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2022-03-31-accounts

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 31 MARCH 2022 Company no. 4361560 Charity no. 1092539

TRUSTEES REPORT

The trustees (who are directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act) present their report together with financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2022. The financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Companies Act 2006, the Memorandum and Articles of Association, and Accounting and Reporting by Charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019, published October 2019).

Reference and administrative details

Trustees at 31 March 2022, all of whom, except as noted below, served throughout the year were:

Mike King (Chair) Mike Alexander – Company Secretary (resigned as Treasurer August 2021) Eilidh Barnett Mark Beer Lucy King Suzi Coul (appointed 25 August 2021) Paul Currah (appointed 26 May 2021 Rashi Ghandi-Dawson Gordon Graylish Graham Matthews Ryan Mills Christine Murphy (appointed Treasurer August 2021)

Mike Alexander, Mark Beer, Mike King, and Christine Murphy are due to retire by rotation at the Annual General Meeting and offer themselves for re-election. Monica Wilson was appointed as a director on 18 May 2022, and Charlie Maynard was appointed on 7 September 2022. They both also offer themselves for re-election. Angharad Jones resigned as a trustee on 19 January 2022, David Nochar resigned on 26 May 2021 and Ryan Mills resigned on 22 April 2022.

Citizens Advice West Oxfordshire operates from two premises in Witney and a number of outreach locations across West Oxfordshire. The Old Print House, Marlborough Lane, Witney is the main administrative office and from which the Chief Officer, Teresa Archer, takes responsibility for the day to day running of the organisation.

These financial statements have been subjected to Independent Examination by Just Audit & Assurance Ltd.

Our bankers are Barclays Bank.

The company, which is a company limited by guarantee, is registered with number 4361560 and is a registered charity with the number 1092539.

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 31 MARCH 2022 Company no. 4361560 Charity no. 1092539

TRUSTEES REPORT (CONTINUED)

Structure, governance and management

Governing document

Citizens Advice West Oxfordshire (“CAWO”) is a company limited by guarantee and a registered charity governed by its memorandum and articles of association. It also aims to comply with the principles laid down by the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux. The directors of the charity, who are appointed by the members in general meeting, nominated by member organisations or co-opted by the Trustee Board, are its trustees for the purposes of charity law and throughout this report are collectively referred to as the trustees.

Recruitment and appointment of trustees

The directors of the company are also charity trustees for the purposes of charity law. They are elected at an annual general meeting and serve for a three-year period after which they may be re-elected. New Trustees are recruited mainly from applicants volunteering through REACH. The local Volunteer Link-Up and personal recommendations may also be a source. Candidates are interviewed by the chairman, one other trustee and the chief officer. If acceptable, the candidate then attends a Trustee Board Meeting as an observer and is encouraged to speak on the issues under examination. At the end of the meeting the trustees vote on whether or not to appoint the candidate. Although not prescribed by its articles of association one trustee is nominated by West Oxfordshire District Council in recognition of their key role as one of CAWO’s major funders.

Trustee induction and training

New Trustees receive localised induction in-house from the chair, the chief officer and the training officer. and are given a handbook detailing their responsibilities which includes several important governance documents. After this, new trustees attend structured training provided by the national organisation Citizens Advice around Citizens Advice policies and procedures and the responsibilities of trustees.

Risk management

Trustees have worked on a Corporate Risk Management exercise. A risk management strategy and risk register were agreed by the Trustee Board. The Trustees recognise that any major risks to which to which the charity is exposed need to be reviewed and systems put in place to mitigate those risks. To that end we are continually monitoring and managing our risk, reviewing the corporate risk register and ensuring action plans are in place to mitigate the key risks.

Included in external risks is that of the loss of funding. The effects of this have been minimised by the procedures in place, which have resulted in funding being secured from a variety of sources. The charity continues to seek to diversify its funding sources. Internal risks are minimised by the implementation of procedures for authorisation of all transactions and projects and to ensure consistent quality of delivery for all operational aspects of the charitable company. These procedures are periodically reviewed to ensure that they still meet the needs of the charity.

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 31 MARCH 2022 Company no. 4361560 Charity no. 1092539

TRUSTEES REPORT (CONTINUED)

Organisational structure

The Trustee Board meets a minimum of four times a year and is supported by sub committees for Finance, HR, Governance and Technology and Infrastructure, together with working groups for Equality and Diversity and Research and Campaigns, which also meet a least quarterly. Between meetings the Chief Officer, who is responsible for ensuring that CAWO delivers the services specified and that the key performance indicators and the requirements of funders are met, consults with the Chair and Trustee Board members responsible for finance, information technology, health and safety, publicity and media, legal and social policy as appropriate to ensure the continued smooth running of the bureau.

Whilst this organisation is independent and self-managed many policies and procedures are laid down by Citizens Advice nationally, particularly to ensure that advice given is of the highest possible quality. Audits are carried out by them to ensure that relevant standards are being met.

Related parties

Mike Alexander is a trustee board member of Citizens Advice Oxfordshire

Objectives and activities

The company is a charity and exists to promote any charitable purpose for the benefit of the community in West Oxfordshire by the advancement of education, the protection and preservation of health and the relief of poverty, sickness and distress.

The Citizens Advice service provides free, independent, confidential and impartial advice to everyone on their rights and responsibilities. It values diversity, promotes equality and challenges discrimination.

The service aims:

The charity’s aims are to:

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 31 MARCH 2022 Company no. 4361560 Charity no. 1092539

TRUSTEES REPORT (CONTINUED)

Public benefit

The trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit. Our objective is to provide free advice for all and to help improve social policies. This report, particularly the ‘Achievements and performance’ section below, amply demonstrate the very real difference we make to the lives of the people of West Oxfordshire.

We believe that our activities help toward achieving the following public benefits:

Achievements and performance

CAWO delivers our core advice service throughout West Oxfordshire, and our additional projects and contracts cover a wider area in line with the requirements of our specific funders.

2021-2022 saw a continuation of the effects of the pandemic and slow increase in the return to face to face services. During most of 2021-22 we continued to deliver services through a mixture of remote working and a reduced office presence. Face to face services did resume in the summer of 2021 but remained limited to only those who could not access our telephone and web services, or who were in urgent need. Despite this, we delivered services to 8,823 people (22% increase on 2020-21) and opened 9,018 new cases (23% increase on 2020-21). This significant increase is in part due to the administration of various grants on behalf of West Oxfordshire District Council and Oxfordshire County Council.

This year we were presented with over 21,277 issues, an increase of 5% on the previous year. This further supports that the additional clients were largely single issue. Benefits advice remained the top issue, followed by debt, but this year we have seen more cases recorded under financial services and capability and a significant increase the ‘other’ category which includes referrals to food banks and access to charitable support. Housing is once again higher than employment issues. Our Pension Wise

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 31 MARCH 2022 Company no. 4361560 Charity no. 1092539

TRUSTEES REPORT (CONTINUED)

service is provided under the financial services category and accounts for a significant number of those cases, as well as those receiving budgeting support and advice.

Our client profile is dominated by the 50-69 age group, which is consistent with the delivery of PensionWise across Oxfordshire, Milton Keynes and Reading, as well as our countywide Oxfordshire Specialist Advice Service that provides benefits and money advice to people eligible for social care assessment. The numbers of people over 70 have also increased in a slow return to pre-pandemic numbers.

Typically, our services are used by more women than men, and 46% reported a longterm health condition or disability. 10% of our clients identified as an ethnicity other than white, which is a significantly higher proportion of the population than local census data shows, although of course some of our services do cover Oxfordshire and beyond which may account for this.

We supported West Oxfordshire District Council and Oxfordshire County Council in distributing £110,000 worth of supermarket vouchers and fuel bill support through the Hardship Support Fund and other grants available. Overall, we helped our clients improve their incomes by over £2.5 million.

Face to face interventions were still around 3% of our interactions. We handled almost 17,750 calls, an increase of 18% on 2019-20 which had seen a 500% increase. We also maintained our capacity in answering national web chat.

Below are some of our main successes of 2021-2022:

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 31 MARCH 2022 Company no. 4361560 Charity no. 1092539

TRUSTEES REPORT (CONTINUED)

Financial review

Principal funding sources

CAWO is dependent upon its funders for its continuance. Our foremost single funder in 2021-22 was West Oxfordshire District Council, without whose support the charity would not be able to continue its activities. We received additional grants from WODC in this year to support a one-off trainee post to help us manage increased demand, and a smaller grant for managing the various client funds on their behalf. However, the trend has been over the last few years that we are more reliant on, and gain growth from national contracts awarded to Citizens Advice and subcontracted to local Citizens Advice. We are currently running PensionWise and Universal Credit Help to Claim, as well as receiving two one-off opportunities to build sustainability through the Money and Pensions Service and BEIS.

----- Start of picture text -----
Amount
1% 1%
West Oxfordshire District Council
3%
3%
Town and Parish Councils
27%
12%
Oxfordshire County Council (inc
Public Health)
2% National Contracts
(MAPS/HTC/BEIS)
Military Charity Funding
1%
Housing Associations
15%
Health Funding
35%
Unrestricted Trust donations
----- End of picture text -----

Oxfordshire County Council fund us through a direct contract for Benefits in Place, and as a sub-contractor of our partner Age UK Oxfordshire for the Oxfordshire Specialist Advice Service. In addition, this year we received an administration grant for distributing the Household Support Fund.

Our strong relationship with Cottsway Housing and Greensquare Accord is demonstrated through the stability of funding under Housing Associations bringing 12% of our overall funding.

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 31 MARCH 2022 Company no. 4361560 Charity no. 1092539

TRUSTEES REPORT (CONTINUED)

Results for the year

We are pleased that this year has resulted in only a small deficit of £2,306 (compared to a surplus of £26,516 in 2020/21).

Incoming resources have increased significantly (14.4%) to £635,662. This is mainly due to £33,330 from a new one year contract from the Contain Outbreak Management Fund (“COMF”) and an extra £19,730 from WODC for managing Winter Hardship funds.

Costs have increased in total by 20% to £637,968 mainly because of higher salary costs arising from extra contracts.

Our balance sheet remains strong and we believe that CAWO has sufficient resources for our current level of activity. The balance sheet includes a pension reserve of £243,000 calculated actuarially on an FRS 102 basis. A Cessation Debt is likely to be greater than this amount. Further details of this are given in Note 9.

Reserves policy

The charity holds reserves to ensure that it can meet all of its future commitments as they fall due. Unrestricted free reserves at 31 March 2022 amounted to some £292,000. The trustees have considered the monies which would need to be expended in the event that the organisation had to close due to its funding being withdrawn and also to the level of essential overhead and capital costs that will be incurred, on an ongoing basis, in the forthcoming months. Bearing in mind the need of the trustees to operate prudently, and the guidance on this subject provided by the Charity Commission, they believe that this amount is satisfactory as of 31 March 2022.

This statement is made assuming that the matters set out in Note 9 do not adversely affect our finances.

The trustees are satisfied that the charity's assets attributable to each of its individual funds are available and adequate to fulfil its obligations in relation to those funds.

Investment policy

Apart from retaining a prudent amount in reserves each year most of the charity’s funds are to be spent in the short term so there is little need for a long-term investment strategy. Surplus funds are invested with Scottish Widows.

Plans for future periods

We published our 3 year strategy and business development plan in 2019 and continue to work on our action plans which we review annually. Our high-level objectives remain:

Advice Provide high quality advice and support to more people through the channels that meet their needs Advocacy Influence and lobby on local issues that matter to the people of West Oxfordshire Sustainability Manage our finances well - for now and the future Culture Be a great place to work and volunteer Partnership Build strong partnerships to support our plans

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 31 MARCH 2022 Company no. 4361560 Charity no. 1092539

In addition to the above aims, we have 4 overarching themes:

Trustees' responsibilities for the financial statements

The trustees are responsible for preparing the trustees’ report and the financial statements in accordance with general applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom General Accepted Accounting Practice).

The law applicable to charities in England and Wales requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources of the charity for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act, the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 and the provisions of the Memorandum and Articles. They are also responsible for safekeeping the assets of the charity 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 charity and financial information included on the charity’s website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

Independent Examiner

A resolution will be proposed to the Annual General Meeting that Just Audit & Assurance Ltd be appointed as Independent Examiner for the ensuing year.

ON BEHALF OF THE TRUSTEES

M Alexander Trustee 3 October 2022

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 31 MARCH 2022 Company no. 4361560 Charity no. 1092539

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF CITIZENS ADVICE WEST OXFORDSHIRE

I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Company for the year ended 31 March 2022.

Responsibilities and basis of report

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

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

Independent examiner’s statement

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

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

accounting records were not kept in respect of CAWO as required by section 386 of the 2006 Act; or

the accounts do not accord with those records; or

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

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

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

...................................... J M Russell FCA

Just Audit & Assurance Ltd 37 Market Square Witney Oxfordshire OX28 6RE

4 October 2022

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 31 MARCH 2022 Company no. 4361560 Charity no. 1092539

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Basis of preparation

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention with items recognised at cost. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019, published October 2019 and with the Charities Act 2011.

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

The financial statements present a true and fair view and the principal accounting policies of the charity. The policies remain unchanged from the previous year and are set out below.

No significant changes to accounting estimates or prior year errors have been identified.

Incoming resources

Recognition of income

Income is included in the Statement of Financial Activities (SoFA) when:

There has been no material offsetting of assets and liabilities, or income and expenses.

Grants and donations are only included in the SoFA when the general income recognition criteria (as set out above) are met.

In the case of performance related grants, income is only recognised to the extent that the charity has provided the activity required to enable it to claim entitlement to the grant.

Gift Aid receivable is included in income when there is a valid declaration from the donor. Any Gift Aid amount recovered on a donation is considered to be part of that gift and is treated as an addition to the same fund as the initial donation unless the donor or the terms of the appeal have specified otherwise.

Contractual income and performance related grants are only included in the SoFA once the charity has provided the related services or met the performance related conditions.

The value of any voluntary help received is not included in the accounts.

Interest income is included when receipt is probable and the amount receivable can be measured reliably.

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 31 MARCH 2022 Company no. 4361560 Charity no. 1092539

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)

Resources expended

Expenditure is recognised where it is more likely than not that there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to pay out resources and the amount of the obligation can be measured with reasonable certainty. It includes VAT which the charity is unable to recover which is reported as part of the expenditure to which it relates.

Fund accounting

Restricted funds are to be used for specified purposes laid down by the donor. Expenditure for those purposes is charged to the fund, together with a fair allocation of overheads and support costs.

Unrestricted funds are donations and other incoming resources received or generated for expenditure on the general objectives of the charity.

Designated funds are unrestricted funds which have been designated for specific purposes by the Trustees.

Tangible fixed assets and depreciation

With effect from 1 April 2020 smaller items of computer and office equipment with a recommended useful life of less than 3 /4 years have been written off when acquired.

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 31 MARCH 2022 Company no. 4361560 Charity no. 1092539

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)

Tangible fixed assets purchased prior to 1 April 2020 are stated at cost, net of depreciation.

Depreciation is calculated to write down the cost of all tangible fixed assets by equal annual instalments over their estimated useful economic lives. The periods generally applicable are:

Office equipment and furniture 4 years Computer equipment 3 years Improvements and adaptations to leasehold property period of the lease.

Retirement benefits

The charity participated in a defined benefit scheme. An estimate of the excess of its share of the liabilities over its share of the assets is shown as a reserve on the balance sheet.

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 31 MARCH 2022

Company no. 4361560 Charity no. 1092539

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES (incorporating an income and expenditure account) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

Income
Incoming resources
Income from:
Donations
Charitable activities
Generalist advice
Social policy work
Specialist advice
Investment income – interest
Total incoming resources
Expenditure
Expenditure on:
Charitable activities
Generalist advice
Social policy work
Specialist advice
Governance costs
Audit fee
Other
Total resources expended
Net (outgoing) / incoming resources
Funds at 1 April 2021
Funds at 31 March 2022		 Note
1
2		 Unrestricte
d funds
£
14,955
98,357
10,928
-
89		 Restricte
d funds
£
5,590
-
-
505,743
-		 Total 2022
£
20,545
98,357
10,928
505,743
89		 Total
2021
£
16,236
67,166
7,463
464,690
251		 Total
2021
£
16,236
67,166
7,463
464,690
251
124,329 511,333 **635,662 ** 555,806
112,169
12,463
1,890
113		 511,333 112,169
12,463
511,333		 49,511
5,112
471,973
635,965 526,596
1,890
113		 1,794
900
126,635 637,968 529,290
26,516
24,714
51,230
(2,306)
51,230
48,924 48,924
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 31 MARCH
2022
Company no. 4361560
Charity no. 1092539
BALANCE SHEET AT 31 MARCH 2022
Note
2022
2021
£
£
Fixed assets
Tangible assets
6
-
-
Current assets
Debtors
7
14,736
18,864
Cash at bank and in hand
350,692
382,673
365,428
401,537
Creditors: amounts falling due within one
year
8
73,504
101,307
Net current assets
291,924
294,230
Net assets
291,924
294,230
Income Funds
Unrestricted funds
48,924
51,230
Restricted funds
10
-
-
Pension reserve
9
243,000
243,000
291,924
294,230		 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 31 MARCH
2022
Company no. 4361560
Charity no. 1092539
BALANCE SHEET AT 31 MARCH 2022
Note
2022
2021
£
£
Fixed assets
Tangible assets
6
-
-
Current assets
Debtors
7
14,736
18,864
Cash at bank and in hand
350,692
382,673
365,428
401,537
Creditors: amounts falling due within one
year
8
73,504
101,307
Net current assets
291,924
294,230
Net assets
291,924
294,230
Income Funds
Unrestricted funds
48,924
51,230
Restricted funds
10
-
-
Pension reserve
9
243,000
243,000
291,924
294,230		 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 31 MARCH
2022
Company no. 4361560
Charity no. 1092539
BALANCE SHEET AT 31 MARCH 2022
Note
2022
2021
£
£
Fixed assets
Tangible assets
6
-
-
Current assets
Debtors
7
14,736
18,864
Cash at bank and in hand
350,692
382,673
365,428
401,537
Creditors: amounts falling due within one
year
8
73,504
101,307
Net current assets
291,924
294,230
Net assets
291,924
294,230
Income Funds
Unrestricted funds
48,924
51,230
Restricted funds
10
-
-
Pension reserve
9
243,000
243,000
291,924
294,230		 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 31 MARCH
2022
Company no. 4361560
Charity no. 1092539
BALANCE SHEET AT 31 MARCH 2022
Note
2022
2021
£
£
Fixed assets
Tangible assets
6
-
-
Current assets
Debtors
7
14,736
18,864
Cash at bank and in hand
350,692
382,673
365,428
401,537
Creditors: amounts falling due within one
year
8
73,504
101,307
Net current assets
291,924
294,230
Net assets
291,924
294,230
Income Funds
Unrestricted funds
48,924
51,230
Restricted funds
10
-
-
Pension reserve
9
243,000
243,000
291,924
294,230
14,736
350,692		 18,864
382,673
401,537
101,307
294,230
365,428
73,504
291,924
291,924 294,230
48,924
-
243,000		 51,230
-
243,000
291,924 294,230

For the financial year ended 31 March 2022, the company was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.

The members have not required the charity to obtain an audit of its financial statements for the year in question in accordance with section 476.

The directors acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 with respect to accounting records and the preparation of the financial statements.

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

The financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees on 3 October 2022.

M Alexander Trustee

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 31 MARCH 2022 Company no. 4361560 Charity no. 1092539

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

1. INCOMING RESOURCES FROM CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES

2022 2021
Unrestricte
d Funds		 Restricte
d Funds		 Total Total
£ £ £ £
West Oxfordshire District Cncl.
Contract - 99,730 99,730 80,000
Grant 58,700 - 58,700 58,700
Foodgrant - - - 4,000
Helen Roll trust 10,000 - 10,000 10,000
Parish councilgrants 3,895 - 3,895 2,894
Oxfordshire Community
Foundation		 - - - 3,500
Citizens Advice - - - 5,178
BEIS - 23,333 23,333 16,667
RAF Brize Norton - 14,000 14,000 15,000
Oxfordshire CountyCouncil - 10,000
Pension Wise - 124,940 124,940 103,534
MoneyAdvice Service - 45,800 45,800 21,608
MS Society - 1,000 1,000 1,756
Energy projects - - - 10,830
Benefits in Practice - 17,000 17,000 17,000
Oxford Specialist Advice
Service		 - 60,000 60,000 57,092
Cottsway Debt and Benefit - 51,000 51,000 50,000
GreenSquare - 22,500 22,500 15,500
CommunityConnect - 20,945 20,945 20,945
Universal Credit – Helpto Claim - 25,495 25,495 32,080
Citizens Advice Oxfordshire
shared staff member		 3,360 - 3,360 3,035
Contain Outbreak Management
Fund		 33,330 - 33,330 -
109,285 505,743 615,028 539,319

Unrestricted funds are allocated as to 90% for generalist advice and 10% for social policy work. All restricted fund projects are used to provide targeted advice services

These incoming resources have been allocated as follows:

Generalist advice
Social policy work
Restricted fund projects – Targeted advice		 2022
2021
£
£
98,357
67,166
10,928
7,463
505,743
464,690

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 31 MARCH 2022 Company no. 4361560 Charity no. 1092539 615,028 539,319

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (cont.)

2. CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES COSTS

Staff costs
Travel and
subsistence
External training
Rent
Insurance
Repairs and
renewals
Utilities and rates
Telephone
Office supplies
Postage
Information
systems
Computer support
Citizens Advice
membership fee
Miscellaneous
Depreciation
Reallocation of
costs		 20222021
Generalist
Advice
Social
policy
work
Targeted
advice
Total
Total
£
£
£
£
£
121,245
13,473 416,037
550,755
429,186
9
1
1,751
1,761
1,124
405
45
732
1,182
650
15,417
1,713
-
17,130
16,811
3,741
416
- 4,157
3,907
4,377
486
7,938
12,801
4,962
4,738
526
-
5,264
4,580
6,053
672
2,441
9,166
16,776
4,192
467
-
4,659
2,946
2,504
277
263
3,044
2,338
3,477
386
599
4,462
3,374
9,608
1,067
1,511
12,186
25,364
4,916
546
-
5,462
5,462
2,793
311
832
3,936
3,762
-
-
5,354
(71,306)
(7,923)
79,229
-
-
112,169
12,463
511,333
635,965
526,596

TOTAL

Employee costs have been allocated on the basis of time spent and other costs on an estimated basis in accordance with resources used.

3. PAYMENTS TO TRUSTEES AND CONNECTED PERSONS

No trustee or person with a family or business connection with a trustee received remuneration in the year, directly or indirectly, from either the charity or an institution or company controlled by the charity.

A total of £13 in expenses was reimbursed to Trustees during the year

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 31 MARCH 2022 Company no. 4361560 Charity no. 1092539

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (cont.)

4. RETIREMENT BENEFITS

The charity participates as an admitted body in the Oxfordshire Pension Fund which is administered by Oxfordshire County Council. The assets of this fund, which exceed £1,450 million, are administered by trustees in a fund independent from the charity.

Pension costs are assessed in accordance with the advice of a qualified actuary.

There were no pension cost charges for 2022 (2021 - one employee cost £505 at a contribution rate of 18.1%.)

Further information about this scheme and the treatment of the charity’s share of the total assets and liabilities is contained in note 9

5. EMPLOYEES

Wages and salaries
Social security costs
Pension contributions		 2022
£
491,110
32,903
19,280		 2021
£
391,904
21,940
15,342
543,293 429,186

The average number of employees (FTE) during the year was:

Managers
Advice coordinators, training officers and project workers
Administration		 2022
Number
3
15
1		 2021
Number
3
13
1
19 17

No employee earned £60,000 per annum or more in the current or preceding year.

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 31 MARCH 2022 Company no. 4361560 Charity no. 1092539

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (cont.)

6. TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS

Cost
At 1 April 2021 and 31 March
2022
Depreciation
At 1 April 2021
Provided in the year
At 31 March 2022
Net book amount at 31 March
2022
Net book amount at 31 March
2021		 Leasehold
Improve-
ments
£		 Office
equipment
and
furniture
£		 Computer
equipment
Total
£
£
73,784 492 24,030
98,306
73,784
-		 492
-		 24,030
98,306
-
-
73,784 492 24,030
98,306
- - -
-
-
-
- -

All tangible fixed assets were used for charitable purposes.

7. DEBTORS

Grants
Sundry debtors		 2022
£
13,296
1,440
14,736		 2021
£
18,503
361
18,864

8. CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR

Grants received in advance
Other creditors		 2022
£
38,045
35,459		 2021
£
76,766
30,541
73,504 107,307

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 31 MARCH 2022 Company no. 4361560 Charity no. 1092539

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (cont.)

9. DEFINED BENEFIT PENSION SCHEME

As is stated in Note 4 the charity participates as an admitted body in the Oxfordshire Pension Fund (“OPF”) which is administered by Oxfordshire County Council. An actuarial report has been obtained of the financial position of the charity’s portion of the assets and liabilities of the scheme at 31 March 2017 and is the most up to date information to hand.

One of the assumptions used in this actuarial report is that salary increases from 31 March 2017 will be at a rate of 4.2% pa. Salary increases since that date have been significantly lower and in fact in 2017 and 2018 were only 1% pa. This throws some doubt on the appropriateness of this assumption and consequently the conclusions reached by the actuaries.

The actuaries concluded that on the basis of a cessation of the charity’s activities there would be an excess of pension liability over related assets for the charity’s part of the scheme amounting to £243,000.

In accordance with the requirements of FRS 102 this has been incorporated into the balance sheet.

The position is further complicated by the fact that the charity’s last contributing member retired from its employment on 1 July 2020. This means that a Cessation Notice can be issued by Oxfordshire County Council on behalf of the OPF. The effect of this would be to require the charity to pay to OPF its share of the excess of the pension liability over related assets for the charity’s part of the scheme. No such notice has been received from Oxfordshire County Council and the charity has received no advice as to what this sum might be. Informally it is believed that this sum could be in excess of the £243,000 balance sheet pension reserve.

Whilst any such liability would be substantial it is believed that OPF would agree to a plan to defer payments over a period of several years and thus it is believed that this uncertainty is not so significant as to invalidate the adoption of the going concern method of accounting in these financial statements.

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 31 MARCH 2022 Company no. 4361560 Charity no. 1092539

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (cont.)

10. RESTRICTED FUNDS

At 31
March
2021		 Incoming
Resources		 Expenditure At 31
March
2022
£ £ £ £
WODC contract - 99,730 99,730 -
Pension Wise - 124,940 124,940 -
RAF Brize Norton - 14,000 14,000 -
GreenSquare - 22,500 22,500 -
Benefits in Practice - 17,000 17,000 -
Community Connect - 20,945 20,945 -
Universal credit-Help to
Claim		 - 25,495 25,495 -
Oxford Specialist
Advice Service		 - 60,000 60,000 -
Cottsway Debt and
Benefit		 - 51,000 51,000 -
MS Society - 1,000 1,000 -
Money and Pensions
Service IC Debt Advice		 - 45,800 45,800 -
BEIS IC Adviceline 23,333 23,333 -
Friends of WOCA - 5,590 5,590 -
Total - 511,333 511,333 -

Details of these restricted funds are as follows:

West Oxfordshire District Council contract and grant – services are provided to WODC for debt, housing, benefits and employment under the terms of a negotiated contract. In addition, we provide wider generalist advice services to those that need us through an unrestricted grant awarded by WODC. In addition, this year we were asked to administer Winter Hardship Fund and Contain Outbreak Management Fund scheme on behalf of Oxfordshire County Council and West Oxfordshire District Council.

Pension Wise is a project funded by the Department of Work and Pensions through Citizens Advice It provides pension guidance on defined contribution pensions following the significant changes to pensions legislation effective on 1 April 2015.

The RAF Brize Norton project is funded mainly by a grant from the RAF Benevolent Fund and allows CAWO to provide 18 hours of weekly outreach services for serving and contracted personnel at RAF Brize Norton and their families at the RAF base in Brize Norton, and in Carterton

GreenSquare Debt and money advice is a project funded by GreenSquare Housing Association and is delivered in partnership with Citizens Advice Oxford. It provides money and debt advice and support to Greensquare tenants in West and North Oxfordshire.

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 31 MARCH 2022 Company no. 4361560 Charity no. 1092539

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (cont.) 10. RESTRICTED FUNDS (Continued)

Benefits in Practice is a project funded by Public Health which provides advice sessions in GP surgeries in Shipton-under-Wychwood and at Broadshires Health Centre in Carterton.

Community Connect is a social prescribing service delivered in partnership with Citizens Advice North Oxfordshire and South Northants. It is funded for 4 years from 2018-19 through the national Health and Wellbeing Fund, Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group, Cherwell District Council and West Oxfordshire District Council.

Help to Claim (Universal Credit) is a service funded by DWP to assist claimants that need support through the universal credit claim process to first payment.

Oxford Specialist Advice Service is a project funded by Oxfordshire County Council delivered in partnership with Age UK, Citizens Advice Oxford and Oxfordshire Welfare Rights. The project provides advice on benefits and debt by telephone, email and home visits to people throughout Oxfordshire whom are eligible for assessment and support by Social Care.

Cottsway Debt and Benefits Project is funded by Cottsway Housing and provides a telephone and face to face debt and benefits advice service for tenants of Cottsway living in Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire.

MS Society. Funded by the Multiple Sclerosis Society we provide generalist and specialist advice and support to people with MS in West Oxfordshire.

Friends of WOCA have provided funds to install Air Purifiers in Old Print House.

Money and Pensions Advice: Increasing Capacity in Debt Advice: We received funding to recruit and train a completely new full time debt adviser for one year.

BEIS Increasing capacity for Adviceline: This funding has enabled us to recruit and train a new Adviceline Adviser and support our succession plans in bringing new people into the advice sector.

11. LEASING COMMITMENTS

Operating lease payments amounting to £17,000 (2021: £17,000) are due in the next twelve months, all of which is in respect of a lease for land and buildings which expires in less than five years. Under the terms of this lease the charity is committed to further payments amounting to £75,083 after 31 March 2022.

12. CAPITAL COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENT LIABILITIES

The charity had no capital commitments or contingent liabilities at 31 March 2022 or 31 March 2021

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 31 MARCH 2022 Company no. 4361560 Charity no. 1092539

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (cont.)

13. INDEMNITY INSURANCE

The charity holds a trustee indemnity insurance policy. The cost cannot be determined as it is part of a larger combined insurance policy.

14. MEMBERS GUARANTEES

Members of the company are obliged to each pay an amount of £1 in the event of the company's insolvency.