 2024-25, the main source of funding was a contract with Richmond Council to deliver a generalist advice services in the borough. This contract originally began in August 2013 and has been extended on a number of occasions since. The latest extension runs to March 2026. In 2024/25, this contract comprised about 38% (2023/24: 41%) of total income; ongoing support from three local trusts comprised 19% (2023/24: 21%) of total income.

As ever, diversifying our funding base will remain challenging and we will continue to operate in a financially finely-balanced and constrained environment. Continued support from local trusts cannot be guaranteed and securing new funding sources will continue to be difficult as we operate in what is perceived to be a prosperous borough.

Outcome for the year

For the year ended 31 March 2025, CAR had a net excess of income over expenditure of £68,443 (2024: £34,567) all of which represented an increase in unrestricted funds (2024: increase £34,567). Cash at the end of the year stood at £449,114 (31 March 2024: £417,623).

Reserves

Reserves at 31 March 2025 stood at £459,591 (2024: £391,148) of which £453,196 (2024: £384,753) were unrestricted funds and the remainder restricted.

CAR requires unrestricted funds in the period ahead to:

a. provide working capital to cover day to day fluctuations in income and expenditure, including those for separately funded projects, which may have different financial accounting periods and different timetables for grant or contract instalments, sometimes in advance, sometimes in arrears;

b. meet, in the short term, either unexpected expenses or income shortfalls;

c.(when applicable) cover the costs of creation of fixed assets.

The board reviews this policy on an annual basis and in 2025 the board has approved the policy to have free reserves of 3 months of the annual budgeted operating expenditure of the organisation plus a contingency of £30k. The trustees consequently estimate that the amount of reserves required to address the above requirements is between £230,000 and £240,000. The unrestricted reserves of the charity at 31 March 2025 stood at £453,196.

Going concern

The trustees have considered CAR cash flow forecast for the period ahead. Provided that the advice contract with Richmond Council is extended in 2026 at a funding level above that of the funding level in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the trustees believe that the charity has a reasonable expectation of having sufficient resources to continue in operation for the foreseeable future. Accordingly, the trustees continue to adopt the going concern basis in the preparation of the accounts.

Principal risks and uncertainties

Principal Risks

Risk Management

LBRuT funding reduces from 2026

Ensure all performance targets met; promote service impact

Rental liabilities likely to increase with the move to the Civic Centre in 2026

Maintain contingency in financial planning and forecasting.Work with LBRuT to explore Civic Centre presence to reduce rental liability.

Loss of funding and increased demand for services due to cost of living crisis

Regular liaison with funders; maintain relationship with CA bid team re support around commissioning; develop services that funders want to see eg. In person provisio or clients

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RICHMOND CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAUX SERVICE (REGISTERED NUMBER: 04140012)

REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS

During 2025-2026, CAR will work on implementing our work-plan for the year to deliver on our five key strategic objectives, set out in the business and development plan and to plan how our services can support residents with the cost-of-living crisis. The work plan is updated quarterly, and progress is reported to trustees at board meetings.

CAR will continue to work towards meeting the contractual targets in the generalist advice services contract with Richmond Council. It is hoped that meeting and exceeding these targets will help to influence the council's decision to commission the service from 2026. The charity will continue to promote the value of its work to members of the council, other funders and the public.

Quality will remain central to service planning; through ongoing structured training programmes and through audit. CAR will continue with Citizens Advice's performance quality framework, by carrying out regular quality of advice assessments, overseen by Citizens Advice quality auditors.

Research and campaigns will remain an extremely important aspect of the charity's work. In the year ahead CAR will continue to participate proactively in national Citizens Advice campaigns, as well as actively working with statutory bodies, MPs, and others in the borough to tackle local issues and to feed back on the impact on clients of welfare benefit reforms and other policies and practices. The team works to an annual development plan and the work is overseen by a steering group, comprising staff, volunteers and the lead trustee and chaired by the CEO, that meets quarterly.

CAR continues to recruit and train new volunteers to maintain current levels of service and respond to demand for advice. It will continue to develop new and innovative projects that respond to identified local advice needs.

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RICHMOND CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAUX SERVICE (REGISTERED NUMBER: 04140012)

REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

Governing document

Richmond Citizens Advice Bureaux Service is a company limited by guarantee and is a registered charity. It is governed by its Articles of Association.

Recruitment and appointment of new trustees

The directors of the charitable company ('the charity') are its trustees for the purpose of charity law and throughout this report are collectively referred to as the trustees. Trustees are elected to the board by members of the charity at the annual general meeting. One third of the elected trustees are required to retire by rotation at each annual general meeting. The chair of trustees is elected by the board. The trustees who acted during the year under review are listed on page 7, none of whom has any beneficial interest in the company. Ben Salama is the chair of the board of trustees.

Organisational structure and decision making

CAR is governed by its trustee board which is responsible for setting the strategic direction of the organisation and the policy of the charity. The trustees carry the ultimate responsibility for the conduct of the charity and for ensuring that it satisfies its legal and contractual obligations. The trustee board meets at least quarterly and there are additional meetings of appropriate members or groups as required. The day-to-day operation of the organisation has been delegated to the Chief Executive Officer, who is also the Company Secretary. In addition, there is an experienced team of paid staff and a substantial team of volunteers who are key to the service offered by the charity.

Decisions are made by the trustee board, in line with the strategic business and development plan which is translated into annual operational plans and reported against to the board. There are regular staff meetings and senior management team meetings which ensure that progress is being made against targets and also enable early troubleshooting when problems arise.

Induction and training of new trustees

New trustees are elected at the annual general meeting or are co-opted during the course of the year. They are given an induction pack of literature which confirms their role and responsibilities, and they also undergo an induction programme in the bureau and may attend briefing sessions run by Citizens Advice.

Key management remuneration

The pay of the Senior Management Team and staff is reviewed annually by the HR and Finance sub-committees, in line with both market conditions and affordability for the charity, and a proposal is submitted to the board for their approval.

Wider network

CAR is a member of the national Citizens Advice service, and the national charity sets and monitors standards for advice, policies, procedures and supports local Citizens Advice with an information system, training and other services. Operating policies are independently determined by the trustee board of CAR to fulfil its charitable objectives and comply with the national membership requirements.

Related parties

The charity cooperates and liaises with other advisory services, local charities and council departments on behalf of clients. Where one of the trustees is also involved with another relevant organisation, they may be involved in discussions about it but not in any decision-making process.

Risk management

The trustees recognise that any major risks to which the charity is exposed need to be reviewed and systems put in place to mitigate those risks. A risk mitigation exercise is part of our longer-term strategic planning and our annual operational review and planning. Our internal policies and procedures are consolidated within the 'Guide to CAR', which is published on our Intranet and accessible to all paid staff, volunteers, and trustees. The Guide references the full suite of organisational policies, which are also available on the Intranet and align with Citizens Advice national guidelines. All documentation is reviewed in line with the policy approval schedule.

Information assurance

The Citizens Advice Richmond trustee board oversees the information security of all personal information of our clients, staff, funders and strategic partners that is processed. The vast majority of our client data is stored in Casebook, a case management system. Citizens Advice Richmond holds joint responsibility for client data held in Casebook with the national Citizens Advice Service. An information assurance management team exists to ensure that the confidentiality, integrity and availability of all personal and sensitive data is maintained to a level which is compliant with the requirements of the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act.

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RICHMOND CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAUX SERVICE (REGISTERED NUMBER: 04140012)

REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS Registered Company number

04140012 (England and Wales)

Registered Charity number

1085878

Registered office

94-102 High Street Hampton Hill Hampton TW12 1NY

Trustees

Ben Salama - Chair (appointed 2/6/25, appointed Chair 16/7/25) Guy Eastaugh - Treasurer (appointed 11/4/24) Tom Hetherington Farah Rachlin (Chair to 16/7/25) Wendy Barker Roger Hillyer Owain Griffiths John Wheatle Rakhi Govil Annie Carpenter Nigel Brown Jane Nicholls (appointed 25/11/24) Lollie Tickey (resigned 1/9/24) Sarah Hynes (resigned 4/8/24)

Company Secretary and Chief Executive Officer

Lorna Reid

Independent Examiner

Jonathan Askew FCA Hartley Fowler LLP Chartered Accountants 4th Floor Tuition House 27-37 St George's Road Wimbledon London SW19 4EU

Principal Bankers

Charities Aid Foundation Bank Ltd 25 Kings Hill Avenue West Malling Kent ME19 4JQ

Name

The registered name of the charity is Richmond Citizens Advice Bureaux Service but we operate under the name of Citizens Advice Richmond, following a rebranding process as required by the Citizens Advice membership scheme.

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RICHMOND cfnzEPIS ADVI￿ BUREAUX SERVI￿ (REGZSTERED NIIMBEL. 04140012) REPORT OF THE TRusfEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARQI 2025 The trus (who are akn the dirthrs of at1z￿5 kn ￿reauX Ser¥kn for the company law) are restK)nssble for p￿pariThJ the Rekmxt of the Trustees aKI ￿ flnancial stat&1￿￿ In acconjan￿ wlth applicable law and Unlted cl￿npanY law ￿UireS the In&ees to I￿a￿la1 &aternents fina￿jaI year whith ￿ a and fdw vlew of the stste of affalrs of charltaNe c(xYyany and of the trK(xning resou￿ arnl a￿katkn) of re9)Ur￿ Ind￿lIng the inc(¥ne and obseNe the m&hods and prindps In the Charty S(NiP; . prepare tre finandal statewts on the g)INJ ba unkn to ttt the dwrliatk ctmnpany WUI ￿ntInue In I￿SIr*S￿ flnandal tstbn of the chafftable cyjnpany arKI to enai4e them to enswre that financial ststanents ccffipty wlth the Companles Act 2006. Tly are alxl reSt￿s[ble for safeguardlng the assets of the ttbaritsile ayn￿?nY and for tskn'ng Th15 report has preparoj In aca￿d￿ wlth the s￿la1 of Part 15 rf the cryWan￿ 20(￿ rdatlng to gnall comp3nFe& Approval ol the tx)ard rf truths ￿ 17 2025 and * (x) As behaw by:

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORTTO THE TRUSTEES OF RICHMOND CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAUX SERVICE Independent examiner's report to the trustees of Richmond Cbtizens Advice Bureaux Service ('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 Companie5 Att 2006 ('the 2006 Act,). Hawng 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 examinab'on of your charity's accounts as carried out under Section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 ('the 2011 Att,). In carrying out my examinats'on I have followed the Direttions given by the Charity Commission under Settion 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 l am qualified to undertake the examinatlon 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 examlnation. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connectlon with the examinatlon giving me cause to belleve., accounting record5 were not kept in respect of the Company as ￿qUired by Sectlon 386 of the 2006 Act; or the accounts do not accord with those records; or the accounts do not comply with the accounting requirements of Sertlon 396 of the 2006 Att 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 the accounts have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charitie5 (applicable to charities p￿parIng their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)). I have no COn￿rnS and have come across no other matters In connection wlth the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Jonathan Askew Hartley Fowler LLP Chartered Accountsnts 4th FIc￿r Tuition House 27-37 st George's Road Wimbledon London SW19 4EU 18 September 2025

RICHMOND CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAUX SERVICE

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

Unrestricted
funds
Notes
£
INCOME FROM
Donations
3
1,502
Charitable activities
6
General Advice
451,790
Other trading activities
4
3,006
Investment income
5
9,553
Total
465,851
EXPENDITURE ON
Charitable activities
7
General Advice
345,661
NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE)
120,190
Transfers between funds
20
(51,747)
Net movement in funds
68,443
RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS
Total funds brought forward
384,753
TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD
453,196		 Restricted
funds
£
-
318,898
-
-
318,898
370,645
(51,747)
51,747
-
6,395
6,395		 2025
Total
funds
£
1,502
770,688
3,006
9,553
784,749
716,306
68,443
-
68,443
391,148
459,591		 2024
Total
funds
£
2,332
694,318
152
6,584
703,386
668,819
34,567
-
34,567
356,581
391,148

CONTINUING OPERATIONS

All income and expenditure has arisen from continuing activities.

The notes form part of these financial statements

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RICHMOND CMZENS ADVI1% BUREAUX SERVE￿ (REGISTERED t4UMBEK. 04140012) STATEMENT OF FINANCXAL posrrIoM 31 MARCH 2025 2025 2024 Tarvjible assets 15 4,287 Debtors Cath at bank 16 165,703 449,114 417,623 614,817 507,428 Amounts fallng due wlthln pr 17 (155,226) (120,567) NEr aiRRENf ASSErs 459,591 386,861 459.591 391,148 459,591 391,148 FUNDS Unrestrfcted furKIs Restrlcted funds 20 453,196 6,395 384,753 6,395 TOTAL FUNDS 459,591 391,148 The tharliable oxnpany ts entthd to eXa)ty￿ frcffi a￿lIt under Sectlon 477 of Companles Art 2(K for the year end 31 March 2025. The manbers have IKrt reqUIr￿ the axnpany to otkaln an of Its knarK￿ stateffi￿ tr the ￿7r erthj 31 March 2025 In accordance wth Se(tlon 476 of the COMP￿ kt 2￿￿. (a) ensurlng that the charliaile c(xnpany keeps acC￿ty recttds that oJ)Wy lth Se(Ik)ns 3￿ aml 387 of the c￿lanIeS £t 2006 and preparlng finatKlal Statut￿ whlth glve a tn￿ arnl fdtr of the *3te of affalrs of ￿ charltable ojmpany as at the end of each flnanclal year and of Its surpkns or for financial yEar In acrordano with the r￿uIreMents of Sectk)ns 394 and 395 arNJ vthkh (ther￿ oyth wlth tre ra]Utr￿M￿ of the Cwies kt 2(MJ6 rdatlng to flnanclal (b) tre gnall c￿1panIeS reglme. The finanoal daten￿ts apwcv&J 8(￿d rf Tntstees arnl a¢rttrKMl 17 Septats 2025 and were ned on Its tehdf ty: Salama - Trustee -li-

RICHMOND CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAUX SERVICE

STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Notes
Cash flows from operating activities
Cash generated from operations
1
Net cash provided by operating activities
Cash flows from investing activities
Interest received
Net cash provided by investing activities
Change in cash and cash equivalents in
the reporting period
Cash and cash equivalents at the
beginning of the reporting period
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of
the reporting period		 2025
£
21,938
21,938
9,553
9,553
31,491
417,623
449,114		 2024
£
34,255
34,255
6,584
6,584
40,839
376,784
417,623

The notes form part of these financial statements

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RICHMOND CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAUX SERVICE NOTES TO THE STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

1.
RECONCILIATION OF NET INCOME TO NET CASH FLOW FROM OPERATING
Net income for the reporting period (as per the Statement of Financial
Activities)
Adjustments for:
Depreciation charges
Interest received
Increase in debtors
Increase in creditors		 ACTIVITIES
2025
£
68,443
4,287
(9,553)
(75,898)
34,659		 2024
£
34,567
6,468
(6,584)
(24,294)
24,098
Net cash provided by operations 21,938 34,255
2.
ANALYSIS OF CHANGES IN NET FUNDS
At 1/4/24
£
Net cash
Cash at bank
417,623		 Cash flow
£
31,491		 At 31/3/25
£
449,114
417,623 31,491 449,114
Total
417,623		 31,491 449,114

The notes form part of these financial statements

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RICHMOND CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAUX SERVICE NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

1. GENERAL INFORMATION

The charitable company is incorporated and domiciled in England and Wales. The address of its registered office is 94-102 High Street, Hampton Hill, Hampton, TW12 1NY. The registered number of the company is 04140012. The registered number of the charity is 1085878.

The financial information presented is for the year ended 31 March 2025 and 31 March 2024. The financial information is presented in sterling.

2. ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Basis of preparing the financial statements

The financial statements of the charitable company, which is a public benefit entity under FRS 102, have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) '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)', Financial Reporting Standard 102 '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.

a) Going concern basis

The "Reserves Policy and Going Concern" section of the trustees' report sets out various considerations relative to the going concern position of the charity and explains why the trustees continue to adopt the going concern basis in the preparation of these financial statements.

b) Significant judgements and estimates

The trustees consider that there are no areas of judgement or estimation which materially affect the financial statements.

Income

All income is recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities once the charity has entitlement to the funds, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably.

Income in respect of services provided is recognised when, and to the extent that, performance occurs and is measured at the fair value of the consideration receivable.

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

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

Expenditure

Liabilities are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to that expenditure, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all cost related to the category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings they have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources.

Irrecoverable VAT is charged as a cost against the activity for which the expenditure was incurred.

Governance costs

Governance costs include those costs associated with meeting the constitutional and statutory requirements of the charity and include the independent examiner's fees.

Allocation and apportionment of costs

Support costs include all those overhead costs of office and bureau accommodation, utility services and other services and costs, which are in support of the activity. They have been allocated to activity cost categories on a basis consistent with the use of resources, e.g. staff costs by time spent and other costs by estimated usage.

Tangible fixed assets

Depreciation is provided at the following annual rates in order to write off each asset over its estimated useful life.

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RICHMOND CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAUX SERVICE NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - continued FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

2. ACCOUNTING POLICIES - continued

Tangible fixed assets Short leasehold - over the lease term Computer equipment - 33% on cost

Tangible fixed assets are depreciated from when they are brought into use. The charity capitalises computer equipment costing over £500.

Taxation

The charity is exempt from corporation tax on its charitable activities.

Fund accounting

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

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

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

The charity acted as agent for several charities in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in distributing funds to their beneficiaries.The income and expenditure relating to these projects is excluded from the Statement of Financial Activities.

Leasing commitments

Leases that do not transfer all the risks and rewards of ownership are classified as operating leases. Payments under operating leases are charged to the statement of financial activities on a straight-line basis over the lifetime of the lease.

Pension costs and other post-retirement benefits

The charitable company operates a defined contribution pension scheme. Contributions are included in the statement of financial activities in the year they are incurred.

Financial instruments

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

Cash at bank

Cash at bank includes bank deposit accounts 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.

Debtors

Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount due. Prepayments are recognised at the invoiced cost prepaid.

Creditors

Creditors are recognised when 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 are normally recognised at the settlement amount.

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RICHMOND CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAUX SERVICE NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - continued FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

----- Start of picture text -----
3. DONATIONS
2025 2024
£ £
Donations 1,502 2,332
4. OTHER TRADING ACTIVITIES
2025 2024
£ £
Fundraising events 2,006 135
Other income 1,000 17
3,006 152
5. INVESTMENT INCOME
2025 2024
£ £
Deposit account interest 9,553 6,584
6. INCOME FROM CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
2025 2024
£ £
General advice
Contractual income
London Borough of Richmond upon Thames - Community Advice Services 300,288 287,465
London Borough of Richmond upon Thames - Household Support 44,764 38,750
Richmond Housing Partnership 6,850 6,750
351,902 332,965
Grants
The Barnes Fund 42,888 39,330
Hampton Fund 52,500 50,000
Richmond Foundation 57,000 56,100
Crisis Prevention Caseworker 50,000 47,390
London Borough of Richmond upon Thames - Ukraine Support Worker 45,967 44,668
London Borough of Richmond upon Thames - Volunteer Co-ordinator 45,008 47,959
Email Advisor 43,780 20,842
One Richmond 40,000 -
-
Manage Your Money Team 23,830
Citizens Advice - Energy Advice Programme 17,813 5,316
-
Toynbee Hall - Debt Free London Grant 24,279
-
Richmond Aid - Families Advice Project 25,469
418,786 361,353
Total for general advice 770,688 694,318
----- End of picture text -----

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RICHMOND CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAUX SERVICE NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - continued FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

7.
CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES COSTS
Direct
Support
Costs (see
costs (see
note 8)
note 9)
£
£
General Advice
537,715
178,591
8.
DIRECT COSTS OF CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
2025
£
Staff costs
466,678
Hire of plant and machinery
1,761
Rent and premises costs
44,137
Office costs
6,089
Volunteer costs including training
7,011
Other expenditure
12,039
537,715
9.
SUPPORT COSTS
Governance
Management
costs
£
£
General Advice
173,991
4,600		 Totals
£
716,306
2024
£
400,312
1,500
49,750
10,314
3,627
12,012
477,515
Totals
£
178,591

Total activities support costs in the comparatives relate to the charity's one activity of providing general advice.

Support costs, included in the above, are as follows:

Management

Staff costs
Other rents and premises costs
Office overhead costs
Depreciation of tangible fixed assets
Governance costs
Governance costs		 2025
General
Advice
£
107,925
22,737
39,042
4,287
173,991
2025
General
Advice
£
4,600		 2024
Total
activities
£
98,088
25,629
56,029
6,468
186,214
2024
Total
activities
£
5,090

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RICHMOND CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAUX SERVICE NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - continued FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

10. NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE)

Net income/(expenditure) is stated after charging/(crediting)

Depreciation - owned assets
Operating leases - office equipment
Operating leases - property		 2025
£
4,287
1,761
45,506		 2024
£
6,468
1,670
39,200

11. 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

There were no trustee expenses incurred during the current or previous year.

12. STAFF COSTS

Wages and salaries
Social security costs
Other pension costs		 2025
£
511,473
41,936
21,194
574,603		 2024
£
446,570
35,214
16,616
498,400

The average monthly number of employees during the year was as follows:

Management
Administration
Advice workers and support staff		 2025
3
3
13
19		 2024
3
3
12
18

No employee received emoluments in excess of £60,000.

The key management personnel comprise the chief executive officer, the service delivery manager, the projects and development manager and the client services manager. The total employee benefits of the key management personnel of the charity were £146,311 (2024: £148,047).

13. COMPARATIVES FOR THE STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES

Unrestricted
funds
£
INCOME FROM
Donations
2,332
Charitable activities
General Advice
428,395
Other trading activities
152
Investment income
6,584
Total
437,463		 Restricted
funds
£
-
265,923
-
-
265,923		 Total
funds
£
2,332
694,318
152
6,584
703,386

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RICHMOND CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAUX SERVICE

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

13.
COMPARATIVES FOR THE STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES - continued
Unrestricted
funds
£
EXPENDITURE ON
Charitable activities
General Advice
346,958
NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE)
90,505
Transfers between funds
(55,938)
Net movement in funds
34,567
RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS
Total funds brought forward
350,186
TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD
384,753		 Restricted
funds
£
321,861
(55,938)
55,938
-
6,395
6,395		 Total
funds
£
668,819
34,567
-
34,567
356,581
391,148

14. INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S FEES

The independent examiner's remuneration amounts to an independent examination fee of £2,700 (2024 £2,625) and other services of £1,900 (2024 £1,785).

15. TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS

TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS
COST
At 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025		 Fixtures
Short
and
Computer
leasehold
fittings
equipment
£
£
£
78,975
15,641
61,438		 Totals
£
156,054
DEPRECIATION
At 1 April 2024
Charge for year		 78,975
15,641
57,151
-
-
4,287		 151,767
4,287
At 31 March 2025 78,975
15,641
61,438		 156,054
NET BOOK VALUE
At 31 March 2025		 -
-
-		 -
At 31 March 2024 -
-
4,287		 4,287

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RICHMOND CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAUX SERVICE NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - continued FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

16. DEBTORS

Amounts falling due within one year:
Accrued income
Prepayments
Amounts falling due after more than one year:
Other debtors
Aggregate amounts		 2025
£
140,825
13,118
153,943
11,760
165,703		 2024
£
66,170
11,875
78,045
11,760
89,805

Accrued Income include amounts due from The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and other funders. The timing of these can vary from year to year.

17. CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR

CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR
Trade creditors
Social security and other taxes
Other creditors
Accrued expenses
Deferred income
Accrued expenses include a provision for holiday pay.		 2025
£
1,690
11,352
4,635
15,789
121,760
155,226		 2024
£
1,691
9,246
2,235
16,118
91,277
120,567

Deferred Income
Balance at 1 April 2024
Amounts released to incoming resources
Amounts deferred in the year
Balance at 31 March 2025		 £
91,277
(68,616)
99,099
121,760		 £
56,209
(41,209)
76,277
91,277

Deferred income comprises income received during the year which relates to the next financial year.

18. LEASING AGREEMENTS

Minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases fall due as follows:

Within one year
Between one and five years		 2025
£
46,095
3,365
49,460		 2024
£
42,742
45,052
87,794

Lease payments are mainly in respect of the rent of our offices.

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RICHMOND CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAUX SERVICE NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - continued FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

19. ANALYSIS OF NET ASSETS BETWEEN FUNDS

Fixed assets
Current assets
Current liabilities
Comparatives for net assets between funds - 31
Fixed assets
Current assets
Current liabilities
20.
MOVEMENT IN FUNDS
Unrestricted funds
General fund
Fixed Assets - Designated fund
Restricted funds
Hampton Fund
Property
Citizens Advice - Energy Advice Programme
Crisis Prevention Fund
Volunteer Co-ordinator Fund
Ukraine Support Fund
Email Advisor
One Richmond - Grant Support Officer
Manage Your Money Team
TOTAL FUNDS		 Unrestricted
funds
£
-
489,794
(36,598)
453,196
March 2024		 Unrestricted
funds
£
-
489,794
(36,598)
453,196
March 2024		 Restricted
funds
£
-
125,023
(118,628)
6,395		 2025
Total
funds
£
-
614,817
(155,226)
459,591		 2025
Total
funds
£
-
614,817
(155,226)
459,591		 2024
Total
funds
£
4,287
507,428
(120,567)
391,148
At
31/3/25
£
453,196
-
453,196
-
6,395
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
6,395
459,591
Unrestricted
funds
£
4,287
415,494
(35,028)
384,753		 Restricted
funds
£
-
91,934
(85,539)
6,395		 2024
Total funds
£
4,287
507,428
(120,567)
391,148
At 1/4/24
£
380,465
4,288
384,753
-
6,395
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
6,395
391,148		 Net
movement
in funds
£
124,478
(4,288)
120,190
(9,414)
-
(494)
(6,077)
(17,465)
(5,400)
(3,625)
(3,949)
(5,323)
(51,747)
68,443		 Transfers
between
funds
£
(51,747)
-
(51,747)
9,414
-
494
6,077
17,465
5,400
3,625
3,949
5,323
51,747
-

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RICHMOND CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAUX SERVICE NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - continued FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

20. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS - continued

Net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows:

Unrestricted funds
General fund
Fixed Assets - Designated fund
Restricted funds
Hampton Fund
Citizens Advice - Energy Advice Programme
Crisis Prevention Fund
Volunteer Co-ordinator Fund
Ukraine Support Fund
Email Advisor
One Richmond - Grant Support Officer
Manage Your Money Team
TOTAL FUNDS
Comparatives for movement in funds
Unrestricted funds
General fund
Fixed Assets - Designated fund
Restricted funds
Hampton Fund
Property
Debt Free London
Citizens Advice - Energy Advice Programme
Crisis Prevention Fund
Volunteer Co-ordinator Fund
RAID - Family Advice Project
Ukraine Support Fund
Email Advisor
One Richmond - Grant Support Officer
TOTAL FUNDS		 Incoming
Resources
Movement
resources
expended
in funds
£
£
£
465,851
(341,373)
124,478
-
(4,288)
(4,288)
465,851
(345,661)
120,190
52,500
(61,914)
(9,414)
17,813
(18,307)
(494)
50,000
(56,077)
(6,077)
45,008
(62,473)
(17,465)
45,967
(51,367)
(5,400)
43,780
(47,405)
(3,625)
40,000
(43,949)
(3,949)
23,830
(29,153)
(5,323)
318,898
(370,645)
(51,747)
784,749
(716,306)
68,443
Net
Transfers
movement
between
At
At 1/4/23
in funds
funds
31/3/24
£
£
£
£
339,430
96,973
(55,938)
380,465
10,756
(6,468)
-
4,288
350,186
90,505
(55,938)
384,753
-
(15,818)
15,818
-
6,395
-
-
6,395
-
(5,922)
5,922
-
-
(4,990)
4,990
-
-
(1,528)
1,528
-
-
(87)
87
-
-
(7,999)
7,999
-
-
(549)
549
-
-
(40)
40
-
-
(19,005)
19,005
-
6,395
(55,938)
55,938
6,395
356,581
34,567
-
391,148

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RICHMOND CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAUX SERVICE NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - continued FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

20. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS - continued

Comparative net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows:

Unrestricted funds
General fund
Fixed Assets - Designated fund
Restricted funds
Hampton Fund
Debt Free London
Citizens Advice - Energy Advice Programme
Crisis Prevention Fund
Volunteer Co-ordinator Fund
RAID - Family Advice Project
Ukraine Support Fund
Email Advisor
One Richmond - Grant Support Officer
TOTAL FUNDS
Unrestricted Funds		 Incoming
Resources
Movement
resources
expended
in funds
£
£
£
437,463
(340,490)
96,973
-
(6,468)
(6,468)
437,463
(346,958)
90,505
50,000
(65,818)
(15,818)
24,279
(30,201)
(5,922)
5,316
(10,306)
(4,990)
47,390
(48,918)
(1,528)
47,959
(48,046)
(87)
25,469
(33,468)
(7,999)
44,668
(45,217)
(549)
20,842
(20,882)
(40)
-
(19,005)
(19,005)
265,923
(321,861)
(55,938)
703,386
(668,819)
34,567

Designated Fixed Asset Fund

The Designated Fixed Asset Fund represents amounts expended by the charity to acquire tangible fixed assets for the continuing benefit of the charity.

Restricted Funds

Crisis Prevention Fund

Funding from Richmond Council to provide one FTE adviser increase our capacity to support and advise residents affected by the cost of living crisis. The post and delivers advice at Ham Library, Whitton Library, the Vineyard food bank, ETNA Centre and from within our offices.

Volunteer Co-ordinator Fund

Funding from Richmond Council to provide one FTE volunteer co-ordinator to recruit, support and retain additional volunteers to increase our capacity to meet increased demand on our services. This post is funded to May 2026.

RAID - Family Advice Project

Funding from RPLC and Hampton Fund for 0.8 FTE to work with families in hardship and with complex needs. Funding to September 2023. This project is jointly delivered with Richmond AID.

Support for Ukraine Fund

Funding from Richmond Council for one FTE adviser to support and provide advice to Ukrainian and other refugees, their host families and settled families in Richmond. This post is funded to May 2026.

Hampton Fund

[Annual] grant funding to support the provision of generalist advice services to clients from Hampton Fund's area of benefit (i.e. the Hamptons, Teddington, Twickenham and Whitton). This funding supports the delivery of our service from The White House Community Centre one day per week. The grant also contributes to the running of our Hampton Hill office.

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RICHMOND CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAUX SERVICE NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - continued FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

20. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS - continued

Energy Advice Programme

Short-term funding to support training and advice to groups of individuals and front-line workers from other agencies in choosing a utilities supplier and managing energy usage and bills.

Property

Grant to cover specified property costs.

Debt Free London

Grant funding to provide specialist debt and money advice and information to vulnerable groups, which is designed to reduce debt and social exclusion. It is delivered from the Citizens Advice offices in the Borough and in Kingston upon Thames.

Email Advisor

A grant from Richmond Council to allow us to employ an advisor who supports the delivery of advice by email.

Manage Your Money Team

Funding for five years from the City Bridge Foundation for salary of a full time Manage Your Money Adviser.

One Richmond

Funding for a full time Adviser for 12-months to provide support and advice to households in crisis who apply for charitable grant support such as the Household Support Fund or local charity crisis grants.

21. EMPLOYEE BENEFIT OBLIGATIONS

The charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme. Pension contributions totalling £4,635 (2024 £2,235) were payable to the fund at the balance sheet date and are included in creditors.

22. RELATED PARTY DISCLOSURES

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

23. CHARITABLE COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE

Each member has a maximum potential liability of £1 in the event of the charitable company being wound up. The number of members as at 31 March 2025 was 11 (2024: 12).

24. FUNDS DISPERSED AS AGENT

The Charity acted as an agent for several charities in the Borough, and other organisations to distribute funds to beneficiaries of such charities. The income and expenditure related to these projects is excluded from the Statement of Financial Activities.

Project
RPLC
Richmond Charities
HSF Grant
Independent - Client Donation
Others		 Brought
Forward
£
2,869
2,941
21,678
-
381
27,869		 Incoming
Resources
£
51,975
26,251
164,550
550
-
243,326		 Resources
Expended
£
(48,100)
(14,041)
(181,550)
(550)
(63)
(244,304)		 Carried
Forward
£
6,744
15,151
4,678
-
318
26,891

The HSF grant was made by The London Borough of Richmond Upon Thames and its full title is The Household Support Grant Fund (Food, Energy Costs and Household Essentials). The grant was used for that purpose.

-24-