2021-12-31-accounts

CHARITY NUMBER: 1089685 COMPANY NUMBER: 4302973

CPRE The countryside charity

(Registered as Campaign to Protect Rural England) Company Limited by Guarantee

REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

31[st] December 2021

CPRE The countryside charity

TRUSTEES’ REPORT

Contents

1.	A MESSAGE FROM OUR CHAIR ............................................................ 1
2.	TRUSTEES’ REPORT ........................................................................... 3
3.	OUR ACHIEVEMENTS IN 2021 ............................................................. 4
4.	FINANCIAL REVIEW ......................................................................... 13
5.	FUTURE PLANS ............................................................................... 17
6.	STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT .................................. 18
7.	AUDITOR ....................................................................................... 22
8.	INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT ................................................... 24
9.	STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES ............................................. 27
10.	BALANCE SHEET ............................................................................. 28
11.	STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS ........................................................... 30
12.	NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS ........................................... 32
13.	PROFESSIONAL ADVISORS ............................................................... 51

CPRE The countryside charity

TRUSTEES’ REPORT

1. A MESSAGE FROM OUR CHAIR

As we emerge from two years of pandemic disruption, CPRE’s work continues to promote the countryside’s importance to the nation’s recovery and future prosperity. While the experience of living with covid has changed the way people think about rural England, it has also forced a reassessment of how it can best fulfil the multiple demands we place upon it.

The countryside has long been understood as a source of food and energy, a habitat for wildlife and a repository of beautiful places to relax and inspire us. But CPRE’s recent work has also emphasised its value to human health and wellbeing, as well as its increasingly crucial importance as a store of carbon and a defence against the impact of climate change.

With the UN climate change conference in Glasgow the media event of 2021, our delegation to COP26 raised awareness that increasing our hedgerows is a key effective natural solution to tackling the climate crisis in England. We were able to reach a global audience with our message that hedgerows don’t just absorb and store carbon but help soils do the same, all while reducing air pollution and supporting species essential for pollination and natural pest control.

We therefore welcomed environment secretary George Eustice’s statement, in January 2022, that hedgerows are ‘the single most important ecological building block’ in the government’s strategy for sustainable farming. This followed his praise for our landmark September 2021 report, Hedge Fund, for ‘highlighting the benefits of hedgerows for climate action, nature recovery and the rural economy.’ Our research showed that a 40% increase in hedgerows by 2050 would create over 25,000 jobs, while each £1 invested in achieving that aim would generate £4 for the local area.

We’ve also shown how hedgerow conservation can create thousands of opportunities for communities to engage with nature. The first year of our Hedgerow Heroes project saw CPRE groups in five counties enlist hundreds of volunteers, helping farmers and land managers to plant and restore ten miles of these beautiful landscape icons.

But climate change is not the only existential threat to our countryside. Throughout 2021, we’ve argued that decisions over built development must be informed by genuine consultation with local people. Most notably, we ran an award-winning campaign against planning deregulation that would have imposed unaffordable and unsustainable housing on valued green spaces.

Our research showed that the changes would force 400,000 homes on to greenfield sites, prompting a government U-turn and concession that ‘additional safeguards are needed to protect our villages and precious countryside’. In November, the new planning minister Michael Gove praised CPRE for ‘campaigning, quite rightly, for more homes in the right places’ and pledged to deliver ‘a planning system where the community has a role in determining what is right.’

We will work to influence the creation of that new system, which is expected to be enshrined in legislation to implement the government’s ‘Levelling Up White Paper’. Published early in 2022, this was another major success for CPRE, with its central theme of regenerating previously developed ‘brownfield’ sites to ‘reduce pressure on greenfield and Green Belt’. Indeed, the white paper came just three months after we made that same argument, backed with new research showing that recycled land could accommodate over 1.3 million new homes.

As ever, these outstanding achievements – and the many more recorded on the following pages – are testament not just to the passion and dedication of our members, staff and volunteers, but to the growing numbers of online activists and advocates helping to spread the word about CPRE. We’ll continue to invest in building our movement for positive change in the countryside – a movement that will empower even more people to protect, enhance and enjoy their green spaces in 2022 and beyond.

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CPRE The countryside charity

TRUSTEES’ REPORT

Simon Murray

Chair of the Board of Trustees

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2. TRUSTEES’ REPORT

The Trustees of CPRE present their annual report for the year ended 31 December 2021, together with the audited financial statements for that year. The financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006, Financial Reporting Standard 102 (FRS102) and the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice (“SORP(FRS102)”).

The continued existence and quality of so much of the English countryside is a testament to over 90 years of successful campaigning by CPRE, and a tribute to our countrywide network.

The Campaign to Protect Rural England uses the operating name: CPRE The countryside charity. The legal name remains unchanged.

a) Objects and activities

The Trustees have referred to the guidance from the Charity Commission on public benefit in producing this report, and when reviewing our aims and objectives and planning our future activities. In particular, the Trustees consider how planned activities will contribute to the aims and objectives they have set.

Our charitable objects are ‘to promote and encourage for the benefit of the nation the improvement and protection of the English countryside and its towns and villages and the better development of the rural environment’.

b) Our vision and mission

At CPRE we want to see a beautiful, thriving countryside which is valued and enjoyed by all and which is enhanced and protected for this and future generations. It is vital for our wellbeing, it is the place for nature and it is a critical part of this nation’s response to the climate emergency.

CPRE’s vision is of ‘a beautiful and thriving countryside that enriches all our lives’. Our mission to take us there is to ‘promote, enhance and protect a thriving countryside’.

c) Our Strategy 2020-26

Our mission is delivered through the strategic plan which aims to broaden our appeal, increase our impact and renew our countrywide network. Four strategic aims will take us to our centenary in 2026:

1. Connect people and countryside

We’ll promote the value and benefits of the countryside so that far more people engage with, understand and enjoy it, particularly those who have not benefited before. This will help us to create a stronger voice to enhance and protect the countryside, including locally-valued landscapes;

2. Promote rural life

With communities and partners, we’ll develop and promote a sustainable vision for living in the countryside and bring together solutions for the rural economy, housing, farming, transport and the natural environment;

3. Empower communities

We’ll empower our network to engage with communities to involve more people in improving their local environment through volunteering and local action;

1. Grow our capacity

We’ll bring together a larger and more diverse group of people who share our belief in countryside for all.

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CPRE The countryside charity TRUSTEES’ REPORT

d) Activities and services provided

Our campaigning is evidence-based and reasoned, as well as passionate. We are experts in the planning system and landscape character, locally and nationally. We have a long track record of achievement, dating back over 90 years. We are independent of any interest group and defend the countryside in the public interest.

The three principal ways in which we achieve our objectives are:

1. Initiating and supporting activities that directly improve the countryside and rural communities.

2. Influencing national policies to maximise the benefit and minimise the damage to the countryside.

3. Supporting and developing our network of independent local CPREs and through them influencing local plans, supporting appropriate developments and preventing developments that would unnecessarily damage the countryside.

We provide an overview of our activities through this Annual Report- CPRE’s Annual Review, Countryside Voices, our magazine for members; tailored communications for donors and high-value supporters; and regular Campaigns Update email bulletins. Our website www.cpre.org.uk and activity through all the main social media channels promotes the value of the countryside and our work to enhance and protect it, providing advice and access to comprehensive information on our aims, activities and services. Our planning support service, which is being restructured and strengthened this year, provides help to local communities wishing to support or challenge a local planning application.

The 39 independent county CPREs run campaigns and provide local information via their websites, publications and events. They have a very small staff and rely in the main on increasing numbers of volunteers to help them enhance and protect their local countryside.

The work of national CPRE is organised into four main departments, each of which comprises a number of teams:

1. Campaigns and Policy: Land Use and Planning, Rural Economies and Communities, External Affairs.

2. Engagement and Income: Individual Giving, High Value Relationships, Brand and Engagement.

3. Volunteering and Partnerships: Volunteering Development, Network Support and Engagement.

4. Finance and Operational Effectiveness: Finance, HR and IT.

The departments work very closely together and much of our work is carried out jointly by cross-team groups of staff also working with volunteers from across our network. Responsibility for delivering our strategic aims brings their work together and highlights from 2021 are reported accordingly below.

3. OUR ACHIEVEMENTS IN 2021

2021 was a year of mixed fortunes for CPRE as we drove forward the second year of our strategic plan amidst a continued pandemic and lockdown restrictions. Overwhelmingly the public work of the charity - campaigning on and raising awareness of countryside issues and solutions and providing more support to those striving for better outcomes locally – reached new highs and exceeded targets. As you can see from the reports below, the sheer number, breadth and depth of our campaign and policy launches and activities, our lobbying and meetings with Government at all levels and the number and quality of media coverage of CPRE’s work, was unprecedented in recent years. And the training, support and development of our local network and rapidly increasing volunteer base, both online and in practice, was also greater than ever. We really got into our stride and delivered for our beneficiaries, the public and all of our countryside, on an impressive scale.

New initiatives for helping people to engage with the countryside and CPRE, including through membership, also took shape and we succeeded in increasing net membership of the charity for the first time in many years.

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The number of people supporting our work in other ways, whether online or through practical action, also shot up. However fundraising and legacy income fell short of our expectations and pandemic-related delays to income-generating activity meant that we ended the year below where we wanted to be financially. CPRE is fortunate enough to have a stable income base provided by its strong and longstanding membership and by those who leave us a legacy, but we still have a way to go in diversifying the sources of our income, to reduce our reliance on these core income streams and reduce the risk of shortfalls in the long term. Our robust reserves policy serves us well when finances are tight, but to do all the things we want to do for the countryside and the people who care for it, live in it and for all of us who benefit from it, we need to raise more funds in the years ahead. Supporting our members and collaborating across the CPRE movement and with partners and allies for nature and countryside to attract more support for all of our work, is a priority for 2022 and our plan for the year, ‘Together for the Countryside’.

a) Connect People and Countryside

In January 2021 the government published a draft National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) that proposed maintaining Green Belt protection and strengthening that for the setting of nationally designated landscapes. It also proposed a number of changes influenced by CPRE calls for better use of land in new development, including policies on sustainability of location and a new national model design code.

In the same month, we launched the CPRE led ‘Better Planning Coalition’s’ Vision for Planning, with over 200 attendees including MPs, civil servants and journalists. Speakers included Housing Minister Chris Pincher MP and Chief Planner at MHCLG Joanna Averley. It was chaired by Amy Lamé, BBC Radio 6 presenter and Night Czar at London City Hall.

In February the Planning Minister indicated in a letter to CPRE that the Government would continue to require consultation on details of development proposals as they come forward. This was the first time this change of approach had been stated and was a big step forward in maintaining communities’ involvement in the planning system at a local level, a key ask of our planning campaign.

Later that month we had a successful launch of our new ‘State of Green Belt’ report with a virtual roundtable bringing together environmental and planning organisations as well as officials from Defra and MHCLG. Speakers included Laura Trott, MP for Seven oaks and Beth Collier, author and Founder of ’Wild in the City’, who spoke of the importance of green space close to urban centres for our health and wellbeing, and the current inequalities in access to this green space. Excellent media coverage included a full broadcast and online package on Sky News, Times Radio and print/online features in the Mirror, Telegraph, Express, Independent, Yorkshire Post and over 30 regional titles.

In March we had another significant victory on one of the key elements of the planning campaign when the Government announced that it had abandoned its 2020 proposal to cap affordable housing contributions to sites of more than 40-50 houses, which would have had a devastating impact on the provision of affordable housing in rural areas.

In June our ‘Beauty still betrayed’ report, an update on development rates in AONBs gained three significant national media mentions and a meeting was held with five MPs plus civil servants and local CPREs, who supported our call for stronger controls on development in the setting of AONBs. MHCLG officials were very complimentary about the quality and focus of the report, and acknowledged it summarised the situation very well.

In the same month we worked with The Times on research on the current Government method for calculating local housebuilding needs, highlighting the tensions with the government’s levelling up agenda. This made the front page and got plenty of follow on coverage, as well as supportive quotes from several MPs. We also got over two dozen namechecks in the report of the House of Commons Housing, Communities and Local

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Government Select Committee. The Committee echoed our campaigning call for members of the public to continue to have a say on specific planning applications.

In July the 2021 National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) update was published, which cemented CPRE gains on planning policy in AONBs and on better locational choices for new development as we had called for in our recent reports on AONBs and housing design.

In the same month, Natural England announced work on 2 new AONBs and extensions to 2 more. We are now working with them on development of a new type of urban designation and scoping stage of the All-England mapping assessment of future designation opportunities

On 10 September the Times front page reported that the government was set to ‘abandon’ its damaging proposals to deregulate the planning system. Later in the month it was confirmed that Michael Gove was ‘pausing’ planning reforms and thinking again, largely in response to our successful campaigning.

In the same month, we held our annual ‘State of Brownfield’ Report launch event, chaired by our President Emma Bridgewater, and attended by the Housing Minister Chris Pincher MP and Shadow Planning Minister Ruth Cadbury MP. Almost 100 members, sector specialists, journalists, civil servants and MPs attended. It was covered by The Times and The Independent, alongside articles by Housing Today and Planning Resource; and a front-page mention in the Yorkshire Post. A DLUHC spokesperson welcomed the report and said brownfield was central to government policy now – a change of heart that is a direct result of sustained CPRE lobbying over a number of years.

b) Promote Rural Life

In February we enjoyed our strongest ever national, regional and local coverage for launch of our annual survey of light pollution, Star count, which included a feature on BBC’s The One Show, which has an audience of 5 million. The follow up publication of the Star Count results highlighted how participants had recorded significant drops in light pollution across the UK, which we attributed to lockdown. The broadcast coverage was extraordinary, including BBC News, Breakfast, Newsround, Sky News, Channel 4, ITV London, Today, LBC, Radio 5 Live. National coverage included The Guardian, Daily Mail, ITV, Independent, Times, Telegraph, Daily Express, Daily Mirror and Evening Standard, BBC News twitter and over 200 regional pieces of coverage.

In the same month, we published a new joint report with Rural Services Network, English Rural and Britain’s Leading Edge on the Treasury’s ‘Green Book’, highlighting that addressing rural disadvantage needs to become a government priority and calls for a fairer share of funding for rural areas. This gave us an opportunity to position CPRE more prominently in the debates surrounding the government’s ‘levelling up’ agenda and rural communities.

In March the key conclusions of CPRE’s new report ‘Every Village Every Hour’ calling for a reliable bus service for every community was shared with the Department for Transport, with bus operators, consumer champions and others supporting our call. In response, the Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said “everyone deserves to have access to cheap, reliable and quick bus journeys.” Similarly, the shadow minister for buses, said that “Labour would look to…overhauling access to public buses in rural areas with an “every village, every hour” approach to support those communities who need better access to healthcare, education, and jobs.”

In May we broadly welcomed the Peat and Tree Action Plans announced by the government, and were pleased to see the proposed ban on peat-based composts and an ultimate phase-out of burning being considered. While plans to restore upland and rewet lowland peatlands sounded promising, we called for binding targets, with the funding to match the scale of the challenge we face on peatlands.

Details of the government’s new Environmental Land Management scheme were updated in June, and included SFI 2022 standards on soil which have been retained and improved and an outline of a moorland grazing standard, both of which we called for in our consultation submissions. The update also confirmed new standards on peat soils and agroforestry remained under active consideration.

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In July we launched our new hedgerow campaign with a petition calling on the government to set a target to increase the hedgerow network by 40%. In less than a week we gained almost 20,000 signatures. Our letter to the editor on hedgerows, signed by the National Trust, RSPB, Friends of the Earth and many more environmental charities also landed in The Times. In September, we followed up by publishing research on the economic and environmental benefits of hedgerows, ‘Hedge Fund’ which was launched in parliament with 140 guests, including over 30 MPs, 30 local CPRE groups and national journalists as well as partners. The report secured widespread media coverage, including national and local TV and significant radio coverage on R4 Today programme. George Eustice wrote an opinion piece in the Telegraph welcoming the report and said ministers would incentivise farmers to boost their hedgerow stock to help reach climate targets.

In the same month, we released our poll of 16-25-year olds who live in rural and/or coastal areas. This sought views on young people’s feelings of living in a rural area and the biggest issues they face, how they feel the coronavirus has impacted rural areas, what they think the future looks like for young people in rural areas and whether they feel listened to by decision makers as a young person who lives in a rural area. It generated two articles in The Telegraph, and was also featured on Farming Today and in The Yorkshire Post. Our collaboration with young people as spokespeople worked particularly well, and it was very received by rural sector stakeholders and Defra expressed a wish to work more closely with us in the future in this area.

Finally in November, an 11-strong delegation of CPRE staff and volunteers from Friends of the Lake District, CPRE Lancashire, Liverpool City Region and Greater Manchester and CPRE Sussex attended COP26 to add our voice to the threat that climate change poses to our countryside. They attended many fringe events, met MPs and were interviewed on BBC Breakfast about nature-based solutions to the climate emergency, and plugged our hedgerow campaign.

c) Empower Communities

This year the focus has been on enabling local CPREs to expand their teams of volunteers and to ensure there are more training and informal learning opportunities, particularly for people new to their roles.

Network Support and Engagement

Thirty-two training sessions were provided to the countrywide network of, mostly County-based, CPREs ranging from a general induction to CPRE, to more specific courses on planning and how to campaign effectively. Other skills-based training has increased with sessions on how to recruit a diverse board and various fundraising skills amongst others. There were 423 attendees at the training sessions and evaluation captured an average rating of 4.42 out of 5, indicating that attendees felt the sessions were well-organised and achieved their intended learning objectives. The autumn conference is one of the more significant events in the calendar and this year consisted of a face-to-face day in Birmingham (51 attendees) and an online day (99 attendees). Conference provided an opportunity to re-connect with each other following all the recent lockdowns, for network colleagues to input into the ‘building the movement’ governance review and for everyone to learn more about projects and initiatives taking place locally and nationally by sharing best practice and successful activities.

Efforts to scope how informal learning through topic forums might be arranged have continued. Input from people across the network has been invaluable to determining the role of a topic forum convenor and how such opportunities might best be organised. Topic forums started for Renewables Done Well and as we go into 2022 they will also begin for Hedgerows, Planning Support, Agriculture and Digital mapping/GIS.

The Strategic Collaboration Fund (SCF) continued to support local CPRE projects with small grants for its fourth consecutive year. SCF is designed to invest small grants in as many local CPREs as possible to help them to work with others and build local capacity. For CPRE Herefordshire the Terra Mater project has recruited over 400 citizen scientists to help monitor water quality on the River Wye and for CPRE Norfolk the West Norfolk project aims to expand CPRE Norfolk’s reach into a previously under-supported part of the county.

CPRE appoints, with local CPRE chairs, nine Regional Chairs across the country, whose role is to foster collaboration across Counties on shared issues. Following an internal and external recruitment campaign

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appointments were made in 2021 of new Regional Chairs in the South East, South West and North West. Several long-standing Regional Chairs have therefore stepped down in 2021 and CPRE thanks them for their commitment and service namely Janette Ward, Richard Knox Johnston and Andy Yuille.

Regular communications continue between national and local CPREs through the weekly Network News e- bulletin. Network News is now sent to over 600 staff and volunteers with an average open rate of just over 60% every month. This e-bulletin has improved the advanced notice local CPRE campaigners have about national initiatives e.g. report launches and widens the invite to more people for events, training, launches, consultations and opportunities to shape CPRE’s work. It is also an excellent means for local CPREs to showcase their work and there is an open offer for them to contribute content.

Volunteering Development

2021 has been another year of significant growth in the number of volunteers actively supporting local CPRE charities. Last year 10 more local CPREs started to make use of CPRE’s new volunteer engagement software Assemble, on top of the original 15 in December 2020. Registered volunteer numbers grew from 250 to 1,255 over the same 12-month period through a mix of recruitment and onboarding existing volunteers. Having a shared tool all local CPREs can use has increased the speed at which new volunteer opportunities can be advertised and any new role developed in one local CPREs is immediately visible to other groups using Assembly too. New opportunities for people to volunteer helps to diversify who gets involved, bringing different skills and backgrounds. New roles this year included citizen scientists, climate change researchers, hedgerow heroes, specialist advisors, youth ambassadors and many more.

The Volunteering Development team continue to support local CPREs who would like to kick-start their volunteer recruitment journey and in early 2022 several local CPREs are intending to join in and use the new tools available to them. At the end of 2021 26 groups had a named Volunteer Coordinator in place who is key to recruiting and supporting new volunteers locally. The team also run a bi-monthly online Induction to CPRE over two hours where new staff and volunteers can meet each other and talk with CPREs chair and CEO as well as colleagues from the Campaigns and Policy team. This year over 110 people took this opportunity to help them settle into their new roles.

Volunteer Awards are a great way to recognise and thank volunteers for their contribution and 2021 was a bumper year. Awards were presented in person to the recipients by local CPRE colleagues and each was mentioned at the Autumn Conference, both the face to face and online days. The award categories are CPRE’s values, strategic themes, diversity, climate action and a special contribution and nominations are welcome from all local CPREs and national CPRE on an open basis. In 2021 35 volunteers were recognised with an Award.

The Volunteering Development team also put their time and energy into supporting the innovative Three Counties partnership with CPRE’s Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, whilst the team themselves act for CPRE in Lincolnshire (CPRE Lincolnshire closed in 2019). The year-long project started in mid-2021 by recruiting two part-time project staff, funded by the local CPREs but managed by national CPRE (Volunteering Development and Brand and Engagement). The project has enabled all three counties to have new websites and social media accounts with regular posts across all channels. The team are now working on improving communications with members, offering talks and events of interest to people in the community and new volunteer recruitment. In early 2022 the project staff and local committees were successful in their expression of interest for a hedgerow project, bringing much needed investment into the area from an external funder for the first time. The three counties have been joined by Leicestershire for this exciting, practical project to plant and restore hedgerows at up to 14 sites across the region.

d) Grow Our Capacity

Broadening CPREs appeal and increasing the amount and diversity of our membership and income continue to be major priorities as we build on the new purpose and brand through the strategy.

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Engagement and Income

2021 has been a very challenging year financially for CPRE and for many in the charitable sector. However, there was progress in a number of areas of our work.

Brand and Engagement

Our engagement and digital activity has been central to reaching larger audiences and broadening our appeal:

• Star Count Campaign – a record breaking 7,845 counts were submitted online

• Our brand campaign ‘We are the Countryside’ achieved 3,744,898 video plays and 4m+ impressions

• Social media – we hit 3,740,669 social media reach in October 2021

Overall, our supporter numbers have increased by 38% over the last year, a result we think of the repositioning and more positive and accessible campaigning of recent years. We also achieved 10.8% growth in the number of website visits in 2021 compared to 2020 and our 'time on page' average is nearly two minutes in 2021, a 20 second improvement on last year that suggests our content is engaging our users.

Membership and Income Generation

We have doubled the volume of new members in 2021 compared to 2020 which is certainly positive news in such difficult times. In 2021, for the first time in over 7 years we tested cold acquisition of new members (MarOct 21). The early stages of this test and learn programme, which required high levels of investment, have given us some mixed results but certainly solid learnings.

However, the membership uplift that planned to start in 2020 was 15 months late because lockdowns had caused us to delay acquisition activities for the whole of 2020. Also due to the pandemic, the original membership acquisition testing plan could not be implemented (face to face and door to door supported by digital), instead we used more traditional media (inserts and door drops) which is known for delivering a better quality of donors in terms of lifetime value but lower volumes at higher costs. We recruited fewer, more loyal donors at a higher initial cost than forecasted.

Aside from membership, the number of new regular givers and cash donors has been higher every month in 2021 than the two previous years. Adding cash and regular giving donate asks to campaigning emails and as part of the petitions process is also bringing new support and donations. Our August cash warm appeal on planning achieved 104% of target. It was the highest performing appeal since June 2020. However, two out of three of ‘warm’ cash appeals did not meet target in 2021.

Again due to Covid we had to cancel a planned membership ‘Countryside celebration’ in the Spring and our Christmas member event was changed to a telephone ‘Thankathon’. Staff across the organisation thanked 542 supporters on the call, 247 supporters by leaving a voicemail of thanks, and 71 supporters by sharing the message through another household member. In total 860 most loyal supporters, including members, legacy pledgers and high value donors were thanked over the course of the Thankathon.

High Value Relationships

While there has been a distinct drop in small trust donations in 2021, with low levels of response to events invitations and stewardship due to the pandemic, three successful major applications have supported our restricted trust income line this year.

CPRE made national headlines with our argument that hedgerows are a beautiful way to store carbon, reduce flooding and provide havens for many species threatened by climate change. And thanks to £273,000 funding from corporate foundation ESG TOPS Foundation, in 2021 we began our Hedgerow Heroes project led by five

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of our local groups working with landowners, engaging the public in the practical action required, planting and restoring over 10 miles of hedgerow and engaging over 600 volunteers, many schools and colleges.

Legacies underperformed by £300,000 against forecast in 2021. This may have been connected to some degree to a lack of legacy marketing some years ago and/or to wider problems of administering wills. Legacies are an unpredictable source of income but they form one of the main sources of funding for our work so such a drop has considerable consequences. Legacy income picked up towards the end of the year and such fluctuations have been the pattern over a considerable length of time. Our strategy remains to diversify and increase other income sources to reduce the impact of fluctuations but this is a slow process and one which has been hampered by the pandemic and changes in the economy.

Governance

The Articles of CPRE were amended to bring the President’s maximum term of office in line with Trustees at six years.

The regular cycles of meetings continued, for the most part virtually. A review of our governance arrangements commenced this year with the help of specialist governance advisors The Connectives. Their final report was issued in January 2022 that made a series of recommendations that are now being taken forward by the Building the Movement Steering Group. This group comprises of Trustees from National CPRE and representatives from local CPRE’s. One recommendation, to create a Network Assembly, is being taken forward by a task and finish working group who aim to co-create a more detailed proposal in spring 2022 for discussion and approval by the Board and ultimately CPRE’s AGM.

Work has continued on diversity and inclusion that followed a diversity audit in 2019. A 35-point action plan has been an area of focus for teams and a cross-departmental diversity working group formed and has met bimonthly. In late 2021 the action plan was reviewed and we were pleased to note that 17 actions had been completed, 12 were in progress and six remained to be carried forward to 2022. Priorities for 2022 are to improve reporting on diversity for staff and volunteers and set targets for recruiting staff and volunteers from backgrounds under-represented by CPRE (identified in our leadership statement). We will refine our approach to the diversity working group to keep delivering learning and act as a forum for diversity issues to be discussed.

IT Upgrade

The development of the new CRM system has continued. Due to Covid and changes of personnel the introduction of MS Dynamics has been delayed. The anticipated launch of the initial system is now expected to be July 2022.

Our Sage accounting system was successfully migrated to the cloud in 2021. With the office move in January 2022 our redundant telephone system will not be replaced and instead we will use our existing collaberative technology. After several years of investment CPRE is approaching the stage where all its legacy systems and IT have been brought up to date, paving the way for considerable improvements in efficiency and effectiveness.

Our Staff

2021 has again been a challenging year for our staff. Surveys and meetings have been held with staff during the year to check on mental health and wellbeing. We have introduced mental health first aiders to spot and support staff who were struggling. In addition, we organised walks in local areas for staff to reconnect with

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each other and to enjoy the benefits of the local countryside. When the office reopened after the initial lockdown, we migrated to hybrid working in anticipation of securing a smaller London office. In July 2021 we signed a recognition agreement with Community trade Union, this replaced our staff representation group.

e) Strategic Performance Results 2021

A new set of strategic performance measures was put in place in January 2020. These measures, summarised below, give a top-level view of progress on the most important measures of progress against the plan. They need to be taken together with the qualitative reports above to see a full picture of what’s going well and where challenges remain.

These indicators are used through the year by the Board of Trustees to keep abreast of progress and provide early warning of any areas which need attention. Results show shortfalls in income following legacy income drop and pandemic-related delays to fundraising. Sector-wide drop in brand awareness contrasts in abovetarget recruitment of supporters and exceptional increases in volunteer numbers.

KPI	Strategic	Measure	2020 Result	2021	2021 Result	RAG
no.	aim/objective			Target
1a	Grow our capacity	Total fundraising	£4.2m	£3.8m	£3.2m
	Increase and	income all sources £
b c 2 3	diversify income	Return on Fundraising	6:1	ROI 2.5:1 (2021 budget is 2:1)	2.8:1
	and support	Investment
		Fundraising Income	53% legacy	34% legacy 66% other fundraising	37% legacy 63% other
		from any stream at
		least 10% and/or no
		more of 50% of total
		Numbers and	170,678 supporters 47,336 financial	220,000 46,000 financial	240,559 46,424 financial
		diversity of
		supporters all
		sources, of which 12%
		financial supporters
		More	18%	10% annual increase in awareness	10% decrease (all comparable charities have experienced similar reductions of 8-10% this year)
		people recognise
		CPRE and are positive
		about our work
		according to YouGov
		brand tracking.
4	Connect people	Policy & practice	Housing formula revised to focus on large urban centres and use of brownfield in line with our policy recommendations. Increased funding to incentivise use of	No. locally valued landscapes & green spaces enhanced & protected; No. developments proposed on suitable brownfield sites; No. planning decisions taken in line with	High level joint meeting with new SoS for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Michael Gove on the planning system and the environment furthered our call for a brownfield first policy.
	and countryside	changes that improve
		the planning system
		by delivering more
		sustainable
		development in
		public interest

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CPRE The countryside charity TRUSTEES’ REPORT

			brownfield land coming forward for development	Green Belt protection.	Brownfield Report launched by Housing Minister Chris Pincher MP and almost 100 members, sector reps, journalists, civil servants and MPs. DLUHC spokesperson said brownfield central to government policy.
5	Promote Rural Life	policy and practice	Agriculture Bill change to land management in the public interest and policy successes on soils, farm size, diversity, landscapes and access. Government 10- point plan for green recovery signals improvement in policies on climate emergency, disappointing on nature-based solutions.	Increase in provision of rural affordable housing; No. sustainable models of farming & environmental land management adopted; No. measures that help countryside mitigate & adapt to climate emergency	First young people in rural communities survey report generated two articles in The Telegraph, and another in The Yorkshire Post and Farming Today. An 11-strong delegation of CPRE staff and volunteers attended COP26
		change successes that
		ensure a more
		sustainable rural
		economy in which
		communities can
		thrive
6	Empower	Number of registered	250 active volunteers	720 regular volunteers 15 local CPREs using Assemble	1,255 active volunteers 849 new starters in year. 24 groups (58%) actively using Assemble. Three more onboarding in Jan 2022
	communities	volunteers

Table 1: Progress against 2021 Strategic Performance Measures

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4. FINANCIAL REVIEW

The financial results of the charity’s activities for the year to 31 December 2021 are set out in the Statement of Financial Activities and supporting notes.

Income and Fundraising Performance

This year total income decreased compared to 2020 by £1m – mainly due to a decrease in legacies. It is unclear whether this is due to delays with probate due to the pandemic. Membership, (net of the local and regional share) and Committed Giving income was maintained at £1m and we are thankful for those loyal supporters. Funding from charitable trusts and companies was up compared with the previous year particularly due to funding for our Hedgerow work.

A new member acquisition project was trialed during the year and was not as successful as we had hoped because we were unable to use the face to face methods that we had planned to use prior to the pandemic. Further acquisition has been paused until more funds become available for investment

We would like to thank our many supporters who helped optimise the value of their donations by completing Gift Aid forms. We reclaimed £349k in Gift Aid in 2021 (2020: £349k).

Expenditure

Total expenditure in 2021 was £5.8m (2020: £5.2m) of which £4.4m was spent on charitable activities (2020: £4.2m), this included continued support to the network, investment in the Strategic Collaboration Fund to support local CPRE projects and work on developing our capacity.

Future Expenditure Plans

In light of income performance during 2021 and future uncertainties the Trustees worked with the Senior Leadership Team during the last quarter of 2021 and the first quarter of 2022 to agree a reduction in the cost base of the organisation. In a full year these changes will reduce the cost base by around £1.1m to provide a more appropriate level of expenditure given CPRE’s likely income and reserve levels over the next few years. This reduction has not been without pain and has required some reduction in the number of staff employed and has involved extensive engagement with staff and with the recognised union. Financial and key performance reporting has also been reviewed to ensure that progress on the financial turnaround can be clearly reported to Trustees during 2022.

Office Relocation

Ahead of the expiry of the lease on the London headquarters in February 2022, we undertook a search process during the second half of 2021 for new premises. This search was guided by the need to have premises that took account of the hybrid working pattern of the future yet provided space for staff both from National CPRE and the wider network to come together to work collaboratively and be close to government and funders. In light of the financial position of the organisation there was also an objective to make a significant reduction in the cost of office space. In December 2021 a lease for new premises at Provost Street in N1 was agreed and the organisation relocated in late January 2022. The rental cost of the new premises is 60% lower than the previous central office.

Financial Reserves Policy

The Board recognises the need to keep unrestricted reserves at a level appropriate to the needs of the organisation. The Board reviewed its reserves policy in December 2021 reducing the target range in line with the policy below and to set the context for the 2022 budget. CPRE’s reserves policy is:

‘The Board adopts a risk-based approach to reserves. Its policy is to hold unrestricted free reserves, in a range of £1.7m – £3.5m. This reflects the Trustees’ current appraisal of working capital requirements, the risks in CPRE’s sources of income, an allowance for unplanned expenditure, and a degree of funding for key investments during the next planning cycle’.

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For the purpose of its policy, CPRE has defined its reserves as its unrestricted free reserves, which constitute total reserves less restricted, and endowment reserves, fixed assets and legacy debtors. We have ignored our fixed assets, as they are illiquid. We have not included legacy debtors because they may not be received for up to two years from the date of probate.

Therefore, our policy focuses on our unrestricted free reserves. These were £2m at the year-end (£3.1m in 2020) and represent a strong base to help finance activities in future years, to invest in the CPRE network and achieve new strategic objectives as per the table below. A proportion of the unrestricted reserves have been specifically designated for this purpose. Further information on CPRE’s funds is contained in note 15 to the accounts.

Table: Unrestricted Free Reserves

Table: Unrestricted Free Reserves
	2021
	£’000
Total Reserves	3,632
Less: Restricted Reserves	(292)
Less: Endowments Reserves	(153)
Less: Designated Reserves	(425)
Less: Legacy Debtors	(754)
Unrestricted Free Reserves	2,008

The year-end total of £2m is within our target range of £1.7m to £3.5m.

During the year the Trustees reviewed the designated reserves and agreed to allocate £425k for strategic purposes. Further details can be found in note 15. Information on CPRE’s future plans can be found on page 17 and these unrestricted reserves will be used to help fund these plans.

Having assessed the charity’s financial position, its plans for the foreseeable future, the risks to which it is exposed and the detailed cash projections, the Trustees are satisfied that it remains appropriate to prepare the statements on a going concern basis.

Investment Policy and Performance

During 2021 all CPRE’s investments were managed by CCLA.

For the year to 31 December 2021 the total portfolio has reduced by 70% (2020: reduced by 40%) as we withdrew £1.5m from our investments during 2021 (2020: withdrew £1.5m). Investment gains made on investment in 2021 amounted to £45k (2020: £92k).

The main fund remains with the CCLA Charity Ethical Investment Fund.

CPRE’s prime ethical consideration is to identify any obvious conflicts of interest between its objectives and the objectives/activities of any company whose shares may be acquired directly for the purpose of investment. We had no direct investment in company shares at 31 December 2021.

Fundraising Approach

CPRE undertakes fundraising activity to its supporters via direct mail, telephone and email in line with the Fundraising Code of Practice set by the Fundraising Regulator. Our fundraising promise, which is available on our website to reassure supporters of our approach, is

‘When you support us by becoming a member, campaigner or donor you can be sure of the following:

• We will never sell your contact details to anyone outside of CPRE

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CPRE The countryside charity TRUSTEES’ REPORT

• We will only contact you if you have expressed an interest in our work

• If we phone you, we will always check you are happy to take the call

• If you ask us to change how we communicate with you, or stop, we will respect that

• We try hard to ensure no one ever feels pressurised to support our work

• We are registered with the Fundraising Regulator and adhere to the Fundraising Code of Practice

• All our activities are open, fair, honest and legal.’

CPRE is registered with the Fundraising Regulator and adheres to the standards of the Fundraising Code of Practice. Two complaints about fundraising activity was received by CPRE national office in 2021 and they were promptly resolved without the need for escalation to the regulator.

Risk Management

The Board recognises its responsibilities in terms of managing risk and has systems in place to ensure that the risks faced by the charity are identified, assessed, managed and monitored.

The Senior Leadership Team and all staff assess risks as part of all significant project management. The Board review current material risks at each Board meeting during the year and a thorough review of potential risks annually. This was undertaken in December 2021.

The main categories of risk are:

• Governance

• Reputation

• Financial

• Regulatory

• External

The Board considers the gross risk before taking into account internal and external controls and the residual net risk after these internal and external controls are applied. The major net risks relate to external factors beyond CPRE’s control; the most significant are considered to be:

• An extended Governance review exacerbates relations with our network

• A downturn in the economy leading to a decrease in income and a reduced ability to diversify our income

• The most significant internal risks prior to our internal controls are considered to be:

• Failure to diversify and grow income

• Our initiatives fail to achieve expected outcome due to not reflecting public mood or change in government policy

• IT & Data systems don’t support the new strategy

• Increased risk of fraud due to economic downturn and remote working

• Health of local CPRE’s and their impact on National CPRE

Our internal controls are intended to manage rather than eliminate risks and to give reasonable rather than absolute assurances.

There are only four significant residual internal net risks, all of which are assessed as acceptable:

• Our initiatives fail to achieve expected outcome due to not reflecting public mood or change in government policy

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CPRE The countryside charity TRUSTEES’ REPORT

• IT & Data systems and staff development don’t support the new strategy

• Increased risk of fraud due to economic downturn and remote working

• Health of local CPREs and their impact on National CPRE

The system of internal control includes:

• A multi-year strategic plan

• An annual operational plan and budget, with actual performance being monitored regularly

• A range of policies (e.g. financial reserves policy) and procedures

• A Ways of Working group developing policies for working together with CPRE regions and branches

• A regular risk assessment programme

• A staff structure and scheme of delegation that aids continuity of our work

The scheme of delegation sets out the delegated authority of the FAOE Committee, the Policy Committee, the Nominations Committee and the principal officers. The day-to-day management is delegated to the Chief Executive, the principal officers and other CPRE staff.

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5. FUTURE PLANS

Our strategic aims 2020-26 as set out in section 2 (c) on page 3 describe everything we are going to do at national CPRE in the next six years to move us towards our vision of a beautiful and thriving countryside that enriches all our lives. The strategic aims set our priorities and where we are going to allocate our resources during this period. All our plans and projects contribute towards the achievement of these aims.

In practice our strategy means developing new projects with partners from the CPRE network and externally, to develop, set out and promote solutions through research, policy, campaign and practical work. It means new programmes for volunteering, membership and supporter engagement and capacity-building for our network and their communities. It means presenting to the public and policymakers a vision of positive, sustainable progress for our countryside which can hold its own against the imperatives of growth.

2022 Priorities

Our operational plan and budget, which sets out the details of what we’re going to do and how we will utilise our resources, have been agreed by the Board and follow three operational priorities for the year:

 Build the Movement: in 2022 we will continue our work to transform relationships across the CPRE Network, investing in greater support for local CPREs most in need, renewing frameworks for collaboration, good practice sharing and communication across our local, regional and national organisations and make greater strides towards speaking with one voice to the Government, the public and civil society. Part of this work will be the implementation of the results of the current ‘Building the Movement’ review of governance and cost and income-sharing.

 Acquire finance and members: the financial challenge in the medium and long-term for CPRE has become even tougher with the economic impact of the Coronavirus crisis, adding renewed urgency to our aim of increasing and diversifying income across the organisation.

• Campaign together: We will show how supporting CPRE secures a better planning system, more

• equality of access, enhanced and protected landscapes and rural-focussed policies and investment sustaining rural communities and economies.

Progress against the operational plan will be measured by management and project teams and strategic performance measures reviewed by the Board every quarter. The budget with which we will deliver the plan has been agreed by the Board and is in line with our five-year financial strategy and reserves policy. It aims to invest reserves in order to increase and diversify support and income and to modernise and strengthen the network and keep reserves levels within the target range. Progress against the budget is monitored alongside the performance measures by the senior leadership team and the Board advised by the Finance and Operational Effectiveness sub-committee as described below.

Priorities and plans for 2023 will be set in the light of progress and according to the strategy in the autumn of 2022.

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6. STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

Legal and Administrative Details

The Campaign to Protect Rural England is a registered charity (number 1089685) and a company limited by guarantee (number 04302973). It was founded in 1926. It is registered in England and its registered office is 15-21 Provost Street, London, N1 7NH. It is governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association adopted on 4 October 2001, which were most recently amended on 23 April 2021.

The members of the Trustee Board are Trustees under charity law and Directors under company law. They are also known as Board Members.

CPRE has a wholly owned trading subsidiary, CPRE Enterprises Limited (Company No 4287611) which has been dormant throughout the year.

This report has been prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities (SORP FRS102 – 2nd Edition, effective 1 January 2019) and in accordance with the special provisions of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.

Structure

National CPRE comprises the national office in London and eight regional groups.

The regional groups were originally set up to influence regional plans but their role has evolved into one of engaging with sub-regional planning bodies and supporting collaboration across the network. The National CPRE regional groups’ financial results are incorporated into the main charity financial statements at the end of each year. All regional work in London is carried out by CPRE London, and is accounted for within CPRE London.

The CPRE network operates as a network of 42 branches which subdivide into over 100 active district groups. There are 39 separately constituted branches that operate within the wider CPRE federal structure. As legal entities in their own right, with their own boards of trustees, their results do not form part of these financial statements. Three branches, Lincolnshire, Durham and Northumberland, are part of the main charity and their finances are incorporated into the charity financial statements at the end of each year.

While 39 of the branches are separately registered charities, with their own governing documents and boards of trustees, most use the name and branding of CPRE. All deliver broadly similar objectives and receive a share of the membership subscriptions from CPRE’s members. The Chairs of our branches hold over 70% of the voting rights at our Annual General Meeting.

The Board believes that the structure of the organisation is a huge strength that gives CPRE both a national presence and a strong and effective grassroots involvement.

General Council

The General Council comprises the voting members of CPRE. The voting members comprise: one person from each branch, one from each county association, one person from each region, Board members and The President.

The Board

The Board is made up of at least three and not more than ten Trustees including the Chair, the Chair of Policy Committee and the Treasurer. It is composed of up to eight Elected Board Members (including the posts listed above) and up to two Selected Board Members. All Elected Board Members serve a three-year term of office but may be eligible for re-election for a further three-year term. All Selected Board Members hold office until the next AGM but may be eligible for co-option for a further year at the discretion of the Board, subject to a maximum term of six years. During the year two Board Members, Margaret Clark and Corinne Pluchino retired and were replaced by Reema Khan and Safia Minney.

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The Charity maintains third party indemnity insurance for the Trustees.

Recruitment of Trustees

Trustees are recruited in accordance with our Articles of Association and the process is undertaken by the Nominations Committee who make recommendations to the Board. All Trustee roles are advertised within the CPRE Network and externally. They are advertised on the basis of seeking to fill skills gaps and to improve the overall diversity on the Board.

All members of the Board have role descriptions and take part in induction programmes, training and development as appropriate. The Board have undertaken a self-evaluation against the Governance Code which will determine areas for development over the coming period.

Statement of Trustees’ Responsibilities

The Trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and regulations. Company law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year 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 its net incoming/outgoing resources for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the Trustees are required to:

• select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;

• observe the methods and principles of the Charities SORP (FRS102);

• make judgments and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;

• state whether applicable UK accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and

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

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 and the provisions of the charitable company’s constitution. 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. The following statements have been affirmed by each of the Trustees of the charitable company:

• so far as each Trustee is aware, there is no relevant audit information, (that is, information needed by the company’s auditors in connection with preparing their report), of which the company’s auditors are unaware; and

• each Trustee has taken all the steps that he/she ought to have taken as a Trustee in order to make himself/herself aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the company’s auditors are aware of that information.

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Sub-Committees

The Board has three sub-committees: the Policy Committee, Finance, Audit and Operational Effectiveness Committee and the Nominations Committee. The Board sets terms of reference for sub-committees, all of which report directly to the Board.

The purpose of the Policy Committee is to provide a body of expertise to advise the Board and assist staff and Trustees of CPRE in all aspects of its external policy.

The purpose of the Nominations Committee is to select suitable candidates to be nominated for the Board. It is chaired by a member of CPRE’s General Council.

The purpose of the Finance, Audit and Operational Effectiveness Committee is to ensure CPRE has sufficient and appropriate financial and other resources available for delivery of its operational plan and budgets. It also ensures that CPRE operates within the requirements of its constitution, relevant legislation and best practice.

Reference and Administrative Details

Management

The Board delegates responsibility for the day-to-day management of CPRE to its Chief Executive. He is aided by the Senior Leadership Team and other senior colleagues.

The present office holders and any past office holders who served during the year, and to the date of signing this Report, are listed below.

Office Holders

Patron

Her Majesty The Queen

President

Emma Bridgewater

Vice Presidents

Sir Andrew Motion

Christine Drury Fiona Reynolds Ali Miraj

The Board (Trustees/Directors)

Simon Murray Chair Martin Tyler FCCA Treasurer Margaret Clark CBE Selected Board Member (Retired 23 June 2021) Robin Thompson CBE DL General Board Member (Vice Chair) Corinne Pluchino General Board Member (Retired 25 March 2021) Andy Topley Selected Board Member Dr Richard Simmons Chair of Policy Committee

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CPRE The countryside charity TRUSTEES’ REPORT

Will Rivers General Board Member Professor Patricia Broadfoot CBE General Board Member James Lindsay General Board Member Reema Khan General Board Member (Appointed 23 June 2021) Safia Minney General Board Member (Appointed 23 June 2021)

Sub-Committees of the Board:

Policy Committee

Dr Richard Simmons Chair Sabine Mosner

Kaley Hart Catherine Le Grice-Mack Andy Topley Trustee Will Rivers Trustee

Finance, Audit and Operational Effectiveness Committee

Martin Tyler FCCA Chair Robin Thompson CBE Trustee Corinne Pluchino Trustee (Retired 25 March 2021) Patrick Cooper Co-optee Reema Khan Trustee (Appointed 23 June 2021) John Ydlibi Co-optee (Appointed 24 March 2022)

Nominations Committee

Simon Murray Trustee Andy Topley Trustee John Lambert Chair Martin Crookston Branch Nominated Member

Principal Officers

Crispin Truman OBE Chief Executive Tom Fyans Director of Campaigns & Policy Elvira Meucci-Lyons Director of Engagement & Income Mark Cornish FCA Director of Finance & Operational Effectiveness and Company Secretary Dr Crewenna Dymond Director of Volunteering and Partnerships

Professional Advisers:

A list of CPRE’s main professional advisers appears on page 51.

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Health and Safety

The Board considers managing health and safety and wellbeing of our staff, volunteers, suppliers and visitors a key priority.

The Board is ultimately responsible for compliance with health and safety legislation. The day-to-day responsibility is delegated to the Chief Executive and Director of Finance & Operational Effectiveness, who are responsible for compliance, relevant policy development and performance. Health and Safety is a linemanagement responsibility throughout CPRE.

During the course of the year there were no significant accidents or incidents involving members of staff, volunteers, contractors or visitors to our office.

Employees and Volunteers

Our staff and volunteers continue to build CPRE’s long-established reputation for professionalism, expertise and quality. They are the reason for our many lobbying and campaigning successes.

CPRE’s volunteers are also highly valued and the Board is grateful for the huge amount of work they do. The work of volunteers in the branches and regional groups is supported by advice and other support from National Office, including inductions, training seminars and our events programme.

We support equal opportunities, and recruit and promote employees on the basis of aptitude and ability without discrimination. CPRE seeks to enable disabled employees to play a full role in the organisation.

Reward Policy

The pay of the principal officers - see page 21 - is determined by the Board of Trustees. Salaries are benchmarked with those of charities of similar size in terms of income, staff numbers and complexity. The same benefits, including pensions, and terms and conditions apply to the principal officers as all other staff.

All other staff salaries have also been benchmarked with those of charities of similar size in terms of income, staff numbers and complexity. It is expected that the majority of staff will be paid at the median for their role, however there is flexibility of +/- 15% around the median.

All staff salaries will be benchmarked again on a triennial basis. During the interim period the Board may approve an annual pay increase subject to an overall affordability criterion.

The Board includes Trustees appointed by our volunteer branch chairs and Trustees with significant pay expertise and knowledge, especially of the charity sector.

All nationally-employed staff are paid at least the London Living Wage.

7. AUDITOR

Haysmacintyre LLP were re-appointed as auditors.

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CPRE The countryside charity TRUSTEES’ REPORT

Approved by the Trustees on 12 May 2022 and signed on their behalf by:

Simon Murray Chair

Martin Tyler FCCA Treasurer

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CPRE CAMPAIGN TO PROTECT RURAL ENGLAND

8. INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT

to the members of Campaign to Protect Rural England

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of Campaign to Protect Rural England for the year ended 31 December 2021 which comprise the Statement of Financial Activities, the Balance Sheet, the Cash Flow Statement and notes to the financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

In our opinion, the financial statements:

• give a true and fair view of the state of the charitable company’s affairs as at 31 December 2021 and of the charitable company’s net movement in funds, including the income and expenditure, for the year then ended;

• have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and

• have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.

Basis for opinion

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

Conclusions relating to going concern

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

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

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

Other information

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

In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether there is a material 24

CPRE CAMPAIGN TO PROTECT RURAL ENGLAND

misstatement in the financial statements or a material misstatement of the other information. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact. We have nothing to report in this regard.

Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006

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

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

• the strategic report and the directors’ report included within the Trustees’ Report have been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

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’ Report (which incorporates the strategic report and the directors’ report).

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

• adequate accounting records have not been kept by the charitable company; or

• the charitable company financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or

• certain disclosures of trustees’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or

• we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit.

Responsibilities of trustees for the financial statements

As explained more fully in the trustees’ responsibilities statement set out on page 20, 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 is detailed below:

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CPRE CAMPAIGN TO PROTECT RURAL ENGLAND

Based on our understanding of the charitable company and the environment in which it operates, we identified that the principal risks of non-compliance with laws and regulations related to the use of restricted funds in accordance with trust law, compliance with fundraising regulations and compliance with employment law, and we considered the extent to which non-compliance might have a material effect on the financial statements. We also considered those laws and regulations that have a direct impact on the preparation of the financial statements such as the Companies Act 2006 and the Charities Act 2011.

We evaluated management’s incentives and opportunities for fraudulent manipulation of the financial statements (including the risk of override of controls), and determined that the principal risks were related to the recognition of income from legacies and donations. Audit procedures performed by the engagement team included:

• Inspecting minutes of Trustees’ meetings

• Inspecting correspondence with regulators and tax authorities;

• Discussions with management including consideration of known or suspected instances of noncompliance with laws and regulation and fraud;

• Evaluating management’s controls designed to prevent and detect irregularities;

• Identifying and testing journals, in particular journal entries posted with unusual account combinations, postings by unusual users or with unusual descriptions; and

• Challenging assumptions and judgements made by management in the measurement of revenue from legacies.

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

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.

Richard Weaver (Senior Statutory Auditor) For and on behalf of Haysmacintyre LLP, Statutory Auditors 26 May 2022

10 Queen Street Place London EC4R 1AG

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CPRE CAMPAIGN TO PROTECT RURAL ENGLAND

9. STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES

(INCORPORATING AN INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT)

YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021

Note Income from Donations and legacies 2 & 3 Other trading activities 4 Investments 5 Total Expenditure on Raising funds 6 Charitable activities 7 Total 7 Net gains on investments 11 Net (expenditure)/ income Reconciliation of funds: Total funds brought forward Total funds carried forward	Unrestricted Restricted Endowment 2021 2020 Funds Funds Fund Total Total £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 2,824 417 - 3,241 4,243 41 - - 41 45 25 4 - 29 64
	2,890 421 - 3,311 4,352
	1,343 - - 1,343 923 3,955 466 - 4,421 4,222
	5,298 466 - 5,764 5,145 27 - 19 46 92
	(2,381) (45) 19 (2,407) (701) 5,568 337 134 6,039 6,740
	3,187 292 153 3,632 6,039

All of the charity’s activities are continuing.

There are no gains and losses other than those shown above.

The notes on pages 32 to 50 form part of these financial statements.

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CPRE CAMPAIGN TO PROTECT RURAL ENGLAND

(A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE - COMPANY NO. 4302973)

10. BALANCE SHEET

AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2021

Notes FIXED ASSETS Tangible assets 10 Investments 11 Total fixed assets CURRENT ASSETS Debtors 13 Regional bank balances Cash at bank and in hand Total current assets Liabilities: Creditors: Amounts falling due within one year 14 Net current assets Total assets less current liabilities Creditors: Amounts falling due after one year 14 Total net assets The funds of the charity: Unrestricted funds 15 Restricted funds 16 Endowment fund 17 Total charity funds	2021 2020 £’000 £’000 241 249 628 2,082
	869 2,331 1,189 1,487 248 246 2,053 2,540
	3,490 4,273 (727) (557)
	2,763 3,716 3,632 6,047 - (8)
	3,632 6,039
	3,187 5,568 292 337 153 134
	3,632 6,039

The financial statements were approved and authorised for issue by the Board and were signed on its behalf on 12 May 2022.

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CPRE CAMPAIGN TO PROTECT RURAL ENGLAND

Simon Murray Martin Tyler FCCA Chair Treasurer

The notes on pages 32 to 50 form part of these financial statements.

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CPRE CAMPAIGN TO PROTECT RURAL ENGLAND

11. STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS

YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021

Cash flows from operating activities: Net cash outflow from operating activities (see Table 1) Cash flows from investing activities Dividends, interest and rents from investments Bank and other interest received Purchase of property, plant and equipment Sale of investments Net cash inflow from investing activities (Decrease)/ Increase in Cash Change in cash and cash equivalents in the year Cash and cash equivalents at 1 January 2021 (see Table 2) Cash and cash equivalents at 31 December 2021 (see Table 2) Table 1: Reconciliation of net income to net cash flow from operating activities Net expenditure for the year Adjustments for: Depreciation charges Gains on investments Dividends, interest and rents from investments Decrease /(Increase) in debtors Increase in regional cash balances Increase / (Decrease) in creditors	2021 2020 £’000 £’000 (1,938) (1,580) 19 52 10 12 (80) (35) 1,500 1,500
	1,449 1,529
	(489) (51)
	(489) (51) 2,540 2,591 2,051 2,540 2021 2020 £’000 £’000 (2,407) (701) 88 103 (46) (92) (29) (64) 298 (564) 2 37 156 (299)

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Net cash provided by operating activities Table 2: Analysis of cash and cash equivalents Cash in hand Notice deposits (6 months) Total cash and cash equivalents	(1,938) (1,580)
	2021 2020 £’000 £’000 2,051 1,775 - 765
	2,051 2,540

Table 2: Analysis of cash and cash equivalents

The Charity has no debt, therefore the movements in net debt are all shown in the main cashflow statement. The notes on pages 32 to 50 form part of these financial statements.

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CPRE CAMPAIGN TO PROTECT RURAL ENGLAND

12. NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021

1. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES

a) Charity Information

The Campaign To Protect Rural England is a company limited by guarantee (No 4302973) and a registered charity (No 1089685) in England & Wales. The registered office is 15-21 Provost Street, London, N1 7NH

b) Basis of Accounting and Statement of Compliance

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention, with the exception of fixed asset investments, which are included at their market value at the balance sheet date. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice for Charities (SORP 2015) (Second Edition, effective 1 January 2019), the Companies Act 2006 and applicable accounting standards (FRS102).

The Trustees in developing the corporate strategy have also developed a multi-year financial model to underpin the corporate strategy. Whilst within the strategy there are risks associated with achieving the fundraising income, there are no material uncertainties related to events or conditions which would cast doubt on the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern.

Consolidated accounts have not been prepared, as the operation of the wholly owned trading subsidiary, CPRE Enterprises Limited, was dormant in the year and the net assets were not material to CPRE in the year.

The principal accounting policies and estimation techniques are as follows:

c) Local CPREs

Our partners in the CPRE network, the local CPRE organisations, receive a share of the membership subscription paid in respect of members assigned to them, which includes tax recovered from gift aid. The majority are autonomous, separately registered charities and produce their own financial statements, which are not consolidated. Three are part of national CPRE (Lincolnshire, County Durham and Northumberland). These accounts have been included within these financial statements.

d) Regional Groups

CPRE is responsible for the activities of eight regional groups. The income and expenditure of these groups have been included within these financial statements.

e) Income

Voluntary income and membership subscriptions are recorded when received at the national office.

Legacies are recognised when the conditions of entitlement, probability and measurement are met. Each bequest is recognised once a reasonable estimate of its value can be made and providing there is no evidence of any significant contentious claims against the deceased’s estate. Where CPRE is left part of the residue of an estate, the deceased’s Will, initial statements of assets and liabilities and draft estate accounts are used to calculate the estimated value of the bequest. This estimate is only recognised as income once the executors have proved the Will (i.e. obtained probate). Probate values will normally be used to estimate value.

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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021

Grants receivable and merchandise income are accounted for on an accruals basis.

Donated services are included at the rate that would have been charged if the charity had been invoiced for them. An equivalent amount is included in expenditure.

f) Fixed Assets

Items over £1,000 are capitalised. Fixed assets are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation.

Depreciation of fixed assets is provided at rates calculated to write off the cost of fixed assets over their anticipated useful lives and is charged on a monthly basis from purchase. The rates used during the year were as follows:

Leasehold improvements 10% straight line Furniture and equipment 25% or 33 1/3% straight line Computer equipment 33 1/3% straight line Database 10% straight line Assets in the course of construction 0%

g) Fixed Asset Investments

Fixed asset investments are stated at market value. Investment income is included in the Statement of Financial Activities on a receivable basis. Realised and unrealised gains and losses on investment assets are shown in the Statement of Financial Activities. Realised gains are based on disposal proceeds compared with either opening market value or cost if acquired during the year.

h) Operating Leases

Operating lease rentals are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities on a straight-line basis over the lease term.

i) Fund Accounting

Restricted funds are those the use of which is restricted by the conditions imposed by the donors.

Endowment funds are those where the income can be spent but the capital element retained. General

funds are those which are available for the general advancement of CPRE’s objectives.

j) Allocation of Costs

Overheads and support costs have been allocated to the cost headings in the Statement of Financial Activities as follows:

An estimate of staff time spent on each activity during the year, together with the individual’s salary cost, has been used to calculate the actual cost of staff time spent on each activity. These staff cost figures have been used to calculate a percentage figure, which has been used to apportion the total overhead and support costs.

Support costs include the costs of Human Resources and IT, Finance and Governance. Overhead costs include rent, depreciation and office costs.

Expenditure is recognised on an accruals basis when a liability is incurred.

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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021

k) Raising Funds

The cost of raising funds includes the production and postage costs of appeals and raffles, the marketing and promotional costs of all our fundraising programmes, the costs of members and supporter recruitment and the administrative cost of processing donations.

l) Charitable Activities

Charitable activity costs include all expenditure incurred in direct pursuit of CPRE’s charitable objectives.

These include all policy work, development of the branches and regional groups and the production of policy information about its work.

It also includes Membership and Supporter services including the materials, administrative and processing costs for member and supporter services.

m) Taxation

VAT

Irrecoverable VAT is included under the relevant expense headings. In 2021 this amounted to £216k (2020: £179k).

Corporation Tax

CPRE is a registered charity and can claim exemption from Corporation Tax on income and gains, which are applied for charitable purposes under the Corporation Taxes Act 2010.

n) Pension Schemes

CPRE operates defined contribution pension schemes for all qualifying employees. The assets of the schemes are held in separate funds administered by independent providers.

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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021

2. INCOME FROM DONATIONS AND LEGACIES

Unrestricted Funds Membership subscriptions Less:Branch share of subscriptions (note 1b) Legacies Appeals Charitable Trusts and Companies (note 3) Committed giving Major personal donations Raffles General donations Give as You Earn donations Branch Income Regional Income Total Unrestricted Funds Restricted Funds Charitable Trusts and Companies (note 3) Legacies Branch Income Major personal donations Total Restricted Funds Total income from Donations & Legacies	Total Total 2021 2020 £’000 £’000 1,414 1,394 (594) (581)
	820 813 1,150 2,301 388 416 106 125 212 218 61 79 - 42 63 39 5 5 - 11 19 2
	2,824 4,051 399 171 - 1 14 - 4 20
	417 192
	3,241 4,243

At 31 December 2021, our estimate of the value of legacies that had been bequeathed to CPRE, but which had not been included in the financial statements, was £124k (2020: £19k). None of these bequests has a remaining life interest.

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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021

3. GENERAL, CORPORATE AND TRUST DONATIONS

George Cadbury Fund Ltd Constance Travis Charitable Trust ESG TOPS Foundation The National Lottery Heritage Fund The Underwood Trust Historic England Donations less than £10,000 Comparative 2020 George Cadbury Fund Ltd Constance Travis Charitable Trust Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust MCS Charitable Foundation Foundation for Integrated Transport The Underwood Trust Anonymous donations The Tolkien Trust Donations less than £10,000	Unrestricted Funds Restricted Funds Total 2021 £’000 £’000 £’000 10 - 10 50 - 50 - 273 273 - 72 72 - 25 25 - 10 10 46 19 65
	106 399 505
	Unrestricted Funds Restricted Funds Total 2020 £’000 £’000 £’000 12 - 12 50 - 50 - 40 40 - 23 23 - 15 15 - 20 20 - 47 47 - 20 20 63 6 69 125 171 296

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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021

4. OTHER TRADING ACTIVITIES

Rental income Other income CPRE publications INVESTMENTS UK listed securities Bank interest	2021 2020 £’000 £’000 29 41 5 - 7 4
	41 45
	2021 2020 £’000 £’000 19 52 10 12
	29 64

5. INVESTMENTS

6. RAISING FUNDS

Fundraising costs: Direct costs Employment costs Support costs Total	2021 Total Funds 2020 Total Funds £’000 £’000 463 232 540 468 340 223
	1,343 923

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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED )

YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021

7. ANALYSIS OF EXPENDITURE

NALYSIS OF EXPENDITURE
Charitable activities Campaigns and policy to enhance and protect the countryside Support to branches and volunteers Develop our capability Information Provision to members Total Charitable activities Raising funds	Direct Employment Costs Grant Funding Activities Support Costs Direct Costs 2021 Total £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 691 - 304 434 1,429 508 8 238 160 914 636 - 306 446 1,388 322 - 162 206 690
	2,157 8 1,010 1,246 4,421 540 - 340 463 1,343
	2,697 8 1,350 1,709 5,764

The Strategic Collaboration Fund (SCF) continues to make national CPRE funds available through the network for specific, strategic projects designed to increase support and capacity within the CPRE network

ANALYSIS OF SUPPORT COSTS BY CHARITABLE ACTIVITY

Campaigns and policy to enhance and protect the countryside Support to branches and volunteers Develop our capability Supporter services 2021 Total charitable support costs	Overheads IT & HR Finance Governance Total £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 202 44 34 24 304 158 34 27 19 238 203 44 34 25 306 108 24 18 12 162
	671 146 113 80 1,010

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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021

Comparative 2020 Charitable activities Campaigns and policy to enhance and protect the countryside Support to branches and volunteers Develop our capability Information Provision to members Total Charitable activities Raising funds Analysis of support costs by charitable activity Campaigns and policy to enhance and protect the countryside Support to branches and volunteers Develop our capability Supporter services 2020 Total charitable support costs	Direct Employment Costs Grant Funding Activities Support Costs Direct Costs 2020 Total £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 633 - 277 143 1,053 426 82 192 338 1,038 628 - 252 671 1,551 272 - 105 203 580
	1,959 82 826 1,355 4,222 468 - 223 232 923
	2,427 82 1,049 1,587 5,145
	Overheads IT & HR Finance Governance Total £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 180 40 36 21 277 125 28 25 14 192 164 36 33 19 252 68 15 14 8 105 537 119 108 62 826

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CPRE CAMPAIGN TO PROTECT RURAL ENGLAND

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021

8. EMPLOYEE INFORMATION

The average monthly headcount was 63 (2020: 58). The average number of employees, on a full-time equivalent basis was as follows:

Full time Part time (FTE) Employee costs were as follows: Salaries Redundancy/ Termination costs National Insurance Pension contributions	2021 2020 No No 54 51 5 4
	59 55
	£’000 £’000 2,546 2,294 - - 249 234 158 149
	2,953 2,677

CPRE operates a Group Personal Pension Plan that all members of staff are eligible to join after the completion of their probationary service period. CPRE contributes 7% of eligible employees’ salaries to their pension plans. 59 members of staff (2020: 50) were members of the Group Personal Pension Plan at the end of the year. All of the higher paid employees were members of the Group Personal Pension Plan. Contributions into the Plan for these employees were £27k (2020: £28k). The total value of employee benefits received by key management personnel, (our principal officers (see page 19) was £415k (2020: £410k).

Employees paid £60,000 or more:

Employees paid £60,000 or more:
	2021	2020
£90,000 - £99,999	1	1
£80,000 - £89,999	-	-
£70,000 - £79,999	3	3
£60,000 - £69,999	1	1

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CPRE CAMPAIGN TO PROTECT RURAL ENGLAND

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021

9. TRUSTEES’ REMUNERATION AND EXPENSES

None of the Trustees received any remuneration during the year (2020: none). Travelling expenses reimbursed to 7 (2020:7) Trustees during the year amounted to £1,412 (2020: £969).

AUDITOR’S REMUNERATION

The amounts payable to Haysmacintyre were:

Audit costs: Statutory audit Total	2021 2020 £’000 £’000 16 15
	16 15

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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021

10. TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS

Cost At 1 January 2021 Additions Disposals At 31 December 2021 Depreciation At 1 January 2021 Charge for the year Disposals At 31 December 2021 Net book value At 31 December 2021 At 31 December 2020	Furniture Leasehold Computer Assets in the course and Improvements Equipment of construction Equipment Total £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 570 323 125 10 1,028 - 3 77 - 80 (1) (19) - - (20)
	569 307 202 10 1,088 485 288 - 6 779 68 17 - 3 88 (1) (19) - - (20)
	552 286 - 9 847
	17 21 202 1 241
	85 35 125 4 249

11. INVESTMENTS

Value at 1 January 2021 (Disposals) Investment gains Value at 31 December 2021	Listed Total Investments £’000 £’000 2,082 2,082 (1,500) (1,500) 46 46
	628 628

The Charity’s listed investments represent its only financial assets measured at fair value.

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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021

12. TRADING SUBSIDIARY

CPRE Enterprises Limited

The organisation has a wholly owned subsidiary registered in England, CPRE Enterprises Limited.

CPRE Enterprises Limited has been dormant throughout 2021 and 2020.

Summarised Balance Sheet of CPRE Enterprises Limited Cash at bank Called up share capital 13. DEBTORS Accrued legacy income Accrued Income Prepayments Other debtors	2021 2020 £ £ 2 2 2 2 2021 2020 £’000 £’000 754 1,210 74 48 121 158 240 71
	1,189 1,487

Included within Other debtors is £51k which relates to the rent deposit on Provost Street which is recoverable after more than one year.

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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021

14. CREDITORS:amounts falling due within one year Share of subscriptions owed to branches and regional groups Accruals and deferred income Grant Commitment Trade creditors Taxation and social security Pension schemes Accrued rent CREDITORS:amounts falling due after more than one year Accrued rent	2021 2020 £’000 £’000 149 143 337 157 - 5 133 122 69 65 21 19 18 46
	727 557
	2021 2020 £’000 £’000 - 8

15. ANALYSIS OF NET ASSETS BETWEEN FUNDS

General Funds Designated Funds Total Unrestricted Funds Restricted Funds Endowment Fund At 31 December 2021	Tangible Net Total Fixed Other Net Assets Investments Assets Assets £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 241 475 2,046 2,762 - - 425 425
	241 475 2,471 3,187 - - 292 292 - 153 - 153
	241 628 2,763 3,632

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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021

Comparative 2020 General Funds Designated Funds Total Unrestricted Funds Restricted Funds Endowment Fund At 31 December 2020 Movement in Designated funds: Strategic Collaboration Fund Legacy fund for work in North Yorkshire Funds held by regions Strategic Investment Fund Office Move Total Designated Funds	Tangible Net Total Fixed Current Net Assets Investments Assets Assets £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 249 1,948 2,946 5,143 - - 425 425
	249 1,948 3,371 5,568 - - 337 337 - 134 - 134
	249 2,082 3,708 6,039
	1 Jan 2021 Expenditure Transfer from General Funds 31 Dec 2021 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 92 (23) (39) 30 - - - - 246 - 2 248 494 - (494) - 400 (253) - 147
	1,232 (276) (531) 425

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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021

16. RESTRICTED FUNDS

RESTRICTED FUNDS
Esmée Fairbairn Foundation CPRE Mark Small grants each under £5,000 Andrew Mason legacy Anonymous donor Farming the Future Collective Fund The Underwood Trust Ernest Cook Trust Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust Foundation for Integrated Transport MCS Charitable Foundation The Tolkien Trust CPRE Lincolnshire CPRE Nottinghamshire CPRE Derbyshire The Bedford Road Charitable Trust ESG TOPS Foundation The National Lottery Heritage Fund Historic England Total restricted funds	Balance at Incoming Resources Balance at 1 January Resources Expended 31 December 2021 2021 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 64 - (49) 15 33 4 - 37 4 6 (5) 5 18 - (13) 5 8 - (8) - 27 - (17) 10 20 25 (23) 22 10 - (8) 2 40 - (40) - 15 - (15) - 23 - (15) 8 20 - - 20 55 - (9) 46 - 7 (7) - - 7 (7) - - 17 - 17 - 273 (168) 105 - 72 (72) - - 10 (10) -
	337 421 (466) 292

• The Underwood Trust is funding our Land Use Officer's salary.

• The Bedford Road Charitable Trust is funding an element of the Hedgerow Heroes Project, a Prime Agricultural Land Report and our Locally Valued Green Spaces work.

• ESG TOPS Foundation is supporting our Hedgerow Heroes Project.

• The National Lottery Heritage Fund supported our Inclusion and Audience Development Project.

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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021

• Historic England supported our Countryside Next Door work.

Comparative 2020 Esmée Fairbairn Foundation CPRE Mark Small grants each under £5,000 Garfield Weston Foundation KMF Maxwell-Stuart’s Charitable Trust Andrew Mason legacy Anonymous donor Farming the Future Collective Fund Anglo American Charitable Foundation CHK Charities Ltd The Underwood Trust Ernest Cook Trust Hastoe Housing Association Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust Foundation for Integrated Transport MCS Charitable Foundation The Tolkien Trust CPRE Lincolnshire Total restricted funds

Balance at Incoming Resources Balance at 1 January Resources Expended 31 December 2020 2020 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 146 - (82) 64 29 4 - 33 4 7 (7) 4 11 - (11) - 2 - (2) - 42 - (24) 18 3 20 (15) 8 - 47 (20) 27 19 - (19) - 5 - (5) - 20 20 (20) 20 10 - - 10 1 - (1) - - 40 - 40 - 15 - 15 - 23 - 23 - 20 - 20 55 - - 55

347 196 (206) 337

• The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation grant is towards a project addressing litter at a strategic level in Essex.

• CPRE Mark fund is used for the branch award scheme as noted in note 17.

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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021

• The bequest from Mr Andrew Mason is for projects in Devon.

• The anonymous donation is funding a Campaigns Officer post.

• Farming the Future Collective Fund is funding our County Farms project.

• The Underwood Trust is funding our Brownfield project.

• The donation from the Ernest Cook Trust is supporting our apprenticeship scheme.

• The Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust and Foundation for Integrated Transport are funding our Transport Deserts project.

• MCS Charitable Foundation is funding our Renewables Done Well project.

• The donation from the Tolkien Trust is supporting our apprenticeship scheme.

• CPRE Lincolnshire relates to the cash balances of the local CPRE.

• CPRE Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire relate to the work of the 3 counties project

• The Bedford Road Charitable Trust is funding an element of the Hedgerow Heroes Project, a Prime Agricultural Land Report and our Locally Valued Green Spaces work.

• ESG TOPS Foundation is supporting our Hedgerow Heroes Project.

• The National Lottery Heritage Fund supported our Inclusion and Audience Development Project.

• Historic England supported our Countryside Next Door work.

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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021

17. ENDOWMENT FUND

	Balance at		Investment	Balance at
			Gains/
	1 January	Transfers	(losses)	31 December
	2021			2021
	£’000	£’000	£’000	£’000
Endowment Fund (Colonel Hill)	134	-	19	153
Comparative 2020	Balance at		Investment	Balance at
			Gains/
	1 January	Transfers	(losses)	31 December
	2020			2020
	£’000	£’000	£’000	£’000
Endowment Fund (Colonel Hill)	126	-	8	134

The Endowment Fund was established by a donation in 1997. The income from the Fund is used to fund the CPRE Mark, which signifies approval for constructive developments and schemes, which leave the environment protected or enhanced.

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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021

18. OPERATING LEASE COMMITMENTS

At 31 December 2021, CPRE was committed to making the following payments in respect of noncancellable operating leases:

	2021	2020
	£’000	£’000
Land and Buildings
Payments due within 1 year	249	429
Payments due within 2-5 years (*)	785	50
Other
Payments due within 1 year	-	1
Payments due within 2 to 5 years	-	-

(*) The property lease for 5 – 11 Lavington Street expires in February 2022. The new lease for 15-21 Provost Street has a break clause in December 2026.

19. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

Patrick Cooper, a co-opted member of the Finance, Audit & Operational Effectiveness Committee, is the husband of Caroline Mason CBE, who is CEO of the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation from whom CPRE have received grant funding in 2019. The details of the grants received can be found in note 16. These grants were awarded on an “arm’s length” basis and Patrick is not involved in any decision-making regarding applications to trusts and foundations.

All Trustees are members of CPRE and pay at least the standard membership subscription.

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13. PROFESSIONAL ADVISORS

Honorary Standing Counsel

Paul Brown QC

Legal Panel

Paul Brown QC John Hobson QC Heather Sargent Stephen Whale

Solicitors

Russell Cooke LLP 2 Putney Hill Putney London SW15 6AB

Freeths LLP 1 Vine Street London W1J 0AH

Auditor

Haysmacintryre LLP 10 Queen Street Place London EC4R 1AG

Bankers

NatWest 2a Charing Cross Road London WC2H ONN

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Investment Managers

CCLA

Senator House

85 Queen Victoria Street

London

EC4V 4ET

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