CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU IN SWALE Operating as Citizens Advice Swale ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024 A company limited by guarantee Company Registration No: 5052691 Charity Registration No: 1103010 citizens advice 'Swale Contents Page Trustees, report (incorporating directors, report) Independent examinerfs report Statement of financial activities 14 15 Balance sheet 16 Notes to the financial statements 17-26 Administrative Information 27 CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU IN SWALE TRUSTEES, REPORT (INCORPORATING DIRECTORS, REPORTI FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024- CONTINUED Trustees, report (incorporating directors. report) We're here for everyone We can all face problems that seem complicated or intimidating. At Citizens Advice Swale we believe no one should have to face these problems without good quality, independent advice. We provide high quality, seamless and responsive services that meet our clients, diverse needs, helping them to act early to avoid issues escalating or to address the things that have negative effects on their lives. We're part of a national network of over 330 independent local Citizens Advice charities in England and Wales, affiliated to the national Citizens Advice organisation. We deliver free, confidential advice online, over the phone and in person. A message from our Chair It is a cliche perhaps to say that this has been a year of unprecedented change but this was certainly the case for us in 202314, with several changes in our leadership and management arrangements. In July 2023, our Chair and long standing Trustee David Walker stood down. Mark Hinton who had served as Chief Officer for seven years left us in October to lead a new initiative - the Swale Voluntary Alliance. Mark had successfully chaired that group from its early stages and we know it will go from strength to strength with him at the helm. Fiona Spall and Jude Lee took over as joint Chief Officers on an interim basis until the end of the financial year. Sarah Harvey took over as Chair on an interim basis and Pam Kenworthy was appointed from August 2024. At the end of the year the Trustees had to make difficult decisions to reduce our staffing in line with the funding available for our infrastructure and running costs. We were delighted to confirmjude Lee as our Chief Officer on a substantive basis. Despite these changes we sailed through the rigorous quality assurance process conducted by an independent assessor from National Citizens Advice, achieving all required standards. The process helped us strengthen our policies, risk management and cybersecurity arrangements as well as refreshing our governance arrangements. Through these many changes we maintained high standards of support and advice with the dedication and skills of our staff and volunteers - theyre truly exceptional. We're particularly grateful to Swale Borough Council (SBC) for their ongoing support. We do not take this funding for granted as we know that local government budgets are being severely squeezed. SBC'S grant has provided us with a valuable foundation on which to build our future sustainability. Report from our Chief Officer IVS been another busy year for us in Citizens Advice Swale, and while the cost of living crisis may no longer be making headlines, it's fair to say that it remains an issue for many of our service users. We've seen a steady rise in clients needing support with debt, benefit5 and housing issues, particularly rising rents and mortgages, as well as an increase in those living with negative budgets. Cases have become increasingly complex and clients are needing more and more time and support to resolve their issues. CITIZEN5 ADVICE BUREAU IN SWALE TRUSTEES, REPORT (INCORPORATING DIRECtORS' REPORD FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024- CONTINUED This has prompted a shift in how we are delivering services in terms of advice and accessibility. Through our energy project there is a much bigger emphasis on reducing client expenditure, as well as the general advice we already offer around income maximi5ation and budgeting. We're also working hard to form a collaborative approach to advice giving by working with other agencies to improve the client experience and also with marginalised groups so we can develop a better understanding of the services theyd like to see. Our outreach sessions on the Isle of Sheppey have been extended to cover some of the more deprived wards in the borough. These have proved popular and we have already seen a rise in demand. Funding has been a key priority during the last year and we have been successful in securing funding from various sources to help us to continue to deliver vital services to the community. As we look forward to 2024125 we're committed to making our advice service a service fit for the future. We want it to be as accessible and comprehensive as possible, targeting those groups that need us the most, whilst working with the community to understand how we can make further improvements. Our goal is to diversify our funding streams in order to create financial resilience and long-term financia5 sustainability. By becoming more innovative in how we use our resources we hope to reach sections of the community that have struggled to find a way forward. We're acutely aware that there are many people who have been unable to access Citizens Advice either through ill-health or digital exclusion. With that in mind we're committed to delivering a well supported Adviceline that can help those living in rural areas or those simply unable to access us via other means. None of this work is of course possible without the ongoing time and commitment of our amazing staff and volunteers. Their dedication to the seniice has been unwavering, which is testament to the incredibly rewarding nature of the work we do, and the fantastic team of people we have at Citizens Advice Swale. Without them, none of this would be possible. What we've done during the year .￿￿our impact 2023124 We issued 364 foodbank vouchers & 458 fuel vouchers 2,627 clients helped 15,343 issues handled £1.133.321 income gained for clients £87.183 reimbursements and loans £325.002 debts written off clients say we helped them find a way forward 70% clients say their issues were fully resolved clients would recommend our service CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU IN SWALE TRUSTEES, REPORT (INCORPORATING DIRECtORS' REPORTI FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024- CONTINUED Making a difference to local people We helped thousands of people in 202314, whether dealing with a single issue or a complex set of problems that required more specialist support. Nearly tsvo-thirds of clients were disabled or registered as having a long-term health condition. In addition to this direct support thousands more viewed our online advice pages. Why we're needed Our data helps us make sure we have the right knowledge and expertise to support people whatever their problem and however they come to us for help. A significant trend that we experienced last year was the complexity of issues that our clients are facing. Employment problems can lead people into debt which in turn affects their mental and physical health. Relationships can suffer and in some cases financial difficulties can lead to people losing their homes. Citizens Advice Swale provides people with the tools to help themselves and help them keep their heads above water. We keep people in their homes, we ensure basic needs are met, we encourage self help and educate people about how to better manage money and pay liabilities. We increase residents, incomes, we support people to stay in work. The combined impact of our advice services on health and wellbeing is palpable. People come to us with difficult situations that they might never have faced before. 84% of the people we helped said we helped them find a way forward. The majority of people we help experience a big life change before coming to us. Knowing how to take action isn't always obvious. Many of the people we see say they had difficulty knowing who to contact or how systems work. Many report needing help to use online services, forms and tools. If left unsolved, these problems don'tjust affect the individual- they impact on families and their local communities. Working in partnership to provide better support We work closely with a range of specialist voluntary and community groups so that we can refer people on to the right help that they might need. In turn we also receive referrals from them. Working in this way means we can benefit from each others, expertise, reputation and reach and provide better support to Swale residents. As well as supporting individuals we are involved in a range of collaborative groups, such as the Faversham Community Network, the Swale Voluntary Alliance and the Swale Cost of Living Working Group which help ensure that charities work to share expertise, improve information sharing and reduce duplication. CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU IN SWALE TRUSTEES. REPORT (INCORPORATING DIREcfoRS' REPORTI FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 PAARCH 2024- CONTINUED The top 10 issues we helped clients with in 202314: Svpport The people we support Age Disabillty l Long-term health ZO.24 J4 35.3& 4t, 44 eo.64 Ethnicity PO.Id .94 941? Gender HouslngTenure Fepr* ef¥ I_. Pi15Th7 Income Prollle ÉIWJ.f199>w £1301 £149>F 25 CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU IN SWALE TRUSTEES, REPORT IINCORPORATII4G DIREcfoRS' REPORTI FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024- CONTINUED Case studies From financial worries to debt free Debts totalling £37,000 had caused huge anxiety for one of our clients. They were struggling to deal with the huge amounts of papenNorL demands for payments and visits from bailiffs. They were living on benefits and had no available income to offer creditors other than their benefit payments. Our Money Advisor discussed the options available, including applying for bankruptcy. This would write-off their debts, remove the stress and pressure of creditors facing them and allow them to make a fresh start. The difficulty was that the application fee for bankruptcy costs £680 - a fee our client couldn't afford. Having looked at different trust funds we were able to secure generous support from the British Gas Energy Trust to pay the fee. Our client is now debt free and focussed on moving forward with their life. •' Our client received a letter from a debt collection agency wanting to recover an old debt from her of £20.000. which she disputed. Our Money Adviser. Sally. contarted the agency on behalf of the client. Today we were told that the agency has decided to no longer pursue the debt and has closed her case. 'Thank you for all your help- I couldn't have done this P. without your assistance.. ltittns Help with pension claims leads to back payment of over £6.000 Our client had never claimed their state or private pension and wasn't sure how to start. Our adviser made contatt with the Pension Service and our clienvs bank several times over two months and found that payments were not made due to a communications issue. Our client finally received over £6,000 of backdated pay and was delighted that their weekly payment was assured. Our adviser also called the clienys private pension provider and theyll be posting a claim form to our client, which we can help them to complete. In the process of helping our client, our adviser discovered a further private pension which our client could benefit from and helped them with that claim. CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU IN 5WALE TRUFtEES' REPORT (INCORPORATING DIRECTORS, REPORTI FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024- CONTINUED Empowering our clients "I was in a real mess. and the wonderful people here at Citizens Advice Swale were brilliant. You gave me wood so that I could make a ladder to climb out of the mess I was in." advke Au8U5t 2023 Challenging benefits decisions help Our client was struggling with money due to cost of living increases, and needed help with their Personal Independence Payment (PIP) which had been suspended. Following an appeal to the Tribunal from our generalist adviser, the DWP reversed their decision in the clienys favour before it went to a hearing. The client will be receiving a backdated PIP payment of approx £3,000 and their PIP has also been reinstated. Our client was struggling without this money so ivs great that they are now able to afford their living costs again. Our value to society We know that we not only make a difference to individual clients, we also deliver wider benefits to the Swale community and public institutions. These figures are produced by our national body and are credible but also conservative. In 202314 every £1 invested into our organisation was worth £17.89 in public value and £3.17 in fiscal value. Our seniices save the NHS £172,879 per year by reducing use. We've saved the Department for Work and Pensions £488,375 by keeping people in work. The total value to the people we help is an astonishing £4,741,735 and the total public value is £7,511,790. Regarding the local authoritys statutory duty Citizens Advice Swale has saved £180,356 in preventing homelessness, housing eviction and in council tax repayments. Our volunteers Our volunteers come from all walks of life and choose to volunteer for a variety of reasons. They include students, people getting back into work after career breaks, people with part-time jobs, carers, and people who have retired. Every volunteer gets something different from their volunteering experience, such as: the opportunity to make a positive difference to people's lives improving their self-esteem, confidence and wellbeing gaining invaluable work experience receiving receive high quality training and developing new skills using their existing skills and knowledge to benefit the local community meeting new people from a range of backgrounds feeling valued and part of a team. CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU IN SWALE TRUSTEES, REPORT (INCORPORATI1￿G DIREcfoRS' REPORTI FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024- CONTINUED In 2023124 our wonderful volunteers gave 9,600 hours of service and support to Citizens Advice Swale. Volunteers remain at the heart of our client-facing work- we also have volunteers who contribute their time to administrative tssks, social media and research. A huge thank you to them How we're funded Citizens Advice Swale is an independent charity reliant on funding from a variety of sources. Without the support of our funders and donors we couldn't help the thousands of people who seek our help and advice each year. On their behalf...a very big thank you! Our main funders in 202314 were: Swale Borough Council and Swale Household Support Fund Faversham Town Council Minster Parish Council Sheppey Council John Swire British Gas Energy Project Money Advice and Pensions (via our national body) Energy Advice Projett (via our national body) Colyer Fergusson The Philip and Connie Phillips Foundation Future Development 2023-24 was a challenging year, in terms of funding and service delivery. In the current economic climate 2024-25 will be no different. We were able to secure a continuation of our Money Advice and Pension Service (MAPS) funded debt advice project and Secured a further two years of funding for our British Gas energy project. However our organisation remains stretched in key areas, particularly as the number of different projects, locations and advice channels increase. At the end of 2022-23 we were faced with a potentially life-threatening cut in our core funding. This was averted, but it reminded us of the insecure world we work within. One key message to our core funder was that we need sufficient infrastructure to bid for and secure other projects that bring services to the local community- and there are very few sources able and willing to pay for that resource. The context for our work is changing too, with the "cost of living crisis" biting through winter 2023-24, and showing little sign of abating, we are increasingly dealing with emergency measures and distribution of resources such as those via the Household Support Fund, providing food and fuel vouchers and similar temporary fixes. As an advice service, we will continue to provide holistic support and our revised Mission for the coming years reflects the view that our role is preventative as well as restorative, and we will continue to work with clients to address underpinning causes as well as responding to their immediate needs where we are able to. On a positive note, our funders have continued to support us through 2023-24 and we are hopeful this will continue into the future. We have also secured some new funding which is always a positive sign of our success in what we do. We continue to be able to provide a wide range of complirnentary services, which deal with all aspects of our clients needs and wellbeing. As a relatively small Charity, we are aware of the threats we face, both in financial and operational areas. We value our staff and volunteers and believe in training and developing this valuable resource. We continue to keep a weathered eye on our major risks and explore new funding sources to strengthen our income, while efficiently managing our resources and targeting resources where they are most needed. CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU IN SWALE TRU5TEES' REPORT (INCORPORATING DIRECTOR5. REPORTI FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024- CONTINUED Our structure. governance and management The Trustees (who are also direttors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) present their annual report together with the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024. The Charity constitutes a publlc benefit entity as defined by FRS 102. This report has been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reportlng by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) issued on 16July 2014 as updated through Update Bulletin 1 published on 1 January 2019, the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS102), the Charities Att 2011, the Companies Act 2006 and UK Generally Accepted Practice as it applies from 1 January 2019. a) Constitution Citlzens Advice Bureau in Swale (trading as Citizens Advice Swale) is a charitable company limited by guarantee and was Set up by a Memorandum and Articles of Association on 23 February 2004 and amended on 23 October 2018. The Charity's objects are to promote through advice and prattical support, the advancement of education, the protection and preservation of health and the relief of poverty, sickne55 and distre55 in particular, but without limitation, for the benefit of the community in Swale and surroundlng areas. The reference and administration information is Set out on page 23 of the financial statements. b) Method of appointment of electlon of Trustees The management of the charitable company is the responsibility of the Trustees who are elected under the terms of the Memorandum and Articles of Association, the Trustees are elected to serve a period of 3 years after which they must be re-elected at the next Annual General Meeting. The Officers of the Trustee Board may not hold office for more than six consecutive years. After the end of this period, a further two years must pass before any person can hold another office. The Trustee5 are all drawn from the Swale community. There is a maximum of15 trustees on the board with up to three nominated by Swale Borough Council and one by Faversham Town Council. We aim to ensure there is a balance In terms of the areas that the Trustees are from and the skills that they bring to the organisation. Our managers attend the trustee meetings along with up to two staff representatives and one from the volunteers: these people do not have voting rlghts but are encouraged to participate in the discussions. c) Policies adoptedfor the indurtion and training of Trustees All new Trustees receive an induction pack and training which includes the obligations of Trustees the documents which set out the operational framework for the Charity including the purpose and use of the Memorandum &Articles the Aims, Principles & Policie5 Training Pack d) Organisation structure ond decision making Citizens Advice Bureau In Swale (trading as Citizens Advice Swale) is organised with a Board of Trustees comprising a minimum of 3 members up to a maximum of15 to oversee policy and planning. Trustees meet at least 4 times a year,. in this reporting period meetings were more frequent. During the year we changed our sub-committee arrangements; Finance and fundrai5ing- meets quarterly to review the financlal, governance and risk related matters CITI/EN'S AI)VICE BURF.AU IN SWAL.E'l-RUS-fEFS' REPORT IINCORPOFUITIN'G niRFrfoRI' REPORTI FOR T14E VLAIR ENDFD ?1 MARCH 2024- C.()NI-INUF.D 10 People, equality and wellbeing Risk, information and governance Research and Campaigns The Board delegates day to day responsibility to the Chief Officer who is required to attend Board meetings and to report on all operational and financial matters including staff matters and service delivery. e} Risk assessment The Trustees have assessed the major risks to which the charitable company is exposed, in particular those related to the operations and finances of the charitable company, and are satisfied that systems and procedures are in place to mitigate exposure to the major risks. Procedures are in place to ensure compliance with the health and safety of all staff, clients and visitors. The quality of advice given to clients is assured through adhering to the Citizens Advice Membership Scheme. Objects of the Charity for Public Benefit The Charity's objects are to promote any charitable purpose for the benefit by the advancement of education, the protection and preservation of health and the relief of poverty, sickness and distress in particular, but without limitation, for the benefit of the community in Swale and surrounding areas. In order to realise this public benefit, general and specialist advice is provided by telephone, email and (when possible) by face to face appointments at the Charity's locations in Sittingbourne, Sheerness and Faversham. Advice services are supplemented by training and support activities, particularly where related to the development of money management skills and financial capability. The Charity seeks to secure additional funding from time to time to support specific projects and programmes which enhance the breadth and sustain ability of the service for local residents. We are a member of the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux, an independent registered charity providing advice materials, organisational support, training and quality assurance infrastructure. The national body also negotiates on the behalf of local offices with major funding providers and national Government to generate funding which is then allocated either directly or via a bidding process for local services. Financial review We started the financial year with a deficit budget of over £66k as the management team felt they would be able to secure additional funding to improve the position by the end of the year. This situation was a repeat of the previous financial year which also started in deficit. The trustees were mindful that this is not 5UStainable. While our reserves were in line with good practice our aim in future years is to at least break even. We strengthened the management team's skills in fundraising, developed a more systematic way of tracking and prioritising grant opportunities and developed a financial contingency plan. The board took decisive action to reduce core running costs through some necessary staffing reductions - some of these results are shown in the final year figures with a reduced end of year deficit of £28k but the majority of savings will be realised in the 202415 financial year. CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU IN SWALE TRU AllViCE tIUREAU IN 5WALE TRUSTEES, REPORT IINcofipoRATING DIRicfop.S' REPORD FOR TH'= Yb.Al< ENI r)ED 31 MARCH 2.0?4- CONI"INUED 19 COMPARATIVE STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES (Incorporatlng an Income and Expendlture Account) for the year ended 31 March 2023 Unrestrlcted Deslgnated Restrlcted Funds Fund Funds Total 2023 Total 2022 Income and Endowments Donatlons 8,630 368 33,188 41,818 368 29.036 33 Investment Income other Income 3,285 133,430 3.285 413,698 1,724 373,348 Charltable Actlvltles 280,268 Total incoming resources 145,713 313,456 459,169 404,141 Expendlture on Charitable Activities 153,585 305,534 459.119 431.492 Net Incomel(expendlture) {7,8721 7,922 50 127.3511 Transfers between funds 7,922 17,922) Net movement In fund5 50 50 (27,351) Reconclllation of fund5 Total funds brought forward 162,637 20,000 200 182,837 21Q,188 Total funds carried forward 162,687 20,000 20Q 182,887 182,837 C.ITIZEN5 AfJvici-. F3URIAU IN SWALE'fRUSTFÈS' REPORT IINCORPORAI"INfa DIRF.CtORS' REPORTI FOR THE I'FAR fNI)E.D 31 MARCH 2.024- f.ONTINUED Administrative information Name Richard Calvert Appointed Retired 25July 2023 25July 2023 25July 2023 28July 2024 23 October 2023 Trustees David Walker (Former Chair) Michael Moore Paul Miller Ethan Dighton Safiya Nelson - Treasurer Hannah Edwards - Treasurer 02 June 2024 02July 2024 Sean Grace 23January 2024 Sarah Harvey (Interim Chair) Pam Kenworthy (Chair) Amanda Tennant 26 April 2022 25 April 2023 24January 2023 24January 2023 30 April 2024 19January 2024 Barrie Neaves Brett Appleton Paul Stephen Swale BC Tim Gibson Swale BC Representatlve Members 06June 2023 06June 2023 Hannah Perkin Swale BC 17 September 2019 25July 2023 25July 2023 02 November 2023 Kieran Golding Swale BC Elliottjayes Swale BC Mark Hinton Company secretary Jude Lee Fiona Spall (Manager} 02 November 2023 Management Team 16 October 2023 24 May 2024 Mark Hinton (Manager/Chief Officer) Jude Lee 02 November 2023 16 October 2023 Registered office Swale House East Street 5ittingbourne ME10 3HT Company registered number 5052691 Charity registered number 1103010 Citizens Advice Registered Number 7510016 Independent Examlner Andrew Collyer ACA Burgess Hodgson LLP Camburgh House 27 New Dover Road Canterbury CT13DN CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU IN SWALE TRUSTEES, REPORT IINCORPORATING DIRECTORS. REPORT) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 IthARCH 2024- CONTINUED n7