-Registered Charily number-1101575 - Company registration number 4876990 Brldport and Dlstrlct citlzens Advlce Bureau (A Company limited by guarantee) Annual Report and Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2024 Brldport and District Citizens Advice Bureau .Relgr_enceand..Administrative_Details_- .-. -.-- for the Year Ended 31 March 2024 Name of Charlty Bridport and District Citizens Advice Bureau Charity number 110157e Company number 4876990 Reglstered offlco 45 South Slreet, Bridport, Dorset DT8 3NY Outstatlons Tuesdays - Bridport Llbrary, Brldport, DT6 3NY Wednesdays- Town Councll Office, Church Street, Lyme Regis, DT7 38S Frldays - Prout Bridge Project, 6 Prout Bridge, Beamlnster, DT8 3AY DIRECTORSITRUSTEES ROLE DATE co- DATE LAST DATE OPTED AS ELECTED RESIGNED T.RUST.￿￿kT-AG 25.11,2015 28.07.2021 09.05,2017 28.07.2021 20.08.2019 11.07.2022 26.05.2020 13.07.2020 10.11,2020 26.07.2021 28,12.2023 08,02,2022 11.07.2D22 08.02.2022 11.07.2022 06.02.2023 09.05.2023 Tony Rogers Sue McLaney Graham Smith Colin McReavie Sylvia Barker Gec>ff Jones David Gibson Sue Pembertcn Lester Parrolt Paul Williams Lavinia Sonnenberg Jacqui Bishop Jamie Scott 07.08.2023 07.08.2023 Treasur8r Chair 01.D1.2024 06.10.2023 24.07.23 05.02.2024 05.02.2024 07.05,2024 COMPANY SECRETARY Su6 McLaney From 01.06.2022 EX OFFICIO MEMBERS ROLE Jeremy Clark Relationship Manager Cllr lan 8ark Observer Cllr Stuart Cockerill Observer Rovarn Wickrem8singhe Chief Offi'c&r Martin Wood Staff Representative John Freeman Representative ELECTED BY National Citizens Advice Bridport Town Council L￿ne Regis Town Council staff staff Chlef Offlcer Rovarn Wickremasinghe Bank CAF Bank. 25 Kings Hill Ave, Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent, ME19 4JQ Indopendant Examlners Scott Vavers Ltd, 65 East Street, Bridport, Dorset, DT6 3LB Sollcltors Nantes, 36 East Street, Bridport, Dorset. DT6 3LH Page 1 Bridport and Dlstrlct citlzens Advice Bureau - Report_of_the Trustees, for_th.e.-Year_ Ende.d.-3_1..Mar_ch .2024. The directors and trustees present their report and financial statements for the year to 31 March 2024 which are also prepared to meet th8 requirements for the directors, report and accounts for Companies Act purposes, The accounts have been prepared in accordance wlth the accounting policies s8t out in the notes to the accounts and comply wlth the Charitls governlng document, applicable law and the requlrements of the Statement of Recommended Practlce applicable to charitie8 preparing their accounts In accordance with the Financial Reportlng Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102). 1 OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES Obj8cts B￿r￿ots￿rn￿]arIta￿lLpu1p0s￿fDrjhL￿eDef1LOfjhe￿1mMunIt¥-iWBr4dpJ Beaminster, Lyme Regis and surroundlng villages by the advancement of 8ducation, the protection and preseN8tlon of health and the rellef of poverty, sickness 8nd distr&ss. Actlvltles The principal actlvity of Bridport and District Citizens Advice Bureau Is tha provlsion of free, confidentl81, Independent and Impartial 8dvic8, information and counsel for members of the public, ensuring thal Sndivlduals do not suffer through a lack of knowledge or an inability to express their naeds effectively. Bridport and District Citizens Advice Bureau aims to exerclse a responsible influence on the development of social policies and services, Pu bllc Beneflt The Iruslees have paid due regard to the Charity Commission'8 guidanc8 on public benerrt In declding the activilies undertaken by the local Citizens Advice during the year. The trustees are satisfied that the information provided in the report and accounts moets the public benefit reporting requlrements. Contribution of volunteers As al 31 March 2024 ther8 were 68 people assoclated with the buresu, made up as follows- 7 Trust88S 12 Paid staff 4 Volunteer supervlsors 35 Volunteer advlsers 10 Volunteer supporl staff As atways, we musl stre88 our admirallon and gratitude to our volunteers, wtthout whom there wouldn't be bureau. 2 ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORhlANCE Charltable Activltles We helped 240g clients with 806S separate issues in 2023124. Benefit and debt Issues accounted for 440/0 of the problems people sought help wlth. We continued to see large numbers of food bank and charitable support enquirfes (13 % of total issues), Includlng about schemes such as the Household Support Fund. We also saw a continued tr6nd in increased problems with housing. We work with many vulnerable people and many clients report a disablllty111010) or Icng tem health problem (460/0). Many vulnerable clients require in depth help and often have multiple problems compound8d by poor mental health. We are committed to mulli. hannel service delivery including phone, email and video-calling, but whlGh also protects f8ce to face services for the most vulnerable. The Bridport office operates a 5 day a week dro_p-in service with weekly. outreaches in Lyme Regis, Beaminster and Brfdport library and provlde home visi18 as appropriate. Page 2 Brldport and Dlstrict Citizens Advice Bureau -Repo.rt_o.f_th.e_l_r_us.tee.g' f.or_.th.e_ y.ear. En.d.e.d_11_.Mar.Gh .2024_.-.-- Our core contracl fundlng has been conflrmed unlil September 2026 followSng agreement by Dorset Council to extend the contract by a further years, This brfngs some welcome Stability but We ar6 increasingly reliant on the need for project fundlng as £ revenue stream, Our main projects last year involved Starting a three-year funded specialist benefits project assisting clients in the Bridporl and District and Weymouth areas wlth complex cases, dlsputes and appeals. We helped 185 c118nts and achieved financlal outcomes of just und8r £400,OCIQ for clients. We also started a ￿0-year energy pr¢lect, providing energy efficlency, income maximisatlon and outreach advice.. 200 clients were asslsted with infomiation and advice and £15S,000 achleved In Income gains. A ￿re seNice donation allcwed us Increase our debt capaclty by taking on a trainee debt caseworker. We malntained our Wessex Water project to assist people who have problems managing their wat@r bills. We were able to 8UPPOrt a new voluntéer co-ordinator role thanks to fundlng from Dorset Community Foundatlon and Dorset Counc51. Dorset Council also supported our capacity for income maxlmisation and outreach work throu h an addl lon pressures on residents, Thanks to the National Lottery Communlty Fund we secured a significant grant to assist wlth core costs includlng 8ddition81 supervislon, ICT equipment and a sm811 refurbSshment to enhance our telephone service. We continued to see high demand for'crisis support, issues With Food Bank referr81s, In regular, indep8nd8nt survey8 of our cliants, 8xperienco of the setvice through the year, 860h of those surv8y@d reported that we helped them find a way forward with thelr problem,76'h said their problem had been resolved, 850k found our servlce easy to access, while 89% of clients would recommend us to others. We make posltive Impacts on Ihe Ilves of our clients through, for example. reduced stress and improved finances following advice. Of those surveyed 740k said that following advic8 from us their mentsl health had improved. Our as8iStanc8 r8sult8d in significant financial outcomes: income galns for cllents totalled just over £1,000,OQO (1 million pounds) and we achleved £13D,00 In debts written off for our clients In 2023-24. Our quality of advice and clienl Satisfaction ar8 monitored on a quarterly basis and we achleved excellent results in 2023-2024. The office holds an Advlce Quallty Standards accreditation in generalist advlce, telephone help and welfare benefits casework. One of our aims is to rasponsibly influence the poliGies and practices that aff6Ct our clients, Research and Campaigns activities includ@ r8gular communication with our MP on both progresslng dlffi¢ult case issues and successful policy asks Includlng unfreezing the local housing allowance rates and annual beneflts uprating in line wth inflation. Our benefits speciallst made a submission to the Work and Pension Select Commlttee on their enquiry in relation to safeguardlng vulnerable ben6fit c18imants and contribLrted to Child Povety Action Group's report on digitalisation and universal a￿dIt. We engaged with and promoted national Scams Awareness week. In the coming year we will continu8 to focus on ongolng issues affecting our clients in relation lo the cost of living, including the rising Impact of negatlve household budgets, hlgh energy prices and affordability and avallabillty of houslng, We were b6tl8r able to support our volunteers with the funding from Dorset Council for a volunteer co- ordinator post. We continued to invest in our IT capabilities and were abSe to recrult for a further volunteer IT role, This will enable us to provlde additional IT support and training for volunteers. Our fundraising team has been successful in achieving a number of grants Sncluding for project work. core costs and training. We would like to thank Bridporl. and Lyme Regis Town Councils, Bridport Lions Club, Citizens Advice in Dorset, Dorset Community Foundation, Henry Smith Charitable Foundation, Morrisons, National Citizens Advlce, N8tional Lottery Community Fund, Parish Councils, Proul Bridge Project, Wessex Water, West Dorsel Mencap, our main funder, Dcrset Council and all those who have donated to the service, for financial assistance and support in 2023-24. Page 3 Bridport and District Citizens Advice Bureau -Report_of the Trustees'_for the Year _End_ed_31_M_arc_h_ 2_02_4_ We continue to work closely wlth Citizens Advice in Dorset on the DDfs8t Advicelin8 which provides 2 much needed telephone advice s8rvic8, With increasing demand over the last year, a jolnt website linking the Citizens Advice in Dorset Council area, a single point of contact emall access for third partles and partners to b6 able to refer clients into the seNlce easlly. 3 FINANCIAL REVIEIV Flnanclal Posltlon The bureau has conclud8d th8 year in a reasonable financlal position, despite the deficlt, whl¢h is £136,84SI (202212023 surplus £16,759) for the year ended 31 March 2024, as we had £20,611 of project funds carrled fotward Irom the prior year to offset agalnst costs incurred this year. Total Income was £240,391 (2022123 £289,992) a reduction of £29,601 or nearly 110/0 from prior year. Thls Total expenditure was £277,240 (2022123 £253,233), Costs have Increased by £24,007, reflecting a signlflcant increase in salaries due to both an Infiatlonary pay Increase in the year and the Increase in staff numbers lo staff projects. Salary related costs are £22,235 hlgher than prior year, All other overhead costs th the exception of those Ilsted below were £923 higher than prior year. Fund raising and Publicity charges are £1,234 less than prior year.. In addition cur expenditure includes £1,564 (£2,049 In 20221231 of grants and disbursements cf which most hav8 been funded by Bavlap, Brldport Lions or the Hospital Fund. Depreciation at £7,117 (£4,549) Is hlgher than last year due to spend off £14,403 on various Fixed Asset additions, of which £11,689 was funded by grant8 or donations. At the end of the year the total funds stood at £182,625 (2022123 £219,474). General unrestricted funds wer8 £139,422 (2022123 £158.863)', £17,9e8 represented the net book value of flxed assets Seaving free re8erv@s of £121.454. In addition to this there are unrestricted d8signated funds of £42,000 (2022123 £42,000). The Trustees have recognised the risk to future grant receipts from th@ recently formed Dorset Councll so have allocated £12,000 to thls specific risk, £10,000 to Property and Equipment and £20,000 as a contlngency to cover statutory liabilities payable to employees In the event of bureau closure. This is not to say that we expect this to happen in the foreseeable fulure, Note that a new lease has still to be negotiated with our landlord The lack of an increase In cur core grant over a considerable number of years previously, and for the lifetime of the new contract, means thal we are constantly 5eeklng aEtemative ways of covering inflationary increases to our core costs. We Con￿nUe to attempt to diversify our sources of funding and a group of our Trustees has thi5 specific responsibility. Prlnclpal Fundlng Sources Our principal source of funding is Dorset Council., they provlded 40 10 of the Bureau's Income, when income via Cltlzens Advice in Dorset is included. The contract for delivering the Dorset Councll Information Advice and Guidance contract is held by Citizens Advice in Dorset from 1 October 2021. CAID distribut8 the funding to the three Dorset Local Citizens Advice offices through a service level agreement with each office. The contract is for three years plus a further two years which was conflrmed by the Council in May 2024. Other sources of income were Bridport Town Council, Lyme Regis Town Councll, Beaminster Town Council, Local Parishes, and other charltable bodies shown in the notes on pages 15, 16 and 17. Investment Pollcy Paragraph 4.15 of its Memorandum of Assoc1811on glves Brldport and District Citizens Advice Bureau the power to invest or deposit funds in any lawful manner whilst havlng regard lo Ihe suitabilty of investments and the n8ed for diversification. The Bureau does not Inv&st surplus funds, but does maintain a policy of holding resources in exc8ss of requirement in an interest earnlng account. Page 4 Bridport and Distrlct citlzens Advlce Bureau Report of the Trustees, for the Year Ended 31 March 2024 Funds In Deflclt Losses on all fund8 in deficit hav8 been charged agalnst General Reserves in the year. Where projects cover Ihelr marginal cosls bul do not cover thfjir fully apportlonéd cost (l.e, Including general overhead8111 is sometlmes declded that the project should be carrled out a8 it ha6 a beneflt to (he local community, Reservos Policy Bridport and Dlstrlct citizens Advice Is required to ensure that free monl8s are avallable In each financial year to meet any foreseeable contingency. Bridport and Dlstrict Citizen8 Advic8 estlm8les Income for 2 years ahead and wlll try lo ensure that this is d6rlv6d from as wlde a varlely of sources posslble. Bridport and Distrlct Cltlzens Advice has a pollcy to hold a minimum General Res8rve of £125,000. The basis for his4evel-iS-tO-covert8rrninationTO8ts-in￿1T8-er8nl￿t￿e-b￿r￿anVJ5Ir[￿t￿UpEr￿lrJ-￿l￿cu￿ r&latlon to the premises and to employees) and to cover 6 months operaling costs. 4 STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE & MANAGEPIIENT Governlng documenl Brfdport and District citizens Advlca Bureau Is a registered charlty and a company limited by guarante6. The maxlmum liability of each member is limited lo one pound. At 31 March 2024 the cornpany had 13 members entitled to vote. Brldport and Dlstrlct Citizens Advice Bureau is govemed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association. The reglstered name of the charity is Bridport and Dlstrlct Cliizens Advlce Bureau. It was incorporated 88 a company Ilmlted by guarantee on 28 August 2003. Bridport and Dlstrlct Citizen5 Adv￿￿ Bureau commenced operations on 1 July 2004 at whlch dale the assets and liabilities of the unincorporated Brldport & Dlstrlct Cilizen5 Advlce Bureau were acquired. Recrullment, appolntsnent of trustees The trustees, who are drawn from the local community, are elected by members of the Bureau (indlvlduals who are not paid or volunteer workers at the Bureau, and any body corporate or unlncorporated association interested in furthering the work ofthe Charlty and whose application for m&mbershlp has bean approved by Ihe Trustee Board) at Ihe Annual General Meeting unless nomlnaled by member organisalions or co-opted by the Trustèe Board. All elected trustees must retire from office at th6 Ihlrd Annual General Meetlng following the Annual Genèral Meetlng at whlch they were elected, but may sland for re-electlon. All nominated and ¢o-opted trustees shall retire from office at the thlrd Annual General Meeting following the ordinary meeting of the Trustee Board at which they were appolnted but may be re-appointed. Organlsatlonal structure Bridporl and District citizens Advice Bureau is governed by its Trustee Board which is responsible for seltlng the strateg1¢ direction of the Organisation and the policy of the Charity. These policles are implemented by Ihe BLJreau management. The trustees carry the ultimate responsiblllty for the Conduct of Brfdport and Dlslricl Citizens Advlce Bureau and for ensurlng that the charity satisfies Ils legal and conlractual obligations. Twsteas meet as a mSnimurn quarterly and delegate the day to day operatlon of the organi5ation lo senior management and to subcommlttee5 controlled by trustees, The Trustee Board is independent from management. A register of Tiuslees, interests is maintained al the registered office and is available to the publlc. Brfdport and Dl3trl¢t Citizen8 Advice Bureau is a member of The National Association of Citizens Advlcè Bureaux, ""whichi)rovid8s-a framework.for stanilard¥ of advice and-casework manag8mant as wéll- as monitoring progress against thes6 Standards. Pag8 5 Bridport and Dlstrlct Citlzen8 Advlc8 Bureau .-Report.of_the_Trustaes.' .for_the_-Yfjar_Ended 31_March 2024 .____ The Bureau also co-operates and liaises with a number of other advlsory servlces, local charilles and social services departments on behalf of cllents. Major Rlsks Bridport and District Citizens Advlce Bureau has worked on a Risk Management exercise. The trustees recognise that any major rlsks to whlch the charity is exposed need to be revi8wed and systems put in place to mitigate those risks. Included In external risks is that of1088 of funding. Whilst the funding f￿M Dorset County Council has now been secured throLtgh CAID for the 5 years commencing 1st October 2021, our share of that funding will decrease over this period, following the adoption by C￿D cf a new fundlng allocation formula, based on ulation and deprivation metrics, N our reserves at an acceptable level. We laase our premises from Wessex Water. Our lease has explr8d and we will be negotiating its renewal. We are confident that we will be treated a8 sitting18nants. Internal risks ar6 minimis8d by the implementatlon of procedures for the authorisation Gf all transactions and projects and to 8nsure consistenl quallty of dellvery for all cperatlonal aspects of the charity. These procedures are perlodlcally reviewed tc ensure that they still meet th8 needs cf the charity. 6 STATEMENT OF TRUSTEES, RESPONSIBLITIES The Trustees are requlred under Charity law to prepare financial statemgnts for each fi'nancial year which give a true and falr view of th8 stste of affairs of the Charity and of the financlal activitles of the Charfty for that period. In preparing those financial statements, the Trustees are required to.. salact suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently, observe th8 methods and principles in the Charities SORP; make judgements and estimates thal are reason8ble and prudent., state whether applicable accounting slandards hav& be8n followed, subj8Ct to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements- and prepare the flnanclal statements on the going concern basis unless it is Inappropriate to presume that the companywill continue in business, The Trustees are responsible for k88ping proper accountlng records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Charity and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with appli¢able laws and regulations. They are also responsible for ensuring that the Charity malntains an adequate system of internal control designed lo provide reasonable assurance that assets are safeguarded againsl loss or unauthori8ed use and to prevent and detect fraud and other Irregularitles. Small company provisions In preparing this report, the Trustees have taken advantage of the small companies exemptions provlded by section 415A of tho Companies Act 200e. Approved by the Board on and slgned on their behalf by. ¥.vLZ "Dav8 Gibson . Chair of Truste8s Page 6 Bridport and Dlstrlct Citlzens Advlco Bureau -In.dependent_Examiner's_Report_to.-the_trustees of_ Brldport49nd_District_Citizens - Advlce Bureau I report to the charity trustees on my examination of th8 accounts of the company for the year ended 31 March 2024 which are set out on page8 8 to 17. Respon8lbllltle8 and basis of report As the charity trustees of the wmpany (and also its directors for the purposes of company lawl you are responsible for the preparatlon of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 ('the 2008 Act,). Havlng satlsfied myself that the accounts of the company are not requSred to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for Ind&p8ndent 8xamination, I report In respect of my ex8mination of your ou￿￿￿￿&r￿l0￿J￿￿t￿￿atsar.I11es￿ct.2oIl4￿he_2O.1￿ACtrK-ln carrying out my examination I have fcllowed the Dlrections given by the Charity Commission under sectlon 14515)(bl of the 2011 Act. Independent examinarfs statement I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come lo my attentlon in connection wlth the examination giving me cause to bglieve that in any materlal respect; 1. accounting records were not kept In respect of the company as requlred by secÉion 386 of the 2006 Act; or 2. the accounts do not accord wilh those records,. or 3. the accounts do not corllply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of Ihe 20De Act other than any requirement that the accounts glve a true and falr vlew, which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or 4. th& accounts have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the statement of Recommended Pr8Ctice for accounting and reporting by charilles lapplicable to charities preparlng their accounts In accord8nc8 With the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)]. I have no concems and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to whlch attention should be drawn in this rgport in order to enable a proper understanding cf the accounts to be reached. Mr. M. J, Cridland B.A.