Company registration number: 07186736 Charity registration number: 1135081
## **Citizens Advice LeicesterShire**
(A company limited by guarantee)
Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ending 31[st] March 2025
**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire**
## **Contents**
|**Contents**||
|---|---|
|**Message from The Chair**|**3**|
|**Trustee Report**|**5**|
|**Objectives and Activities**|**6**|
|**Achievements and Performance**|**12**|
|**Financial Review**|**24**|
|**Review of Objectives for 2024/25**|**27**|
|**Our Strategic Plans for the Future**|**28**|
|**Reference and Administrative Details**|**29**|
|**Structure, Governance and Management**|**31**|
|**Statement of Trustees’ Responsibilities**|**37**|
|**Financial Statements**|**38**|
|**Independent Auditor’s Report to the Members of Citizens Advice LeicesterShire**|**39-42**|
|**Statement of financial activities**|**42**|
|**Statement of financial activities (Continued)**|**43**|
|**Balance Sheet**|**44**|
|**Statement of cash flows**|**45**|
|**Notes to the Financial Statements**|**46-57**|
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**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire**
## **Message from The Chair**
Citizens Advice LeicesterShire is a local charity, helping local people cope with financial, health and consumer issues. We believe that knowledge empowers people to make informed decisions, gives freedom of choice and builds resilience. This means providing vital advice and information to people from all backgrounds. We are proud to have national accreditation for the quality of our work.
This has been a year of transformation, in line with the new five-year strategy agreed at the end of the last financial year. Building on the expertise of our employees and volunteers, we have redesigned our approach — to ensure all activities support the new strategy.
I am proud of the way our people have worked together to build a more resilient organisation ready to take on new challenges and expand the areas where we can provide help.
The Board made the decision to invest in this change by committing some of our reserves. This does mean that our accounts show a deficit and, going forward, we need to recoup this investment.
But I am pleased to say that already we are starting to see the benefits. Indeed, the Chartered Institute for Professional Development (CIPD) has shortlisted us for an award to recognise our successful strategic approach to change. To be recognised by a national organisation like CIPD is a great achievement. One that would not have been possible without the hard work and commitment of our people.
Our employees and volunteers have taken forward organisational change whilst continuing to alleviate the pressures faced by local people. I, and all on the Board, thank our teams for providing a fantastic level of service. We are committed to looking for new opportunities to use, and build on, the expertise we already have.
This is a maturing organisation united by purpose and prepared for the challenges ahead. We increasingly look to help people with a wider range of housing and workplace issues. Going forward, our ambition is to share our expertise, as well as experience of managing change, with other employers.
I thank David Scruton, who resigned earlier in the year, for his insightful and effective contribution to the Board. He has agreed to continue to share his expertise on issues related to the social and rented housing sector with us.
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**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire**
I am pleased to welcome Clare Culpin and Sarah Humphreys as new trustees. They bring experience that enhances our approach on governance and business development.
All the trustees are confident that we have made the right organisation-wide changes this year. Changes that continue to enhance our services.
We are on track to build a sustainable future for Citizens Advice LeicesterShire. A future full of new opportunities.
## **Marie Anne Beere**
Chair of Trustees
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**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire Trustee Report**
## **Objectives and Activities**
## **Objects and Aims**
Citizens Advice LeicesterShire exists to address the fundamental issue that no one should be left behind due to a lack of reliable and accessible information. Our core belief is that knowledge is a powerful tool that shines a light on inequality and creates a fairer society, empowering people to make informed decisions and build resilient people and societies.
During this reporting period, we coproduced and launched a new organisational strategy for 2024–2029. This strategy directly aligns with our aims and legal purposes, setting out how we will respond to a rapidly changing external environment, a rising demand for advice, and how we will tackle structural inequalities that have widened during the pandemic and cost-of-living crisis. We reaffirmed our commitment to supporting those most vulnerable in society through a clear unified purpose:
**“Sharing knowledge to transform lives – We Listen, We Act, We Empower.”**
To guide our work, we developed a set of co-produced values and behaviours which underpin everything we do:
**We Care — putting people’s best interests first.**
**We Help — providing tailored and responsive support.**
**We Excel — driving performance through learning and accountability. We Challenge — advocating for those unheard and daring to innovate.**
## **Public Benefit**
**All our charitable activities focus on providing the advice people need for the problems they face and are undertaken specifically to provide public benefit** . The Board of Trustees have had due regard to the Charity Commission guidance on public benefit and have complied with the duty in section 4 of the Charities Act 2011.
Our work directly advances our charitable purposes by providing accessible, high-quality information, advice and practical support that moves people forward. Furthering our charitable purpose by the advancement of education, the protection of health and the relief of poverty, sickness, and distress as set out in the objects contained in our Company's Memorandum of Association.
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**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire Trustee Report**
## **Our Strategic Framework**
Starting with the question **“what does a resilient organisation look like and how can we**
**measure it”** , we developed our organisational resilience framework based on four key themes arising from current research and academic literature.
- **Connectedness: Understanding of our purpose, values, and objectives**
- **Confidence: Belief in our skills, experience, and resources to deliver**
- **Adaptability: Response to changing world and new ways of working**
- **Accountability: How we define and measure success**
Through workforce surveys, leadership away days, and staff conference, we identified three **strategic priorities** that reinforced our organisational resilience framework **:**
- **People and Culture**
- **Performance**
- **Pioneering**
Drawing from Jim Collins' "good to great" research, we developed a flywheel concept with five mutually reinforcing **strategic objectives** that create momentum for continual progression.
- **Objective 1: Attract and invest in motivated people passionate about our purpose**
- **Objective 2: Tell powerful stories demonstrating our value and impact**
- **Objective 3: Achieve high performance through shared goals, clear objectives, measurement, evaluation, and improvement**
- **Objective 4: Build and develop a collaborative and innovative culture**
- **Objective 5: Design and deliver sustainable services and initiatives aligned with our purpose**
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**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire Trustee Report**
## **Strategy on a page: “Unite — Transform — Inspire”**
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**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire Trustee Report**
## **Achieving our Aims and Objectives**
## **Guiding Principles — in conjunction with our values**
- Our services will be free at the point of delivery wherever possible
- We aspire to design and deliver services that are accessible to all
- Appointments delivered in person will be prioritised for the most vulnerable
- Where we cannot provide, we will signpost to other services
- We believe in the power of partnership working
- We campaign for a fairer society and contribute to broader social change.
## **Success Measures and Assessment Criteria**
Our strategy includes specific five-year success indicators for each of our five strategic objectives:
1. **Workforce metrics:** Employee engagement survey response rates, EDI integration, fair reward benchmarking, people analytics and values alignment
2. **Brand and communication** : High engagement rates across communication channels, research, campaigning and advocacy initiatives, increased funding partnerships
3. **Performance indicators** : Skills development investment, quality checking targets, funder performance indicators, leadership development programmes, service accessibility
4. **Innovation measures:** Service transformation initiatives, internal process improvements, strategic campaign outcomes, partnership working growth
5. **Sustainability metrics** : Earned income generation, financial resilience indicators, and replicable success models
## **Implementation and Monitoring**
Our Strategy feeds into our business development plan and service operational plans to ensure our workforce and activities are aligned with our overarching strategy and aims. Progress is captured through our performance dashboard, ensuring accountability while maintaining the flexibility to respond to changing community needs and operating environments. Our strategic priorities and objectives are regularly reviewed by our senior leadership team and presented to the board of trustees at each board meeting.
Our strategy positions us to remain viable, agile, and resilient in an ever-changing world, ensuring we continue delivering on our purpose while building organisational sustainability for the future. Through this comprehensive approach, we unite our efforts, transform our impact, and inspire positive change in the communities we serve.
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**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire Trustee Report**
## **Volunteers**
## **“Volunteerin allowed me to ive somethin back to m communit ” g g g y y**
In addition to approximately 58 paid staff, the organisation receives help and support in the form of voluntary assistance in offering advice to the public.
Volunteers represent an indispensable part of the organisation and without them there would not be a Citizens Advice service. Across Citizens Advice LeicesterShire, we have over **36** dedicated volunteers.
**We estimate that they contribute over 250 hours weekly and 11,800 hours annually. This adds up to an equivalent value of £282,200.**
However, their value is inadequately expressed in monetary terms. Indeed, volunteers bring many skills and equally the experience gained with us helps individuals return to the labour market.
**“It’s very rewarding to help people from all walks of life. Often, we are the last resort for people to get the help and support they need.”**
- City Volunteer
## **Equipping young people with “confidence and experience”**
We are especially proud that we are able to give students and other young people the chance to build their skillset through volunteering and interning with us, helping them kickstart their career journey.
One of our previous volunteers, Deborah, went on to work a permanent role for us as an EMSTN Adviser whilst studying law at a local university: “Volunteering gave me the confidence and experience to apply for the EMSTN position.” She said her experience was “instrumental” in securing a pupillage at a top common law set in London.
Our student interns who are also studying law similarly appreciated the “transferable skills” they learned during their time with us.
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**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire Trustee Report**
## **Case Study: Support at times of crisis**
**Our advice can be a turning point for our clients.**
One client came to us last year at a time of **crisis** ; she was living in her car after escaping domestic abuse and had been evicted from her previous accommodation due to rent arrears.
She had contacted housing options, but was not deemed a priority, despite a history of complex mental health issues.
Our **immediate efforts** focused on
resolving her homelessness: advising her to appeal this banding decision, and, within just a few days, we had also secured a housing offer from One Roof Leicester. We additionally advised her to claim Personal Independence Payment (PIP) to help her move forward sustainably for the **long term** .
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**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire Trustee Report**
## **Achievements and Performance**
The main areas of our charitable activity are: the provision of general advice and information services; the provision of specialist advice and casework services in the debt and welfare benefits categories of social welfare law and guidance on current pension regulations. Throughout the year we have continued to offer advice and information in the following ways:
## **Telephone**
We continue to operate a City and County-wide telephone triage service staffed by volunteer and paid assessors. The line is answered between the hours of 9.00am and 4.30pm from Monday to Friday.
## **Face to face**
We continue to provide in person advice at Narborough, Market Harborough, Coalville, Hinckley and Leicester City. We see a preference for telephone advice continue and reserve our in-person appointments for those with the greatest need.
## **Full advice**
We offer general and specialist advice through our team of trained volunteer advisers and paid staff. This is delivered by telephone, email and face to face for those that needed additional support. We also offer advice via video.
## **Information and self-help**
We support service users to become more self-reliant by accessing online information. During the year we generated **562,172** website hits.
## **Outreach**
For Leicester City clients we operate outreach services at Wesley Hall, St Barnabas Library and the Community Shop in Beaumont Leys. Across the county, we offer outreach at Coalville, Ashby-de-la-Zouch, and at 9 food banks located in Hinckley and Bosworth and Lutterworth and villages.
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**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire Trustee Report**
## **Our impact in 2024-25**
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**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire Trustee Report**
## **Resilient Service Delivery and Exceptional Financial Impact**
Despite restructuring and some staff vacancies throughout the year, our service maintained consistent client support levels, demonstrating operational resilience and commitment to community needs. While client numbers and issues remained stable compared to the previous year, we achieved remarkable financial outcomes for those we supported.
Most significantly, we secured **£14,367,019** in additional income through benefit maximisation, directly improving household financial stability across our community. Additionally, our debt intervention work resulted in **£3,036,031** of debt written off – nearly triple the previous year's figure – providing crucial financial relief to clients facing severe hardship.
Beyond these quantifiable achievements, our service delivered immeasurable intangible benefits: providing a trusted voice for clients' concerns, creating clear pathways forward during crisis situations, and significantly reducing mental health pressures through professional support and advocacy. This holistic approach ensures that while we address immediate financial needs, we also strengthen clients' long-term resilience and wellbeing, creating lasting positive change in their lives and communities.
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**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire Trustee Report**
## **City Social Welfare and Advice Service**
## **Key Statistics**
**18,914 advice sessions**
**34,543 issues**
**£8,066,743 additional income gained for our clients**
This service started in April 2019 and is funded by the Leicester City Council. During 2024-25 we provided telephone, email, in person appointments and outreach at Wesley Hall, St Barnabas Library and the Community Shop in Beaumont Leys.
## **Rising demand and impact**
Whilst overall unique client numbers have remained steady, advice on specific issues has increased by 6% in the last year, contributing to a substantial 20% increase in advice issues over the past two years demonstrating the rise in complex interconnected issues. Despite cost-ofliving pressures, CitAL achieved a remarkable 23% increase in total income gained for clients compared to the previous year.
## **Crisis response**
A stark 52% increase in crisis appointments (including foodbank referrals and charitable support) highlighted the severe impact of economic hardship on Leicester residents, with energy debts becoming the primary concern over traditional council tax arrears.
## **Quality and partnerships**
We value our collaborative relationships with key partners including Leicester Community Advice and Law Centre and the Welfare Rights Service. Our service achieved an impressive 95% client satisfaction rate.
## **Strategic progress**
Despite a failed contract recommissioning process, we successfully negotiated a contract extension for the new financial year (2025/26) — testament to our partnership approach. We have a motivated and high-performing team of 14 paid staff, consisting of supervisors, advisors and assessors. In addition to paid staff, we have a long-standing team of volunteers whose skills and commitment are greatly valued.
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**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire Trustee Report**
## **County Generalist Advice Service**
**Key Statistics**
**12,395 advice sessions**
**40,349 issues**
**£6,925,440 additional income gained for our clients**
Our advice service is currently funded by: Leicestershire County Council and the following district councils: Blaby District Council, Harborough District Council, Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council and North West Leicestershire District Council. We provide information and advice by telephone, email, in person appointments and outreach.
We provide a telephone only service, funded through the core County Council grant, for residents of Melton and Oadby & Wigston.
We work to quality benchmarks and performance indicators that are reported quarterly on a county-wide basis.
## **Key issue areas**
Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment (PIP) remained the top benefit issues and energy debt continued to dominate advisor caseloads with rising numbers of clients unable to pay energy bills or experiencing self-disconnection from prepayment meters. This year our data revealed concerning trends with increasing levels of debt and we see more people living on negative budgets. The service distributed approximately 1,410 Household Support Fund vouchers worth £28,000 and processed 244 pension credit claims.
## **Crisis support**
We saw nearly 2000 issues concerning housing issues and homelessness, alongside increased relationship breakdown issues, suggesting cost-of-living pressures are impacting family stability. The 25-34 and 35-54 age groups represent the highest numbers seeking crisis support, reflecting the "squeezed middle" phenomenon where working families face impossible choices to meet essential costs. Social housing tenants show the highest crisis rates, followed by private renters — consistent with research showing that housing costs consume disproportionate income shares for these groups. We have a dedicated team of 7 paid staff, consisting of supervisors, advisors and assessors. In addition to paid staff, we have a large team of around 20 volunteers whose skills and commitment are greatly valued.
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**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire Trustee Report**
## **Specialist Services**
## **East Midlands Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia Network**
This service is funded by NHS England with the aims to increase the East Midlands direct support available for EMSTN patients, contributing to improved and Thalassaemia health and wellbeing of our clients and to work in partnership with clinicians by providing a dedicated referral pathway for patients experiencing social welfare issues.
The EMSTN Advice Service supported **148 clients** across the East Midlands with **484 issues** (averaging 3+ issues per client), demonstrating the complex needs of sickle cell and thalassaemia patients.
## **Financial impact**
The service achieved significant outcomes with a projected **£266,731 income gain** for clients. Of the 148 clients supported, **45 received financial outcomes** averaging **£5,927 each** , totalling **103 financial outcomes** .
## **Key issues**
Welfare benefits (including Universal Credit) and housing remained the primary advice areas, consistent with previous years. The service operated remotely via telephone and email across multiple East Midlands local authorities.
## **Service continuity**
Despite recruitment challenges in Q3 requiring temporary coverage, the service maintained continuous support without breaks. Extensive promotion activities included health fairs, community events, and professional networking across the region.
## **Client satisfaction**
Feedback showed high satisfaction levels, with the service demonstrating strong commitment to supporting patients through complex, long-term casework lasting up to 12 months.
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**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire Trustee Report**
## **Macmillan / Citizens Advice Welfare**
## **Benefits Service Leicestershire,**
## **Leicester City and Rutland**
Macmillan have been funding the Macmillan Citizens Advice
Welfare Benefits Service since 2007 and have extended the contract through various forms in this time. Our team provides information, advice and advocacy to people affected by cancer living in Leicester, Leicestershire, Rutland or receiving treatment within the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust (UHL). We provide a free and confidential service to cancer patients, their families, and carers. Our advice is focused on identifying benefit entitlement and assisting service users through the claiming process to achieve income maximisation.
During 2024/25, our 7 paid staff and 1 volunteer have helped **1,593 people** with **3224 issues** . We were able to maximise our clients’ annual income by **£2,116,411.**
We’re proud that we have such a high demand for our Macmillan service, yet we have still achieved our quality targets and most importantly positive financial outcomes for our clients.
## **Case study: “I feel like I’ve won the lottery!”**
Gladys* is a pensioner who has been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, in spite of which she has a cheerful disposition. She no longer drives, and walking to the bus stop makes her feel very tired and breathless.
She and her husband had been living frugally from small pensions. After an appointment with an advisor exploring their entitlement to support, we were able to increase their income by **over £300 per week** .
This made a huge difference to her daily life; she is using some of the money to pay for taxis so that she can get to the shops much easier.
Gladys could not believe it and said that **she felt like she had** “ **won the lottery”** . It shows what a difference our advice and an increase in income can make to people whose illness affects their ability to live independently.
*Name changed to protect anonymity
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**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire Trustee Report**
## **Help to Claim (HTC)**
The project is delivered via National Citizens Advice and selected Citizens Advice local offices, of which we are one of the partners. The service is funded by the Department of Work and Pension for a period of 2 years. This year we received additional funding to expand our team to deal with increased Managed Migration cases.
Help to Claim service is delivered from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday across multi-channels to increase accessibility and meet support needs. We work in partnership with Jobcentre Plus (JCP) Leicestershire and Northamptonshire district with a
view to improving its reach into the community by targeted marketing and partnership work to increase awareness of Help to Claim.
The project is for new Universal Credit claimants only and the project covers clients within England and Wales. The main purpose of the project is to check whether a client should be applying for Universal Credit and support them to start a UC claim until the first full payment is received.
This year our Help to Claim service helped **6,014 people** with **30,036 issues** , maximising our clients’ income by **£7,573,115.** Furthermore, **92%** of our clients who gave feedback told us they had a good or very good experience when using our service.
The team of 10 paid staff perform highly to meet strict delivery targets. We are proud that we are one of the top performing teams nationally and selected to deliver the HTC project for its 7th consecutive year.
The most common benefit issues we helped with are making an initial claim, managed migration and UC housing element. The top debt issues we supported clients with are advance payments, overpayments, rent and council tax arrears.
**“I have been going through the most difficult times of my life. The adviser on the phone was very compassionate and helpful. I think it’s really important to make the person feel comfortable, listened to and that they have been given some kind of direction — especially, if like me, the person doesn’t know where to start. Thank you for your help!”**
Help to Claim Client
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**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire Trustee Report**
## **Money Advice Service**
The Money Advice Service is funded by the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) and delivered through the East Midlands Money Advice Partnership (EMMA). Citizens Advice LeicesterShire is proud to be a key partner of this collaborative initiative.
Our experienced team of caseworkers delivers comprehensive and tailored casework support by telephone and in person, offering in-depth advice to help clients develop sustainable, longterm debt solutions and one-off advice sessions providing guidance and signposting. This year we helped **580 clients** with **1,152 issues** and managed a total debt of **£3,079,298**
The team support with money related issues such as income maximisation, priority and nonpriority debts, eviction and repossession orders, bailiff action and court-related proceedings. Throughout the past year, we have observed a significant increase in priority debt cases linked to the ongoing cost of living crisis, which continues to impact the most financially vulnerable.
**“It is a relief to have the creditors understand my situation and how it's out of my control. Like I say I cannot thank you enough! I'm bowled over by your kindness and help you have given me through all of this. I am eternally grateful!”**
Money Advice Service Client
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**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire Trustee Report**
## **Multiply**
Multiply, funded by Leicestershire County Council, is an adult learning numeracy project that provides one to one, tailored budgeting advice and tools for clients, supporting them to better manage their finances going forwards.
Learners must take part in at least two hours of learning, and this can be individually or group work. The purpose of the project is to
increase numeracy confidence using practical life situations including budgeting, cookery and travel timetables.
We work to project performance targets that are reported monthly. This year we have supported **123 people** to feel more confident about managing their finances.
Funding for this project is now complete.
## **LeicesterShire Energy Support**
LeicesterShire Energy Support (LES) provides clients across the county with specialist advice around their energy usage and needs, including debt and arrears. This project is funded by the Energy Redress Scheme, and we provide quarterly reports against performance targets and case studies. This year we have helped **310 people** manage their energy debt and the service has now expanded as Leicestershire Energy Advice Service available in the city as well as the county
## **Pension Wise**
Funded by the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS), Pension Wise is a free and impartial service that we deliver to people over 50. We support people to understand the different ways you can take money from your pension. This year we have helped **980 people** with **1,615 issues** to make informed decisions about their pension.
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**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire Trustee Report**
## **Financial Inclusion Service**
## **Food banks**
We are proud to be working in partnership with Trussell across seven food banks in the Hinckley and Bosworth (HFI) area and two in Lutterworth (LFI) and villages. Together, we are working to maximise the income of clients using the food banks in these locations and, in turn, empower them to move on from reliance on emergency food provision.
We work to performance targets that are reported on quarterly and this year we have supported **349 clients** with **1,149 issues** across the HFI food bank and **41 clients** with **135 issues** across the LFI food banks.
## **Support Functions**
Our strategic priorities and objectives support robust “back office” functions, namely People Management, Resource Management, Financial Management and Learning and Development.
We made 2 redundancies as part of a small restructure to further our strategic direction and to promote integrated services and enhanced career pathways. Staff recruitment and retention remains a challenge for the not-for-profit sector, aggravated by short term contracts and stagnant funding. Our strategic priority “People & Culture” supports our initiatives to develop a stable, engaged and motivated workforce.
## **Key statistics:**
- We recruited 21 new staff over the year to fill vacancies or new roles
- We have trained a total of 26 staff
- Total training hours of 558 over 186 sessions
- We have trained a total of 25 volunteers
- Total hours of training were 330 hours over 110 sessions for volunteers
## **Notable Improvements for workforce benchmarking surveys**
- I know our purpose and feel connected to it through my work — 12% increase
- I know our values and they are reflected through our behaviours — 14% increase
- We are encouraged to share our ideas — 20% increase
- We invest in the development of our staff and volunteers — 15% increase
- Staff engagement survey rating from 76% “requires improvement” to 85% “good practice”
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## **Citizens Advice LeicesterShire**
## **Case Study: Reclaiming independence with PIP**
A 31-year-old client has mental health issues, struggles to retain work and lives with their parents as they are unable to live independently. They came to us asking for help checking if they were eligible for Personal Independence Payment, and were comfortable sharing their current struggles with ADHD and depression, also expressing their wishes to **reclaim their independence** .
We encouraged this independence by firstly sending the client all of the relevant information, including an overview of PIP from the Government website as well as the Citizens Advice website, prior to an appointment we arranged for them.
Our adviser informed the client that they would be eligible for a PIP Daily Living award, subject to assessments and submitting supporting evidence. The adviser then discussed in detail the PIP process, but also reassured them that they could contact Adviceline again if they wanted assistance with the form. This client is predicted to obtain the Daily Living component of PIP, gaining £108.55 per week (or £5,644 per year).
This is a great example of how our advisers are here to help in any way they can, but also recognise the importance of independence and **sharing knowledge to empower** people to begin to tackle their own problems.
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**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire Trustee Report**
## **Financial Review**
## **Navigating sector-wide challenges**
The VCSE (Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise) sector continues to face unprecedented funding pressures, with reduced resources coinciding with escalating community demand. Like many charitable organisations, we are operating in an increasingly challenging environment where traditional funding models are under strain while the need for our services intensifies.
## **Strategic investment for future resilience**
Despite these sector-wide difficulties, we remain committed to long-term sustainability and service excellence. During the reporting period, we implemented a planned deficit budget of £190,827 (total income £1,700,849; expenditure £1,891,676) as a strategic investment in organisational transformation.
This controlled deficit facilitated a comprehensive change programme, including targeted restructuring to enhance operational efficiency and build greater organisational resilience. Rather than reactive cost-cutting, this represents a deliberate investment in our future capacity to serve the community effectively.
## **Building sustainable foundations**
Our strategic approach is already showing results. The 2025/26 forecast demonstrates significantly improved financial positioning with a reduced operational deficit of just £35,000 alongside designated funds for income generation initiatives that will strengthen our long-term sustainability.
Throughout this transition, our dedicated staff and volunteers maintained exceptional service delivery despite temporary vacancies, ensuring minimal impact on client outcomes. Moving forward, our priority is cultivating a high-performing, secure, and valued workforce as the foundation for sustainable, impactful service delivery in an increasingly challenging operating environment.
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**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire Trustee Report**
## **Principal funding sources**
The total income for the year of **£1,700,856** represents an increase of **£60,391** from 2023/24. The Trustees extend their sincere gratitude to Leicester City Council, Leicestershire County Council, Blaby District Council, Harborough District Council, Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council and North West Leicestershire District Council who continue to support the (core) operating capacity of the Charity.
Significant project-specific funding was gratefully received from Macmillan Cancer Support, Money Advice Service's Financial Inclusion Fund through the East Midlands Money Advice Agency in support of money advice, and from Her Majesty's Treasury in respect of the Pension Wise Service and Help to Claim. There is also a Leicestershire County Council funded service called "Multiply", our Trussell funded food bank work across the Hinckley area, the Energy Redress funded Leicestershire Energy Support project and the EMSTN service funded by the NHS.
## **Financial risks**
## **Objectives and policies**
The Charity’s activities expose it to a number of financial risks including credit risk, cash flow risk and liquidity risk. The use of financial derivatives is governed by the Charity’s policies approved by the board of Trustees, which provide written principles on the use of financial derivatives to manage these risks. The Charity does not use derivative financial instruments for speculative purposes.
## **Credit risk**
The Charity’s principal financial assets are bank balances and cash, trade and other debtors. The Charity's credit risk is primarily attributable to its trade debtors. The amounts presented in the balance sheet are net of allowances for doubtful debts. An allowance for impairment is made where there is an identified loss event which, based on previous experience, is evidence of a reduction in the recoverability of the cash flows. The credit risk on liquid funds is limited because the counterparties are banks with high credit-ratings assigned by international creditrating agencies.
The Charity has no significant concentration of credit risk, with exposure spread over a large number of counterparties and customers.
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**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire Trustee Report**
## **Liquidity risk**
In order to maintain liquidity to ensure that sufficient funds are available for ongoing operations and future developments, the Charity maintains sufficient funds at the bank.
## **Reserves policy**
It is the policy of the charity that unrestricted funds which have not been designated for a specific use should be maintained at a level equivalent to between three and six month’s expenditure. The Trustees consider that reserves at this level will ensure that, in the event of a significant drop in funding, they will be able to continue the charity’s current activities while consideration is given to ways in which additional funds may be raised. This level of reserves has been maintained throughout the year.
## **Investment policy and objectives**
In furtherance of its objectives, and for no other purposes, the company has the power to invest or deposit funds in any lawful manner. A Charities Aid Foundation Bank investment account continued and has resulted in a modest income.
## **Going concern**
After making further appropriate enquiries, the Trustees have a reasonable expectation that the company has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. For this reason, they continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the financial statements
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**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire Trustee Report**
## **Review of Objectives for 2024/25**
In our last annual report (2023/24) we tabled a set of objectives until our newly developed strategy had been written and approved. These objectives were incorporated into our business plan and aligned with our strategic priorities and objectives. At the end of the financial year we reviewed our objectives in preparation for our strategic planning day and setting our objectives for 2025/26
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**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire Trustee Report**
## **Our Strategic Plans for the Future**
This reporting period's focus on people and culture alongside high performance has created a strong foundation for future growth. Lessons learned from operational challenges have reinforced the need for sustainable income diversification. Building on this groundwork, trustees have approved strategic investment using designated funds in the 2025/26 budget to expand and deliver new income-generating activities, positioning the charity for greater financial resilience and enhanced service delivery.
Page 28 of 57
**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire Trustee Report**
## **Reference and Administrative Details**
Trustees M-A. Beere – Chair P. J. G. Symonds – Treasurer J. Walters V. T. Goodman — Resigned 23 May 2024 N. L. B. Waghela Z. Feghali D. Scruton — resigned 30 April 2025 C. Culpin — appointed 5 December 2024 S. Humphreys — appointed 4 December 2024 Company Secretary V. Gutteridge Senior Leadership Team (SLT) V. Gutteridge — CEO A. E. Steiner — resigned 31 December 2024 H. Matthews L. Hegarty R. Adam — Appointed 1st February 2025 Principal Office Clarence House 46 Humberstone Gate Leicester LE1 3PJ Registered Office Clarence House 46 Humberstone Gate Leicester LE1 3PJ
The Charity is incorporated in England and Wales
Page 29 of 57
**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire Trustee Report**
Company Registration Number 07186736
|Charity Registration Number|1135081|
|---|---|
|Solicitors|Lawson West|
||4 Dominus Way|
||Meridian Business Park|
||Leicester|
||LE19 1RP|
|Bankers|The Co-operative Bank plc|
||1 Balloon Street|
||Manchester|
||M60 4EP|
||Unity Trust Bank|
||4 Brindley Place|
||Birmingham|
||B1 2JB (Closed 21st May 2024)|
||CAF Bank Ltd|
||25 Kings Hill Avenue|
||Kings Hill|
||West Malling|
||Kent|
||ME19 4JQ|
|Auditor|Xenadin|
||Cabourn House Station Street|
||Bingham, Nottingham|
||Nottinghamshire|
||United Kingdom|
||NG13 8AQ|
Page 30 of 57
**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire Trustee Report**
## **Structure, Governance and Management**
## **Organisational structure**
CITAL is governed by its Trustee Board, which is responsible for setting the strategic direction of the organisation and the policy of the Charity. These policies are implemented by the Chief Executive. The Trustees carry the ultimate responsibility for the conduct of CITAL and for ensuring that the Charity stratifies its legal and contractual obligations. The Board has developed an induction procedure, in order to carefully select and induct new members onto its board. Trustees meet as a minimum each quarter and delegate the day-to-day operation of the organisation to senior management. The Trustee Board is independent from management. CITAL operates from five branches at Narborough, Market Harborough, Coalville, Hinckley, and Leicester. It also operates at three outreach venues in the city, two in the county and across nine foodbanks in Hinckley and Bosworth and Lutterworth villages and has staff and volunteers working from home. The Melton Mowbray and Oadby and Wigston branches are closed due to a loss of district funding. However, county funding enables us to provide a telephone and email service to these residents.
CITAL is a member of National Association of Citizens Advice, which provides a framework for standards of advice and casework management as well as monitoring progress against these standards. The organisation also co-operates and liaises with a number of other advisory services, local charities and social services departments on behalf of clients.
## **Organisational Chart**
Page 31 of 57
**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire Trustee Report**
## **Nature of governing document**
Citizens Advice LeicesterShire (CITAL) is a registered Charity and was incorporated as a company by limited guarantee on 11 March 2010 under the name “South and West Leicestershire Citizens Advice Bureau”.
The name was changed on 1 January 2012 following the merger of the organisation with Citizens Advice Leicester, at which date the assets and liabilities of Citizens Advice Leicester were acquired. The name changed again, on 21 July 2016, following the rebranding of the organisation to Citizens Advice LeicesterShire. Its objects and powers and other constitutional matters are set out in its Memorandum and Articles of Association.
A new Memorandum and Articles of Association was approved at an EGM in 2020 on the advice of Citizens Advice National. No major changes were included in the update except for clarifying that volunteers involved with service delivery could not also act as Trustees. The updated Articles of Association also clarified the AGM process.
Page 32 of 57
**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire Trustee Report**
## **Our Trustees**
**“Serving as a Trustee and working as part of the team allows me to contribute to the ripple effect that helps communities thrive”**
Sarah Humphreys, Trustee at Citizens Advice LeicesterShire
Page 33 of Number of all pages - front and last pages
**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire Trustee Report**
## **Recruitment and appointment of Trustees**
The Charity is governed through a Trustee Board. Trustees who have held office during the year are listed on page 30. The Articles of Association provide for a minimum of six and a maximum of twelve Trustees.
None of the Trustees has any beneficial interest in the company. All of the Trustees are members of the company and guarantee to contribute £1 in the event of a winding up. Trustees are elected to the Board and are appointed by a resolution of its members at an AGM. The Board has powers to co-opt members who shall retire at the following AGM and may offer themselves for re-election.
Board meetings are held predominately in person on a quarterly basis with a standing agenda. This includes a CEO report and management accounts with an emphasis on strategic planning.
However, when specific issues need to be discussed away from the main Trustee Board meeting, smaller and specific meetings have been called, often involving wider representation from the paid staff group.
This year we have launched two strategic focus groups, each with a trustee representative to further our strategic objectives:
1. Reward and Recognition Group
2. Marketing & Communication Group
## **Induction and training of Trustees**
New Trustees are briefed on their legal obligations under Charity and company law, the content of the Memorandum and Articles of Association, the committee and decision-making processes, the business plan and recent financial performance of the Charity. They also meet key employees and other Trustees. Trustees are encouraged to attend appropriate external training events where these will facilitate the understanding of their role.
## **Pay policy for senior staff**
The senior leadership and management structure is shown on page 31 and the remuneration for these posts is reviewed annually by the board alongside the forecasted budget. Pay increases are made in line with inflation where the budget allows. Salaries are benchmarked against the Citizens Advice Network and the wider not-for-profit sector, and we aim for the midpoint of these ranges.
Page 34 of 57
**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire Trustee Report**
## **Major risks and management of those risks**
## **Corporate risk**
Citizens Advice LeicesterShire has completed a Corporate Risk Management exercise and maintains a risk register that is regularly reviewed. This process cannot entirely eliminate all risks but provides reasonable assurance that problems are identified on a timely basis and their impact mitigated and managed. Major risks to which the Charity are exposed have been reviewed and systems put in place to mitigate those risks. The board will continue to review the corporate risk register and ensure that action plans are in place to mitigate its key risks.
## **Loss of funding**
The effects of this in the short term have been minimised by maintaining reserves, and a very active programme of seeking and securing funds from a variety of sources. The Charity continues to seek to further diversify its funding sources.
## **Internal risks**
Internal risks are minimised by the implementation of financial procedures for authorisation of all transactions and projects and to ensure consistent quality of delivery for all operational aspects of the charitable company. These procedures were reviewed by an independent qualified accountant in the spring of 2013 and continue to be reviewed annually. The Board accepted all the recommendations for further improvements to the system made in the regular six monthly reviews of the risk register.
Page 35 of 57
**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire Trustee Report**
## **Disclosure of information to auditor**
Each Trustee has taken steps that they ought to have taken as a Trustee in order to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the charity’s auditor is aware of that information. The Trustees confirm that there is no relevant information that they know of and of which they know the auditor is unaware.
The annual report was approved by the Trustees of the charity on Date of trustee approval of the annual report and signed on its behalf by:
**M.A Beere Chair of Trustees**
**P. J. G. Symonds Treasurer**
Page 36 of 57
**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire Trustee Report**
## **Statement of Trustees’ Responsibilities**
The Trustees, who are also the directors of Citizens Advice Leicestershire for the purpose of company law, are responsible for preparing the Trustees' Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
Company law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that year.
In preparing these financial statements, the Trustees are required to:
- select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
- observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;
- make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
- state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and
- prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation.
The Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities
## **Auditor**
In accordance with the company's articles, a resolution proposing that Xeinadin Audit Limited be reappointed as auditor of the company will be put at a General Meeting.
The Trustees' report was approved by the Board of Trustees on and signed on its 24-10-2025 behalf by:
**M.A Beere Chair of Trustees**
**P. J. G. Symonds Treasurer**
Page 37 of 57
**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire**
## **Financial Statements**
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the financial statements and comply with the charity's governing document, the Companies Act 2006, FRS 102 "The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland" and the Charities SORP "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)".
- Independent Auditor’s Report to the Members of Citizens Advice LeicesterShire
- Statement of financial activities
- Balance Sheet
- Statement of cash flow
- Notes to the Financial Statements
Page 38 of 57
**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire**
## **Independent Auditor’s Report to the Members of Citizens Advice LeicesterShire**
## **Opinion**
We have audited the financial statements of Citizens Advice Leicestershire (the ‘charity’) for the year ended 31 March 2025 which comprise the statement of financial activities, the balance sheet, the statement of cash flows and notes to the financial statements, including significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 _The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland_ (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
In our opinion, the financial statements:
- give a true and fair view of the state of the charitable company's affairs as at 31 March 2025 and of its incoming resources and application of resources, for the year then ended;
- have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and
- have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.
## **Basis for opinion**
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the _Auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements_ section of our report. We are independent of the charity in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
## **Conclusions relating to going concern**
In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the Trustees' use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.
Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.
Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the Trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.
## **Other information**
The other information comprises the information included in the annual report other than the financial statements and our auditor's report thereon. The Trustees are responsible for the other information contained within the annual report. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.
We have nothing to report in this regard.
Page 39 of 57
**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire**
## **Independent Auditor’s Report (Continued) to the Members of Citizens Advice LeicesterShire**
## **Matters on which we are required to report by exception**
We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:
- the information given in the financial statements is inconsistent in any material respect with the Trustees' report; or
- sufficient accounting records have not been kept; or
- the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records; or
- we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit.
## **Responsibilities of Trustees**
As explained more fully in the statement of Trustees' responsibilities, the Trustees, who are also the directors of the charity for the purpose of company law, are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the Trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error. In preparing the financial statements, the Trustees are responsible for assessing the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the Trustees either intend to liquidate the charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.
## **Auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements**
We have been appointed as auditor under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 and report in accordance with the Act and relevant regulations made or having effect thereunder.
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor's report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.
The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud, is detailed below.
- We obtained an understanding of the legal and regulatory frameworks that are applicable to the charitable company;
- We enquired of management, whether they were aware of any instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations or whether they had any knowledge of actual, suspected or alleged fraud;
- We assessed the susceptibility of the entity's financial statements to material misstatement, including how fraud might occur;
- We tested journal entries or evidence of any that were unusual or unexpected;
- We evaluated the assumptions and judgements used by management within significant accounting estimates and assessing if these indicated evidence of management bias;
- We tested significant transactions, in particular the evaluation of the business rationale for any which appears unusual or outside the charitable company's normal course of business.
A further description of our responsibilities is available on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: https:// www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor's report.
Page 40 of 57
**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire**
## **Independent Auditor’s Report (Continued) to the Members of Citizens Advice LeicesterShire**
## **Use of our report**
This report is made solely to the charity’s trustees, as a body, in accordance with Part 4 of the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charity’s trustees those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charity and the charity’s trustees as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.
## **Jordan Cain ACA (Senior Statutory Auditor)**
For and on behalf of Xeinadin Audit Limited, Statutory Auditor
Chartered Accountants Cabourn House Station Street Bingham Nottinghamshire NG13 8AQ
27/10/2025 Date: .........................
Page 41 of 57
**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire**
## **Statement of financial activities**
## **Including the Income and Expenditure account**
## **For the year ended 31[st] March 2025**
|**Current financial year**||**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**|**Total**|**Total**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||**funds**|**funds**|||
|||**2025**|**2025**|**2025**|**2024**|
||**Notes**|**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|
|**Income and endowments from:**||||||
|Donations and legacies|**3**|4,465|-|4,465|6,854|
|Charitable activities|**4**|422,386|1,265,943|4,688,329|1.633.611|
|Investments|**5**|4,318|-|4,318|-|
|Other income|**6**|1,812|1,926|3,738|-|
|**Total income**||432,981|1,267,869|1,700,850|1,640,465|
|**Expenditure on:**||||||
|Charitable activities|**7**|457,423|1,419,768|1,877,191|1,642,512|
|Other expenditure|**12**|12,595|-|12,595|21,980|
|**Total expenditure**||470,018|1,419,768|1,889,786|1,664,492|
|**Net expenditure**||(37,037)|(151,899)|(188,936)|(24,027)|
|Transfers between funds||(151,899)|151,899|-|-|
|**Net movements in funds**|**9**|(188,936)|-|(188,936)|(24,027)|
|**Reconciliation of funds:**||||||
|Fund balances at 1stApril 2024||628,310|-|628,310|652,337|
|**Fund balances at 31st March 2025**||439,374|-|439,374|628,310|
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
Page 42 of 57
**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire**
## **Statement of financial activities (Continued)**
## **Including the Income and Expenditure account**
## **For the year ended 31[st] March 2025**
|**Prior financial year**||**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**|**Total**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|||**funds**|**funds**||
|||**2024**|**2024**|**2024**|
||**Notes**|**£**|**£**|**£**|
|**Income and endowments from:**|||||
|Donations and legacies|**3**|6,854|-|6,854|
|Charitable activities|**4**|428,990|1,204,621|1.633.611|
|**Total income**||435,844|1,204,621|1,640,465|
|**Expenditure on:**|||||
|Charitable activities|**7**|288,062|1,354,450|1,642,512|
|Other expenditure|**12**|21,980|-|21,980|
|**Total expenditure**||310,042|1,354,450|1,664,492|
|**Net income/(expenditure)**||125,802|(149,8290|(24,027)|
|Transfers between funds||(148,821)|148,821|-|
|**Net movements in funds**|**9**|(23,019)|(1,008)|(24,027)|
|**Reconciliation of funds:**|||||
|Fund balances at 1stApril 2023||651,329|1,008|652,337|
|**Fund balances at 31st March 2024**||628,310|-|628,310|
Page 43 of 57
**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire**
## **Balance Sheet**
## **As at 31[st] March 2025**
|||**2025**||**2024**|**2024**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Notes**|**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|
|**Current assets**||||||
|Debtors|**15**|59,413||57,091||
|Cash at bank and in hand||599,566||742,565||
|||658,979||799,656||
|**Creditors: amounts falling due within one**
**year**|**16**|(219,605)||(171,346)||
|**Net current assets**|||439,374||628,310|
|**The funds of the charity**||||||
|Unrestricted funds|**20**||439,374||628,310|
||||439,374||628,310|
The company is entitled to the exemption from the audit requirement contained in section 477 of the Companies Act 2006, for the year ended 31 March 2025.
The directors acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 with respect to accounting records and the preparation of financial statements.
The members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its financial statements under the requirements of the Companies Act 2006, for the year in question in accordance with section 476.
These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies regime.
## 24-10-2025
The financial statements were approved by the Trustees on .........................
## **M.A Beere**
**Chair of Trustees**
## **P. J. G. Symonds Treasurer**
Company registration number 07186736 (England and Wales)
Page 44 of 57
**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire**
## **Statement of cash flows**
## **For the year ended 31[st] March 2025**
||||**2025**|||**2024**||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Notes**|**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|
|**Cash flows from operating activities**||||||||
|Cash absorbed by operations|**22**|||(147,317)|||(180,841)|
|**Investing activities**||||||||
|Investment income received||4,318|318||-|-||
|**Net cash generated from investing activities**||||4,318|||-|
|**Net cash generated from financing activities**||||-|||-|
|**Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents**||||(142,999)|||(180,841)|
|Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year||||742,565|||923,406|
|**Cash and cash equivalents at end of year**||||599,566|||742,565|
Page 45 of 57
**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire**
## **Notes to the Financial Statements**
## **For the year ended 31[st] March 2025**
## **1 Accounting policies**
## **Charity information**
Citizens Advice Leicestershire is a charitable company registered with the Charity Commission in England & Wales. The charity's registered number and office address can be found in the trustees report.
## **1.1 Accounting convention**
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the charity's governing document, the Companies Act 2006, FRS 102 "The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland" and the Charities SORP "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)". The charity is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the charity. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention, with the exception of investments which are included at market value.
The charity meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102.
## **1.2 Going concern**
At the time of approving the financial statements, the Trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus the Trustees continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.
## **1.3 Charitable funds**
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the Trustees in furtherance of their charitable objectives.
Restricted funds are subject to specific conditions by donors or grantors as to how they may be used. The purposes and uses of the restricted funds are set out in the notes to the financial statements.
## **1.4 Income**
Income is recognised when the charity is legally entitled to it after any performance conditions have been met, the amounts can be measured reliably, and it is probable that income will be received.
Cash donations are recognised on receipt. Other donations are recognised once the charity has been notified of the donation, unless performance conditions require deferral of the amount. Income tax recoverable in relation to donations received under Gift Aid or deeds of covenant is recognised at the time of the donation.
Legacies are recognised on receipt or otherwise if the charity has been notified of an impending distribution, the amount is known, and receipt is expected. If the amount is not known, the legacy is treated as a contingent asset.
Grants are recognised when it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably based on performance and specific deliverables.
Page 46 of 57
**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire**
## **Notes to the Financial Statements (Continued)**
## **For the year ended 31[st] March 2025**
## **1 Accounting policies**
**(Continued)**
## **1.5 Expenditure**
Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to transfer economic benefit to a third party, 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 classified by activity. The costs of each activity are made up of the total of direct costs and shared costs, including support costs involved in undertaking each activity. Direct costs attributable to a single activity are allocated directly to that activity. Shared costs which contribute to more than one activity and support costs which are not attributable to a single activity are apportioned between those activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources. Central staff costs are allocated on the basis of time spent, and depreciation charges are allocated on the portion of the asset’s use.
All expenditure is inclusive of irrecoverable VAT.
## **1.6 Tangible fixed assets**
Tangible fixed assets are initially measured at cost and subsequently measured at cost or valuation, net of depreciation and any impairment losses.
Depreciation is recognised so as to write off the cost or valuation of assets less their residual values over their useful lives on the following bases:
Furniture and equipment
3 years straight line
## **1.7 Cash and cash equivalents**
Cash and cash equivalents include cash in hand, deposits held at call with banks, other short-term liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less, and bank overdrafts. Bank overdrafts are shown within borrowings in current liabilities.
## **1.8 Financial instruments**
The charity has elected to apply the provisions of Section 11 ‘Basic Financial Instruments’ and Section 12 ‘Other Financial Instruments Issues’ of FRS 102 to all of its financial instruments.
Financial instruments are recognised in the charity's balance sheet when the charity becomes party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.
Financial assets and liabilities are offset, with the net amounts presented in the financial statements, when there is a legally enforceable right to set off the recognised amounts and there is an intention to settle on a net basis or to realise the asset and settle the liability simultaneously.
## _**Basic financial assets**_
Basic financial assets, which include debtors and cash and bank balances, are initially measured at transaction price including transaction costs and are subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the transaction is measured at the present value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial assets classified as receivable within one year are not amortised.
Page 47 of 57
**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire**
## **Notes to the Financial Statements (Continued)**
## **For the year ended 31[st] March 2025**
## **1 Accounting policies**
## **(Continued)**
## _**Basic financial liabilities**_
Basic financial liabilities, including creditors and bank loans are initially recognised at transaction price unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the debt instrument is measured at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial liabilities classified as payable within one year are not amortised.
Debt instruments are subsequently carried at amortised cost, using the effective interest rate method.
Trade creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of operations from suppliers. Amounts payable are classified as current liabilities if payment is due within one year or less. If not, they are presented as non-current liabilities. Trade creditors are recognised initially at transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.
## _**Derecognition of financial liabilities**_
Financial liabilities are derecognised when the charity’s contractual obligations expire or are discharged or cancelled.
## **1.9 Taxation**
The charity is exempt from corporation tax on its charitable activities.
## **1.10 Retirement benefits**
The charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme for staff. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the charity in an independently administered fund. Contributions payable to the charity's pension scheme are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities in the period to which they relate.
## **2 Critical accounting estimates and judgements**
In the application of the charity’s accounting policies, the Trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised where the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods where the revision affects both current and future periods.
## **3 Income from donations and legacies**
||**Unrestricted**|**Unrestricted**|
|---|---|---|
||**funds**|**funds**|
||**2025**|**2024**|
||**£**|**£**|
|Donations and gifts|4,465|6,854|
Page 48 of 57
**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire**
## **Notes to the Financial Statements (Continued)**
## **For the year ended 31[st] March 2025**
- **4 Income from charitable activities**
|**4**
**Income from charitable activities**|**Income from charitable activities**|**Income from charitable activities**|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**|**Total**|**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**|**Total**|
||**funds**|**funds**||**funds**|**funds**||
||**2025**|**2025**|**2025**|**2024**|**2024**|**2024**|
||**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|
|**Charitable activities**|||||||
|General advice|422,386|441,154|863,540|428,990|382,011|811,001|
|Debt advice|-|137,770|137,770|-|137,498|137,498|
|Benefits advice|-|585,978|585,978|-|608,469|608,469|
|Pension advice and
financial capability|-|101,041|101,041|-|76,643|76,643|
||422,386|1,265,943|1,688,329|428,990|1,204,621|1,633,611|
## **5 Income from investments**
Interest receivable
|**Unrestricted**|**Unrestricted**|
|---|---|
|**funds**|**funds**|
|**2025**|**2024**|
|**£**|**£**|
|4,318|-|
## **6 Other income**
|**Other income**|**Other income**||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**|**Total**|**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**|**Total**|
||**funds**|**funds**||**funds**|**funds**||
||**2025**|**2025**|**2025**|**2024**|**2024**|**2024**|
||**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|
|Other income|1,812|1,926|3,738|-|-|-|
Page 49 of 57
**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire**
## **Notes to the Financial Statements (Continued)**
**For the year ended 31[st] March 2025**
## **7 Expenditure on charitable activities**
|**7**
**Expenditure on charitable activities**|||
|---|---|---|
||**Charitable**|**Charitable**|
||**activities**|**activities**|
||**2025**|**2024**|
||**£**|**£**|
|**Direct costs**|||
|General advice|1,017,840|782,417|
|Debt advice|169,801|166,370|
|Benefits advice|588,146|617,082|
|Pensions guidance and financial capability|101,404|76,643|
||1,877,191|1,642,512|
|**Analysis by fund**|||
|Unrestricted funds|457,423|288,062|
|Restricted funds|1,419,768|1,354,450|
||1,877,191|1,642,512|
Page 50 of 57
**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire**
## **Notes to the Financial Statements (Continued)**
**For the year ended 31[st] March 2025**
- **8 Support costs allocated to activities**
||**Governance**|**Staff costs**|**Office costs**|**Premises**|**Other**|**Total**|**Total**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**costs**|||**costs**||||
||**2025**|**2025**|**2025**|**2025**|**2025**|**2025**|**2024**|
||**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|
|General advice|12,558|54,818|98,201|46,206|319|212,102|134,150|
|Debt service|1,635|7,138|12,787|6,017|42|27,619|20,499|
|Benefits service|5,563|28,650|51,323|24,149|167|110,852|77,185|
|Pensions guidance and financial capability|579|2,526|4,525|2,129|15|9,774|9,591|
||21,335|93,132|166,836|78,501|543|360,347|241,425|
Page 51 of 57
**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire**
## **Notes to the Financial Statements (Continued)**
## **For the year ended 31[st] March 2025**
## **9 Net movement in funds**
|**Net movement in funds**|||
|---|---|---|
||**2025**|**2024**|
||**£**|**£**|
|The net movement in funds is stated after charging/(crediting):|||
|Fees payable for the audit of the charity's financial statements|12,595|13,299|
## **10 Trustees**
None of the Trustees (or any persons connected with them) received any remuneration or benefits from the charity during the year.
## **11 Employees**
The average monthly number of employees during the year was:
||**2025**|**2024**|
|---|---|---|
||**Number**|**Number**|
|Charitable purposes|57|52|
|Management and administration|4|4|
|Total|61|56|
|**Employment costs**|**2025**|**2024**|
||**£**|**£**|
|Wages and salaries|1,420,924|1,243,735|
|Social security costs|117,551|104,911|
|Pension costs|69,876|65,742|
||1,608,351|1,414,388|
Redundancy and termination payments totalling £23,435 were made in the reporting period.
The number of employees whose annual remuneration was more than £60,000 is as follows:
||**2025**|**2024**|
|---|---|---|
||**Number**|**Number**|
|£60,001-£70,000|1|1|
|**Remuneration of key management personnel**|||
|The remuneration of key management personnel was as follows:|||
||**2025**|**2024**|
||**£**|**£**|
|Aggregate compensation|227,636|198,504|
The Trustees consider key management to be the senior management team as described at the start of these financial statements on the legal and administrative information page.
Page 52 of 57
**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire**
## **Notes to the Financial Statements (Continued)**
## **For the year ended 31[st] March 2025**
## **12 Other expenditure**
|**Other expenditure**|||
|---|---|---|
||**Unrestricted**|**Unrestricted**|
||**funds**|**funds**|
||**2025**|**2024**|
||**£**|**£**|
|Staff costs|-|8,681|
|Audit fees|12,595|13,299|
||12,595|21,980|
## **13 Taxation**
The charity is exempt from taxation on its activities because all its income is applied for charitable purposes.
## **14 Tangible fixed assets**
|||**Furniture**|
|---|---|---|
|||**and**|
|||**equipment**|
|||**£**|
|**Cost**|||
|At 1stApril 2024||81,795|
|Disposals||(81,795)|
||||
|**Depreciation and impairment**|||
|At 1stApril 2024||81,795|
|Eliminated in respect of disposals||(81,795)|
||||
|**Carrying amount**|||
|At 31stMarch 2025||-|
|At 31stMarch 2024||-|
|**Debtors**|||
||**2025**|**2024**|
|**Amounts falling due within one year:**|**£**|**£**|
|Trade debtors|10,117|33,436|
|Accrued income|40,313|5,420|
|Prepayments|8,983|18,235|
||59,413|57,091|
## **15 Debtors**
Page 53 of 57
**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire**
## **Notes to the Financial Statements (Continued)**
## **For the year ended 31[st] March 2025**
## **16 Creditors: Amounts falling due within one year**
|||**2025**|**2024**|
|---|---|---|---|
||**Notes**|**£**|**£**|
|Deferred income|**17**|104,002|66,617|
|Trade creditors||24,318|5,530|
|Other creditors||24,403|68,006|
|Accruals||66,882|31,193|
|||219,605|171,346|
## **17 Deferred income**
|**Deferred income**|||
|---|---|---|
||**2025**|**2024**|
||**£**|**£**|
|Other deferred income|104,002|66,617|
|Deferred income is included in the financial statements as follows:|||
||**2025**|**2024**|
||**£**|**£**|
|Deferred income is included within:|||
|Current liabilities|104,002|66,617|
|Movements in the year:|||
|Deferred income at 1stApril 2024|66,617|171,379|
|Released from previous periods|(66,617)|(171,379)|
|Resources deferred in the year|104,002|66,617|
|Deferred income at 31stMarch 2025|104,002|66,617|
Income is deferred only in the following scenarios:
- The donor specifies that the grant or donation must only be used in future accounting periods.
- The donor has imposed conditions which must be met before the charity has unconditional entitlement.
## **18 Retirement benefit scheme**
|**Retirement benefit scheme**|||
|---|---|---|
||**2025**|**2024**|
|**Defined contribution schemes**|**£**|**£**|
|Charge to profit or loss in respect of defined contribution schemes|69,876|65,742|
The charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme for all qualifying employees. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the charity in an independently administered fund.
Page 54 of 57
**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire**
## **Notes to the Financial Statements (Continued)**
## **For the year ended 31[st] March 2025**
## **19 Restricted funds**
The restricted funds of the charity comprise the unexpended balances of donations and grants held on trust subject to specific conditions by donors as to how they may be used.
||**As at 1st April**|**April**
**Incoming**|**Resources**|**Transfers**|**As at 31st March**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**2024**|**resources**|**expended**||**2025**|
||**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|
|Leicester City Council|-|342,426|(460,004)|117,578|-|
|Macmillan|-|192,965|(192,965)|-|-|
|Pension Wise|-|55,182|(55,182)|-|-|
|Money Advice Service|-|135,843|(169,801)|33,958|-|
|Help to claim|-|373,567|(373,567)|-|-|
|EMSTN|-|38,511|(38,511)|-|-|
|Hinckley Foodbank|-|40,861|(40,861)|-|-|
|LES|-|20,995|(20,995)|-|-|
|Laptops and Headsets|-|377|(377)|-|-|
|Lutterworth Foodbank|-|21,284|(21,284)|-|-|
|Multiply|-|33,949|(34,312)|363|-|
|UKSPF|-|11,909|(11,909)|-|-|
||-|1,267,869|(1,419,768)|151,899|-|
|**Previous year:**|**As at 1st April**|**April**
**Incoming**|**Resources**|**Transfers**|**As at 31st March**|
||**2023**|**resources**|**expended**||**2024**|
||**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|
|Leicester City Council|-|326,064|(432,651)|106,587|-|
|Macmillan|-|153,410|(162,023)|8,613|-|
|Pension Wise|-|76,643|(76,643)|-|-|
|Money Advice Service|-|137,498|(166,370)|28,872|-|
|AMSS|-|93,552|(93,552)|-|-|
|Help to claim|-|303,071|(303,071)|-|-|
|Moneywise Plus|1,008|-|(1,008)|-|-|
|EMSTN|-|36,054|(36,054)|-|-|
|Hinckley Foodbank|-|22,382|(22,382)|-|-|
|Cost of Living|-|15,000|(16,189)|1,189|-|
|LES|-|13,335|(16,895)|3,560|-|
|Laptops and Headsets|-|2,122|(2,122)|-|-|
|Multiply|-|25,490|(25,490)|-|-|
||1,008|1,204,621|(1,354,450)|148,821|-|
Transfers from general to restricted funds are done so to meet overspends on restricted projects or to correct previous period transfers made in error.
Page 55 of 57
**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire**
## **Notes to the Financial Statements (Continued)**
## **For the year ended 31[st] March 2025**
## **19 Restricted funds (Continued)**
The specific purposes for which the funds are to be applied are as follows:
Leicester City Council - to provide general and specialist advice to the residents of Leicester City.
Macmillan - part of countywide funding received from Macmillan Cancer to offer advice to those living with cancer, their careers and family.
Pension Wise - the Bureau was appointed as a delivery centre for the Government's Pension Wise Guidance Service. The Bureau delivered the service across the County from 2016 as part of a consortium of Local Citizen Advice.
Money Advice Service - EMMA is the lead contractor in the East Midlands for the Government's Money Advice Service (MAS) and provides funding for three full time equivalent specialist Money Advice caseworker roles.
Help to Claim Service - Part of a national service supporting people to make a Universal Credit claim and supporting them through that process until they receive their first full payment.
EMSTN - Providing free advice on a range of social welfare issues to anyone in the East Midlands area who is affected by Sickle Cell or Thalassaemia - including patients and their families.
Hinckley Foodbank - Funded by Hinckley Area Food bank and in collaboration with Trussell Trust providing advice and ongoing casework to people accessing the Lutterworth & Villages Foodbank to tackle the issues that have led to their need for emergency food support.
Lutterworth Foodbank - Funded by The PCC (Parochial Church Council) and in collaboration with Trussell Trust providing advice and ongoing casework to people accessing the Lutterworth & Villages Foodbank to tackle the issues that have led to their need for emergency food support.
LES - Leicestershire Energy Support (LES) aims to improve wellbeing and confidence for vulnerable energy consumers by providing advice and referrals which will help to mitigate the impact of the increased cost of energy.
Multiply - a practical numeracy programme to enable adults aged 19+ who do not have a level 2 maths qualification to gain increased confidence with numbers and improve their ability to manage their money.
## **20 Unrestricted funds**
The unrestricted funds of the charity comprise the unexpended balances of donations and grants which are not subject to specific conditions by donors and grantors as to how they may be used. These include designated funds which have been set aside out of unrestricted funds by the trustees for specific purposes.
||**As at 1st April**|**April**
**Incoming**|**Resources**|**Transfers**|**As at 31st March**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**2024**|**resources**|**expended**||**2025**|
||**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|
|General funds|634,988|432,981|(470,018)|(151,899)|446,052|
|Leicester City Council|(6,678)|-|-|-|(6,678)|
||628,310|432,981|(470,018)|(151,899)|439,374|
Page 56 of 57
**Citizens Advice LeicesterShire**
## **Notes to the Financial Statements (Continued)**
## **For the year ended 31[st] March 2025**
## **20 Unrestricted funds**
## **(Continued)**
|**Previous year:**|**As at 1st April**|**April**
**Incoming**|**Resources**|**Transfers**|**As at 31st March**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**2023**|**resources**|**expended**||**2024**|
||**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|
|General funds|658,007|435,844|(310,042)|(148,821)|634,988|
|Leicester City Council|(6,678)|-|-|-|(6,678)|
||651,329|435,844|(310,042)|(148,821)|628,310|
## **21 Related party transactions**
During the year the charity made the following related party transactions:
## **Citizens Advice (UK)**
CITAL is a member of Citizens Advice, the national charity (Charity Number: 279057) which sets out a framework for standards of advice and case management and supports with an information system, training and other services.
Total costs for membership during the year were £11,536 (2024: £11,159)
At the balance sheet date the amount due from Citizens Advice (UK) was £Nil (2024: £263)
## **22 Cash absorbed by operations**
|**Cash absorbed by operations**|||
|---|---|---|
||**2025**|**2024**|
||**£**|**£**|
|Deficit for the year|(188,936)|(24,027)|
|**Adjustments for:**|||
|Investment income recognised in statement of financial activities|(4,318)|-|
|**Movements in working capital:**|||
|(Increase)/decrease in debtors|(2,322)|32,877|
|Increase/(decrease) in creditors|10,874|(84,929)|
|Increase/(decrease) in deferred income|37,385|(104,762)|
|**Cash absorbed by operations**|(147,317)|(180,841)|
## **23 Analysis of changes in net funds**
The charity had no debt during the year.
Page 57 of 57
## **Free, confidential advice.**
## **Whoever you are.**
We help people overcome their problems and campaign on big issues when their voices need to be heard.
We value diversity, champion equality, and challenge discrimination and harassment.
We’re here for everyone.
## 99090 **citizensadviceleicestershire.org.uk**
Published September 2025
Citizens Advice LeicesterShire is an operating name of LeicesterShire Citizens Advice Bureau. Registered charity number 1135081
Company Limited by guarantee. Registered number 07186736
Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Firm Reference Number (FRN): 617648 Registered office: Clarence House, 46 Humberstone Gate, Leicester LE1 3PJ