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2020-12-31-accounts

2020 Trustees Report

and

Financial Statements

Registered Charity number 1130108

Address for correspondence

The Parish of Great Berkhamsted Parish Office, The Court House Church Lane Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire HP4 2AX

Our Bankers

NatWest Bank Plc. CAF Bank Ltd 199 High Street 25, Kings Hill Avenue Berkhamsted, Kings Hill Hertfordshire, West Malling, Kent HP4 1BH ME19 4JQ

The CBF Church of England Funds 80 Cheapside London EC2V 6DZ

Our Independent Examiners

Hillier Hopkins LLP Radius House 51 Clarendon Road Watford WD17 1HP

Incumbents during the reporting period

Rev’d. Canon Timothy Pilkington. Rev’d. Stuart Owen

Church Wardens

Mark Grego and Tim Hennessey

Hon. Treasurer

Richard Hackworth

The photographs in this Report have been taken by members of the church congregation.

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Trustees

Trustees in office between the 2019 APCM on 14[th] April 2019 and the 2020 APCM are set out below.

As a consequence of the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, the 2020 AGM that had been planned for 14[th] April was postponed until 25[th] October 2020. Trustees who were in office in April 2020 had their periods of service extended until 25[th] October, when elections to replace retiring trustees took place.

For clarity, Trustees in office following the 2020 APCM are underlined.

Clergy

Churchwardens

The Revd Stuart Owen (Rector of St Peter’s from Mark Grego 12[th] September 2020) Tim Hennessey The Revd Canon Timothy Pilkington (Team Rector until his retirement on 2[nd] February 2020) The Revd Joe Roberts Deanery Synod The Revd John Russell Alan Conway The Revd Simon Vivian (until his departure on 26[th] Carole Dell (until APCM 25[th] October) July 2020 from St Peter’s to take up his Christine Cowie (from APCM 25[th] October) appointment as Vicar of St Mary’s Sawbridgeworth on 20[th] September) Peter Matthews (from APCM 25[th] October)

Other PCC members

Chris Beauchamp

Astrid Biddle (Deputy Churchwarden) Carolynne Charman (Deputy Churchwarden) Richard Currie (until APCM 25[th] October) Julian Dawson (PCC Secretary) Hilary Elliott (Deputy Churchwarden and Safeguarding Officer) Oliver Fradgley (from APCM 25[th] October) John Gerry (until APCM 25[th] October) Nicholas Goss (from APCM 25[th] October)

Richard Hackworth (Hon PCC Treasurer and the All Saints representative on PCC) Jon Lee Alison McMunn (until APCM 25[th] October) Prunella Murray Christopher Green (also Chairman of the Diocesan Advisory Committee) David Northcott (until APCM 25[th] October) David Cooke (from APCM 25[th] October) Susan Holmes (from APCM 25[th] October)

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Trustee Report for the year ended 31[st] December 2020

The 2020 Covid-19 Pandemic

The 2020 Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted personal lives and the community throughout most of the year. Government’s response to the pandemic has aimed to minimise rates of infection by limiting contacts between individuals and groups of people. Church life is essentially communal and so the community of St Peter’s, and all other churches, has been particularly impacted. For periods of time, it has been necessary to close the church and suspend all public worship in line with Government and Church of England guidance. Here is a summary of the main actions taken by the PCC, the main impacts on our charity, and significant implications for the future.

Main actions taken

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Main impacts

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Significant implications for the future

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Introduction and background

The Church of England Parish of Great Berkhamsted is situated in Hertfordshire. The town of Berkhamsted is served by churches of all major denominations. There are two churches in the Parish of Great Berkhamsted. One is St Peter’s to which this report solely relates. The other is a self-governing Local Ecumenical Partnership with the Methodist Church at All Saints Church.

St Peter’s is part of a Team Ministry alongside four other parishes in nearby villages - St Peter and St Paul in Little Gaddesden, St John the Baptist Great Gaddesden, St Lawrence in Nettleden, and Holy Trinity in Potten End. Each of these parishes is self-governing. This report concerns the PCC of St Peter’s only.

PCC responsibilities include the care and maintenance of St Peter’s Church, the Court House, the Court House Cottage and All Saints House, and also parts of the Rectory Lane Cemetery, all of which are located in Berkhamsted.

Our Clergy

Revd. Canon Timothy Pilkington served as the Rector of St Peter’s until his retirement on 2[nd] February 2020. The parish has also been supported by Revd. Simon Vivian, our first post Curate, until he left the parish to take up his appointment as Vicar of Great St Mary, Sawbridgeworth on 20[th] September 2020.

The parish was delighted to welcome Revd. Stuart Owen and his family to Berkhamsted. Fr Stuart was licensed as Rector of the parish on 12[th] September.

The parish benefits from the ministry of three retired members of the clergy, Fr Anthony Lathe, Fr David Lawson and Fr Christopher Rogers.

The parish has also been supported by Miss Olivia Davies, also Assistant Chaplain at Berkhamsted School. We are very grateful to the School for enabling Miss Davies to work with St Peter’s.

Full time clergy are supported by a large number of volunteers including lay ministers, Church Wardens, members of the church choir, Sunday school and youth leaders, as well as many people who serve on committees and assist with administrative and worship tasks.

Our Trustees

Trustees constitute the Parochial Church Council, and are referred to as the PCC in this report. A full lost of Trustees is presented above. Each member of the PCC has confirmed that they have reviewed this report and that to the best of their knowledge it is correct, and that there are no additional important matters which should be brought to the attention of the Charity Commission or the Diocese of St Albans.

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Major activities and public benefit

The PCC is a Public Benefit Entity within the meaning of Financial Reporting Standard 102, and it has regard to the Charity Commission guidance on public benefit. The principal aims of the PCC are to serve its local community by:

St Peter’s church is open during the day, and we invite all people of any faith or none to come into St Peter’s to pray, to seek help and to find peace. Clergy take worship into the church schools, and lay ministers and others to carry worship and pastoral care into private and residential homes. The PCC is pleased to provide meeting space to a local group of Muslims as our guests for weekly prayer.

The PCC supports its Christian mission by hiring out the facilities of the Court House and St Peter’s Church for a wide range of public and private events. The Court House is used by children’s, recreational and teaching groups, and by families for private occasions. It is used for regular church sponsored events such as lunch clubs for the elderly. It is also hired for private business events such as book fairs and charity sales. St Peter’s hosts a full range of high-quality music concerts and recitals in the church for the benefit of the local community. The PCC generally receives fees for the use of its facilities but these amount to significantly less than total operating and maintenance costs.

Our parish magazine, Your Berkhamsted, is available online and is distributed throughout Berkhamsted.

Governance structure and PCC responsibilities

The PCC is a body corporate and is registered as UK charity number 1130108. The Governing documents of the PCC are the Church Representation Rules and the Parochial Church Councils (Powers) Measure 1956. The PCC complies with the Charities Act 2011, appropriate charity accounting and reporting standards, and the management procedures of the Church of England. Annual PCC accounts are subject to Independent Examination.

Members of the PCC for the year ending 31st December 2020 are listed above together with specific roles and responsibilities where applicable. Elected members are appointed by the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) for three years. The PCC has no corporate trustees and no trustees hold title to any PCC properties. Copies of the minutes of the PCC

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meetings are available for reference on the St Peter’s church website http://www.stpetersberkhamsted.org.uk/groups/pcc.

Trustee induction and training

New members of the PCC are provided with copies of recent accounts and meeting minutes. Significant changes in legislation are brought to the attention of the PCC from a variety of sources including regular mailings from the St Alban’s Diocese and the Charity Commission. PCC members with specific responsibilities may attend relevant training courses offered by the Diocese and others as appropriate.

Management responsibilities

The PCC is ultimately responsible for the conduct and management of the charity but the majority of day-to-day management decisions are taken by the following members of the PCC, and subsequently ratified by the PCC if appropriate.:

The PCC delegates responsibility for church music to the Director of Music (Mr A Davis), who is not a trustee.

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KEY NUMBERS for 2020

Committees

Selected PCC activities are delegated to sub-committees which meet as required between full meetings of the Council. Reports of their activities are received and discussed at PCC meetings as appropriate, and reports of committee activities are presented to the APCM. The principal committees are as follows.

Buildings Committee

The Buildings Committee plans and oversees the maintenance and development of all properties which fall within the responsibility of the PCC. Faculty authorisation for work is obtained from the Diocese of St Albans as appropriate.

Pastoral Group

The Pastoral Group supports and visits members of the parish with pastoral needs, including bereavement support.

Standing Committee

This committee is required by law. It consists of the stipendiary clergy, the two church wardens, the two deputy wardens if they are appointed, the honorary treasurer and the honorary secretary. It has the power to transact the business of the PCC between its meetings.

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Your Berkhamsted Committee

This Committee overseas management of the parish magazine, Your Berkhamsted. In addition, informal groups are convened to manage specific parish events as appropriate.

Parish staff, and volunteers

The St Peter’s Parish office is operated by the Parish Administrator, Mrs Hilary Armstrong, who is a salaried employee. Until mid-2020 the PCC employed a second Administrator and it is with regret that the PCC reluctantly decided to make this job redundant in October 2020 because of financial difficulties caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Church music is led by a Director, Mr Adrian Davis, and Assistant Director of Music, Mrs Jean Wild, and an Organist, Mr Jon Lee, who are paid fees for their professional services. The work of the whole church in every area of activity is supported by many unpaid volunteers who receive only out of pocket expenses. The PCC is very grateful and appreciative of the untiring and voluntary support to the mission of the church donated by members of the church congregation. Since the life of the church is defined through these donations of time and talents the PCC considers that it would be inappropriate to quantify them across the whole church community. However, a reasonable and conservative estimate of the total contribution donated by members of the PCC alone has been and remains in the region of 500 person-days pa.

Safeguarding and Compliance

The PCC seeks to implement recognised and appropriate best practice to comply with relevant legislation, regulation and standards. In particular, the PCC attaches a high priority to safeguarding matters and has appointed a Safeguarding Officer, and the PCC has implemented controls and procedures to comply with the General Data Protection Regulations. All clergy and Trustees attend relevant safeguarding courses run by the Diocese of St Albans appropriate to their roles and responsibilities. The PCC complies with all relevant policies of the Church of England and the Diocese of St Albans.

Related organisations

The Parish of Great Berkhamsted is not a parent or subsidiary undertaking of any other organisation and is not in an Associate, Joint Venture or Joint Arrangement relationship with any other organisation. However, the PCC is active within the local community in several ways and the following allied self-governing organisations may be noted.

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Church schools

The Castle Church of England Federation is a partnership of two Church of England School within the parish of St Peter’s, and supported by the PCC:

Mr Rob Halls is the Executive Headteacher of the Castle CE Federation.

All Saints Church

All Saints Church, Berkhamsted (Registered Charity number 1153162) is an Anglican/Methodist Local Ecumenical Partnership (LEP). The LEP is administered as part of the West Hertfordshire and Borders Methodist Circuit and is also part of the Parish of Great Berkhamsted. Ultimate responsibility for the management of All Saints Church lies with the Anglican Methodist Association (Berkhamsted) Ltd (Registered Charity number 280703 and Company number 01493109). All day-to-day management responsibility is delegated to the All Saints Council which is funded directly by the All Saints congregation.

The Friends of St Peter’s

The object of the Friends of St Peter’s Great Berkhamsted (Registered Charity number 1160314) is the preservation, repair, maintenance and improvement of the fabric of St Peter’s Church and associated Churchyards. The PCC receives occasional grants from the Friends for the care of the church, for which it has been very grateful. The PCC has collaborated with the Friends of St Peter’s and with Dacorum Borough Council in a project to enhance the Rectory Lane Cemetery during the period November 2017 to October 2020.

Other local charities

The PCC nominates trustees for some independent local charities.

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Property

The PCC owns two residential properties, All Saints House and Court House Cottage. All Saints House has been occupied by our curate Revd Simon Vivian and his family until September 2020 when he left the parish to take up a new position. The PCC has invested in significant maintenance of All Saints House in preparation to let it to tenants commencing in January 2021. The additional regular income will be important to the charity.

The Court House Cottage was occupied by a tenant until February 2020. It was then vacant until it was relet in August 2020.

The Court House Cottage and the Court House are separate but adjacent properties and the PCC has prepared a detailed programme of investment work to improve them both for the benefit of future tenants of the Cottage and users of the Court House. The pace with which the PCC will be able to proceed with this plan will depend on available funds.

St Peter’s Church is a Grade II* listed building parts of which date from the thirteenth century. The Court House is a Grade II listed building that dates from the sixteenth century. Maintenance of these important properties is a continuing and generally expensive responsibility. The PCC sets money aside for this work in a (Designated) Building fund.

Charitable grants

Fund raising events and church service collections are carried out for a number of charities. During 2019 the PCC made gifts to charities totalling approximately £2,300. Details are summarised in Note 9 to the Financial Report.

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Principal plans, constraints and risks

The PCC aims to strengthen resources and develop skills in order successfully to grow church membership and to serve the community well in the foreseeable future. PCC initiatives are constrained by available funds. In addition to the traditional method of donating through bank Standing Orders, donors may also donate through on-line services such as PayPal, and through the Parish Giving Scheme (PGS) which provides administrative and financial advantages to the PCC. The PCC encourages all donors to Gift Aid their donations.

The average age of the congregation continues to increase, with associated medium to long term risks of reducing donated income and reducing numbers of volunteers for some roles. The PCC is addressing these risks by encouraging new members and through outreach to the community.

Property maintenance and development is limited by funds available for building work, that are allocated to projects according to practical priorities and available resources. It is therefore sometimes necessary to postpone lower priority, but nevertheless important, work and the PCC recognises the potential risks entailed. However, the PCC plans a programme of improvements to the Court House Cottage and the Court House better to reduce costs and to serve its community more effectively.

PCC policy is to manage normal business risks in line with best practice. The charity has not suffered any material damage due to failures of, or inadequate management of, controls.

Going Concern basis for accounts

The charity’s financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis as the Trustees believe that no material uncertainties exist. The Trustees have also considered the impact of Covid-19, the level of funds held, and the expected level of income and expenditure for 12 months from the date of authorising these financial statements. The budgeted income and expenditure is sufficient with the level of reserves for the charity to be able to continue as a going concern.

There are no points of special concern relating to the pandemic or any other matter to bring to the attention of the Charity Commission or the Diocese of St Albans, and no post balance sheet events are to be noted.

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Independent Examiner's Report to the trustees of The Parish of Great Berkhamsted, St Peter for the year ended 31 December 2020

I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the charity for the year ended 31 December 2020 which are set out on pages 17 to 37.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity’s trustees you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).

I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

Independent examiner's statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:

  1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 130 of the Act; or

  2. the accounts do not accord with those records; or

  3. the accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 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.

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 Cundale BSc FCA Hillier Hopkins LLP Chartered Accountants Radius House 51 Clarendon Road Watford Herts WD17 1HP

Date: 3 March 2021

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PCC of Great Berkhamsted St Peter

Statement of Financial Activities

For the period from 01 January 2020 to 31 December 2020

Unrestricted Designated Restricted Endowment Total Prior year
funds funds funds funds funds total funds
Incoming resources
Incoming resources from generated funds
Voluntary income 170,524 10,618 181,142 184,294
Activities for generating funds 270 540 810 4,612
Investment income 10,392 10,392 21,574
Incoming resources from charitable activities 7,633 1,548 60 9,241 22,043
Other incoming resources 7,470 7,470 4,223
Total income 196,290 12,706 60 209,056 236,745
Resources used
Cost of generating funds 8,212 20,463 28,674 15,162
Charitable activities 200,514 34,366 100 234,980 250,205
Governance costs 2,020 2,020 2,160
Total expenditure 210,746 54,828 100 265,674 267,527
Net income / (expenditure) resources before transfer (14,456) (42,123) (40) (56,618) (30,782)
Transfers
Gross transfers between funds - in 10 19,817 1,560 21,387 13,148
Gross transfers between funds - out (1,277) (20,109) (21,387) (13,148)
Other recognised gains / losses
Net movement in funds (15,723) (42,416) 1,521 (56,618) (30,782)
Reconciliation of funds
Total funds brought forward 22,623 1,597,575 6,272 1,626,470 1,657,251
Total funds carried forward 6,900 1,555,159 7,793 1,569,852 1,626,470
Represented by
Unrestricted
General fund 6,900 6,900 22,623
Designated
Buildings Fund 25,880 25,880 53,282
Clergy support fund 20,551 20,551 20,551
Court House 30,963 30,963 36,692
Legacy 93,183 93,183 93,183
Little Fishes 1,324 1,324 1,169
Parish Magazine 3,258 3,258 2,598
Property 1,380,000 1,380,000 1,380,000
RLCP Contingency 10,100
Restricted
Agency collection 0 0 0
Flower Fund 233 233 272
Money received for restricted purposes 1,560 1,560
St Catherine Chapel 6,000 6,000 6,000

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PCC of Great Berkhamsted St Peter

Balance sheet (Separate funds) As at: 31 December 2020

General Designated Restricted Endowment At 31/12/2020 At 31/12/2019
Fund Funds Funds Funds £ £
Fixed assets
Tangible assets 1,380,000 1,380,000 1,381,288
Fixed assets 1,380,000 1,380,000 1,381,288
Current assets
Debtors 12,000
Cash at bank and in hand 9,650 178,559 9,590 197,799 240,739
Current assets 9,650 178,559 9,590 197,799 252,739
Liabilities
Creditors: Amounts falling due in one year 2,750 3,400 1,797 7,947 7,558
Net current assets less current liabilities 6,900 175,159 7,793 189,852 245,181
Total assets less current liabilities 6,900 1,555,159 7,793 1,569,852 1,626,470
Total net assets less liabilities 6,900 1,555,159 7,793 1,569,852 1,626,470
Represented by
Unrestricted
Unrestricted - General fund 6,900 6,900 22,623
Designated
Designated - All Saints Roof
Designated - RLCP Contingency 10,100
Designated - Buildings Fund 25,880 25,880 53,282
Designated - Clergy support fund 20,551 20,551 20,551
Designated - Court House 30,963 30,963 36,692
Designated - Cowper Society
Designated - Legacy 93,183 93,183 93,183
Designated - Little Fishes 1,324 1,324 1,169
Designated - Parish Magazine 3,258 3,258 2,598
Designated - Property 1,380,000 1,380,000 1,380,000
Restricted
Restricted - St Catherine Chapel 6,000 6,000 6,000
Restricted - Flower Fund 233 233 272
Restricted - Organ Appeal Fund
Restricted - Petertide
Restricted - Money received for restricted purposes 1,560 1,560
Restricted - Agency collection 0 0 0
Funds of the church 6,900 1,555,159 7,793 1,569,852 1,626,470

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Financial Report for the year ended 31 December 2020

Financial responsibilities of trustees

The PCC is responsible for preparing annual financial statements in accordance with Charity law which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the PCC and of its financial activities. In summary, Trustees financial responsibilities are to:

Accounting standards

Accounts have been prepared on the going concern basis in accordance with relevant requirements of the Charities Act 2011, the Church Accounting Regulations 2006, the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice 2015 (SORP 2015) and the Financial Reporting Standard 102 (March 2018).

The accounts include all material transactions, assets and liabilities for which the PCC is responsible in law. They do not include the accounts of church groups which owe their main affiliation to another body, nor those that are informal gatherings of church members.

Eligibility for Independent Examination and application of Small Entity Accounting Standards.

For the year ending 31[st] December 2020 the total assets of the charity are less than £3.26m net, its gross income is less than £500,000 and it employs less than 50 staff. The charity therefore qualifies to prepare its Report and Accounts in compliance with the Accounting Standards for Smaller Entities (FRS 102, 1a). In accordance with FRS 102 and the Charities SORP 2015 the charity is not required to commission a formal audit and may rely upon

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Independent Examination of its Annual Report and Accounts.

Funds

The PCC operates thirteen funds which are set out below. The PCC holds no Endowment funds.

Unrestricted funds

General fund - receives the regular income of the PCC and is used for normal operating and recurring expenses including insurance, utility, administration and housekeeping costs.

Designated unrestricted funds

Buildings fund - to support property maintenance and improvements.

Clergy Support fund – to hold unrestricted reserves to support potential shortfalls in General fund income.

Court House fund – holds money specifically donated for maintenance and enhancement of the Court House.

Legacy fund – to hold all legacies bequeathed to the PCC. All money received from legacies is accounted for through this fund.

Little Fishes – to support the Little Fishes children’s group.

Parish Magazine fund – to support the production and distribution of the parish magazine, “Your Berkhamsted”.

Property fund – represents the fair value to the PCC of the properties held for the benefit of the PCC. The properties are legally vested in the Diocesan Board of Finance as Custodian Trustee.

Rectory Lane Cemetery Project (RLCP) fund – held money set aside to supplement funds raised by the RLCP between November 2017 and October 2020 to ensure that the RLCP is able to meet its fund-raising obligations arising from a Lottery Heritage Fund grant. As at 31[st] December 2020 this fund has been reduced to zero.

Restricted funds

Petertide fund – holds money specifically given to the PCC to support the Petertide charities selected by the PCC.

Flower fund – holds money received for the provision of flowers in St Peter’s Church.

Restricted fund – holds money received by the PCC for other restricted purposes.

St Catherine’s Chapel fund – holds funds specifically donated for restoration of the St Catherine’s chapel.

Agency funds

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These hold monies collected by the PCC acting as agent for independent organisations and individuals. No formal Agency Agreements are in place.

Independent organisations include charities and the Diocese of St Albans. Money held for charities is usually collected during church services such as funerals, or in “red bucket” appeals on behalf of specified charities. The PCC ensures that the identities of the charities concerned are made clear to church congregations at the time of the collection.

Money collected on behalf of the Diocese consists of fees for parochial church services such as weddings and funerals.

Money collected on behalf of individuals includes fees due to musicians, bell ringers and church vergers for optional services provided at weddings or other special events. These fees are paid by those commissioning the services concerned and not by the PCC.

These funds are referred to collectively as “Agency Funds”. They are not PCC assets although they generally reside temporarily in PCC bank accounts until disbursed, which the PCC aims to complete promptly. The Balance Sheet shows the value of Agency funds held at year end. During 2020 the PCC has collected and disbursed approximately £11,800 through Agency funds.

Incoming resources

All income is recognised when receipt of that income by the PCC is considered highly probable, and is accounted for gross. The value of the very considerable amount of time and expertise given free of charge by volunteer members of the congregation in a wide variety of ways is not quantified.

Expended resources

Expenditure is recognised when it is incurred and is accounted for gross. Parish support costs are not apportioned to specific activities. Grants and donations are recognised when paid over, or when awarded if that award creates a binding or constructive obligation on the PCC.

Fixed assets

Property

Property assets are as follows.

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All expenditure incurred on the property set out under a) to d) above, whether for maintenance or improvement, is written off.

Insured value

As at 31[st] December 2020 PCC property and contents is insured for a total replacement cost of approximately £26.5m, £23.2m of which relates to St Peter’s church.

Other fixed assets

Fixed assets with a purchase price of £1,000 or less are written off when the asset is acquired. Other fixed assets, such as office equipment, with a purchase price greater than £1,000 are depreciated on a straight-line basis over 5 years unless the PCC determines otherwise in specific cases.

Current assets

Cash at bank and in hand. The PCC operates bank accounts with CAF Bank Ltd, NatWest Bank plc and with CCLA Investment Management Ltd. Small cash floats are also held for certain activities.

Inventories. The PCC holds small inventories of office supplies, housekeeping materials, worship supplies and books. The fair sale value of these is considered to be immaterial and inventories are valued at zero

Debtors. Amounts owing to the PCC at 31[st] December in respect of fees, rents, Gift Aid and other income are shown as debtors less any provision for amounts that may prove uncollectable. All utility and insurance costs are paid by monthly Direct Debits and therefore no accruals have been made for prepayments.

Intangible assets

The PCC has not identified any intangible assets with material value.

Liabilities

Long term commitments

The PCC has no outstanding borrowings or long-term funding commitments towards other organisations.

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Current liabilities

Creditors.

Material payments considered to be highly likely although not yet invoiced are recorded as liabilities.

As a registered charity the PCC has no tax liabilities.

Reserves

PCC policy is to maintain a minimum General fund balance of not less than 2 months regular planned income to cover likely day to day transactions. Through 2020, average monthly planned income is approximately £12,000 to £13,000. As at 31[st] December 2020 the General fund balance is approximately £7,000. Consequently, in January 2021 funds have been transferred from reserves to lift the General fund to an acceptable balance. Through 2021 the General fund will be monitored closely every monthly, and supported as necessary from reserves held in the Clergy Support fund and, if essential, the Legacy fund. One associated potential risk of calling upon the Legacy fund is that the PCC might not have sufficient funds available for planned building work during 2021.

PCC policy is to determine no formal reserve policies for other funds since these would serve no useful management purposes.

Cash investments

PCC investment policy is to hold cash in excess of that required for day-to-day activities but likely to be required at call in a CCLA CBF cash deposit account. This account is considered to represent no investment risk to the PCC. Funds can be accessed within 10 working days. Cash which the PCC considers is likely to be required in more than 1 year but less than 5 years is invested in term deposit accounts selected by reference to the return offered and finance industry risk ratings. As at 31[st] December 2020 no such term deposit accounts were held.

Risk management

The PCC considers that there is no significant risk of material adjustments to transactions relating to the current or previous reporting periods.

Day to day operational risks are managed as appropriate and proportionate in accordance with recognised best practice.

An important operational risk is potential loss of computer data which would severely reduce the PCC’s ability to function. Reputable security software is installed on computer equipment and important computer data is stored and automatically backed-up off-site.

The greatest financial risk is inadequate General fund cash flow to support regular commitments, particularly through the Covid-19 pandemic. Projections of the financial outlook have been prepared to inform the PCC of potential risks and contingency actions

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identified. Monthly cash flow summaries for the General fund and the Building fund will continue to be circulated to the PCC with supporting commentaries.

Remuneration

Staff

Until mid-2020 the PCC employed two people to staff the Parish Office from Monday to Friday. With much regret the PCC decided to declare one of these jobs redundant because of financial difficulties caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, and she left employment on 31[st] October 2020.

Three musicians (the Director of Music, the Assistant Director of music, and the church organist) are also treated as employees for the purposes of collecting and paying PAYE and National Insurance contributions.

The PCC offers all employees membership of a Work Place Pension in accordance with the Pensions Act 2008.

Trustees

Clergy are employed by the Diocese of St Albans and receive no additional remuneration from the PCC. Members of the PCC are not remunerated for their services as Trustees.

During 2020 one Trustee has been employed by the PCC for his separate role as church organist (refer to the paragraph above concerning staff).

All trustees are reimbursed by the PCC for out-of-pocket expenses incurred on PCC business and evidenced by reasonable receipts. The total of unclaimed trustee expenses is considered to be immaterial.

Parochial church services

The church offers individual trained members of the church to provide assistance and support to parochial church services such as weddings and funerals. Examples include bell ringers, vergers and musicians. This assistance and support is paid for by the people commissioning the services concerned (such as wedding couples and families for funerals), and not by the charity. Parochial fees are set out in a schedule approved by the PCC. The PCC collects Parochial fees on behalf of the people concerned and holds funds in an agency account where they are not counted as PCC assets, until they are disbursed.

During 2020 two Trustees served to provide assistance and support to Parochial services, as organist and as a verger. These roles are independent of the roles as Trustees of the individuals concerned.

Related Party Transactions

All trustees have confirmed that neither they, nor any of their relatives, nor any company in which they have financial interests, have been party to any PCC transactions in the year ending 31[st] December 2020. No trustees have any financial interests in any PCC assets.

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Notes to this Financial Report

  1. Cash flow statement.

  2. Donated income and Gift Aid

  3. Covid-19 Job Retention Scheme

  4. Legacies.

  5. Investment income.

  6. Transactions with employees and trustees and related persons.

  7. Employment costs.

  8. Pension scheme.

  9. Grants and outward giving.

  10. Parish share.

  11. Parochial fees.

  12. Fixed assets.

  13. Accrued assets and liabilities

  14. Fund reports.

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1 Cash Flow Statement

Fund types 31/12/2020 31/12/2019
Unrestricted Designated Restricted All funds All funds
£ £ £ £ £
Cash flows from operating activities
Fund income from SOFA 196,290 12,706 60 209,056 236,745
Less investment (rental)income -9,870 0 0 -9,870 -20,310
Less bank interest -460 0 0 -460 -1,264
Less increase in debtors 12,000 0 0 12,000 -250
Cash income from operating activities 197,960 12,706 60 210,726 214,921
Fund expenditure from SOFA 210,746 54,828 100 265,674 267,527
less increase in creditors 2,710 -2,400 -700 -389 -398
less depreciation -1,288 0 0 -1,288 -1,300
Cash expenditure on operatingactivities 212,168 52,428 -600 263,996 265,829
Net cashprovided by (used in) operating activities -14,208 -39,723 660 -53,270 -50,908
Reconciliation of movement in funds to net operating cash flows
Net movement in funds as reported in the SOFA -15,723 -42,416 1,521 -56,618 -30,782
Less investment (rental) and interest -10,330 0 0 -10,330 -21,574
Less revaluation of property assets 0 0 0 0 0
Less cash fund transfer in -10 -19,817 -1,560 -21,387 -13,148
Plus cash fund transfer out 1,277 20,109 0 21,387 13,148
Depreciation charges 1,288 0 0 1,288 1,300
Decrease in Debtors 12,000 0 0 12,000 -250
Plus increase in creditors -2,710 2,400 700 389 398
Net cashprovided by (used in) operating activities -14,208 -39,723 660 -53,270 -50,908

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Years ending
31/12/2020
31/12/2019
All funds
All funds
£
£
9,870
20,310
460
1,264
0
0
10,330
21,574
-42,940
-29,334
-42,940
-29,334
240,739
270,073
21,367
13,148
-21,367
-13,148
197,799
240,739
197,799
240,739
0
0
0
0
197,799
240,739
Cash at bank and in hand reported in Balance Sheet
9,650
178,559
9,590
Analysis of cash and cash equivalents
Cash at banks and in hand
9,650
178,559
9,590
Notice deposits
0
0
0
Overdraft facilities
0
0
0
Total cash and cash equivalents
9,650
178,559
9,590

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2 Donated income and Gift Aid

In total the PCC received donations in 2020, including Gift Aid, from all sources and across all funds of approximately £183,000, 22% of which is Gift Aid. The principal sources of donated income are as follows.

Source £
Planned monthly donations excluding Gift Aid
Planned Stewardship direct to PCC 69,971
PGS 63,769
Other sources including collections and donations 9,326
Total 143,066
Gift Aid received
Claimed by PCC 26,144
Received through PGS 13,818
Total Gift Aid 39,962
Total income from all donations 183,029

The PCC placed four employees on furlough for the period when St Peter’s church was required to close for public worship and it applied for grants under the Government Job Retention Scheme, totalling £7,042.

During 2020, the PCC has received three legacies totalling £9,706.

Investment income consists of:

6 Financial transactions with employees, trustees, professional services and related

person transactions

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Donations

Details of all personal donations are confidential to the parish Planned Giving Coordinator and the Treasurer, including those of PCC members and their families. Donations to the charity made by trustees and their family members are typical of donations made by the church congregation as a whole.

Reimbursement of expenses

Clergy, employees and trustees may incur out-of-pocket expenses on behalf of the PCC which are reimbursed against reasonable evidence of payment. During 2019 expense reimbursements are as follows.

reimbursements are as follows.
Group (numbers making claims) Total
reimbursements
Employees (2 people) £587
Members of the clergy (5 people) £4,857
Other trustees (4 people) £2,687
Total (across 9 people) £8,131

The maximum total reimbursement of expenses paid to a single trustee (other than members of clergy) in the reporting period is £1,190. The PCC has made no loans to trustees or staff.

Professional fees

Independent Examination fees during 2020 are £2,160. Professional fees may also be paid for architectural, design and installation services necessary for the maintenance of PCC property.

7 Employment costs

The total gross remuneration paid during 2020 is £24,837. Additional redundancy costs including Employers pension contributions are £5,950. In 2020 the PCC collected and paid to HMRC Income Tax and National Insurance totalling £2,980. The PCC has no liability for post-employment or post-retirement benefits.

8 Pension scheme – CWPF Pension Builder 2014

In accordance with the 2008 Pensions Act, the PCC offers membership of a pension scheme to all eligible workers. The PCC participates in the Pension Builder 2014 Scheme section of the Church Workers Pension Fund (CWPF) for lay staff. The Scheme is administered by the Church of England Pensions Board.

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Pension Builder 2014 is classed as defined benefit scheme. It is a cash balance scheme that provides a lump sum that members use to provide benefits at retirement. Pension contributions are recorded in an account for each member. The Board may add discretionary bonuses to member accounts before retirement, depending on investment experience and other factors. There is no requirement for the Board grant any bonuses. The account, plus any bonuses declared, is payable from members’ Normal Pension Age. A reduction may be made if benefits are withdrawn before this age.

The scheme is a multi-employer scheme as described in Section 28 of FRS 102 as it is not possible to attribute the Pension Builder Scheme’s assets and liabilities to specific employers. This means that contributions are accounted for as if the Scheme were a defined contribution scheme. The legal structure of the scheme is such that if another employer fails, the PCC could become responsible for paying a share of that employer’s pension liabilities. There is no requirement for deficit payments at the current time. The employer pensions costs charged to the SoFA in 2020 are £1,892.

An actuarial valuation of the Pension Builder Scheme is carried out once every three years, the most recent valuation being as at 31 December 2016. A valuation as at 31 December 2019 is underway as at 31 December 2020. For the Pension Builder 2014 section, the 2016 valuation revealed a surplus on the ongoing assumptions used of £1.8m. Retirement accounts are invested in line with the Church of England’s ethical policies. The Church of England Pension’s Board review of 2020 reported overall investment returns in excess of 9%.

9 Grants and outward giving

Money collected on behalf of independent charities is accounted for through Agency funds. Charitable grants and contributions paid in 2020 include:

Money is also donated to various charities at pastoral services such as funerals which is generally not managed by the PCC. Such donations are not included.

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The Parish Share is paid to the Diocese of St Albans to contribute towards clergy employment costs, ministerial training, and to assist less well-off parishes in the Diocese. Annual Parish Share expenditure is:

2017 £131,659
2018 £132,455
2019 £131,674
2020 £130,858
2021 £132,053

The Parish Share is the single largest item of PCC expenditure, representing approximately 63% of General fund expenditure in 2020.

11 Parochial Fees

The Church of England sets standard fees for parochial church services such as weddings, funerals and memorial services, some of which are retained by the PCC and some of which are remitted to the Diocese of St Albans. In addition, the PCC sets its own fees for providing “extras” such as an organist, the choir, bell ringers, making private videos, additional church cleaning during the Covid-19 pandemic, and administrative support if requested. Parochial fees are reviewed annually. In 2020 the PCC received a total of £1550, and the Diocese a total of approximately £1,794. Diocesan fees are accounted for through an Agency account.

12 Fixed assets and depreciation

Property
Property at fair market value at 31stDecember
2019
£1,380,000
Additions and disposals during 2020 -
Revaluation during 2020 -
Property at fair market value at 31stDecember
2020
£1,380,000
Office equipment
Office equipment at 31stDecember 2018 £1,288
Purchase price £6,488
Depreciation brought forward 1stJanuary 2020 (£5,200)
Additions and disposals during 2020 -
Depreciation applied 31stDecember 2020 (£1,288)

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Net book value at 31[st] December 2020

Nil

The total net value of fixed assets at 31[st] December 2020 is £1,380,000. The Land Registry House Price index shows a significant increase between December 2019 and October 2020, indicating that fair-value estimates for property prices have risen during 2020. However, in view of the economic uncertainties associated with the Covid-19 pandemic, including proposed tax changes, PCC property values are unchanged in these accounts.

13 Accrued assets and liabilities

Accrued assets

As at 31[st] December 2020 the PCC has no debtors or accrued assets.

Accrued liabilities

As at 31[st] December 2020 the PCC has total accrued liabilities of approximately £7,950 consisting of:

Contingent liability

The PCC currently holds no contingent liabilities.

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14 Fund reports

Fund transfers

The following significant fund transfers have been made:

Other fund transfers have been made during the year for administrative convenience such as managing fund balances between PCC bank accounts.

Fund movements, and fund assets and liabilities

Summary reports are given below.

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PCC of Great Berkhamsted St Peter

Fund movement summary Selected period: 01 January 2020 to 31 December 2020

























Fund
Fund Balances
Incoming
Outgoing
Transfers
Gains and
Journal Enties
Fund balances
brought forward
Resources
Resources
Losses
Carried forward

AS-Roof - All Saints Roof







Buildings - Buildings Fund
53,282
1,270
48,185
19,514


25,880
Clergy - Clergy support
20,551





20,551
fund
CourtH - Court House
36,692

5,729



30,963
Cowper - Cowper Society







Flower - Flower Fund
272
60
100



233
Legacy - Legacy
93,183
9,707

(9,707)


93,183
LitFsh - Little Fishes
1,169
182
27



1,324
Restricted - Money



1,560


1,560
received for restricted
purposes
Organ - Organ Appeal







Fund
Magazine - Parish
2,598
1,548
888



3,258
Magazine
Petertide - Petertide







Property - Property
1,380,000





1,380,000
RLCP - RLCP
10,100


(10,100)



Contingency
Cath - St Catherine
6,000





6,000
Chapel
General - General fund
22,623
196,290
210,746
(1,267)


6,900
Totals
1,626,470
209,056
265,674


1,569,852

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PCC of Great Berkhamsted St Peter

Statement of Assets and Liabilities (by fund) As at: 31 December 2020

Balance Previous
balance
Tangible assets
0500: Property - Asset
Property
Designated
0510: Equipment - Asset
General fund
Unrestricted
Tangible assets
Cash at bank and in hand
0600: NatWest Current - Asset
General fund
Unrestricted
Agency collection
Restricted
0601: CAF Bank Account - Asset
Buildings Fund
Designated
Clergy support fund
Designated
Court House
Designated
Flower Fund
Restricted
Little Fishes
Designated
Money received for
Restricted
restricted purposes
Parish Magazine
Designated
RLCP Contingency
Designated
St Catherine Chapel
Restricted
General fund
Unrestricted
Agency collection
Restricted
0605: CCLA Account - Asset
Clergy support fund
Designated
Legacy
Designated
RLCP Contingency
Designated
General fund
Unrestricted
0625: NatWest Stewardship Account - Asset
General fund
Unrestricted
0651: St Peters Choir Float - Asset
General fund
Unrestricted
0652: Little Fishes Float - Asset
Little Fishes
Designated
General fund
Unrestricted
Cash at bank and in hand
1,380,000 1,380,000
1,288
1,381,288
10
105,137
135,447
10
100
35
240,739
1,380,000
1,288
58
(48)
54,282
(250)
36,692
272
1,134

2,598
(10,100)
6,000
13,363
1,145
20,801
93,183
20,200
1,264
10
100
35
1,380,000

1,380,000
10
10
29,280
20,551
30,963
233
1,299
1,560
3,258

6,000
9,397
1,797
104,339

93,183

62
93,245
70
70
100
100
25
10
35
197,799

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Previous Balance balance

Debtors

Debtors Balance Previous
balance
0660: Income Tax Debtor - Asset
General fund
Unrestricted
Debtors
Agency accounts
6699: Agency collections - Liability
Agency collection
Restricted
Agency accounts
Creditors: Amounts falling due in one year
0700: Accruals - Liability
Buildings Fund
Designated
General fund
Unrestricted
Z04: Accounts Payable - Liability
Buildings Fund
Designated
General fund
Unrestricted
Creditors: Amounts falling due in one year
Grand Total
12,000
12,000
1,097
1,097

6,460
6,460
12,000
1,097


1,000
5,460
1,626,470

1,797
1,797
1,797
3,400
2,750
6,150

6,150
1,569,852

37 of 37