Dore Community Transport Registration number 4355269 Charity number 1097172 Company Limited by Guarantee
Financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2021
| Contents | Page | |
|---|---|---|
| Legal and administrative information | 2 | |
| Trustees Report | 3 - 6 | |
| Independent examiner’s report | 7-8 | |
| Statement of Financial Activities | 9 | |
| Balance Sheet | 10 -- | 11 |
| Schedule of fixed assets | 12 | |
| Notes forming part of the financial statements | 13 – | 15 |
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Dore Community Transport Registration number 4355269 Charity number 1097172 Company Limited by Guarantee
Legal and administrative information
Status Charitable Company limited by guarantee Charity number 1097172 Registration number 4355269 Registered office Ewyas Harold Memorial Hall Pontrilas Road Ewyas Harold Herefordshire HR2 0EL Management Committee Roger Bradley Trustee & Director, Chairman Tony Capon Trustee & Director Chris Tomlinson Trustee & Director Trefor Edwards Trustee, Treasurer David Bond Trustee, Company Secretary Peter Barns Graham Trustee
Bankers HSBC High Town Hereford HR1 2AQ
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Dore Community Transport Registration number 4355269 Charity number 1097172 Company Limited by Guarantee
Report of the trustees for the year ended 31[st] March 2021
The trustees, some of whom are also directors of the company for the purposes of the Companies Act, submit their annual report and the financial statements for the year ending 31[st] March 2021. In preparing this report the trustees have adopted the provisions of the Charities SORP (FS102).
The charity is a charitable company limited by guarantee and is governed by its memorandum and articles of association.
Aims
Dore Community Transport was set up over 20 years ago and throughout that time our object has been to provide an accessible and affordable transport service to the inhabitants of South West Herefordshire who are in need of the service because of age, sickness or disability, or because of the lack of available public transport. We operate in a rural area covering approximately 200 square miles, an area poorly served by public transport and our service enables our clients to participate in community life and retain independence in isolated areas.
DCT's aims are simple and have remained unchanged from its creation:-
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To ensure that it can continue to provide a transport service for those living in the South West area of Herefordshire who have little or no access to public transport, and do not have any independent means of transport.
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To provide a safe and reliable service to all who use it or give up their time to make it work.
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To keep the costs of running the service as low as possible to ensure that it remains affordable to those who need to use it, recognising that many of its clients are elderly and infirm and potentially on low income.
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To minimise its impact on the environment by where possible increasing the load factor on its MPVs and minimising dead mileage.
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To increase the awareness of the service we provide to ensure we reach as many of the vulnerable and elderly people in our area and with the additional aim of broadening the demographic profile of its users.
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To extend the hours that the service is available if resources exist.
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To work closely with other interested parties including other Community Transport Groups, Parish Councils and Herefordshire Council to seek opportunities to improve service, reduce waste and duplication and minimise cost, provided this does not adversely affect our customers.
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To ensure the service can continue to grow as demand increases by building contingency plans and funds for new and replacement vehicles, and by planning for driver, committee and trustee retirements.
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To remain responsive to changing conditions and requirements and seek to ensure a process of continuous development and improvement so that we can maintain the high levels of respect and customer satisfaction currently existing.
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Dore Community Transport Registration number 4355269 Charity number 1097172 Company Limited by Guarantee
Financial review
As for many other organisations 2021 was a strange and difficult year for Dore Community Transport as we adapted to the restrictions caused by Covid 19. Services were drastically curtailed and consequently fare income fell sharply from £29,513 to £7,851.
During the year we continued to receive good financial support. Herefordshire Council provided £18,147, down £1,177 on last year as a result of a redistribution of Council funds to the seven CT groups in Herefordshire. Parish Councils increased their support from £5,605 to £6,205. The support we receive from local Parish Councils, clubs, societies, shops and pubs, as well as individuals continues to amaze us and, although less than the previous year this totalled £10,345 a good result in what has been a very difficult year for everyone. We also obtained a £500 grant from Tesco to help offset our Covid related costs. We were also very pleased to see that the Government Bus Service Operators Grant we receive, a grant based on mileage during the year was held at 2019 levels in an attempt to support public transport operators.
We were unable to undertake fundraising during the year but our fundraising team are keen to get going again when opportunities permit.
Overall, for the 20/21 financial year our income excluding the vehicle grant we received amounted to £41,073, down from £69,991 in the previous year..
Reduced activity of course meant considerably lower expenditure on fuel and vehicle maintenance but many costs, for example insurance, remained unchanged. Overall our expenditure (excluding capital and depreciation) was substantially lower at £38,053 compared to £56,305 the previous year. This resulted in a small operating surplus for the year of £3,020.
In addition, we were lucky enough to get grant support of £24,885 from Herefordshire Council to cover the cost of purchasing a new vehicle which was delivered during the year.
After adding this grant income and accounting for depreciation of £12,364 the end result was a net increase in funds of £15,541.
The overall result for the year was that total assets rose from £90,482 to £106,023, with cash resources rising from £54,396 to £57,915 and tangible assets rising from £36,086 to £48,108.
The financial position of DCT remains healthy and the charity is well placed to meet future demands. Once again the Trustees decided not to raise fares.
Reserves Policy
The Trustees maintain a policy of holding an operating reserve of £16,000, equivalent to approximately 4 months operating costs. A vehicle replacement reserve of £18,000 is also held, this being set at approximately 50% of the cost of a new wheelchair adapted MPV in the expectation that match funding can be found should a replacement be needed.
Review of activities
Dore Community Transport has continued to provide a transport service throughout the year including during lockdown periods when only essential travel was permitted. For these periods our journeys were entirely for medical purposes. Having spare resources available we sought to help in other ways by contacting doctor’s surgeries and shops in our area offering to deliver prescriptions and shopping. , We were surprised that there was little demand for this, with many of the communities in the area making local arrangement within their own community. During the lockdown we stopped using drivers over 70 and also stopped using our volunteers’ cars. This meant the load fell on the shoulders of our relatively few volunteer drivers who were aged under 70 and who were willing to carry on driving. At start of the financial year we
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Dore Community Transport Registration number 4355269 Charity number 1097172 Company Limited by Guarantee
were undertaking about 4% of the journeys we would normally expect, a figure that has recovered somewhat, but only 39% by the end of the financial year.
In order to reduce the risks of infection as far as possible we fitted screens between the driver and the passenger compartments in our vehicles, equipped vehicles with sanitising and cleaning equipment and put in place procedures including compulsory mask wearing and vehicle cleaning at the start and end of the day and between passengers. We also limited passengers to one per vehicle at all times and we closed our office with our staff working from home. We did not use the Government furlough scheme.
As restrictions have eased and some venues have re-opened we have seen more people requiring transport for non-medical reasons, mainly for shopping and travelling to day care establishments but many of our elderly clients are still very reluctant to venture out. Over the whole of the financial year the number of journeys carried out has been only 25% of what we would have expected in a normal year. The service to the community provided by Dore Community Transport had increased every year since 2015 but clearly that changed this year. The number of journeys carried out fell from 7,558 to 1,835 and the mileage covered to deliver this service fell from 97,647miles to 28,134.
Despite the problems we have continued to offer our usual door to door service which is invaluable to our users, many of whom are infirm or elderly and who, as well as having access to the transport they need, frequently benefit from the assistance which we can offer at both ends of the journey by helping with mobility issues, shopping bags and even shopping where driver’s schedules permit. The social interaction with our drivers has also been a significant benefit for many of our clients who have been largely isolated during the epidemic.
The service relies on volunteer drivers and recruiting new drivers is always a key task. Many of our drivers decided not to drive during the pandemic for understandable reasons but several new volunteers came forward and were trained and used during the year.
Our office was closed at the start of the pandemic and our staff has continued to work from home. This has functioned very smoothly and we are grateful for their commitment to make it work.
The Trustees and management committee remained unchanged during the year.
Future plans
Clearly the future continues to be affected significantly by Covid 19. We have seen a steady increase in demand since the end of the financial year but it is still only at about 60% of pre-pandemic levels. Our clientele are predominantly elderly and are understandably careful about getting out and about so this slow return is very understandable. It is also possible that some will have found alternative arrangements with friends and neighbours during the pandemic. We anticipate passenger numbers will continue to increase but only slowly.
Driver recruitment is also a key issue for us. We have recruited drivers during the year but several of our drivers who stopped driving during the Pandemic have yet to return, leaving us short of drivers even at these reduced operating levels. Driver recruitment will be a key issue for us in 2022.
In the current economic climate we have to be concerned about future funding. At the moment Herefordshire Council continue to afford us monthly funding as part of our Service Level Agreement (SLA) with them and this goes some way to covering our administration costs. DCT is grateful for this support, without which it would be extremely difficult to maintain our service. Herefordshire Council is very supportive of Community Transport but in the current financial circumstances there will clearly be severe pressures on their financial resources in years to come. We are also fortunate that the value of our service is widely recognised within our community and the support from Parish Councils, individuals and organisations within the area is of great importance to us.
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Dore Community Transport Registration number 4355269 Charity number 1097172 Company Limited by Guarantee
3. Acknowledgements and Thanks
The trustees would like to record their thanks and appreciation to all the volunteer drivers without whom DCT could not exist and particularly to those who kept Dore Community Transport operating during the lockdown. Particular thanks go to Clive and Dermot who look after our vehicles and to Chris for his efforts in obtaining the new vehicle and managing our fleet.
We are also grateful for the financial support provided by Herefordshire County Council; the Parish Councils within our area and to the many organisations and individuals who so generously support our operations.
Our thanks go to Ewyas Harold Memorial Hall for continuing to make the office space available to us. We would like to thank Morgan’s garage in Ewyas Harold and Brian Watkins’ garage at Kingstone for allowing us to park our vehicles with them at no charge.
My thanks also go to all the Trustees and Management Committee for the unseen work that they have done keeping DCT operational. We also are very grateful to our co-ordinators, Sarah and Sue, and our administrator Kath who between them have kept the operation running smoothly and make my and the Trustees job much easier than it otherwise would be.
Signed on behalf of the Trustees
R Bradley Chairman and Trustee
13/9/21
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Dore Community Transport Registration number 4355269 Charity number 1097172 Company Limited by Guarantee CHARITY (OMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examinerfs report on the accounts Se¢tion A Independent Examiner's Report Report to th# trustoesl OORL Lomrtlwin Tll4fv>PwAr On accounts for th• y•ar •nd•d Charity no Ilf any) Set out on pages I raport to tho trustses on my examination of the a(xounts ol the above charity Iyhe Trusl'l for the year ended 3 1 0 > aol i . Responslbllltlu and basls ot r•port As the charrty's trustees, you are reS[sIble for the pr8paration of th8 accounts in awdance vAth the r4uiroments ofthe Charities Act 2011 I'the A(fl. I r•wrt in re$pec of my examination of the Trust's accounts Car1 out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my èxamination, I have follo%d all the apICable Direthons givan by thè Charrty Commission under SeCtn 145151{bl of the Act. Indond9ftt examin&rfs stal•ment I have completed my examination. I confimi that no material matter5 have come to my attents'on in conn8dion wrth the examination10th0 4118G1 ? vthich me ¢au#e to believe that in. any Mat01 resFect.' the accountirKJ ro¢ord3 were not kept in aCrdarth with so¢11 130 of the Charitiè$ Art. Or the a)untS did not accord with th8 a¢counb"rrfJ records,. or the accounts did not comply wtth the appticable ]UiTements conceming th fonn and content of accounts set OLrt in th• Charilies {Accounts and R$portsl Regulations 2008 other than any r¢quiroment th¥1 th$ accounts give a true and fairf view which is not a matt ¢onsidered a8 part of an independ&nt 8xaminati. I hav$ no ¢on¢erns and have corne across tw) other matters in connect th th¥ examination to %thich attention shoLAd bè dravm in this report in order to enabl* a proper underStandiJ of the account$ to te rexhed. ' Please delete the wortys the brackets rfthey do notapply. Slgn•d: Nam•: R•lw•nt professlonal quallTh¢atfj¢n(•l or body IER Oct 2018 Page 7
Dore Community Transport Registration number 4355269 Charity number 1097172 Company Limited by Guarantee 111 any): Addweu: GOLOEN VALLEY ACCOUNTAWtY Ltd Telephono.. DIè8I 241000 Section B Disclosuie Only complete rf the examiner needs to highlight maleiial matters ol concei (S CC32. Independent examination of ¢harTty accounts.. difecknort$ and guid8no for eXamirrSl. Give here brief dotalls of any itwns that the •xaminerwiSh to dI108e. IER O¢t 2018 Page 8
Dore Community Transport Registration number 4355269 Charity number 1097172 Company Limited by Guarantee
Statement of Financial Activities (incorporating the income and expenditure account)
For the year ended 31 March 2021
| 2021 | 2020 | 2020 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Note | Unrestricted funds |
Restricted funds |
Total | Unrestricted funds |
Restricted fund |
Total | |
| Incoming Resources | |||||||
| 2 | Herefordshire Council Grant | 18,147 | 18,147 | 19,324 | 19,324 | ||
| 3 | Donations | 10,345 | 10,345 | 12,463 | 12,463 | ||
| 4 | Fares | 7,851 | 7,851 | 29,513 | 29,513 | ||
| 5 | Grants | 500 | 24,385 | 24,885 | |||
| BSOG | 3,767 | 3,767 | 3,621 | 3,621 | |||
| Gift Aid | 911 | 911 | 1,020 | 1,020 | |||
| Insurance payment | |||||||
| Other | 8 | 8 | |||||
| Interest | 14 | 14 | 53 | 53 | |||
| Vehicle sales | |||||||
| Fund raising | 30 | 30 | 3,998 | 3,998 | |||
| Total incoming resources | 41,573 | 24,385 | 65,958 | 69,991 | 69,991 | ||
| Resources expended | |||||||
| 6 | Volunteer expenses | 792 | 792 | 5,493 | 5,493 | ||
| 7 | Salaries | 18,396 | 18,396 | 18,908 | 18,908 | ||
| Administration expenses | 1,801 | 1,801 | 2,149 | 2,149 | |||
| Telephones | 1,103 | 1,103 | 1,157 | 1,157 | |||
| Diesel | 4,462 | 4,462 | 13,905 | 13,905 | |||
| 8 | Vehicle expenses | 3,997 | 3,997 | 8,732 | 8,732 | ||
| Vehicle purchase and | 107 | 107 | |||||
| Fees | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Other | 80 | 80 | 111 | 111 | |||
| Insurance | 7,315 | 7,315 | 5,851 | 5,851 | |||
| Depreciation | 11,176 | 1,188 | 12,364 | 14,845 | 14,485 | ||
| Total resources expended | 49,229 | 1,188 | 50,417 | 71,151 | 71,151 | ||
| 9 | Net incoming (outgoing) | -7,656 | 23,197 | 15,541 | -1,160 | -1,160 | |
| Net movement in funds | -7,656 | 23,197 | 15,541 | -1,160 | -1,160 | ||
| Total funds brought forward | 90,482 | 90,482 | 91,642 | 91,642 | |||
| Total funds carried forward | 82,826 | 23,197 | 106,023 | 90,482 | 90,482 |
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Dore Community Transport Registration number 4355269 Charity number 1097172 Company Limited by Guarantee
Balance sheet
For the year ended 31 March 2020
| 10 11 12 |
Fixed assets - see schedule Total fixed assets Current assets Cash in bank & in hand Debtors Prepaid expenses Creditors Current assets (liabilities) Total fixed and current assets Represented by Unrestricted funds Restricted funds |
2020 unrestricted Restricted total 24,911 23,197 48,108 58,588 120 58,678 -763 57,915 57,915 82,826 23,197 106,023 82,826 82,826 23,197 23,197 106,023 |
2019 unrestricted Restricted Total 36,086 36,086 54,663 556 55,220 -824 54,395 54,395 90,482 90,482 90,482 90,482 |
|---|---|---|---|
Note: Due to rounding, numbers presented throughout this report may not add up precisely to the totals indicated and percentages may not precisely reflect the absolute figures for the same reason
The balance sheet continues on the following page.
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Dore Community Transport Registration number 4355269 Charity number 1097172 Company Limited by Guarantee
Balance sheet (continued)
Trustees’ statements required for the year ended 31 March 2020
The company is entitled to exemption from audit under Section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 for the year ended 31 March 2021
The members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2021 in accordance with Section 476 of the Companies Act 2006.
The trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for:-
Ensuring that the company keeps accounts which comply with the sections 386 and 387 of the Companies Act 2006.
Preparing financial statements which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Company as at the end of each financial year in accordance with the requirements of sections 394 and 395, and which otherwise comply with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 relating to financial statements, so far as applicable to the company.
These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provision applicable to companies subject to the small companies’ regime.
Approved by trustees on and signed on their behalf by
R Bradley
Chairman and Trustee
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Dore Community Transport Registration number 4355269 Charity number 1097172 Company Limited by Guarantee
SCHEDULE OF FIXED ASSETS at 31/3/2021
| VW3 VW5 VW3 suspension Z1) R1 R1 lift Z2 C1 Total asset value |
Purchase cost Purchase date depreciation during year Book value |
|---|---|
| 31/03/2020 £32,034.40 29/03/2011 £1.00 £36,070.75 11/07/2014 £1,839.6 £3,000 £3,650.00 18/12/2013 £1.00 £9,348.30 29/07/2017 £2,087.04 £1,695.82 £31,961.00 26/10/2017 £4,826.88 £15,469.16 £2,980.00 23/02/2018 £522.36 £1,368.45 £8,600 June 2018 £1,899.96 £3,375.11 £24,385 Nov 2020 £1,188.04 £23,196.96 £12,363.88 £48,107.5 |
VW3
VW Transporters converted for wheelchair use, fully depreciated.
VW3 Suspension
Air suspension upgrade – fully depreciated.
VW5
A long wheelbase VW Transporter converted for wheelchair use, purchased July 2014 and being written off over 6 years with a residual value of £3,000.
Z1
A used Vauxhall Zafira being depreciated over 4 years with a residual value of £1,000
R1
A Renault Master being depreciated over 6 years with a residual value of £3,000. The restriction in the grant funding for this vehicle (that it must be retained for 2 years) is now complete and it is treated as an unrestricted asset.
R1 lift
A modification to R1 being depreciated over 68 months to match the life of R1.
Z2
A used Vauxhall Zafira being depreciated over 4 years with a residual value of £1,000
C1 A wheelchair adapted long wheelbase VW Caddy treated as a restricted asset and being written off over 6 years with a residual value of £3,000.
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Dore Community Transport Registration number 4355269 Charity number 1097172 Company Limited by Guarantee
Notes forming part of the financial Statements for the year ended 31[st] March 2016
1. Accounting Policies
a. Basis of accounting
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Companies Act 1985 and FS102.
b. Fund accounting
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in the furtherance of the charity and which have not been designated for other purpose. Our Renault vehicle is no longer restricted and in these accounts is now treated as unrestricted. C1 purchased with a grant from Herefordshire Council is shown as a restricted asset.
c. Incoming resources
All incoming resources are included in the SoFA when the charity is legally entitled to the income and the amount can be quantified with reasonable accuracy.
No amounts are included in the SoFA for services donated by volunteers.
d. Resources expended
All expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under natural headings.
e. Fixed assets
Fixed assets are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation. For the new vehicles purchased new since 2014/2015 depreciation is calculated on a life of 6 years with a residual value of £3,000. Used assets are depreciated over a shorter period, dependent on the estimated useful life. Modifications to fixed assets are depreciated over the remaining life of the asset. Depreciation is charged proportionately in the year of purchase A schedule of fixed assets is included in the accounts.
2. Herefordshire County Council grant
Herefordshire County Council funding for community transport remained constant for the year. DCT however saw small fall in its apportionment as a result of the formula used for distribution.
3. Donations
Donations fell by £2,118 to £10,345. Of this local Parish Councils provided £6,205 an increase of £600 on the previous year. The remainder comes from various groups and organisations that raised money on our behalf, and from individual private
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Dore Community Transport Registration number 4355269 Charity number 1097172 Company Limited by Guarantee
donations. The main reason for the fall was the reduction in passenger donations arising as a result of reduced activity.
4. Fares
These were kept unchanged for the 8[th] consecutive year. The fall in fare income is a result of drastically reduced activity caused by Covid restrictions.
5. Grants
We received a grant of £24,385 from Herefordshire Council to purchase a new vehicle which was purchased in November 2020. Another grant of £500 was provided by Tesco to help cover the costs associated with installing Covid related safety precautions in our vehicles.
6. Volunteer expenses
Volunteer expenses consist of mileage payments made to volunteers for the use of their own cars to carry out trips and for miles covered to access our own vehicles. Expenses were drastically down as a result of lower activities and the decision not to use private cars during the pandemic..
7. Staff costs
The number of employees, calculated on a full time basis, was 1.0 (2019 : 1.0). Staff costs were slightly lower than previous year.
8. Vehicle expenses
Vehicle maintenance fell substantially, again as a result of lower activity.
9. Net outgoing resources
This is stated after charging depreciation.
10. Tangible fixed assets
Tangible fixed assets are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation.
11. Debtors
This is unpaid fares for billed journeys.
12. Creditors
This comprises expenses owed to drivers (£113), to trade creditors for fuel (£616) and £33 telephone charges.
13. Trustees’ remuneration
The trustees neither received nor waived any emoluments or expenses during the year.
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Dore Community Transport Registration number 4355269 Charity number 1097172 Company Limited by Guarantee
14. Taxation
The charities activities fall within the exemptions afforded by the provisions of the income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988. Accordingly, there is no taxation charge in these accounts.
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