REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 05190146 (England and Wales} REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1106738 Report of the Trustees and Unaudited Financial Ststements for the Year Ended 31 March 2025 for The Bedford and District citizens Advlce Bureau The Bedford and Distrlct Citlzens Advice Bureau Contents of the Financlal Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2025 Page Report of the Trustses Independent Examinerfs Report Ststement of Flnancial Activitles Balance Sheet 10 to 11 Cash Flow Statement 12 Notes to the Cash Flow Statement 13 Notes to the Financial Statements 14 to 24 Detailed Statement of Financial Actlvities 25 to 26 The Bedford and District Citizens Advice Bureau Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 March 2025 The trustees who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006, present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2025 The trustees have adopted the provisions of Accounting and Reporting by Charities.. Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charrties preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland IFRS 102) (effective 1 January 20191. OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES Objectlves and aims The objectives of Citizens Advice Bedford are.. To provide free, confidential, impartial and independent advice and information for the benefit of the local community. To exercise a responsible Influen￿ on the development of social pJlicies and services. To ensure individuals do not suffer through a lack of kno￿edge or an inability to express their needs effectively. In addition to the continuing provision of high-quality advisory services to the local community, the objective is to work to enable the Bureau to expand its servi￿$ where possible. The principal activity of Ihe Bureau remained the provision of free, confidential, independent and impartial advice,infomiation and counsel for members of the public. In addition to generalist advi￿ the followng specialist advisory services were provided.. il Specialist Welfare Benefits Advice to clients of Bedford Borough Social Sernices, fiJnded by Bedford Borough Council ill Specialist Welfare Benefits Advice funded by the Harpur Trust iii) Specialist Welfafe ReformlDebt Advice funded by the House of Industry iv) Specialist Housing Debt Advice and Court Desk funded by the House of Industry v) Specialist Debt Advi￿ funded by the Money Advice Servi vil Benefit Advice servI￿s lo help people resolve concems around public involvement in health research design and delivery funded by a number of Health and other research Agencies vii) Generalist SeThices funded by the Trussell Trust viii) Energy Advice servi￿S funded through National Citizen Advi ix) General Advice seNices x) Specialist Housing & General Advice funded by Govia Thames Link xi) Household Support Fund & Emergency Client Fund administered on behalf of Bedford Borough Council Advisory ServI￿S were provided through a hybrid of face-to-face and remote consultations as well as email, although advice was also delivered through the use of telephone and social media, In 2023 we became a Domestic Abuse Support Hub. Page 1 The Bedford and District Citizens Advice Bureau Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 March 2026 OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES Public benefit The Trustees have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefrt when reviewing the aims and objecbves and in planning the future activities In particular, the Trustees considered how planned activities will contnbute to the aims and objectives they have set and believe the Charity has complied with the duty in section 4 of the Charities Act 2011. Volunteers The Charty receives help and support in the form of voluntary assistance in advising the public and administering the Charity. As at 31 March 2025, we had 28 volunteer5 and are actively recruiting more. Over the last 12 months we have been able to recruit and train more volunteers. The Trustee Board and Senior Management Team recognise the invaluable contribulion made by our volunteers without whom the Servi￿ could not operate. STRATEGIC REPORT Achievements and perfomiance Charitable activities Citizens Advice Bedford is the recognised advice agency in Bedford Borough,. the Citizens Advice brand is dely recognised and trusted at national and local level. It is recognised as an organisation that provides good quality advice without charge to anyone in need. The office is located in the Harpur Centre, in the centre of town and benefits from slaff and volunteers who are well trained, enthusiastic and committed. As well as benefib'ng from nationally provided knowledge and reference sources, they also have specialist local knowledge which is valuable to clients. Cttizens Advice Bedford saw a total of 3,820 unique clients with 18,890 issues, this was the second highest number of dients seen in a year during the last 10 years. showing the demand for our seNices. The most prevalent issues we advised upon were '. Benefits- 5,851 issues Debts- 3,128 issues Housing- 1,737 issues We helped generate £2,377,013 in welfare benefit income for our clients, and wrote off £641,957 worth of debt and helped clients to reschedule £65,865 of repayments. We helped 500 families and individuals gel ac￿$$ to emergency food and 37 people who were at risk of evith'on to stay in their homes. The fiscal value of the work we did was £1,931,311 which equates to £2.98 for every £1 of ￿ndIng we f￿1ved. The Public value of the work we did was £12.251,890 which equates to £18.90 for every £1 of funding we received. The value to the clients of the work we did was £8,274,359 ' which equates to £12.76 for ever £1 of funding we re￿ived. (" These figures are based on the Citizens Advice Financial Modelling Tool which uses methodology developed by New Economy and the model is approved by the Treasury) Fundraising activities The charity did not undertake any fvndraising activities during the year. Page 2 The Bedford and District Citizens Advice Bureau Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 March 2025 STRA TEGIC REPORT Achievements and performance Restrictions and Investment Powers As required in its Memorandum paragraph in furtherance of ils objects, and for no other purposes, the Company has the power lo invest the monies of the Company not immediately required for its purposes in or upon such investments, secunties or property as may be thought fit, subject nevertheless to such conditions and such Consents as may for the time being be imposed or required by law. The Trustee Board has agreed an investment policy, which includes., No bank (plus any of its subsidiaries) shall have more than £85,000 of Citizens Advice Bedford funds for a period greater than 28 days. The Company will actively invest funds currently held on deposit into a mix of business investment frjnds offered by UK based banks or Building S(xieties covered by the UK Financial Compensation Scheme. For darity there would be no investments in institutions where the compensation scheme is covered by a country abroad. No investment would exceed £85,000 in any one bank or its subsidiaries. The Company will retain flexibility within either the current account andlor linked deposit account to meet its day-to-day needs. The Company will con&der investing in shares andlor similar investments but will not commit more than 250k of available reserves in these types of investments. • No investment will be made where access to funds would be greater than 60 days, noti￿. At 31 st March 2025 the Company Charity had £98,127.67 invested with the Cambridge and Counties Bank in a 31-day noti￿ account and an easy access savings account. The investment in Cambridge and Counties slightly exceeded the £85,000 per bank requirement of the policy but is considered to be a small risk. The Memorandum of Association authorises the charity to receive income by way of grants. donations, gifts and legacies provided that it does not undertake any permanent trading activities in raising fvnds for its primary objectives. The Memorandum of Association authorises investment of surplus monies not immediately required. subject only to conditions and consents imposed by law. Financial revlew Financial position The unrestricted and undesignated general free reserves at 31 March 2025 was £119,683 {2023124= £153,340) after designats'ng resetves of £179,588 (2023124. £176,305}. There were no restricted reserves left at the end of the year (2023124.. £18,644). During the 2024125 financial year, CAB delivered a financial deficit of £{49,018) (2023124.. deficit £(96,258)). This deficit arose primarily through an increase in staff costs. In￿rne overall has increased by 7.6680/0 to £656,480 compared to £609,722 in 2023124, while over the same period expendrture has decreased by £49010 £705,490 from £705,980 in 2023124. There was no expenditure on fixed assets capilalised during the year {2023124.' £3,7741.Fixed assets are used for charitable purposes and enable staff and volunteers to provide an optimum service to the public. Page 3 The Bedford and Dlstrict Citizens Advice Bureau Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 March 2025 STRATEGIC REPORT Financial review Principal fundlng sources CAB delivered the final year of a 5-year contract on behalf of Bedford Borough Council and continued with The Harpur Trust funded project for welfare benefit advi￿. CAB continued delivery of MaPS contracts, and the Benefits Advice Service continues to provide fijnding for clients across England and Wales undergoing research into health and social issues. Borough Council provides a continuous running welfare benefit contract, and the House of Industry provides grants for both debt relief and housing contracts. CAB also continued to deliver year 2 of a 3-year partnership with the Trussell Trust, operating in Foodbanks within the Borough. CAB delivered energy advice through multiple National contracts including Cadent, Energy Advi Pro}ect, Energy Outreach Project and Wam Homes Projed. Lastly, CAB administered the Household Support Fund on behalf ofthe Bedford Borough Council to support residents wth while goods. The Tnjstees extend their gratitude to all funders for their continued support. Reserves policy Citizens Advice Bedford is required to ensure that free monies are available in each financial year to meet any reasonable foreseeable contingency. The Company wll maintain a projection of income for at least two years ahead and wll ensure that this continues to be derived from as wde a vanety of sources possible They will take all ￿e￿sSary steps to ensure that at no time within this peri¢xl would it be possible for the cessation of one or more funding streams to present so serious a challenge to the fuknre of the organisation that it could not be managed so as to continue to provide a best value advi￿ service. In reviewing the potential costs that could arise should a significant reduction in income be incurred the Trustees have determined that a designaled unrestricted reserve should be mainlained equal to 3 months, budgeted operating expenditure,which currently equates to £179,588 12023124. £176,305 based on 3 months, normal operating expenditure). The Trustees continually monitor this target. a key KPI for the Charity. The unrestricted and undesignated general free resetves at 31 March 2025 was £119,683 (2023124.. £153,340) after designating reserves of £179,588 (2023124-. £176,305). Restricted reserves at the end of the year amount to £nil {2023124.' £18,644). Going concern The Charity reported a cash infiow of £(86,791) for the year compared to £{142,3221 for 2023124. Whilst the year ending 31 March 2025 is no longer affected by Lockdown, nonetheless the impact of Covid-19 continues to be still evident. The affect on project work was minimal from a financial poinl of view overall. Whilst having retumed to providing some face-to-face services, CAB are still providing telephone support to those needing our support1adv1￿ and have increased our capacity io deliver services in this way. We expect funding next year in 2025126 to remain similar to the cutrent year but are reviewing our expenditure base and accommodation lo redu￿ costs to match any reduclion in funding, whilst conb'nuing to look for fijrther funding opportunities. Different funding streams have been successful in 2024125 which have offered the organisation the Chan￿ to develop new expertise. We look forward lo 2025126 where additr'onal funding streams have been identified to expand delivery. After making fvrther appropriate enquiries, together with rese￿eS and expenditure control, Ihe trustees have a reasonable expeclalion that the company has adequate resources to continue in operational exislence for the ￿e1ve months from the date of signing this report. For this reason. they continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the financial statements. Polltical Donatlons No donations of monies or donated goods were made lo any political parties or political campaigns in the year 202412512023124.. £NIL) Page 4 The Bedford and District Citizens Advice Bureau Report ofthe Trustses for the Year Ended 31 March 2025 STRATEGIC REPORT Principal risks and uncertainties The trustees have a duty to identify and review risks to which the charity is exposed and lo ensure appropriate controls are in place. The Charity has worked on a Corporate Risk Management exerctse. A risk management strategy and risk register were agreed by the Trustee Board. The Trustees recognise that any major risks to which the charity is exposed need to be reviewed and systems put in place to mitigate those risks. The last full risk assessment was carried out in November 2023. and approved by Trustees at the November 2023 Trustee Board Meeting, The risk register is reviewed quartedy by the SMT staff and Trustee committee. Future plans CAB'S main priority is the provision of an accessible advice Servi￿ to the community in Bedford Borough. The move to the Harpur Centre is completed which has increased the local profile of the organisalion. New funding streams have been obtained, which has enabled outreach work lo be carried out al local Foodbank venues, as well as ￿ndIng for a new Energy Advice role in response to the Cost of Living Crisis As well as the new outreach sedions. clients are 51111 able to contact us face to fa￿, by telephone and email we are looking to extend these services with the recruitment of more volunteers. CAB has a dedicaled telephone assessor to meet client demand, and plans to start additional outreach work are ongoing to meet ever growrng demand.. In summary CAB will continue to.. provide g¢x)d quality advi￿ and information to the communrties in Bedford and in particular to the most vulnerable., provide advi￿ that is available at both a general help level and specialist advice in debt, welfare benefrts and homelessness prevention., - provide accessible channels to contact the service,. be a key partner to the local authority through. in particular, the provision of data about community needs and be a leading player in the Bedford Advi￿ and Third Sectors STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT Governing document The charity is controlled by its goveming document, a deed of trust, and constitutes a limited company, limited by guarantee, as defined by the Companies Act 2006. The Charity (which has Ihe working name of 'Citizens Advi￿ Bedford {CAB}'I was fomied as a Company limited by guarantee on 27 July 2004 (Company Number.. 05190146) The full name of the charity is The Bedford and District Citizens Advi￿ Bureau and was registered with the Charity Commission on 12 November 2004 (Charity Number.. 1106738}. It is governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association, as last updated on 24 March 2011. Oryanisational structure Citizens Advi￿ Bedford is govemed by its Trustee Board which is responsible for setting the strategic direction of the organisation and Ihe policy of the charity. The Trustees cary the ultimate responsibility for the conduct of the Bureau and for ensuring that the charity satisfies its legal and contradual obligations.Truslees meet as a minimum quarterly and delegate the day-to-day operation of the organisation lo senior management. The Trustee Board is independent from management. A register of members, interests is maintained al the regislered office and is available to the public. Page 5 The Bedford and District Citizens Advice Bureau Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 March 2025 STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT Recruitment and appointment of new trustees Trustees, who are also Directors of the Company, are appointed by the current Trustee Board. A separate process agreed by the Trustee Board is followed for the election of the Chair and Treasurer. No other persons or bodies external to the charity were entitled to appoint persons to the Trustee Board. Newly appointed Trustees are provided with a comprehensive induction to Cib'zens Advice Bedford through the provision of CAB training courses and support by established Trustees. Key management remuneratlon The Trustees regularly benchmart( the pay of Senior Management in similar sized charity organisations in the locality and also across similar sized Local Citizens Advi￿ organisations No member of staff was paid more than £60,000. Related parties Crtizens Advice Bedford subscribes to the membership scheme of The National Association of Citizens Advi￿ Bureaux (Citizens Advice}, the national charity (Charity No 2790571 which provides a framework for standards of advi￿ and casework management as well as monitoring progress against these standards. Operating policses are independently determined by the Trustee Board of the Bureau in order to fv￿lI its charitable objects and comply with the national membership requirements. During the 2024125 financial year, payments were made to Citizens Advice to the value of £12,559 {2023124.' £6,924) in respect of insurance, subscriptions and sundnes. Receipts from Citizens Advi￿ for contracts and grant funding lotalled £212,071 (2023124.. £149,207). Also during the year, receipts for support services were made from Mid Beds Citizens Advice (Charity No 1109976) lo the value of £51,392 (2023124.. £5.0371. No further receipts were made from Scunthorpe & District Citizen Advice (Charity No 11102051 (2023124-, £2,434}. The charity also co-operates and liaises wth a number of other advisory services, local charities and social services department5 on behalf of clients. Where any of the Trustees holds the position of a TrusteelDirector of another charity they would declare a conflict of interest and then may be involved in discussions regarding that other charity but not in the ultimate decision-making process. REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS Registered Company number 05190146 (England and Wales) Registered Charity number 1106738 Registered office 8 Harpur Centre Bedford Bedfordshire MK40 1TP Trustees Jane Margaret Mordue- Chair Dr Thomas Greville Inskip Mark Smith Elizabeth Borland David Hodgson - Acting Treasurer (4.3.2024) lain Clark Retired Company Secretary Francesca Marritt Page 6 The Bedford and District Citizens Advice Bureau Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 March 2025 REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS Independent Examiner Colin Airey FCCA George Hay Partnership LLP Chartered Accountants Brigham House High Street Biggleswade Bedfordshire SG18 OLD Bankers: Unity Trust Bank Plc, 9 Brindley Place, Birmingham, B12HB Senlor Management Team: Francesca J. Marritt, Chief Executive Officer Simon Kelly, Operations Manager and Deputy CEO from 01.09.2024 Lucy Barnes, Business Manager and Operations Manager from 01.09.2024 Joanne Gumer, Operations Manager Authorised and regulated by the Financtal Conduct Authority FRN.. 617505 Report of the truslees, incorp9roperates and liaises with a number of other advisory servI￿s, local charities and social service5 departments on behalf of clients. ￿ere any of the Trustees holds the position of a Trustee/Director of another charity they would declare a conflict of interesl and then may be involved in discussions regarding that other charity but not in the Lrlts'mate decision-making. Page 24 The Bedford and District Citizens Advlce Bureau Detsiled Statement of Financial Activttles for the Year Ended 31 March 2025 31.3.25 31.3.24 INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS Donatlons and legacies Donations 2.484 302 Investment income Deposit acwunt interest 2,530 2,396 Charitsble activftles Bedford Borough Council - Core Conlract Money and Pensions Service House of Industry- Debt Housing Bedford Borough Council- Welfare Benefrts The Harpur Trust Benefits Advi￿ Service Trussell Trust Bedford Borough Council- Homeless Prevenlion Energy Advisor Youth Pilot Project 181,500 78,242 32,959 41.425 46,278 173,813 101,832 66,134 41,245 52,329 1,970 55,077 69,848 43,810 71,223 7,425 15,000 77,C62 13,125 572,710 597,587 Other Income Other income 78,756 9,437 Total Incoming resources 656,480 609.722 EXPENDITURE Charitable activltles Salaries and wages offi￿ costs Other costs Staff and volunteers 269,427 330 3,490 822 282,034 4,225 1,509 274,069 287.768 Support costs Management Wages and salaries Premises costs Office cosls Other costs Staff and volunteer 322,250 47,541 46,894 215 4,925 293,550 46,910 61,533 318 9,004 421,825 411,315 Governance costs Govemance costs 9,604 6,897 This page does not form part of the ststutory financial statements Page 25 The Bedford and District Citlzens Advlce Bureau Detalled Statement of Flnanclal Actlvltles for the Year Ended 31 March 2025 31.3.25 31.3.24 Total resources expended 705,498 705,980 Net expenditure (49,018) {96,258) IJ 2d2b. This page does not form part of the statutory financial statements Page 26