REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06816600 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1128265
REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES AND
UNAUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022
FOR
CHESHIRE EAST CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU NORTH TRADING AS CITIZENS ADVICE CHESHIRE NORTH
Heywood Shepherd Chartered Accountants
1 Park Street Macclesfield Cheshire SK11 6SR
CHESHIRE EAST CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU NORTH TRADING AS CITIZENS ADVICE CHESHIRE NORTH
CONTENTS OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022
| Page | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Report of the Trustees | 1 | to | 8 |
| Independent Examiner's Report | 9 | ||
| Statement of Financial Activities | 10 | ||
| Balance Sheet | 11 | ||
| Notes to the Financial Statements | 12 | to | 19 |
| Detailed Statement of Financial Activities | 20 | to | 21 |
CHESHIRE EAST CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU NORTH TRADING AS CITIZENS ADVICE CHESHIRE NORTH
REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022
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 2022. The trustees have adopted the provisions of 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) (effective 1 January 2019).
OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES
Objects
The charity's purposes, as set out in the objects contained in the company's Memorandum of Association, are to promote any charitable purpose for the benefit of the community in East Cheshire and surrounding areas, by the advancement of education, the protection and preservation of health and the relief of poverty, sickness and distress.
The charity's objectives are defined as above. Our aims are focused on:
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Providing the advice people need for the problems they face, and
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Improving the policies and practices that affect people's lives.
Objectives, strategies and activities for the year
Cheshire East Citizens Advice Bureau North trading as Citizens Advice Cheshire North (otherwise referred to as CACN in these accounts) aims to provide free, confidential, impartial and independent advice, information and advocacy for the benefit of the local community, to exercise a responsible influence on the development of social policies by research and campaigning to ensure individuals do not suffer through a lack of knowledge or an inability to express their needs effectively.
In addition to the continuing provision of high quality advisory services to the local community, the primary objectives for the year were to continue extending the means of service provision to more locations, however for a second year due to the consequences of Covid we were required to maintain an altered way of delivering our service though were able to reintroduce a stepped increase in face to face support across all our services and venues.
While Covid continued to impact on how we delivered our service to local people and was also the direct cause of some of our volunteer advisers leaving our service, we were still able to maintain a level of service that dealt with more clients and enquiries than before Covid in 2019.
As many of the people accessing our support are living with varying mental health issues, we have sought to address this growing client group head on and looked for further funding for a specialised service, specifically for adults with mental health issues. The existing project for this client group, operated jointly with Stockport and District Mind, encountered some operational problems following the death of the Chief Officer at Mind; this caused a very long hiatus in service delivery that in fact ran for almost 10 months.
Despite the problem working with Stockport and District Mind, CACN are still committed to working in collaboration with other delivery partners and to making the best value of all opportunities for joint working and sharing resources.
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CHESHIRE EAST CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU NORTH TRADING AS CITIZENS ADVICE CHESHIRE NORTH
REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022
OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES Public benefit
The trustees have paid due regard to the Charity Commission's guidance on public benefit in deciding the activities undertaken by the organisation during the year. The trustees are satisfied that the information provided in the report and accounts meets the public benefit reporting requirements.
The principal activity of CACN remained the provision of free, confidential, independent and impartial advice, information and advocacy for members of the public across Cheshire East. Covid continued to limit our opportunities for face to face over the last 12 months however we have grown the face to face options for clients and by the end of the financial year were operating a face to face opportunity on all of venue towns.
In addition to generalist advice the following specialist advice services were provided:
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Welfare Benefit Advice
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Money Management and Debt Advice
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Employment Advice
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Advocacy Service for users with mental health problems
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Housing and Homelessness
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Support for families living with fuel poverty
Through funds held on behalf of Cheshire East Council, as well as direct information and advice to clients, we have also been able to make payment toward domestic fuel, whilst applying a robust criteria for access to this fund. The £10,000 fund for this offer was a one off and there has been no indication that it will be available for future years.
Volunteers
The Charity receives help and support in the form of voluntary assistance in advising the public and administering the charity.
25 volunteers contributed approximately 7,800 hours of work to the service during the year. We estimate the value of this help at £109,200 in respect of the year. (2020/21 - £101,100 for 5,472 hours).
The 8 trustees are also volunteers and provide another 2,900 hours a year, at an additional value of £53,070 (2020/21 £42,020).
This gives a total of volunteer manpower valued at £162,270 (2020/21 £142,120).
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CHESHIRE EAST CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU NORTH TRADING AS CITIZENS ADVICE CHESHIRE NORTH
REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022
ACHIEVEMENT AND PERFORMANCE Charitable activities
The key achievements in the year were:-
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Providing advice across our area of benefit, to ensure as many people as possible can access advice, despite the pandemic lockdowns. All our paid staff shifted to a hybrid of home and office working, as did many of our client-facing volunteers.
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We have continued to use a local number for an ansaphone service that allows local users to leave their details with a summary of their problem and expect a call back within about 24 hours during the normal working day.
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We secured 12 months funding for additional mental health services and hope to use these as examples of best practice and obtain additional continuation funding.
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Providing further specialist services including Money & Debt Advice, Employment, Benefits and Housing, in addition to our General Advice Service.
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Working with Cheshire East Council to ease fuel poverty.
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Working with Knutsford Lions and their "Wenceslas scheme", which is funded through gifting of the Government's "Winter Fuel Payments" by those people who feel they do not need them. This allows clients to access funds to relieve fuel poverty.
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Acting as a Hate Crime Reporting Centre and promoting access equality.
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Involvement in Research and Campaigns Groups, the main activities being focussed on Universal Credit.
During the year CACN provided high quality, free advice to clients, with over 8,480 client contacts during the year. These contacts were generated from 3,589 unique clients bringing 8,480 different enquiries during the year. (2020/21 4,603 unique clients with 10,448 enquiries).
Enquiries continue to consist of several complex issues.
Debt 10% (2020/21 12%)
Welfare benefits 50% (2020/21 47%)
Employment 5% (2020/21 10%)
Housing 8% (2020/21 8%)
Relationships 6% (2020/21 6%)
In addition, over 60 million people accessed the national CitA advice website in 2021, with many of these people going on to contact local offices.
Following on from the lessons learned during Covid and the home/office working hybrid we operated, we have maintained flexibility for members of our team to retain a blend of home and office working, though this is totally optional.
Investment activities
The charity holds some of its reserves in cash in short term deposits with a term of 12 months or less.
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CHESHIRE EAST CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU NORTH TRADING AS CITIZENS ADVICE CHESHIRE NORTH
REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022
ACHIEVEMENT AND PERFORMANCE
Factors affecting the achievement of objectives
The major factor affecting the achievement of objectives remains funding and the broader financial hangover from Covid. 2022 will be the year that our core Universal Information and Advice contract with Cheshire East Council is retendered and while there is only an increasing demand for our service, it is unpredictable whether this will be reflected in the value of the contract the is put out for tender.
The quality of our advice is key to our success and to ensure the bureau is maintaining high standards it regularly seeks external accreditation. Our Customer Service and Advice Quality are audited under national Citizens Advice standards, and for 2019/20 we have been within the highest level of compliance.
The trustee board extend their gratitude to Will McKellar, Jenny Archard and Jenny Owen in promoting an environment where staff and volunteers still feel they are a key resource and are fully motivated, despite everything that Covid has delivered.
FINANCIAL REVIEW
Financial position
Incoming resources in the year were £345,994 (2020/21 £374,116). Of this £116,732 (2020/21 £133,172) related to restricted project activities.
A surplus of £18,150 was made in the year (2020/21 £44,204) after offsetting £4,570 against restricted funds.
At 31 March 2022 total funds were £327,600 (31 March 2021 £309,450) of which £12,837 was in restricted funds (2020/21 £17,407l) , £113,000 was in designated funds (2020/21 £86,000) and £201,763 was in unrestricted funds (2020/21 £206,043).
Principal funding sources
The trustees extend their gratitude to Cheshire East Council who continued to support the core universal generalist advice service of the charity. Wilmslow, Macclesfield, Knutsford and Poynton Town Councils are now funding advice services in their localities. Additionally, service specific funding was received via contracts from Cheshire East Council, Cheshire Clinical Commissioning Group, the Money and Pensions Service and the Department for Work and Pensions.
The charity received Covid support funds from Cheshire East Council of £10,000 in 2020/21 to support people experiencing problems paying their domestic fuel bills. £8,737 was carried over to 2021/22 of which £3,100 was distributed. £5,637 will be carried over into 2022-23.
The charity did not have any borrowings from any providers of funding or other sources at the balance sheet date.
Investment policy and objectives
As required in its Memorandum paragraph 4.19, furtherance of its objects, and for no other purposes, the Bureau has the power to Invest the monies of the Bureau not immediately required for its purposes in or upon such investments, securities 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.
Reserves policy
CACN is required to ensure that free monies are available in each financial year to meet any reasonable foreseeable contingency. The bureau will maintain a projection of income for at least 2 years ahead and will ensure that this continues to be derived from as wide a variety of sources as possible. It will take all necessary steps to ensure that at no time within this period would it be possible for the cessation of one or more funding streams to present so serious a challenge to the future of the organisation that it could not be managed so as to continue to provide a best value advice service.
In reviewing the potential costs that could arise should a significant reduction in income be incurred the Trustees have determined that 'free' reserves should be between three and six months normal operating expenditure, as recommended by Citizens Advice. This year the bureau has achieved this position.
The reasons for holding particular reserves are outlined in note 9.
Going concern
CACN reported a surplus of £18,150 for the year 2021/22 (£44,204 2020/21), and predicts a small deficit in 2022/23. After making appropriate enquiries, the Trustees have a reasonable expectation that CACN has adequate resources in reserves and agreed funding to continue to operate for the 12 months from the date of signing this report. For this reason they continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the financial statements.
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CHESHIRE EAST CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU NORTH TRADING AS CITIZENS ADVICE CHESHIRE NORTH
REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022
FINANCIAL REVIEW Funds in deficit
No funds were in deficit at the balance sheet date.
FUTURE PLANS
We have scoped the need and demand for a service that reaches out more to people within the community and are now developing a "Reach Out" service which will enable our advisers to assist clients within other community venues as well as their own homes. Lessons learned from 2020/21 and Covid are that we can work in different ways and remain accessible to our community, though we also know that for many people, face to face advice is vital.
Our Money Advice work has flagged up access issues within our existing funded contract for debt casework that puts many clients who do not "fit in" with a strict schedule and consequently we are investigating ways to meet this demand.
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT Governing document
Cheshire East Citizens Advice Bureau North was incorporated as a company limited by guarantee on 11th February 2009. The charity commenced operations on 1st April 2009 at which date the assets and liabilities of the unincorporated Macclesfield Wilmslow and District Citizens Advice Bureau were acquired. This charity having been formed on 7th October 1997 as a merger of the Wilmslow and Macclesfield bureaux, which were originally constituted in 1940 and 1966 respectively. The maximum liability of each member is limited to £1 and at 31 March 2022 the company had 8 members (2021: 7).
Cheshire East Citizens Advice Bureau North is a registered charity. Following a re-branding exercise by the national Citizens Advice service in 2015 the company is now known as Citizens Advice Cheshire North (otherwise referred to as CACN in these accounts). Outreaches are sometimes referred to as Citizens Advice Wilmslow, Citizens Advice Knutsford or Citizens Advice Poynton.
The Memorandum and Articles of Association, as amended on 24 February 2009, 12 September 2016 and 11 September 2017 are the governing documents of the charity.
Recruitment and appointment of new trustees
Trustees, who are also Directors of the Company, are elected from the local community. An Elections Committee, made up of Trustees, the Company Secretary and chaired by the Chair is established to oversee the elections process for Board appointments. A separate process agreed by the Trustee Board is followed for the appointment of the chair, vice chair and treasurer at the first board meeting after an Annual General Meeting. No other persons or bodies external to the charity were entitled to appoint persons to the Trustee Board.
Recruitment of new Trustees is based on an assessment of the needs of the Board, taking account of experience and skills.
Induction and training of new trustees
Newly appointed Trustees are provided with a comprehensive induction to CACN through the provision of training courses, an introduction to the work of the bureau and mentoring by established trustees. Trustees are encouraged and assisted to take the lead for an area of responsibility.
Organisational structure
CACN is governed by its Trustee Board, which is responsible for setting the strategic direction of the organisation and the policy of the charity. The Trustees carry the ultimate responsibility for the conduct of CACN and for ensuring that the charity satisfies its legal and contractual obligations. Trustees meet as a minimum bi-monthly and delegate the day-to-day operation of the organisation to senior management. The Trustee Board is independent from management. A register of members' interests is maintained at the registered address, and is available to the public.
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CHESHIRE EAST CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU NORTH TRADING AS CITIZENS ADVICE CHESHIRE NORTH
REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT Related parties
CACN is a member of Citizens Advice, the national association for the Citizens Advice service throughout the United Kingdom. Membership of the national association requires the charitable company to adhere to rigorous standards in respect of governance, organisational practices and quality of advice. The Citizens Advice Membership Scheme requires member organisations to undergo an audit of organisational standards and quality of advice by Citizens Advice auditors every three years. CACN had a membership audit in 2019 and was successful in both the Quality of Advice and Organisational parts of the audit.
The charity also co-operates and liaises with a number of other advisory services, local charities, local government departments including social services, health workers and other third parties on behalf of clients. Where one of the trustees holds the position of trustee/director of another charity they may be involved in discussions regarding that other charity but not in the ultimate decision-making process.
Risk management
CACN performs an annual Risk Management exercise. 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. To that end CACN is continually monitoring and managing its risk, reviewing the risk register and ensuring action plans are in place to mitigate its key risks.
Included in external risks is that of the loss of funding. The effects of this are minimised by the procedures in place, which result in funding being secured from a variety of sources. The charity continues to seek to diversify its funding sources. Internal risks are minimised by the implementation of procedures for authorisation of all transactions and projects and to ensure consistent quality of delivery for all operational aspects of the charitable bureau. These procedures are periodically reviewed to ensure that they still meet the needs of the charity.
Cheshire East Council remain our largest single funder and should they continue to pass on its own restrictions in funding to organisations like ours, the consequences will only cause further hardship and a reduction in our capacity to maintain current delivery. Due to this we are consistently looking to diversify our income streams, and have made significant strides to maintain the funding support from the Money and Pensions Service (MAPS), Town Councils in Wilmslow, Poynton, Knutsford and Macclesfield. In addition, we have had grants from Cheshire Clinical Commissioning Group, Cheshire Community Foundation, the Community Fund and government funding via Citizens Advice for Help to Claim Universal Credit.
REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS Registered Company number
06816600 (England and Wales)
Registered Charity number
1128265
Registered office
Sunderland House Sunderland Street Macclesfield Cheshire SK11 6JF
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CHESHIRE EAST CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU NORTH TRADING AS CITIZENS ADVICE CHESHIRE NORTH
REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022
Trustees P T O'Brien (Chair) Ms C Campbell-Kelly R J Watson (Vice Chair) D W Robinson (Treasurer) Ms J A Jackson Ms E L Raw Ms M Tinker (resigned 12.7.21) J Marshall-Clack (appointed 12.7.21) (resigned 12.9.22) G M Willock (appointed 19.11.21) The following additional people served on the trustee board during the year Ex officio members W A McKellar * J H Walsh * Cllr B Puddicombe representing Cheshire East Council Cllr L Braithwaite representing Cheshire East Council V Murphy * representing Citizens Advice nationally J McTaggart ^ * indicates persons who are paid employees in the Citizens Advice Service ^ indicates persons who are volunteers in the charity Company Secretary W A McKellar Independent Examiner Neil Kennington Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales Heywood Shepherd Chartered Accountants 1 Park Street Macclesfield Cheshire SK11 6SR Bankers CAF Bank Limited 25 Kings Avenue Kings Hill West Malling Kent ME19 4JQ
FUNDS HELD AS CUSTODIAN FOR OTHERS
CACN acts as custodian of some funds for other local charities to enable rapid distribution to clients when needed. At the year-end these were £397 on behalf of Wilmslow Aid Trust, £78 on behalf of Knutsford & District Lions Club and £510 on behalf of Rina's Fund. Further details are in Note 12 to the accounts.
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CHESHIRE EAST CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU NORTH TRADING AS CITIZENS ADVICE CHESHIRE NORTH
REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022
STATEMENT OF TRUSTEES' RESPONSIBILITIES
Company Law and Charity 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 CACN and of the surplus or deficit for that period. In preparing those financial statements; the trustees are required to:
(a) select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently
(b) make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent
(c) state whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements, and
(d) prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the bureau will continue in operation.
The trustees (who are also directors of Cheshire East Citizens Advice Bureau North for purposes of company law) are also responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the bureau and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006.
The trustees are responsible for ensuring that the company maintains an adequate system of internal control designed to provide reasonable assurance that assets are safeguarded against material loss or unauthorised use and to prevent and detect fraud and other irregularities.
In accordance with company law, as the company's directors, we certify that:
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so far as we are aware there is no relevant information of which the company's independent examiners are unaware; and
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as the directors of the company we have taken all the steps that we ought to have taken in order to make ourselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the charity's independent examiners are aware of that information.
This report has been prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice - Accounting and Reporting by Charities and in accordance with the special provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies' regime.
Approved by order of the board of trustees on 14 November 2022 and signed on its behalf by:
P T O'Brien (Chair) - Trustee
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INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF CHESHIRE EAST CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU NORTH
Independent examiner's report to the trustees of Cheshire East Citizens Advice Bureau North ('the Company')
I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Company for the year ended 31 March 2022.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the charity's trustees of the Company (and also its directors for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 ('the 2006 Act').
Having satisfied myself that the accounts of the Company are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of your charity's accounts as carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 ('the 2011 Act'). In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5) (b) of the 2011 Act.
Independent examiner's statement
Since your charity's gross income exceeded £250,000 your examiner must be a member of a listed body. I can confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a registered member of Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales which is one of the listed bodies.
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe:
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accounting records were not kept in respect of the Company as required by section 386 of the 2006 Act; or
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the accounts do not accord with those records; or
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the accounts do not comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the 2006 Act other than any requirement that the accounts give a true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or
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the accounts have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities (applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)).
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Neil Kennington Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales Heywood Shepherd Chartered Accountants 1 Park Street Macclesfield Cheshire SK11 6SR
14 November 2022
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CHESHIRE EAST CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU NORTH TRADING AS CITIZENS ADVICE CHESHIRE NORTH
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022
| 2022 Unrestricted Restricted Total funds funds funds Notes £ £ £ INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM Donations and legacies 930 - 930 Charitable activities Charitable Activities 226,973 116,732 343,705 Investment income 2 1,359 - 1,359 Total 229,262 116,732 345,994 EXPENDITURE ON Charitable activities Charitable Activities 191,245 121,302 312,547 Support Costs 15,297 - 15,297 Total 206,542 121,302 327,844 NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE) 22,720 (4,570) 18,150 RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS Total funds brought forward 292,043 17,407 309,450 TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD 314,763 12,837 327,600 |
2021 Total funds £ 2,529 369,288 2,299 |
|---|---|
| 374,116 | |
| 314,879 15,033 |
|
| 329,912 | |
| 44,204 265,246 |
|
| 309,450 |
The notes form part of these financial statements
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CHESHIRE EAST CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU NORTH TRADING AS CITIZENS ADVICE CHESHIRE NORTH
BALANCE SHEET 31 MARCH 2022
| Unrestricted Restricted funds funds Notes £ £ CURRENT ASSETS Debtors 7 38,231 - Cash at bank and in hand 355,157 12,837 393,388 12,837 CREDITORS Amounts falling due within one year 8 (78,625) - NET CURRENT ASSETS 314,763 12,837 TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES 314,763 12,837 NET ASSETS 314,763 12,837 FUNDS 9 Unrestricted funds Restricted funds TOTAL FUNDS |
2022 Total funds £ 38,231 367,994 406,225 (78,625) 327,600 327,600 327,600 314,763 12,837 327,600 |
2021 Total funds £ 32,980 329,378 362,358 (52,908) 309,450 309,450 309,450 292,043 17,407 309,450 |
|---|---|---|
The charitable company is entitled to exemption from audit under Section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 for the year ended 31 March 2022.
The members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2022 in accordance with Section 476 of the Companies Act 2006.
The trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for
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(a) ensuring that the charitable company keeps accounting records that comply with Sections 386 and 387 of the Companies Act 2006 and
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(b) preparing financial statements which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company as at the end of each financial year and of its surplus or deficit for each financial year in accordance with the requirements of Sections 394 and 395 and which otherwise comply with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 relating to financial statements, so far as applicable to the charitable company.
These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to charitable companies subject to the small companies regime.
The financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees and authorised for issue on 14 November 2022 and were signed on its behalf by:
P T O'Brien (Chair) - Trustee
D W Robinson (Treasurer) - Trustee
The notes form part of these financial statements
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CHESHIRE EAST CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU NORTH TRADING AS CITIZENS ADVICE CHESHIRE NORTH
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022
1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Basis of preparing the financial statements
The financial statements of the charitable company, which is a public benefit entity under FRS 102, have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) '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) (effective 1 January 2019)', Financial Reporting Standard 102 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland' and the Companies Act 2006. The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention.
Citizens Advice Cheshire North is a charity limited by guarantee in the United Kingdom. In the event of the charity 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 charity information on page 6 of these financial statements. The nature of the charity's operations and principal activities are in providing advice and counselling to the general public.
The financial statements are prepared on a going concern basis under the historical cost convention, modified to include certain items at fair value. The financial statements are prepared in sterling which is the functional currency of the charity.
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
Grants receivable
All income is recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities once the charity has entitlement to the funds, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably.
Bank interest
Bank interest is included in the Statement of Financial Activities on receipt.
Other income
Sales of services are included in the Statement of Financial Activities in the period to which they relate. Other income, including donations , gifts and covenants, are included as they are received.
Gifts and intangible income
In addition to the above, the charity also receives help and support in the form of voluntary assistance in advising the public. This help and support is not included in the financial statements. However, its value to the charity has been estimated and disclosed in the trustees' report.
Deferred income
Incoming resources from grants, where related to performance and specific deliverables, are accounted for as the charitable company earns the right to the consideration by its performance. Where income is received in advance of performance it is treated as deferred income and included within creditors.
Expenditure
Liabilities are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to that expenditure, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all cost related to the category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings they have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources.
Taxation
The charity is exempt from corporation tax on its charitable activities.
Fund accounting
Unrestricted funds can be used in accordance with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the trustees.
Designated funds are allocated out of unrestricted funds by the trustees for specific purposes. The use of such funds is at the trustees' discretion.
continued...
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CHESHIRE EAST CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU NORTH TRADING AS CITIZENS ADVICE CHESHIRE NORTH
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - continued FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022
1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES - continued
Fund accounting
Restricted funds can only be used for particular restricted purposes within the objects of the charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes.
Further explanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is included in the notes to the financial statements.
Pension costs and other post-retirement benefits
The charitable company operates a defined contribution pension scheme. Contributions payable to the charitable company's pension scheme are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities in the period to which they relate.
Cash flow
Citizens Advice Cheshire North has taken advantage of the exemptions in FRS1 from the requirement to produce a cash flow statement on the grounds that it is a small company.
2. INVESTMENT INCOME
| INVESTMENT INCOME | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | |
| £ | £ | |
| Deposit account interest | 1,359 | 2,299 |
3.
INCOME FROM CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
Incoming resources from Charitable Activities
| 2022 | 2021 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Total | Total | |
| funds | funds | funds | funds | |
| £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Cheshire East Council Universal Service | 102,490 | - | 102,490 | 102,490 |
| Cheshire East Council HeadSpace | - | - | - | 2,744 |
| Cheshire East Covid 19 Support | - | - | - | 10,000 |
| Cheshire Clinical Commissioning Group | 8,925 | - | 8,925 | 8,925 |
| Money and Pension Service Debt Advice Project | - | 22,995 | 22,995 | 26,584 |
| Knutsford Town Council | 20,228 | - | 20,228 | 19,830 |
| Macclesfield Town Council | 50,000 | - | 50,000 | 40,000 |
| Poynton Town Council | 15,797 | - | 15,797 | 17,664 |
| Wilmslow Town Council | 29,533 | - | 29,533 | 29,532 |
| Citizens Advice Help to Claim Universal Credit | - | 82,686 | 82,686 | 82,229 |
| Cheshire East Council Fuel Poverty Covid Support |
- | - | - | 10,000 |
| Citizens Advice Miscellaneous Projects | - | - | - | 596 |
| Citizens Advice Softphone Implementation | - | - | - | 1,300 |
| Crisis Homelessness Support | - | - | - | 7,200 |
| Cheshire Community Foundation Stockport and District Mind Advocacy |
- | 11,051 | 11,051 | 6,594 |
| Cheshire Community Foundation Covid Supervision |
- | - | - | 3,600 |
| 226,973 | 116,732 | 343,705 | 369,288 | |
continued...
Page 13
CHESHIRE EAST CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU NORTH TRADING AS CITIZENS ADVICE CHESHIRE NORTH
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - continued FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022
4. TRUSTEES' REMUNERATION AND BENEFITS
There were no trustees' remuneration or other benefits for the year ended 31 March 2022 nor for the year ended 31 March 2021.
Trustees' expenses
There were no trustees' expenses paid for the year ended 31 March 2022 nor for the year ended 31 March 2021.
5. STAFF COSTS
The average monthly number of employees during the year was as follows:
6.
| Employees No employees received emoluments in excess of £60,000. COMPARATIVES FOR THE 2021 STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES Unrestricted funds £ INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM Donations and legacies 2,529 Charitable activities Charitable Activities 236,116 Investment income 2,299 Total 240,944 EXPENDITURE ON Charitable activities Charitable Activities 199,114 Support Costs 15,033 Total 214,147 NET INCOME 26,797 RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS Total funds brought forward 265,246 TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD 292,043 |
2022 14 Restricted funds £ - 133,172 - 133,172 115,765 - 115,765 17,407 - 17,407 |
2021 14 Total funds £ 2,529 369,288 2,299 |
|---|---|---|
| 374,116 | ||
| 314,879 15,033 |
||
| 329,912 | ||
| 44,204 265,246 |
||
| 309,450 |
continued...
Page 14
CHESHIRE EAST CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU NORTH TRADING AS CITIZENS ADVICE CHESHIRE NORTH
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - continued FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022
7. DEBTORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR
| Trade debtors Prepayments 8. CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR Accruals and deferred income Accrued expenses Funds held for third parties 9. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS Net movement At 1.4.21 in funds £ £ Unrestricted funds General fund 206,043 22,720 Cash flow buffer 25,000 - Redundancy reserve 42,000 - Premises reserve 14,000 - IT reserve 5,000 - 292,043 22,720 Restricted funds Citizens Advice Help to Claim Universal Credit 170 (170) Homelessness 7,200 - Softphone Technology 1,300 (1,300) Fuel Poverty 8,737 (3,100) 17,407 (4,570) TOTAL FUNDS 309,450 18,150 |
2022 2021 £ £ 30,978 25,890 7,253 7,090 38,231 32,980 2022 2021 £ £ 65,293 37,194 12,347 14,215 985 1,499 78,625 52,908 Transfers between funds At 31.3.22 £ £ (27,000) 201,763 7,000 32,000 9,000 51,000 6,000 20,000 5,000 10,000 - 314,763 - - - 7,200 - - - 5,637 - 12,837 - 327,600 |
2022 2021 £ £ 30,978 25,890 7,253 7,090 38,231 32,980 2022 2021 £ £ 65,293 37,194 12,347 14,215 985 1,499 78,625 52,908 Transfers between funds At 31.3.22 £ £ (27,000) 201,763 7,000 32,000 9,000 51,000 6,000 20,000 5,000 10,000 - 314,763 - - - 7,200 - - - 5,637 - 12,837 - 327,600 |
2021 £ 25,890 7,090 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 32,980 | |||
| 2021 £ 37,194 14,215 1,499 |
|||
| 52,908 | |||
| 314,763 - 7,200 - 5,637 |
|||
| 12,837 | |||
| 327,600 |
Page 15
continued...
CHESHIRE EAST CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU NORTH TRADING AS CITIZENS ADVICE CHESHIRE NORTH
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - continued FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022
9. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS - continued
Net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows:
| Incoming | Resources | Movement | |
|---|---|---|---|
| resources | expended | in funds | |
| £ | £ | £ | |
| Unrestricted funds | |||
| General fund | 229,262 | (206,542) | 22,720 |
| Restricted funds | |||
| Money Advice Service Debt Advice Project | 22,995 | (22,995) | - |
| Citizens Advice Help to Claim Universal Credit | 82,686 | (82,856) | (170) |
| Advocacy | 11,051 | (11,051) | - |
| Softphone Technology | - | (1,300) | (1,300) |
| Fuel Poverty | - | (3,100) | (3,100) |
| 116,732 | (121,302) | (4,570) | |
| TOTAL FUNDS | 345,994 | (327,844) | 18,150 |
| Comparatives for movement in funds |
| Net movement At 1.4.20 in funds £ £ Unrestricted funds General fund 179,246 31,403 Cash flow buffer 25,000 - Redundancy reserve 42,000 - Premises reserve 14,000 - IT reserve 5,000 (4,606) 265,246 26,797 Restricted funds Citizens Advice Help to Claim Universal Credit - 170 Homelessness - 7,200 Softphone Technology - 1,300 Fuel Poverty - 8,737 - 17,407 TOTAL FUNDS 265,246 44,204 |
Transfers between funds At 31.3.21 £ £ (4,606) 206,043 - 25,000 - 42,000 - 14,000 4,606 5,000 - 292,043 - 170 - 7,200 - 1,300 - 8,737 - 17,407 - 309,450 |
Transfers between funds At 31.3.21 £ £ (4,606) 206,043 - 25,000 - 42,000 - 14,000 4,606 5,000 - 292,043 - 170 - 7,200 - 1,300 - 8,737 - 17,407 - 309,450 |
|---|---|---|
| 292,043 170 7,200 1,300 8,737 |
||
| 17,407 | ||
| 309,450 |
Page 16
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CHESHIRE EAST CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU NORTH TRADING AS CITIZENS ADVICE CHESHIRE NORTH
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - continued FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022
9. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS - continued
Comparative net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows:
| Incoming | Resources | Movement | |
|---|---|---|---|
| resources | expended | in funds | |
| £ | £ | £ | |
| Unrestricted funds | |||
| General fund | 240,944 | (209,541) | 31,403 |
| IT reserve | - | (4,606) | (4,606) |
| 240,944 | (214,147) | 26,797 | |
| Restricted funds | |||
| Money Advice Service Debt Advice Project | 26,584 | (26,584) | - |
| Citizens Advice Help to Claim Universal Credit | 82,229 | (82,059) | 170 |
| Advocacy | 6,594 | (6,594) | - |
| Homelessness | 7,200 | - | 7,200 |
| Softphone Technology | 1,300 | - | 1,300 |
| Fuel Poverty | 9,265 | (528) | 8,737 |
| 133,172 | (115,765) | 17,407 | |
| TOTAL FUNDS | 374,116 | (329,912) | 44,204 |
continued...
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CHESHIRE EAST CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU NORTH TRADING AS CITIZENS ADVICE CHESHIRE NORTH
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - continued FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022
9. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS - continued
| Purpose of restricted funds | |
|---|---|
| Money and Pensions Service Debt Advice | Money from a national Citizens Advice agreement with the Money and |
| Project | Pensions Service to provide the wider money advice service for clients. |
| Help to Claim Universal Credit | Money from a national Citizens Advice agreement with the Government to |
| supply a "Help to Claim" service to help clients with Universal Credit. | |
| Stockport and District MIND Joint | Money from the Cheshire Community Foundation for a joint community |
| Advocacy Project | advocacy project which began in January 2021. |
| CRISIS Homelessness Support | Money from CRISIS to support our work in preventing homelessness. |
| Money from Citizens Advice to support the implementation of softphone | |
| Softphone Implementation | technology telephone systems. |
| Money to be distributed on behalf of Cheshire East Council to help clients | |
| Fuel Poverty | having difficulty paying their fuel bills. |
| Purpose of designated funds | |
| Cash flow buffer | Many new projects are paid quarterly in arrears after statistics have been |
| submitted and analysed by the funder. The result is that the local Citizens | |
| Advice has to find the operational costs of these projects for up to 5 | |
| months before receiving the funding and the trustees allocate these | |
| reserves to cover these periods. | |
| Redundancy reserve | As projects terminate it is not always possible to redeploy the staff and |
| redundancy payments are needed. The trustees have allocated these |
|
| reserves to cover this contingency. | |
| Premises reserve | There are contractual obligations on the current lease, and there may be a |
| need to move elsewhere, with all the associated costs.. The trustees have | |
| allocated these reserves to cover this contingency. | |
| IT reserve | IT is now critical to CACN's operation and much of the current equipment |
| is ageing, with replacement looming. The trustees have allocated these |
|
| reserves for this development over the next two to three years. Capital IT | |
| spending this year has been replaced in this designated fund as this is an | |
| ongoing requirement. |
10. RELATED PARTY DISCLOSURES
There have been related party transactions identified in accordance with FRS8. These were transactions between Cheshire East Citizens Advice Bureau North and Citizens Advice in relation to insurance and information services in the normal course of activities.
continued...
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CHESHIRE EAST CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU NORTH TRADING AS CITIZENS ADVICE CHESHIRE NORTH
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - continued FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022
11. PENSION COSTS
Pension contributions for all eligible staff are paid automatically each month. Total contributions for the year ended 31st March 2022 amounted to £7,990 (2021 £8,005). All pensions are defined contribution schemes.
12. FUNDS RECEIVED AS CUSTODIAN AGENT
CACN acts as custodian of some funds for other local charities to enable rapid distribution to clients when needed. At the year end these were:-
£397 on behalf of Wilmslow Aid Trust, a charity that gives grants to local people in need in the Wilmslow area; the monies often being used for travel expenses if they have to visit the Macclesfield CACN office.
£78 on behalf of Knutsford and District Lions Club - a Wenceslas project, which collects donated Winter Fuel monies to help the less fortunate avoid fuel debt, and a Knutsford area hardship fund.
£510 on behalf of Rina's fund, which the organisation administers to fund "Debt Relief Orders" for money advice clients who don't have the £90 fee. A debt relief order is a way to have debts written off if a client has a relatively low level of debt and few assets.
These funds are held separately from the rest of the CACN operation.
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CHESHIRE EAST CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU NORTH TRADING AS CITIZENS ADVICE CHESHIRE NORTH
DETAILED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022
| Unrestricted Restricted funds funds £ £ INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS Donations and legacies Donations 930 - Investment income Deposit account interest 1,359 - Charitable activities Income from charitable activities - - Grants 226,973 116,732 226,973 116,732 Total incoming resources 229,262 116,732 EXPENDITURE Charitable activities Wages 144,241 81,790 Social security 7,407 5,629 Pensions 4,207 3,503 Rent 10,087 7,934 Insurance 2,800 512 Utilities 2,853 429 Telephone 5,270 2,721 Printing, postage and stationery 959 411 Sundries 1,415 279 Training 521 30 Advisor expenses and travel costs 1,714 294 Reference materials and subscriptions 6,136 3,564 Computer expenses 1,791 5,573 Recruitment 590 - Office equipment 1,254 1,520 Partner payments - 7,113 191,245 121,302 Support costs Management Wages 8,198 - Social security 473 - Pensions 280 - Rent 948 - Insurance 183 - Utilities 153 - Telephone 420 - Carried forward 10,655 - |
2022 Total funds £ 930 1,359 - 343,705 343,705 345,994 226,031 13,036 7,710 18,021 3,312 3,282 7,991 1,370 1,694 551 2,008 9,700 7,364 590 2,774 7,113 312,547 8,198 473 280 948 183 153 420 10,655 |
2021 Total funds £ 2,529 2,299 4,931 364,357 |
|---|---|---|
| 369,288 | ||
| 374,116 238,262 13,735 8,005 17,556 3,037 3,545 3,635 1,445 2,347 174 2,645 7,760 7,039 - 423 5,271 |
||
| 314,879 8,618 498 290 924 169 187 191 10,877 |
This page does not form part of the statutory financial statements
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CHESHIRE EAST CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU NORTH TRADING AS CITIZENS ADVICE CHESHIRE NORTH
DETAILED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022
| Unrestricted Restricted funds funds £ £ Management Brought forward 10,655 - Sundries 299 - Computer expenses 388 - Office equipment 146 - Accountancy 3,564 - Governance costs 245 - 15,297 - Total resources expended 206,542 121,302 Net income 22,720 (4,570) |
2022 Total funds £ 10,655 299 388 146 3,564 245 15,297 327,844 18,150 |
2021 Total funds £ 10,877 414 370 22 3,240 110 |
|---|---|---|
| 15,033 | ||
| 329,912 | ||
| 44,204 |
This page does not form part of the statutory financial statements
Page 21