Greater London Volunteering (Branded as London Plus) Report of the Trustees and Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2023 Company no. 04070342 (England & Wales) Charity no. 1115303 london plus
Greater London Volunteering Contents Report of the Trustees Report of the Independent Auditor 15-18 statement of Financial Activities 19 Balance Sheet 20 Cash Flow Statement 21 Notes to the Financial Statements 22-29
GREATER LONDON VOLUNTEERING Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 March 2023 The trustees present their report and audited financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023. Reference and Administrative Information Charity Name: Greater London Volunteering (GLV) Charity Registration Number: 1115303 Company Registration Number: 04070342 Registered Office: Norman House 8 Burnell Road Sutton SMI 4BW Myrus Smith Chartered Accountants Norman House 8 Burnell Road Sutton Surrey SMI 4BW The Metro Bank One Southampton Road London, WC18 SHA The Co-operative Bank PLC PO Box 250 Delf House Southway Skelmersdale, WN8 6WT Auditors: Bankers: Trustees Sarah Mulley Edward Anderton Beau Fadahunsi stephanie Hann Jocelyn James Renae Michelle Mann Jacob Przeklasa Dominic Pinkney Rahul Sinah Chair (Appointed November 2022) Company Secretary (Resigned 24 September 2023) Treasurer (Resigned 24 September 2023) Interim Chair (To November 2022) (Resigned l August 2023) Special Advisor Geraldine Blake Senior Management Martin Brookes Chief Executive
GREATER LONDON VOLUNTEERING Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 March 2023 Structure, Governance and Management Governing Document The organisation is a charitable company limited by guarantee, incorporated on 12th September 2000 and was registered as a charity in England and Wales on 13th July 2006. The company was established under a Memorandum of Association which established the objects and powers of the charitable company and is governed under those Articles. The company replaced the existing Memorandum and Articles of Association with new Articles of Association on 6 February 2018. The legal name of the company remains Greater London Volunteering. During this period, the company continued to use the brand name London Plus. Recruitment and Appointment of Trustees The recruitment and appointment of trustees are set out in our Articles of Association. Trustees are elected annually at the AGM. At the third annual general meeting after a trustee's last appointment (whether by election or co-option) a trustee shall retire. They shall be eligible for re-appointment provided that no trustee may continue to serve after six years in office without a period of at least a year out of office and no trustee may serve for more than nine years in total. For the purposes of this Article (31.1) a "year" shall mean a complete period of service between two annual general meetings. The Board may. from time to time, appoint a member of staff as a member of the Board either to fill a casual vacancy or by way of an addition to the Board, subject to the provisions of the Articles of Association. Trustee Induction and Training New trustees are provided with an induction on joining the Board and are encouraged to take up relevant training and development to fulfil their role and responsibilities to London Plus. Risk Management The trustees review the risks to which the charity is exposed and have set up a number of policies which the trustees, employed staff and volunteers must follow. The trustees believe that there are in place adequate controls and systems to mitigate any external and internal risks the charity may face.
GREATER LONDON VOLUNTEERING Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 March 2023 Structure, Governance and Management/cont'd... Organisation London Plus continued to develop its work on emergencies during this year. At the start of the year, this was particularly pronounced following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Large parts of the voluntary and community sector in London mobilised to support an influx of refugees fleeing the conflict and London Plus played a role coordinating this. This emergency response built on practices developed during the pandemic and the Afghan refugee response. We maintained our standard support for the voluntary and community sector alongside this, though emergency work took priority. By the end of the year we had successfully applied for funding to create a new formal structure, the London Communities Emergencies Partnership to support this. This is a joint endeavour with the VCS Emergencies Partnership. Funding was granted by City Bridge Trust, the GLA, and London Councils. Management Day-to-day management is delegated to a small staff team, led by a chief executive officer. Throughout this reporting period, the chief executive has been Martin Brookes. Objectives and Activities Objectives The objectives of the charity are: To promote the efficiency and effectiveness of voluntary and charitable sector organisations. To promote such other exclusively charitable purposes according to the law of England and Wales as the trustees is their absolute discretion from time to time determine.
GREATER LONDON VOLUNTEERING Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 March 2023 Objectives and Activities/cont'd. Purpose A new "Purpose" for the charity was agreed by trustees at the end of the year, replacing the previous Vision" and Mission". This revised purpose is as follows: "Our purpose is to enable community groups and charities to make London thriving, cohesive, and resilient., Activities Our activities are organised around four building blocks. Networks are the first building block. Networks make it easier for us to gather information from, provide support to, and connect charities and community groups across London. Some of our networks are for specific organisations, such as for local charity infrastructure groups in each London borough. others address a particular topic, such as social prescribing. Communications, the second building block, are needed to support charities and community groups. The voluntary and community sector in London is large and disparate. Good information and communications need to flow to the sector. We are investing increasing time, energy, and resources into reaching the sector. This includes using social media, newsletters, our website, as well as our networks and other channels. Connections are the third building block, which we use to support the sector across London. We have good links with policy makers in the GLA and London Councils, as well as funders. We have added further to these as we contribute to the agenda for London's recovery from the pandemic. Our networks give credibility to our voice and influence when we talk to policy makers and funders across London. Strong connections and credibility help us build understanding, partnerships, and develop solutions. Data is the final building block of our work. Our networks help provide us with both hard as well as soft 'data' There is less analysis and scrutiny of, and limited data about, the voluntary and community sector. We help plug this gap by gathering data from our networks and beyond. With this, we can better understand and serve the needs of the sector.
GREATER LONDON VOLUNTEERING Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 March 2023 Objectives and Activities/cont'd.. Public Benefit In forming and reviewing the charity's objectives, the trustees have given due regard to public benefit guidance published by the Charity Commission as required by section 17 of The Charities Act 2011 . Achievements and Performance The year was again marked by a series of crises which had a significant impact on the sector in London and in turn directed a much of our work. The establishment of the London Communities Emergencies Partnership part way through the year, with dedicated staff working on emergencies and preparedness, has changed London Plus's role in direct crisis response, but this was not operational until the end of the year. London Plus's core networks and work provided an essential foundation for both the establishment of LCEP and for our crisis response work in the meantime. The flexibility of the core funding support from City Bridge Trust allows London Plus both to develop and maintain the core networks that provide the foundation for our work, and to adapt and respond to the needs that arise throughout the grant term. Ukraine crisis response Russia's invasion of Ukraine dominated our work early in the year. April 2022 was just a month into the conflict and the sector in London was stepping up in response to the situation abroad, coordinating efforts around donations, and preparing for the arrival of large numbers of refugees to the UK. At this time, many organisations were still responding to the needs of Afghan arrivals, a large proportion of whom were still accommodated in hotels across several boroughs. London Plus worked closely with VCS Emergencies Partnership (VCS EP) in these early months. Together. we convened regular meetings of organisations focussed on the response to the situation in Ukraine and its impact in London. We continued the open approach adopted when London received the arrivals evacuated from Afghanistan that had proved effective in building connections and supporting collaboration. As part of this, we maintained and built on the Ukraine response WhatsApp group we set up at the start of the invasion. We held regular meetings for London organisations involved or interested in the sector's response to the Ukraine crisis. As well as sharing information and raising concerns we were able to escalate to London Councils and other London-wide bodies, many useful new connections were made through these meetings. One example is the connection between the Ukraine Social Club in west London and volunteering charity RE:ACTwho were able to provide support particularly with logistics. We also built upon the shared resources we had started collating and sharing immediately after the invasion (again an approach tested during the Afghan refugee response the previous year). This webpage continued to prove popular throughout 2022-23.
GREATER LONDON VOLUNTEERING Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 March 2023 Achievements and Performance/cont'd... Summer heatwave Severe hot weather dominated our work during the summer months. We had worked closely with VCS EP to disseminate preparedness information about heatwaves, storms and floods, and shared extreme weather alerts and related action plans. July and August 2022 saw the highest temperatures on record and consequent fires. On 19 July the London Fire Brigade experienced its busiest day since World War11. The most serious fire was in Wennington, Havering. Approximately 50 people were displaced when 20 homes were evacuated. London Plus again worked closely with" VCS EP and the local Volunteer Centre, who were supporting the Council-led rest centre. We offered support as needed, collating and communicating the most pressing needs to relevant contacts in order to support coordinated efforts. In August, a gas explosion in Thornton Heath (Merton) forced an evacuation of approximately 160 homes for a prolonged period. London Plus was involved again with VCS EP coordinating efforts between national emergency responders and local community organisations. We joined daily calls with colleagues from VCS EP, RE:ACT, the British Red Cross and the London Boroughs Faiths Network and local volunteer centres in Merton and Croydon, all of whom were working to help those affected. Responding to such similar events in a short space of time enabled us to share the lessons from Havering on how best to deal with donations, setting up a donation centre and sensitively supporting traumatised people in practical ways. In the summer, we started mapping voluntary and community sector connections with local authority Borough Resilience Forums (BRFS) and emergency planning teams, suspecting that there was work to do to create stronger relationships in parts of London. Working closely with the Community Resilience team at the GLA, we made introductions where there was room for improvement, and noted significant progress in parts of London where some local infrastructure partners who had been trying to establish a connection for some time were welcomed onto their local BRF. Cost of living crisis The latter half of the year was dominated by concerns over the rising cost of living, particularly in the lead up to and during the cold winter months. Organisations noted that, as well as facing increased demand for help, many staff and volunteers were significantly affected themselves and needed additional support. Dedicated sector/ cross-sector forums were cropping up in almost every borough. We noticed commonalities between these fora. There was a real sense that there were no clear solutions and organisations were grappling with the same challenges all over London.
GREATER LONDON VOLUNTEERING Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 March 2023 Achievements and Performance/cont'd... In response, London Plus used the same approach, templates and systems we had in place from responding to previous emergencies and created a cost of living document to collect useful information into one place. This resource outlined available cost of living support by borough and also pan-London by theme, including charities & businesses, food, families, energy, money & debt, digital exclusion, health, housing, work & education, and warm spaces. This reduced duplication of effort and enabled local VCS partners to offer direct support to Londoners more rapidly and effectively. We helped create a task group within the CVS Network to further bolster collaboration and sharing of ideas across boroughs. We shared these resources on our website and promoted it through comms to the wider sector. The page was viewed 1,416 times during the second half of the year. Food aid support One notable impact of the cost of living crisis was the 'perfect storm, faced by food aid support in London where food bank demand was rising at the same time that donations and volunteer numbers were falling. Partners reported an increase in food bank use among those who have never before needed it and increasingly among those experiencing in-work poverty. Pressures on individual households meant that donations were falling and some people who had previously donated were even now relying on foodbanks themselves. Volunteering was also suffering as people began to tighten their belts; some took on additional paid work or could no longer afford to travel to volunteer as they may have done before. This was becoming a more acute and pressing issue, so we hosted two meetings bringing together relevant partners, including organisations specialising in food aid such as Felix Project and Trussell Trust, volunteer centres, the GLA and VCS EP. A shortage of volunteers was threatening to become severe over the Christmas and New Year period. Together with others, we helped resolve the problem. At one site in East London, over l 00 new volunteers supported one food aid charity between 19th and 31 st December. As in so many cases, the issue was connecting organisations to one another so the pool of available volunteers can be better matched to demand. This is the sort of role where London Plus's networks, both formal and informal, can play a valuable part. As part of tackling this challenge, we also used the new London's Lifelines website (see below).
GREATER LONDON VOLUNTEERING Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 March 2023 Achievements and Performance/cont'd.. Grants distribution Our work in the food aid support space provided us with an opportunity to leverage additional funds into the sector. We re-purposed funding from the Greater London Authority to support City Harvest, the Felix Project and the Independent Food Aid Network (IFAN) to be able to recruit and train more volunteers across London, distributing £31,500 to pay for promotional materials including advertising on social media. While the grant was funded by the GLA, it was our core support and funding from City Bridge Trust which enabled this opportunity to direct money to the most pressing need in the sector. Following on from our work on mapping Borough Resilience Forums across the capital, we worked with the GLA at the end of 2022 to develop the Community Resilience Fund, to support voluntary and community organisations, collaborative work with local BRF/emergency planning teams. London Plus helped assess applications and distribute money to successful applicants. A total of £55,000 grant funding was awarded to I I projects in the capital. Repeat funding of the same total amount was committed before the end of the year - a further round of the fund will follow in 2023/24. Again, this piece of work was funded by the GLA but it was a natural extension to our core work and would not have been possible without those activities and networks. London Communities Emergencies Partnership (LCEPJ Alongside being involved in responding to actual emergencies, we spent the first six months of the year completing the design of the London Communities Emergencies Partnership (LCEP), a new and innovative structure to coordinate the work of the voluntary and community sector in London when an emergency strikes. A large number of organisations were involved in this design, including VCS Emergencies Partnership, with whom LCEP is a joint venture. We received funding for LCEP from City Bridge Trust, the GLA, and London Councils. Since this time, staff have been recruited and a detailed partnership has been agreed between London Plus and British Red Cross, which runs VCS EP. The three staff for LCEP are spread across the two organisations and were recruited by the end of the year. Before staff were in place, LCEP hosted the first network call meeting on the 18th January. This was well attended by emergency voluntary sector, voluntary and community groups who are traditionally not emergency focussed and statutory bodies.
GREATER LONDON VOLUNTEERING Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 March 2023 Achievements and Performance/cont'd.. With the team in place, LCEP is now fully operational and starting to make a difference to the way the voluntary and community sector responds to emergencies. In turn, with the team in place, London Plus can turn a larger part of its focus back to regular business. The above summary demonstrates how important it was that our work on emergency response and community resilience was recognised and funded. A significant amount of time in the first half of the year went into planning and preparation for LCEP without funding being in place. Inevitably this affected the rest of the organisation. While we maintained our support for core networks, work on data in particular slowed because of the demands around emergencies and LCEP. We did not hire a new Data Analyst during the year; this accounts for an under-spend in our budget in the year as a whole. Plans are in hand to address this in 2023/24. Infrastructure Networks London Plus continues to support and facilitate its core VCS local infrastructure networks. The reliability and smooth running of these networks (and the connections maintained therein) are the essential foundation which enables much of our other work to succeed. It is these connections that we can call upon in a crisis, and that provide us with the vital local insights from the communities they serve. London CVS Network This was a productive year for the CVS Network. A number of ideas for longer-term collective work have come to fruition, driven forward by London Plus and the network Chair and deputy Chairs. Meeting attendance has improved; we have encouraged deputies to attend in place of usual network members if availability is an issue and various connections have also been made beyond those directors and Chief Executives through themed pieces of work (including work on the cost of living and CVS Development Workers, network). Regular network e-bulletins have continued and consistently receive positive feedback. Four quarterly CVS Network meetings were held during the year. As well as space for networking and standing items around local and NHS-related updates, themes covered included structural inequalities (Fairer City action plan and potential collective actions), profile-raising and influencing, and political changes following local elections. The cost of living crisis was a consistent topic of discussion through the year and the network welcomed a presentation from the Child Poverty Action Group at one of its meetings. There were also presentations from London Councils and London Funders about their funding programmes.
GREATER LONDON VOLUNTEERING Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 March 2023 Achievements and Performance/cont'd.. Infrastructure Networks/cont'd Also discussed were key pieces of collective work undertaken by London Plus with and on behalf of the network. These included the first ever collective impact report for the network, a salary bench-marking exercise, dedicated support with equalities forums and the convening of themed subgroups around the cost of living crisis, policies relating to structural inequalities, voluntary sector roles within the new NHS integrated care systems, and a peer support network/space for staff in CVS teams. More detail on some of these is provided below. The first ever collective CVS Network Impact report was launched at the beginning of this financial year. The report focused on the reach and representation of local infrastructure organisations in London and the activity and impact of the network in the year 2020/21. Network members wish to create a similar report every two years. We started work with the London CVS Network on various actions arising from the Fairer City Plan, initially identifying appropriate actions for further exploration and potential collective and collaborative work. Work began to compile relevant organisational policies from across the network, working towards creating policy guidance and templates for use across the network and the wider sector. This work will continue into 2023/24. London Volunteer Centre Network This was the first full year of a new co-chairing arrangement, and it helped to ensure ownership and drive collective work and ideas forward. Meeting attendance improved, and several new members joined the network. Several key pieces of work dominated the network's discussions over its four quarterly meetings, in particular London's Lifelines and engagement of the network in the various activities as part of the campaign (see more detail below); Volunteer Centre Quality Accreditation (VCQA) updates following the volunteering quality mark's move to NAVCA; potential for collaboration around funding opportunities and training, and then later in the year, concerns and challenges around funding. Regular network e-bulletins have continued and received good feedback. 10
GREATER LONDON VOLUNTEERING Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 March 2023 Achievements and Performance/cont'd.. Infrastructure Networks/cont'd London's Lifelines Building on our work with the London VC Network, London Plus continued its work with the London Volunteering Strategy Group (LVSG). This group is made up of the GLA, London Councils, representatives from the VC Network, the London Boroughs Faith Network and other voluntary and community sector and faith organisations involved in volunteering in London. During the year work began on the first collaborative project, London's Lifelines, a campaign to promote volunteering in London, which was launched initially in September. Over the course of the year London Plus with the GLA led a small steering group to commission a website developer, media partner and filmographer. We designed a website to celebrate volunteers in London, raise the profile of volunteering, signpost routes into volunteering and tell individual volunteers, stories. Alongside the website, we worked with Filmanthropy CIC to recruit a film crew made up of volunteers who were trained to co-design and produce a film that would showcase the power, breadth and scale of volunteering in London. This and other short films are being launched in the new year. Social Prescribing The London Social Prescribing Network has now been established for two and a half years. Voluntary and community organisations play a crucial role in the social prescribing approach through their delivery of social prescribing activities. But many other parts of the system inadvertently neglect to involve the voluntary sector 'voice' in governance structures and thinking. London Plus's network helps to ensure the rest of the system is more aware of this omission and strengthens the role of the voluntary sector in discussions about social prescribing. We have continued to champion the importance of investment in the voluntary sector on behalf of our members whenever we attend meetings with wider parts of the system. We have started to gather information to try and break down how much the voluntary sector receives and from whom to get a baseline understanding of where and to what activities the resource is going to in the system. This work will continue be into 2023/24 as the network tries to influence and support the wider system to target its limited resource effectively.
GREATER LONDON VOLUNTEERING Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 March 2023 Achievements and Performance/cont'd.. Social Prescribing/cont'd This year we wanted to help the voluntary sector understand the strategic as well as the grass roots evolution of social prescribing. The network led on creating 'SP Connected,. a database of key stakeholders and decision makers in each of London's 32 boroughs who are involved in commissioning or delivering social prescribing. It has all the cross-sector key contacts of local authority social prescribing leads, public health, culture, Healthwatch and NHS to help smaller organisations understand who to contact regarding commissioning or if they want to make them aware of the social prescribing activities they offer. This database has helped the network to understand and be better informed about the complexity and uniqueness of each of the boroughs when delivering social prescribing. It has enabled the voluntary sector to break down some of the barriers of who to contact to support their communities more effectively. It is also an invaluable resource, not only at borough but at ICS level as well as they continue to form. Alongside the London Social Prescribing Network, we ran the London arm of the Thriving Communities programme of the National Academy for Social Prescribing. As part of this, we commissioned the Ubele Initiative to run three round tables with black and minoritised communities about what was needed to engage, and the gaps in social prescribing for these communities. We also worked with NASP partners to continue to deliver on support for local and regional organisations delivering SP activities. This included events for mental health and social prescribing to support link workers and small organisations, as well as producing a number of blogs. 12
GREATER LONDON VOLUNTEERING Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 March 2023 Financial Review London Plus remains crucially dependent on core funding from our main backer, City Bridge Trust. This funding allows the charity to maintain our core work with networks and the wider sector as well as, importantly, flex to the needs of charities and community groups in London. Without funding from City Bridge Trust, we could not have undertaken the crucial work supporting the voluntary and community sector in London as it prepared to help refugees arriving from Ukraine, or those organisations helping the most vulnerable people in the heatwave and fires of the summer of 2022. Similarly, we would not have been able to develop the support for volunteering across the whole capital through the London Volunteering Strategy Group; or help an urgent brokering of volunteers into food charities in the winter of 2022. Flexibility of funding from City Bridge Trust enables London Plus to respond to these pressing needs. The new grant to develop the London Communities Emergencies Partnership (LCEP) gives us dedicated resources to tackle such emergencies without detracting from the rest of the organisation. In 2022/23, the impact of emergency work on the regular activities of the charity was significant, as noted earlier. Alongside the new initiatives and responses to emergencies, City Bridge Trust's funding enables us to continue to support the key infrastructure networks covering all 32 boroughs in London. This is a vital aspect of London Plus. Our networks are independent of any policy or funding initiative. Part of their value lies in this independence. They are owned by the sector and they can be directly shaped and controlled by the sector and its needs. At the core of our approach is supporting the sector across the whole breadth of issues it faces. We are able to do this - be consistent, reliable, and valuable to the sector- because of the stability and reliability in funding from City Bridge Trust grant. As that grant declines in future years, we will need to consider how we secure the necessary funding to continue to service the needs of London's voluntary and community sector. A new strategic framework was discussed by trustees at the end of this year. With this strategy finalised during the first half of 2023/24, we intend to approach a number of funders in London, including City Bridge Trust, to discuss our existing and potential future funding. 13
GREATER LONDON VOLUNTEERING Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 March 2023 Financlal Review/cont'd... Our unrestricted reserves rose to £62,051 (2022: £46,348). Prudent running of the organization enabled us to add to our reserves despite inflationary pressures. Nonetheless, our unrestricted reserves remain below the level that would be needed to manage an unexpected interruption in funding. The nature of London Plus's work and our funding makes it difficult to build further unrestricted reserves. If we receive funding and deliver work that allows us to extend the money we receive in grant from City Bridge Trust and others, this remains restricted under the terms of these grants. The London Communities Emergencies Partnership contributes to this. It remains an ambition to build up unrestricted reserves. As the organisation develops and grows, this need becomes more acute. Funding recelved in this period City Bridge Trust funding Funding from existing City Bridge Trust grants was used for the salaries of the Chief Executive, Networks Manager, Data and Research Analyst, Communications Officer and London Plus Coordinator. It also covered central office costs and overheads. The grant in 2022/23 was £200,000, the first of three years of funding covering 2022/23- 25/26. City Bridge Trust agreed a grant of £642,500 to support the development of the London Communities Emergencies Partnership (LCEP). This is to be paid over the period 2022/23-2025/26. The payment in 2022/23 was £65,330. This sum is to be shared with VCS Emergencies Partnership (VCSEP), our partner in LCEP. Approximately £17,686 of the first year grant will be paid to VCSEP. In addition, a (smaller) portion of the funding will be on-granted to the London Boroughs Faiths Network (LBFN). An additional £15,703 came from City Bridge Trust as an inflation grant to cover the increased costs of delivery at a time when prices in the economy are rising rapidly. GLA funding We received the last scheduled £20,000 grant from the GLA to fund our support for the London Recovery Board's 'missions" specifically the mission 'Building Strong Communities" London Plus has been closely involved with this mission as well as helping provide oversight of others among the nine in total. We received funding of £17,000 from the GLA for London Lifelines in this financial year. 14
GREATER LONDON VOLUNTEERING Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 March 2023 Financial Review../cont'd Funding received in this perlod../cont'd The GLA made a grant of £60,500 to support work on community resilience. The large majority of this (£53,724.67) was paid out in I I small grants to local borough-based organisations. A further round of £55,000 grant funding was also committed as recorded in Note 2. We received a grant of £33,000 to support the London Social Prescribing Network. This is the first payment in a two-year grant. The GLA agreed a grant of £1 00,000 for LCEP over four years. This is to be paid over the period 2022/23-2025/26. The payment in 2022/23 was £17,000. London Councils funding We received a grant of £25,000 to support the London Communities Emergencies Partnership. National Academy for Social Prescribing We received a grant of £36,516 to support the NASP Thriving Communities programme during the year. This continued our work in 2021 /22. Reserves Policy The charity maintains reserves sufficient to enable it to fulfil its charitable objectives. The Board of Trustees regularly reviews the risk-based reserves policy. Loss of funding is deemed the greatest risk to the organisation and loss of our primary funder could lead to the closure of the charity. The trustees are satisfied that the £62,051 held in reserves at the end of the year is sufficient to meet the costs of closure. 15
GREATER LONDON VOLUNTEERING Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 March 2023 Trustees Responsibilitles Statement The trustees (who are also directors of Greater London Volunteering for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Trustees, Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and the United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice). Company law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year, which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to: Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently; Observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP 2015 (FRS 102); Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; Prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charitable company will continue in operation. The trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. In so far as the trustees are aware: There is no relevant audit information ofwhich the charitable company's auditor is unaware; and The trustees have taken all steps that they ought to have taken to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the auditor is aware of that information. This report has been prepared in accordance with the special provisions of Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies. Approved by the trustees on Tuesday 5th December 2023 and signed on their behalf by: Sarah Mulley Chair of Board of Trustees 16
Report of the Independent Audltor to the Members of Greater London Volunteerlng Oplnlon We have audited the financial statements of Greater London Volunteering (the 'charitable company,) for the year ended 31 March 2023 which comprise the Statement of Financial Aclivities, the Balance Sheet and notes to the financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting fromework that hos been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice). In our opinion the financial statements: give a true and fair view of the state of the charitable company's affairs as at 31 March 2023, and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure, for the year then ended; have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generolly Accepted Accounting Practice; and have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006. Basls for oplnlon We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAS (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charitable company in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statenients in the UK, including the FRC'S Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our otlier etliical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that tlie audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion. Concluslons relating to golng concern In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the trustees, use of tlie going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financlal statenieiits Is appropriate. Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified aiiy niateiial uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, indivldually or collectlvely, Iiiay cast significant doubt on the charitable company's ability to continue os a goliig i.Iiiiceiii for a period of at least twelve months from when the finaiicial stateiiieiits ale authorised for issue. Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the trustees with respect to gi)Iiig LEII)L PII) are described in the relevant sections of this report, 17
Report of the Independent Auditor to the Members of Greater London Volunteering (continued) Other information The trustees are responsible for the other information. The other information comprises the information included in the Report of the Trustees, other than the financial statements and our auditor's report thereon. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact. We have nothing to report in this regard. Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companles Act 2006 In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit: the information given in the trustees, report which includes the directors, report prepared for the purposes of company law, for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and the directors, report included within the trustees, report has been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements. Matters on which we are required to report by exception In the light of our knowledge and understanding of the charitable company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the directors, report included within the trustees, report. We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion: adequate accounting records have not been kept, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or certain disclosures of directors, remuneration specified by law are not made; or we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit; or 18
Report of the Independent Auditor to the Members of Greater London Volunteering (continued) Matters on which we are required to report by exception/cont'd. the trustees were not entitled to prepare the financial statements in accordance with the small companies, regime and take advantage of the small companies, exemptions in preparing the directors, report and from the requirement to prepare a strategic report. Responsibilities of trustees As explained more fully in the trustees, responsibilities statement, the trustees (who are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error. In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the charitable company's ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so. Auditor's responsibillties for the audit of the financial statements Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor's report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAS (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements. Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below: Enquiry of management and those charged with governance about actual and potential litigation or claims and the identification of non-compliance with laws and regulations. Reviewing minutes of meetings of those charged with governance. 19
Report of the Independent Auditor to the Members of Greater London Volunteering (continued) Reviewing financial statement disclosures and testing to supporting documentation to assess compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Auditing the risk of management override of controls, including testing journal entries and other adjustments for appropriateness; assessing whether the judgements made in making accounting estimates are indicative of a potential bias; and evaluating the business rationale of any significant transactions that are unusual or outside the normal course of business. Performing analytical procedures to identify any unusual or unexpected relationships that may indicate risks of material misstatement due to fraud. Professional scepticism in course of the audit and with audit sampling in material audit areas. Because of the inherent limitations of an audit, there is a risk that we will not detect all irregularities, including those leading to a material misstatement in the financial statements or non-compliance with regulation. This risk increases the more that compliance with a law or regulation is removed from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, as we will be less likely to become aware of instances of non-compliance. The risk is also greater regarding irregularities occurring due to fraud rather than error, as fraud involves intentional concealment, forgery, collusion, omission or misrepresentation. A further description of our responsibilities is available on the Financial Reporting Council's website at: www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor's report. Use of our report This report is made solely to the charitable company's members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company's members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor's report and for no other pur se. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume resp nsibility to anyone other than the charitable company and the charitable co any's members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions ave formed. we step, en Jones FCA (Senior Statutory Auditor) For and on behalf of Myrus Smith Chartered Accountants and Statutory Auditors Norman House, 8 Burnell Road, Sutton, Surrey SMI 4BW December 2023 20
Greater London Volunteering statement of Financial Activities (including Income and Expenditure Account) for the year ended 31 March 2023 Unrestricted Restricted 31 March Funds Funds 2023 31 March 2022 Note Income from: Charitable activities 15,703 538,982 554,685 356,274 Total 15,703 538,982 554,685 356,274 Expenditure on: Raising funds Charitable activities 7,815 7,815 365,004 365,004 7,303 430,137 Total 372,819 372,819 437,440 Net surplus/(deficit) Transfers between funds 15,703 166,163 181,866 (81,166) 12 Net movement in funds Reconciliation of funds: Total funds brought forward 15,703 166,163 181,866 (81,166) 12 46,348 45,945 92,293 173,459 Total funds carrled forward 12 £62,051 £212,108 £274,159 £92,293 All income and expenditure is derived from continuing activities. The SOFA includes all gains and losses recognised during the year. The notes on pages 24 to 32 form part of these financial statements. 21
Greater London Volunteerlng Balance Sheet As at 31 March 2023 31 March 2023 31 March 2022 Notes Current assets Debtors Cash at Bank 10 61,204 282,944 10,937 171,019 344,148 181,956 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year (69,989) (89,663) Net current assets 274,159 92,293 Net assets 13 £274,159 £92,293 Funds: Unrestricted funds - General funds 12 62,051 46,348 Restricted funds 12 212,108 45,945 Total funds £274,159 £92.293 These accounts have been prepared in accordance with the special provisions relating to small companies within Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006. Approved by the directors and trustees on Tuesday 5th December 2023 and signed on their behalf. Sarah Mulley, Chair The notes on pages 24 to 32 form part of these financial statements. 22
Greater London Volunteering Cash Flow Statement As at 31 March 2023 Notes 2023 2022 Cash flows from operating activities Net movement in funds per statement of financial activities Adjustments for: Interest receivable Decrease/(increase) in debtors (Decrease)/increase in creditors 181,866 (81,166) (50,267) (19,674) 4,984 (8,675) Net cash (used in)/provided by operafing activities 111,925 (84,857) Cash flows from investing activities Interest received Net cash provided by investing activities 111,925 (84,857) Change in cash at bank in the year Cash at bank brought forward 171,019 255,876 Cash at bank carried forward £282,944 £171,019 The notes on pages 24 to 32 form part of these financial statements. 23
Greater London Volunteering Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023 l. Accounting policies General Information and basls of preparation Greater London Volunteering is a private company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales. In the event of the company being wound up, the liability in respect of the guarantee is limited to £1 per member of the charity. The address of the registered office is given in the Reference and Administrative Information" on page I of these financial statements. The charity constitutes a public benefit entity as defined by FRS 102. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) issued in October 2019, the Charities Act 2011, the Companies Act 2006 and UK Generally Accepted Accounting Practice. The financial statements are prepared on a going concern basis under the historical cost convention. The significant accounting policies applied in the preparation of these financial statements are set out below. These policies have been consistently applied to all years presented unless otherwise stated. Income recognition Items of income are recognised in the financial statements when all of the following criteria are met: The charity has entitlement to the funds; any performance conditions have been met or are fully within the control of the charity; there is sufficient certainty that receipt of the income is considered probable; and the amount can be measured reliably. Income from performance related grants and contracts is recognised as the charity earns the right to consideration through delivery of the specified services. 24
Greater London Volunteerlng Notes to the financlal statements for the year ended 31 March 2023 Expendlture recognition Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to make payment to a third party, it is probable that settlement will be required and the amount can be measured reliably. Expenditure includes all irrecoverable VAT which is included as part of the relevant cost. Expenditure is classified under the following activity headings: Costs of raising funds comprise those costs associated with attracting voluntary donations and grants Expenditure on charitable activities comprises those costs associated with the delivery of the various activities and services for the charity's beneficiaries. Expenditure includes those costs of a direct nature which can be allocated to a specific activity and also includes indirect costs, including govemance costs that do not relate to a specific activity but are necessary to support those activities. Support costs are apportioned to each activity on the basis of staff time. Leases Operating lease rentals are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities on a straight line basis over the period of the lease. Fund accounting Unrestricted general funds are freely available for use in furtherance of the objects of the charity and which have not been designated for specific purposes. Designated funds are unrestricted funds set aside by the trustees for particular purposes. Restricted funds are funds which can only be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by the donor or which have been raised for a particular purpose. Pensions The charity contributes to Stakeholder Pension Schemes on behalf of its employees. These schemes are defined contribution pension schemes. Contributions payable under these schemes are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities in the year to which they relate. The charity has no liability under these schemes other than for the payment of those contributions. Debtors and creditors receivable/payable within the year Debtors and creditors with no stated interest rate and receivable or payable within one year are recorded at transaction price. Any losses arising from impairment are recognised in expenditure. 25
Greater London Volunteering Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023 Income from charitable activities 2023 2022 City Bridge Trust - Core City Bridge Trust- Inflation City Bridge Trust- LCEP City Bridge Trust- Diversity City Bridge Trust- Afghan travel GLA- Social Prescribing GLA- Grants GLA- LCEP GLA- London Lifelines London Councils- LCEP Nat. Academy for Social Prescribing GLA- Matched funding for Core VCSEP- Matched funding for Core other 200,000 15,703 65,330 3,600 115,625 12,860 32,419 72,478 33,000 115,500 17,000 17,000 25,000 36,516 20,000 6,000 36 94,542 20,000 8,350 £554,685 £356,274 All of the £356,274 recognised in 2022 related to restricted funds. Cost of raislng funds 2023 2022 Fundraising activities £7,815 £7,303 All of the £7,303 expenditure recognised in 2022 was charged to restricted funds. Cost of charitable actlvlties Direct Costs Support Costs 2023 2022 Civil society services £349,478 £15,526 £365,004 £430,137 All of the £430,137 expenditure recognised in 2022 was charged to restricted funds. 26
Greater London Volunteering Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023 Analysis of direct costs 2023 2022 Wages and salaries Recruitment Consultancy fees/secondments Travel costs Project delivery costs Website costs Computer/equipment costs Network days/conference Legal fees other direct costs 235,297 7,705 2,453 263 98,921 647 412 2,628 234,893 2,545 21,488 2,760 126,976 697 329 2,606 438 1,360 1,152 £349,478 £394,092 Analysis of support costs 2023 2022 Office costs Premises costs Marketing & promotion Governance costs (note 7) 7,406 2,830 27 5,263 10,068 18,202 2,040 5,735 £15,526 £36,045 Governance costs 2023 2022 Audit fee Accountancy fee 1,470 3,793 1,800 3,935 £5,263 £5,735 27
Greater London Volunteering Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023 Net surplus/(deficit) The net surplus or deficit is stated after charging: 2023 2022 Audit fees Operating leases 1,470 1,800 16,288 staff costs 2023 2022 Wages and salaries Social Security costs Pensions 213,583 18,850 10,679 212,653 17,945 11,598 £243,112 £242,196 One employee (2022 . One) received total employee benefits (excluding employer pension costs) of between £60,001- £70,000. The average monthly number of employees during the year, calculated on the basis of full-time equivalents was 6 (2022 . 6). Total employee benefits received by key management amounted to £78,154 (2022 . £73,029). Under FRS 102, employee benefits include gross salary, benefits in kind, employer's national insurance and employer pension costs. staff costs include wages and salary direct costs (note 5) and fundraising activities costs (note 3). 28
Greater London Volunteering Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023 10. Debtors Due within one year 2023 2022 Trade Debtors Prepayments Grants receivable 57,750 704 2,750 i 0,000 937 £61,204 £10,937 I l. Creditors: 2023 2022 Amounts falling due within one year: Trade Creditors Deferred Income Accruals other creditors 61,106 4,000 3,430 1,453 14,500 69,000 4,550 1,613 £69,989 £89,663 Deferred income analysis 2023 2022 Balances brought forward Additions during the year Amounts released to income 69,000 4,000 (69,000) 71,250 69,000 (71,250) Balances carried forward £4,000 £69,000 Deferred income of £4,000 (2022 . £69,000) included above relates to grant income received during the year but relating to future accounting periods. 29
Greater London Volunteering . Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023 12. Movement In funds At IApr 2022 Transfers At between 31 March funds 2023 Income Expenditure 2023 Restricted funds Core - City Bridge Trust Core- Matched funding GLA Soc. Prescribing GLA Small grants GLA - London Lifelines NASP LCEP 200,000 29,636 33,000 115,500 17,000 36,516 107,330 116,528 29,636 37,404 99,670 10,068 64,252 15,261 83,472 5,646 4,000 1,242 19,830 6,932 8,563 92,069 36.299 45,945 538,982 372,819 212,108 Unrestricted funds General Funds 46,348 15,703 62,051 Total funds £92,293 £554,685 £372,819 £Nil £274,159 Each of the funds is described in the Trustees, Annual Report. Comparative information for the net movement in funds is as follows: At Transfers At IApr between 31 March 2021 funds 2022 Income Expenditure 2022 Restricted funds Core - City Bridge Trust Core- Matched funding GLA- Soc. Prescribing GLA- Small Grants NASP Afghan travel 83,664 115,625 28,350 32,419 72,478 94,542 12,860 201,546 28,350 34,803 69,796 90,085 12,860 2,257 8,030 1,318 31,842 5,646 4,000 36,299 124,854 356,274 437,440 2,257 45,945 Unrestricted funds General Funds 48,605 (2,257) 46,348 Total funds £173.459 £356,274 £437,440 £Nil £92,293 30
Greater London Volunteering Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023 13. Analysis of net assets between funds Restricted Unrestricted Total 2023 Current assets Current liabilities 282,097 (69,989) 62,051 344,148 (69,989) Total funds £212,108 £62,051 £274,159 Comparative information for the net assets between funds is as follows: Restricted Unrestricted Total 2022 Current assets Current liabilities 135,608 (89,663) 46,348 181,956 (89,663) Total funds £45,945 £46,348 £92,293 14. Related parties Due to GLV'S status as an umbrella body for London based volunteer centres, a number of GLV trustees are involved with the governance/management of these organisations. The work of GLV is such that a number of transactions arose with some of these organisations as part of its routine charitable activity on several contracts. The trustees are satisfied that all such transactions have been carried out on an arm's length basis. No trustees received any remuneration in respect of services as a trustee during the year (2022 . £Nil). No trustees (2022 . Nil) were reimbursed any expenses during the year (2022 . £Nil). 15. Contingent Assets The total amount of grant and other funding due to the charity but not yet recognised as income at 31 March 2023 was £500,000. 31
Greater London Volunteering Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023 Acknowledgements The trustees would like to acknowledge the hard work of our team. Thanks to Martin Brookes, Chief Executive and to our wonderful staff team: Emily Coatham (Partnerships Manager); Hannah Norgate (Networks Manager); Stephanie McKinley (Social Prescribing Programmes Manager); Henry Farman (Communications Officer) plus the many staff and volunteers in partner organisations who worked with us to deliver services during the 12 month period to 31 March 2023. And particular thanks to our funders for their support of our work: City Bridge Trust (now City Bridge Foundation) Greater London Authority London Councils National Academy for Social Prescribing 32