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← York St John Students' Union

2025-07-31-accounts

STUDENTS’ UNION Annual Trustees’ Report and Accounts

Charity No: 1136905 Company No: 07250320 ras UT 1

Document ID: b4c3f19d83434270a3a0169d0d8f6c3e130ca4f5184d940b61dd8f2875c7e9a3

York St John Students’ Union - YE 31 July 2025

Contents

Administrative Information page 3
Introduction from the President page 4
Strategy and Objectives page 5
How YSJSU achieves Public Benefit page 7
Overview of Activities, Achievements, and Performance page 8
Future Plans page 18
Structure, Management and Governance page 19
Financial Review page 21
Responsibilities of the Trustees page 25
Auditor's Report page 26
Statement of Financial Activities page 30
Balance Sheet page 31
Cash Flow Statement page 32
Notes on the Financial Statements page 33

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Document ID: b4c3f19d83434270a3a0169d0d8f6c3e130ca4f5184d940b61dd8f2875c7e9a3

York St John Students’ Union - YE 31 July 2025

Administrative Information

Legal Status

York St John Students' Union Limited (YSJSU) is a charity registered in England and Wales and is incorporated as a Company Limited by Guarantee (CLG). Charity Registration Number: 1136905 , Company Registration Number: 07250320.

Principal Office

The principal office of YSJSU is at York St John Students' Union, York St John University, Lord Mayor's Walk, York Y031 7EX. The Students’ Union also has an office at the University London Campus: York St John University, Floor 6, Export Building, 1 Clove Crescent, London E14 2BA.

Charity Trustees and Company Directors

Position Name Term Dates
Sabbatical Trustee Abinash Chaudhary 01/07/2024 to 30/06/2025
Sabbatical Trustee Kamil Lawal 01/07/2023 to 30/06/2025
Sabbatical Trustee Mario Owiriwa 01/07/2023 to 30/06/2025
Sabbatical Trustee Efosa Iyekekpolor 01/07/2025 to Present
Sabbatical Trustee Ann-Marie Mafura 01/07/2025 to Present
External Trustee Matthew Hunnybun 01/07/2022 to Present
External Trustee Simon Crack 01/09/2022 to Present
External Trustee Charlotte Burke 01/07/2023 to Present
External Trustee Daniel Tinkler 01/07/2023 to Present
External Trustee Robert Linton 01/07/2024 to Present
Student Trustee Patric Mewse 01/07/2024 to Present
Student Trustee Koen Torinsci-Groves 01/07/2024 to 30/06/2025
Student Trustee Aidan Ovenden 01/07/2025 to Present
Student Trustee Anuoluwapo Okusanya 01/07/2025 to Present

Other Company Officers

Other CompanyOfficers
Position Name Term Dates
Company Secretary Donna Smith 28/01/2019 to Present

Auditor

Sumer Auditco Limited, Rievaulx House, 1 St Mary’s Court, Blossom Street, York, YO24 1AH

Bankers

HSBC plc, PO Box 26, 13 Parliament Street, York, YO1 8XS

Management Personnel

York St John Students' Union (YSJSU) employs a Chief Executive Officer to work closely with the Sabbatical Trustees, other elected representatives, and the staff team to ensure effective management of the charity. The Trustees delegate the day to day running of YSJSU to the Chief Executive Officer and to the Management Team.

During the 2024/25 financial year the Senior Management Team were as follows:

Position Name Term Dates
Chief Executive Officer Donna Smith 28/01/2019 to Present
Head of Operations & Business Development David Tait 01/02/2018 to Present
Head of Finance and Resources David Green 01/03/2016 to Present

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Document ID: b4c3f19d83434270a3a0169d0d8f6c3e130ca4f5184d940b61dd8f2875c7e9a3

York St John Students’ Union - YE 31 July 2025

Introduction from the Chair of the Board of Trustees

Chair of the Board of Trustees 2024-25

The 2024/25 year was a year filled with continued student growth in our student population, with over 13,000 students now studying at York St John University. The 2023/24 year provided many successes and many challenges for the Students’ Union, set against a national social backdrop of the continued Cost of Living Crisis, policy changes for international students, and a turbulent higher education sector.

Our Presidential team sought to prioritise the Student Experience ensuring we represented as many of our students as possible. The Presidential team advocated heavily for changes internally to the university and nationally regarding access to education for under-privileged and international students. Here, we lobbied and made a productive relationship with the York MP and spoke about student issues in Parliament and at two All Party Parliamentary Group meetings. As President, I became the North-East NUS lead and led many conversations around student issues within the region and nationally. The Students’ Union built a closer working relationship with the NUS, participating in national level conversations and even hosted a visit from the NUS President.

Throughout the year, we have challenged the university about policy and support for students and have been in dialogue regarding the governance of the Students’ Union. This proved to be a challenging time for the staff team and the Board and I am pleased to see that all issues have been resolved during the summer of 2025, resulting in a very productive working relationship between the SU and university.

Some highlights include the work with NUS, the commitment from the University to continue the sport and societies subsidies, with sport returning to 40% subsidy in 2025/26, changes in policy for students and the work around the Progression Scholarships, where students going into PG study from UG study can receive up to 40% discount on their PG study fees. Our advice service once again proved to be a real asset to our students, increasing in use by students once again from previous years, and positive feedback was continuously received. Importantly, most students using the service say that it has had a direct impact on them staying at or graduating from university.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time and I would like to thank all of those who contributed to an incredibly successful year including our SU staff team, Trustee Board and Part-Time Officers. I also would like to wish a warm welcome to Efosa Iyekekpolor and Ann-Marie Mafura as upcoming Presidents of the Students' Union. I want to extend my thanks to the SU Team and Board, and especially to my fellow Presidents, Kamil and Mario, who I will miss dearly. I am proud of the work we have achieved over my time as President of the Students' Union and Chair of the Board of Trustees.

Abinash Chaudhary - President of the Students’ Union / Chair of the Board of Trustees 2024-2025

Chair of the Board of Trustees 2025-26

It gives me great honour to serve as the new Chair of the Board of Trustees of YSJSU for the 2025–2026 academic year. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to our outgoing Chair, Abinash Chaudhary, who led the Board with dedication and vision during the 2024–2025 academic year. His commitment has provided a strong foundation upon which we will continue to build.

I am especially delighted to work alongside Ann-Marie Mafura, our SU President of Undergraduate Experience, whose passion for student life is truly inspiring, and with our exceptional SU staff team, who consistently go above and beyond to support and advocate for our students. With the dedication of our officers, trustees, and staff, I am confident that YSJSU will continue to grow in strength, inclusivity, and impact. Thank you all for your commitment and contributions — I look forward to an exciting and successful year ahead.

Efosa Iyekekpolor - President of the Students’ Union (Postgraduate Experience) / Chair of the Board of Trustees 2025-26

Document ID: b4c3f19d83434270a3a0169d0d8f6c3e130ca4f5184d940b61dd8f2875c7e9a3

York St John Students’ Union - YE 31 July 2025

YSJSU Strategic Plan

The 2024-27 strategic plan was implemented in August 2024. During 2024/25, the Students’ Union worked towards the following priorities:

MISSION

We aim to empower students at York St John University to challenge and change the world around us.

VISION

York St John Students’ Union will play a major part in the life and transformation of students by being what they need us to be.

VALUES

INCLUSIVE: Provide activities and spaces that make students feel that they belong.

TRANSFORMATIVE: Ensure that the Students’ Union provides opportunities and experiences that positively change lives.

CHALLENGING: Constantly critique and question what we and our partners do to ensure that we are always striving to act in the best interests of students.

EMPOWERING: Equip students with the skills, opportunities, and experiences to enable their success.

FUN: Make student life at York St John University enjoyable and rewarding.

Priority 1

Make students feel like they belong and are ‘at home’ at York St John University.

We’ll do this by:

Priority 2

Ensure all students have a voice, are heard, and see that they can have an impact on the student experience.

We’ll do this by:

Priority 3

Increase opportunities that enable students to become more employable.

We’ll do this by:

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Document ID: b4c3f19d83434270a3a0169d0d8f6c3e130ca4f5184d940b61dd8f2875c7e9a3

York St John Students’ Union - YE 31 July 2025

Enablers

What Success Looks Like

YSJ University Partnership

To help us to be successful in achieving our aims, we ask for support from the university to:

Performance against the Strategic Plan’s Key Performance Indicators is detailed in the Overview of Activities and Performance section from page 8 of this document.

The full YSJSU Strategic Plan can be downloaded from the Documents section of the YSJSU website (www.ysjsu.com).

External Affiliations

There are several organisations that YSJSU formally affiliates with during each year. Affiliated bodies are recommended by the staff team based on operational need and agreement is sought via Student Council. The affiliations are approved by members at the Annual Members and Annual General Meetings. The following were External Affiliated Bodies for 2024/25:

*Sport affiliations now come under the Sport Union via YSJ Active (university department)

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Document ID: b4c3f19d83434270a3a0169d0d8f6c3e130ca4f5184d940b61dd8f2875c7e9a3

York St John Students’ Union - YE 31 July 2025

Public Benefit

YSJSU achieves public benefit via the advancement of the education for the students at York St John University by:

Promoting the interests and welfare of Students at York St John University during their course of study and representing, supporting, and advising Members

The Students’ Union provides a range of support and advice from individual one to one advice and advocacy for students, via online consultation, and via the website. YSJSU coordinates welfare campaigns throughout the year based on health, wellbeing, liberation, and student rights, and provides course-based representation via Course Reps, and student representation via the Student Leadership Group.

The Advice Service works with students facing academic related issues such as academic misconduct or appeals, and increasingly, advice regarding external factors such as housing. YSJSU continues to work with the university to provide the best support and advice possible for students who require support.

Being the recognised representative channel between Students and York St John University and any other external bodies

YSJSU’s elected officers attend university meetings and external council meetings such as York Antiracism forum and meetings with the local MP. At these meetings, representatives are responsible for highlighting student views to achieve positive change for students. YSJSU supports students to act as representatives on their courses, providing lecturers and university management with feedback on how the courses can be improved.

YSJSU hosts a range of student forums, where students can voice opinions and feedback about elements of student life relating to study, activities, and well-being.

Providing social, cultural, sporting, and recreational activities and forums for discussions and debate for the personal development of its members

During 2022/23, YSJSU and the University department - YSJ Active, entered a partnership to deliver student sport and created the ‘YSJ Sport Union’. The Sport Union has over 30 different sports clubs encompassing a various range of activities and interests. The committees of these groups are provided with support via the Sport Union regarding operational activities and are also given autonomy to direct and lead their activities, allowing students to gain experience within positions of responsibility.

YSJSU provides societies for students including cultural, religious and course related societies. YSJSU engages with the local community to help build links and relationships that are mutually beneficial to the University, local community and beyond.

YSJSU also builds marketing and sponsorship links with local independent businesses, mutually benefiting students and the local economy. YSJSU liaises with the local police and residents to ensure that York remains a safe, pleasant place for students and residents to live and work together .

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York St John Students’ Union - YE 31 July 2025

Overview of Activities & Achievements

Overview of 2024/25

The 2024/25 year was the first year of the 2024-27 Strategic Plan. The Plan is focused on a ‘students first’ approach; ensuring that everything that YSJSU does has students’ best interests, student development, and student empowerment at its heart.

YSJSU continued to work towards the achievement of its strategic key performance indicators and reports to the Trustee Board on progress at least twice per year. Correct at December 2025, the KPI and Project dashboards demonstrated the following progress:

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York St John Students’ Union - YE 31 July 2025

Strategic Highlights

Within the National Student Survey for 2025, YSJSU achieved 73% (target 80%) satisfaction regarding question 25, and 78.9% (target 80%) in the York St John Experience Survey. Student engagement is holding steady in multi-engagements at approximately 62% of the University population by July 2025. Once again, engagement increased with mature, international, and London campus students during 2024/25.

Staff satisfaction was again very high in the Employee Engagement Survey to 90%, with the average satisfaction percentage well continuing to be above the KPI threshold. YSJSU were awarded ‘Silver’ Investors in People Accreditation in November 2022, and a Disability Committed Employer, and retains both standards.

After consultation during 2023/24, the Students’ Union implemented the new Student Representation System for York St John University. The new representation system includes the introduction of our new Student Leadership Group (SLG), comprising two Full-Time Presidents and the Part-Time paid Chairs of School, Chairs of Networks, and Chair of Student Council. The SLG will be collectively responsible for student representation and SU campaigns and held accountable by Student Council. We expect that the new system will support increased and more consistent student representation throughout the University. Chairs of School and Chairs of Networks will be expected to provide brief updates of their work and student feedback.

During 2024/25, the Students’ Union undertook a review of the Articles of Association and Byelaws. The process began in October 2024 and concluded in September 2025, with the SU appointing Wilkin Chapman Rollits as supporting Legal Advisers regarding the process. There was extensive and detailed discussion with the university Executive Board during this review period. As a result of the governance review, changes to SU governance included:

Social Impact during 2024/25

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Document ID: b4c3f19d83434270a3a0169d0d8f6c3e130ca4f5184d940b61dd8f2875c7e9a3

York St John Students’ Union - YE 31 July 2025

Priority 1

Make students feel like they belong and are ‘at home’ at York St John University.

We’ll do this by:

In relation to this strategic priority, YSJSU has achieved the following:

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Document ID: b4c3f19d83434270a3a0169d0d8f6c3e130ca4f5184d940b61dd8f2875c7e9a3

York St John Students’ Union - YE 31 July 2025

Students as Partners within the City

The Presidents had the opportunity of a meeting with York Central MP: Rachael Maskell where the need to improve night-time safety, student accommodation prices, bus travel services and possible future projects and collaborations were discussed. The discussion was well received and YSJSU has established an ongoing relationship with the York Central MP.

The SU collaborated with the Council on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) to conduct a consultation with student leaders. This initiative, co-created with the SU, involves a creation of a designated student page on the council’s website. This page will provide students with easy access to information on resources and support available from the council. The Council’s lead in the session reported that it was the most thought-provoking session that she had facilitated so far.

The Students’ Union engaged with the York Older People’s Assembly to aid the coordination of the York 50+ Festival during September 2024, and the International Day of Older People Parade through York on Saturday 28 September 2024. The parade brought together residents of York, students and families in a showcase and celebration of multi-generational engagement.

Student Societies and Sport Union

2024/25 was the third year of the implementation of the YSJ Sport Union. During its second year of inception, the Sport Union has collaboratively:

At YSJSU, students have access to a diverse array of opportunities through academic, culture, faith and identity, and performance societies. These student-led groups organise their own projects, support charitable causes through dedicated campaigns, and, above all, create engaging experiences that enhance university life for their members. In 2024/25, 14 new societies were ratified.

York Pride 2025

YSJSU joined colleagues across the university to plan the university’s involvement in York Pride 2025. YSJSU took the lead to recruit volunteers to marshal during the parade and attend the YSJ Pride Stall, coordinate parade participants, provide a space for parade participants to meet previous to the parade, providing refreshments, face paints, decorations and costuming, and marketing and communications throughout the day. Over 100 students participated in the York Pride Parade, where an estimated 6000 people participated overall.

Political Activism within in the City and Nationally

The Presidents supported the NUS campaign ‘No Guarantors’ campaign to lobby MPs to abolish guarantor requirements for students. They met with the MP for York Central, Rachael Maskell, who supported the campaign and discussed extending our partnership in the year. The NUS Lobby Day was hosted at the House of Commons, where the Presidents took part and met with over 70 MPs and over 100 SU Presidents from across the UK who supported an amendment to the Renters Rights Bill to abolish the need for guarantors.

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Document ID: b4c3f19d83434270a3a0169d0d8f6c3e130ca4f5184d940b61dd8f2875c7e9a3

York St John Students’ Union - YE 31 July 2025

The Presidents also attended the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Students along with over 100 other SU leaders. The aim of the session was to shine a light on the escalating student cost-of-living crisis and the urgent need for reform in funding maintenance support for students in the UK. The Presidents have worked on this issue locally and nationally. In collaboration with the University of York Students’ Union and with letters of support from both Vice Chancellors, the unified Presidential teams called for the government to take action on:

Commercial Activities

The Students’ Union generates income via commercial services, whilst also providing students with a safe environment to socialise in. The Students’ Union can offer students products at a lower cost (compared to market competitors in the city centre) due to the partnership with the NUS Trading consortium and no rent or utility charges as these are covered by the University.

Licensed Trade

2025/26 saw the Bar performing well, cost savings predominantly on student staff wages and increased income (5% increase) compared to the previous year. Income continues to be bolstered by the food service keeping people in the venue for longer. Competition from the city centre continued to be an issue as city centre venues offer more deals for students.

Food and Coffee

Food income decreased 21% compared to last year, with more students choosing not to spend on food purchases. Sector wide, most SU’s are reporting decreases in food sales. The SU is modifying the food offer for 2025/26 to offer better value for money to try and reverse the fall of income in this area. Coffee saw another large increase in income of 24% year on year. The Coffee offer is no longer Starbucks from 2023/24 and more ‘value for money’ suppliers and has been very well received by students. We’re introducing additional products into the Lounge to try and further increase sales into 2025/26.

Merchandise

Sales of merchandise have been disappointing in 2024/25. For 2025/26 we’re updating our offer and introducing quarter zip tops and changing from screen printing a design on to embroidery to offer a more premium feel and hopefully increase sales from this year.

Welcome and Induction

The Welcome Week Survey reported 92% of students responded being “very satisfied” or ‘satisfied’. The Freshers Fair had the highest number of attendees recorded with over 3200 students engaging in the event (see below).

Year 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Welcome Fair
attendees		 - 2000
(approx.)		 2500
(approx.)		 3000
(approx.)		 3200
(approx..)
% of satisfied /
very satisfied		 46% 74% 89% 94% 92%

The September Welcome delivery saw further growth since 2023. All of the SU ticketed events sold out, and all other events were very well attended. The 2024 Welcome Fair featured 88 stalls; 56 of these were for student-led activities, 29 were from external partners, and 3 were led by internal SU or University services.

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York St John Students’ Union - YE 31 July 2025

This year, the University coordinated the post-Welcome survey. The Students’ Union received overall positive feedback about our Welcome offer through the University survey. Feedback from external stallholders was also very positive, with repeat bookings at the Refreshers Fair in February 2025, and repeat bookings for the September 2025 Freshers Fair.

The Students’ Union expanded the welcome programme to include more daytime activities that benefited key ‘hard to reach’ groups (such as mature, part-time, international students), and introduced more special events throughout the year such as mature students’ coffee catch ups, disabled students’ forums, and student social events at the London Campus. The responses to the Welcome Survey 2024 included:

The SU team engaged with university partners to welcome students who attended the Early Start Programme by providing discussions, sessions and social activities. The programme is designed for students who may have anxiety disorders, disabilities or are worried about beginning university life. The SU received very positive feedback about its involvement in the programme from both staff and students.

Campaigns

YSJSU coordinated and hosted many wellbeing and diversity related campaigns during the 2024/25 academic year including:

Black History Month and International Cultural Celebration

The SU organised an International Cultural Celebration, an initiative proposed by the International Officer to celebrate the diverse cultural backgrounds of our student body as part of Black History Month. The highlight of the event was a guest speaker session focused on “Setting Goals and Taking Actions: Leveraging Opportunities as an International Student”. This session received excellent feedback, with attendees requesting similar events in the future.

Stress Awareness Week

The SU organised Stress Awareness Week to emphasise the importance of mental wellbeing and to provide students with tools and strategies for managing stress. Activities included engagement sessions and signposting University services for students who may need support. Students were also encouraged to seek help if they were experiencing mental health challenges; ensuring they know where to find resources and assistance on campus.

16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign

The SU worked in partnership with the University to take part in the UN Women’s National campaign to raise awareness and galvanise action to end all forms of gender-based violence against women and girls. As part of this campaign, the university’s media production team worked with the SU’s Sexpression society to produce an informative video raising awareness of sexual violence and signposting the support available. The SU also hosted a demonstration of solidarity outside the SU building and a placard painting session to support this, numerous students, sports and societies took part to raise awareness of the campaign.

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York St John Students’ Union - YE 31 July 2025

Other campaigns during 2024/25 included:

Rate Your Landlord Scheme

YSJSU has been working on a partnership with Unipol Student Homes, the university, the University of York, York University SU and the City of York Council to introduce a ‘Rate Your Landlord’ Scheme. ‘Rate Your Landlord’ is a platform which gives students the opportunity to ‘rate’ their landlord. This feedback covers multiple categories like ‘value for money’ to ‘feels like a home’. YSJSU hosted the first York ‘Rate Your Landlord’ Awards which also celebrated the official launch of the website. The Awards gave recognition to those landlords who are doing the most for their tenants with award categories such as ‘Officers Pick’ and ‘Most Caring Landlord’. The event and scheme launch received positive reviews within the local press.

Digital Communications

Digital Communications are a huge part of the membership activities undertaken by the Students’ Union team. Over the past year, YSJSU Facebook performance has experienced a decline, which reflects a broader trend of students migrating to alternative platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. However, insights from our monthly social media audits indicate that Facebook continues to be an effective platform for sharing informative content, including campaign communications.

Priority 2

Ensure all students have a voice, are heard, and see that they can have an impact on the student experience.

We’ll do this by:

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York St John Students’ Union - YE 31 July 2025

In relation to this strategic priority, YSJSU has achieved the following:

Representation Review

Since October 2023, the Students’ Union has been undertaking a review of representation at YSJ. YSJSU has visited other SU’s, attended conference sessions on representation, listened to students and gained information from university partners. In March 2024, YSJSU and York St John University engaged with Alchemy to undertake a review of Student Representation and report back on findings. The consultation period occurred from mid-April to the end of May 2024, with the release of the final report on 11 June 2024.

YSJSU created a proposal with the Trustee Board approving the new representation system in January 2025. The 2025 election process was streamlined to include only two elected positions, while three new paid roles—Chairs of School, Chair of Student Council, and Chair of Networks—were filled through democratic appointment rather than traditional elections.

Representation on University Committees

The Officer Team, along with the members of the Student Council, represented students at York St John University through membership on over 35 university committees and groups. These include Board of Governors, Education Committee, Academic Board, and Finance and Capital Development Committee. Students' Union representatives are also members of various working groups throughout the university, and the CEO, BAME Students Officer and President of Wellbeing and Diversity are members of the Race Equality Charter Group. The Students' Union representatives ensure that decisions made at all levels of the university are for the benefit of students.

Student Council

The 2024/25 academic year continued the refocused approach to Student Council, emphasising student issue discussions and campaign planning. Attendance remained strong throughout the year, with a hybrid model implemented to enable London Officers' participation.

Council served as a consultation forum for senior university staff and members provided input on the new YSJ Pedagogy, Student Charter, and key policy updates. Throughout the Students' Union Representation Review and implementation, Council delivered valuable feedback that informed each stage of the process.

Council facilitated communication and collaboration between student leaders, resulting in successful events including the AI Conference, Stress Awareness Week, and Cultural Celebrations. Recognising the importance of leadership communication, monthly Student Leadership Group (SLG) meetings were introduced to further support this collaboration.

Course Representatives

The Academic Representation System is a university-wide framework which places student voice at the centre of the partnership between the university, students and SU. Course Reps represent and gather opinion and feedback on course content, quality, assessment and overall academic experiences. There was a reduction in number was due to the introduction of a cap of three Course Reps per Course per year group as requested by the University Executive Board.

Year 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Course Reps 262 283 366 453 373

The Course Representative training program was redesigned to focus on four core areas: understanding student voice, gathering and presenting feedback, developing communication skills, and closing the feedback loop. Training sessions were delivered on a school-by-school basis, enabling Course Reps to connect with their Chair of School and representatives from different year groups within their course. Attendees found significant value in networking with representatives across year levels, gaining insights into previously implemented changes and understanding overall course expectations. To support ongoing communication, Teams channels were established for Course Representatives within each school.

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York St John Students’ Union - YE 31 July 2025

Work is currently underway to assess how the current Course Rep system can be enhanced in alignment with the University’s Partnership Plus Policy. Evidence gathered so far from staff and students suggests that ‘student engagement’ needs to be reconceptualised to encapsulate more than just student attendance at meetings and the importance of fulfilling the feedback loop to maintain student engagement. Data gathered at the Annual Students Members Meeting reported that all respondents (13) felt that they were listened to and supported more by the Students’ Union than the University.

Generative AI Conference: A Collaborative Initiative

The SU, in collaboration with the University Teaching, Learning and Enhancement Team, hosted the inaugural Generative AI Conference. This event facilitated an active learning experience for both staff and students, offering hands-on opportunities to engage with generative AI technology. Participants explored the effective, efficient, and appropriate applications of this technology within the realms of learning, teaching and research.

Elections 2025

The Students’ Union Elections took place from Monday 10 March – Friday 14 March 2025 with voting from 12pm on 10 March to 5pm on 13 March 2025. The elections were for two new positions: the President of Undergraduate Experience and the President of Postgraduate Experience, which attracted 12 and 10 candidates for each position, the highest number of candidates within a Presidential election at YSJ. Unfortunately, 2 candidates for the President of Postgraduate Experience withdrew their nominations at the beginning of the voting period. The overall voter turnout for the YSJ elections was 23% of the membership (20% in 2024) (17% sector average) equating to 2949 unique voters.

The 2025 Election brought one of the most diverse presidential candidate profiles that YSJ has ever seen:

Advice Service

During 2024/25, the Advice Service engaged with 184 cases. Out of all of the cases, over 70 students articulated the service aided them to remain at the university or graduate successfully.

The Advice Service received 100% positive feedback regarding professionalism, listening and understanding, and appropriate advice. 98% of students who engaged with the survey were highly satisfied with the service.

The Service is seeing an increase in academic misconduct cases relating to accusations of AI misuse. Generally, students are supported by the Service to create an evidence base to demonstrate their authorship of the work. Where the accusation is upheld, Schools are often building strong evidence-based cases for the accusation. There have been some occasions where cases have not met the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) Good Practice standards at the School level, but in these instances, this has been overturned at the ACC stage. This is an area of developing practice across the sector, and we are looking forward to continuing to support the development of good practice at York St John University through the Academic Misconduct Working Group.

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York St John Students’ Union - YE 31 July 2025

The Service has supported multiple students undergoing disciplinary procedures relating to potential fraudulent payment of fees. This appears to be a rising case issue. Cases have similar hallmarks whereby the student provides their payment login details to a third party, who passes it further on to another party who attempts a fraudulent payment. In most cases the student is terminated.

University Mental Health Charter (UMHC)

The SLG have been involved in the roll out of the UMHC programme. The University’s Senior Project Manager attended the first Student Council meeting of the year to introduce the charter, what the framework entails and how the SLG play a big role as stakeholders in the development of the projects and interventions. This involved the SLG reporting their thoughts about current mental health and wellbeing strategies in the University and encouraging students to share their thoughts and feedback to help inform positive change.

General Student Voice and Feedback Collection

Throughout the year, YSJSU collected student views via a variety of ways to ensure that the Students’ Union are continuously understanding student needs. Feedback came in the form of: Employee Engagement Survey, University Pulse Survey, National Student Survey, Question of the Month, SU Council, Sports Union and Societies Councils and Focus Groups YSJSU held Sports Union and Societies Councils throughout the year to understand the needs of our clubs and societies members more effectively, and to ensure students are part of decision-making processes around activities.

Priority 3

Increase opportunities that enable students to become more employable.

We’ll do this by:

During 2024/25 YSJSU achieved the following:

YSJ Awards

The YSJ Awards annually recognises and celebrated the exceptional contributions of staff, students and teams within the YSJ community. Students and staff are invited to nominate peers who have demonstrated significant impact, excellence, or commitment in their roles or activities. The awards span a broad range of categories, reflecting the diverse talents and achievements across YSJ. Once again, YSJSU took the lead on the coordination of the YSJ Awards (2025) and received positive feedback from the attendees, and the evening was a successful celebration.

Living Lab Partnership: Green Gown Award and Friendly Living Fund

The Students’ Union collaborates with university partners of the ‘Living Lab’: a space where staff and students can discuss, action and create projects around the environment and sustainability. York St John University won a ‘Green Gown Award’ due to the work of the Living Lab, and the Student’s Union’s Presidents were named as being ‘ an invaluable contribution and support’ regarding the work of the Living Lab and its success.

The Friendly Living Fund represents a collaboration between YSJSU and the Living Lab, operating as the first student-led micro-grant scheme at the university. The Fund supports student-initiated projects that enhance climate resilience while removing financial barriers that prevent students from participating in sustainability and ecological justice initiatives. In its inaugural round, seven student applications received funding of up to £400 each. A showcase event in November will present the progress made on these grantsupported projects. The Fund's success has secured additional funding from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, ensuring its continuation for the following year.

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Document ID: b4c3f19d83434270a3a0169d0d8f6c3e130ca4f5184d940b61dd8f2875c7e9a3

York St John Students’ Union - YE 31 July 2025

Progression Scholarship Negotiations

During 2024/25 the SU engaged in consultations with the University Executive Board regarding feedback from current students on the reduction of the progression scholarship. The feedback highlighted the adverse effects of the scholarship reduction on students.

In response, the Presidents liaised with the Executive Board and successfully negotiated an increase in the scholarship amounts. The increments are as follows:

First Class: from 25% to 40% Second Class (2:1): from 15% to 30% Second Class (2:2): from 10% to 20%

Following the implementation of the scholarship increments, the SU Presidents received positive feedback from students, indicating an improvement in their satisfaction and wellbeing.

Enhancing Student Employability via Part time Work Opportunities

The Students’ Union has enhanced its part time work opportunities portfolio by introducing the Chairs of Networks and Schools. The SU has further enhanced its training and development programme for part time members of staff (students) to include:

Future Plans

As part of the strategic planning process for the 2024-27 Strategy, the Students’ Union committed to strategic projects to aid the achievement of the strategic priorities. Planned strategic developments and projects for the 2025/26 academic year include:

Alongside the strategic projects listed above, during the 2025/26 academic year, YSJSU is undertaking a remodelling project to ensure that the organisation has an effective and efficient staff structure and policies and procedures that future proof the organisation for the next 5-10 years. It is anticipated that this project will include a comprehensive review of staff resource, systems and processes and will make recommendations for change to the Students’ Union and University ready for the 2026/27 Annual Planning Round (Budget).

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Document ID: b4c3f19d83434270a3a0169d0d8f6c3e130ca4f5184d940b61dd8f2875c7e9a3

York St John Students’ Union - YE 31 July 2025

Structure, Management and Governance

The Trustees, who are also Directors for the purposes of Company Law, present their annual report together with the audited financial statements of York St John’s Students’ Union for the period 1 August 2024 to 31 July 2025.

The Trustees confirm that the Annual Report and Financial Statements of the charity comply with the current statutory requirements, the requirements of the charity's governing document and the provisions of the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP), relevant to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard, applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland published in October 2019.

Since the Union qualifies as small under section 383 of the Companies Act 2006, the strategic report required of medium and large companies under the Companies Act 2006 (Strategic Report and Directors' Report) Regulations 2013 has been omitted.

Organisational Structure and Decision Making

York St John Students’ Union is a Company Limited by Guarantee and does not have a Share Capital as defined by the Companies Act 2006. YSJSU registered as a charity in the UK on 1 August 2010. YSJSU is a Students’ Union as defined by the Education Act 1994 whose activities are devoted to the educational interests and welfare of its members.

YSJSU’s principal governing document is the Articles of Association, agreed by the Company Members of the Union in a General Meeting and reviewed by YSJSU and York St John University at least every 5 years. Copies of the Articles of Association are available from the offices of YSJSU and via the Documents section of our website (www.ysjsu.com). In June 2025, YSJSU adopted the revised Articles of Association, with submission to the Charity Commission and Companies House in September 2025. The Articles of Association are supported by the YSJSU Byelaws which were fully reviewed and approved by the Trustee Board in April 2025.

The Trustee Board of YSJSU is made up of three Officer Trustees, up to three Student Trustees (new resolution in 2025), and up to five External Trustees. Officer Trustees are elected by a ballot of all members of YSJSU and serve for one academic year. To stand for election as an Officer Trustee, candidates must be full members of YSJSU (see Articles of Association for definition). Student Trustees and External Trustees are appointed by a selection and interview process led by the Governance and Nominations Committee. The Governance and Nominations Committee then makes formal recommendations to the Board for approval of the appointment of Trustees.

The experiences and expertise held by the External Trustees are in the areas of law, higher education policy, governance, financial management and strategic planning. This provides YSJSU with the opportunity to develop its activities and services, and provides risk management and continuity. The Trustee Board structure also includes up to three Student Trustees to improve the voice of students on the board.

Officer Trustees are required to take a sabbatical year away from their studies (or alternatively, have just finished their final year of study) and are remunerated by YSJSU during this period. Officer Trustees are in post for one year and may stand for re-election for one year (maximum of two years in total). Student Trustees may remain in office for a term of two years and External Trustees for three years. Both can serve a maximum of two consecutive terms. The Officer Trustees undergo a formal process of induction and training on taking up their post. This is organised by the permanent staff of YSJSU and utilises external training providers as well as the National Union of Students (NUS) and staff from York St John University.

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York St John Students’ Union - YE 31 July 2025

Responsibility is delegated from the Trustee Board and committee structure of YSJSU to the Chief Executive Officer and staff team of YSJSU and documented via the organisations’ Scheme of Delegated Authority’ document. YSJSU employs a team of full-time staff to ensure effective management of its many activities and to implement the policy decisions made by the Trustees and/or Student Council. The Scheme of Delegated Authority document outlines clear levels of responsibility for areas of decision making and delegates authority for the day-to-day operational management and decision making of the organisation to the Chief Executive Officer and staff team of YSJSU.

The Trustee Board delegates responsibility to six committees: Finance, Audit and Risk; Health, Safety and Wellbeing; People and Culture; Elections; Governance and Nominations; and Service Development to ensure effective governance and decision making. From September 2025, all committees include a University Adviser as part of the membership, to guide the committee in decision making and setting priorities.

The Student Council is made up of part-time officers, representatives of student groups and the Officer Trustees, who receive and discuss reports including financial information, policy issues and information from staff as required. The Council meets at least three times per year.

When reviewing objectives and planning activities, YSJSU has given due consideration to the Charity Commission’s general and relevant supplementary guidance on public benefit, which is detailed on page 7 of this document.

Relationship with York St John University

The Students’ Union receives a block grant (subvention) from the University, and by means of a formal lease, occupies a building owned by the University. This support is intrinsic to the relationship between the University and YSJSU. Although YSJSU engages in various trading activities, it has financial dependence on the University for resourcing its charitable activities. There is no reason to believe that financial support will not continue for the foreseeable future and the Students’ Union and University agreed a Memorandum of Understanding in June 2020, which is being revised during 2025/26. The document articulates agreement to continue to pay YSJSU a subvention in line with annual financial planning frameworks and support the Students’ Union with the SUSS pension deficit. A ten-year lease agreement was confirmed in 2018 with donation from the university (no cash charge) regarding lease and utilities fees. This is to be renegotiated after this period.

The Education Act 1994 requires that the University is notified of any changes in the governance of YSJSU. YSJSU and York St John University have a well-established relationship that involves both formal committees and informal meetings where issues are discussed and ideas for future work formulated. A President of YSJSU is a member of York St John University’s Board of Governors and the Sabbatical Officer Team and Chief Executive Officer have regular meetings with members of the university Executive Board.

Risk Management

A comprehensive risk management process is in operation by YSJSU to ensure that appropriate steps are taken to manage and mitigate governance, external, operational, legal/regulatory, and financial risks. This is overseen and monitored by the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee (regarding financial risk), Health, Safety and Wellbeing Committee (regarding safety and health risk) and People and Culture (regarding HR related risk) on behalf of the Trustee Board.

The process includes the identification of the risks that YSJSU may face, evaluating the potential impact and likelihood of occurrence, taking consideration to YSJSU’s risk appetite, and identifying means whereby the risks can be mitigated and managed. A formal Risk Register has been established and is reviewed at meetings of the Trustee Board and Finance, Audit and Risk Committee, with the latest version approved in November 2025.

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Document ID: b4c3f19d83434270a3a0169d0d8f6c3e130ca4f5184d940b61dd8f2875c7e9a3

York St John Students’ Union - YE 31 July 2025

Major Incident Plans are also in place in partnership with York St John University to aid response and recovery regarding any major incident the organisation might face. These plans are regularly reviewed, and the Chief Executive Officer is a member of the university’s Major Incident Team. YSJSU has a Major Incident and Business Continuity Plan in place that has been tested by the staff team and is reviewed by the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee at least every two years.

In November 2020, the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee approved a proposal to engage with the company Croner to supply YSJSU with Health and Safety and Human Resources support, consultation, insurance, advice, training, and administration platforms. YSJSU receives communication from Croner weekly about changes in legislation, hot topics and new approaches, has regular ‘check ins’, policy reviews, H&S visits, and customer feedback opportunities. In April 2025, a Croner representative visited the YSJSU premises, and a Health and Safety Audit was undertaken. YSJSU was found to be sufficient in Health and Safety practices and a short action plan was created to enhance provision. The action plan has been monitored by the Health, Safety and Wellbeing Committee.

Appropriate financial systems and procedures have been established to manage the identified risks documented within the Risk Register. Budgetary and accounting risks are minimised by the implementation of robust procedures as documented in the organisational Finance Manual, which was reviewed in March 2024. Monthly Management Accounts are produced to enable control of departmental and organisational budgets areas, and are scrutinised by the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee.

Financial Review

York St John Students’ Union’s gross income from all sources including revenue generating commercial services this year totalled £1,263,420 (2024: £1,256,196). Total expenditure of £1,230,171 (2024: £1,173,996) was used to resource services, activities and staffing, resulting in a net income from operations of £33,249 (2024: £82,200). Total net income/(expenditure) for the year was £33,249 (2024: (£8,906)).

The Trustees recognise YSJSU’s share of the pension liability for the Students’ Union Superannuation Scheme (SUSS) in the annual accounts. This has resulted in an overall net liability position for YSJSU of £300,747 (2024: £333,996). As this deficit relates to the pension scheme liability and was expected, the Trustees are comfortable with the situation.

Unrestricted funds excluding the pension funding deficit liability stands at £318,792 (2024: £305,904), the pension scheme reserve deficit stands at £619,539 (2024: £639,900) and restricted reserves stands at £nil (2024: £nil).

The pension scheme liability of £619,539 (2024: £639,900) is a projected long-term liability and does not represent an immediate cash liability to YSJSU. The immediate cash liability of the pension deficit being the agreed payments due in 2024/25, which equate to £24,493 (2024: £20,834). These contributions are wholly funded by the Subvention (Block Grant) from the university and as such, even though the pension scheme liability results in the balance sheet showing a deficit in funds, this is not an indicator of any issues in YSJSU being able to meet its cash obligations in the foreseeable future. The University and Students’ Union reviewed the Memorandum of Understanding in June 2020 and agreed the following:

‘The University agrees to support the Students’ Union to mitigate any major liabilities, including the Students’ Union Superannuation Scheme (SUSS) ongoing liability’. MoU 2020

We undertake no fundraising activities within the scope of the Charities (Protection and Social Investment) Act 2016.

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Document ID: b4c3f19d83434270a3a0169d0d8f6c3e130ca4f5184d940b61dd8f2875c7e9a3

York St John Students’ Union - YE 31 July 2025

York St John Students’ Union Reserves Policy

As a member led organisation, York St John Students’ Union (YSJSU hereafter) believes it is important that as a charitable organisation, that most of the income generated should be returned to the membership in the form of the representation, services and personal development opportunities. However, YSJSU recognises that it is important to mitigate financial risk by maintaining an unrestricted cash reserve (general fund). York St John Students’ Union is a registered charitable company whose charitable objects are the advancement of education of students at York St John University for the public benefit by:

1) Promoting the interests and welfare of students at York St John University during their course of study and representing, supporting and advising Members;

2) Being the recognised representative channel between students and York St John University and any other external bodies;

3) Providing social, cultural, sporting and recreational activities and forums for discussions and debate for the personal development of its members.

Historically, the Students’ Union has relied on two main sources of funding; subvention (or block grant) funding from York St John University, and income generated via commercial and trading activities. Neither of these funding sources are guaranteed, and so it is imperative that the Students’ Union holds an appropriate level of financial reserves to ensure business continuity, should funding sources be detrimentally impacted or reduced into the future.

SWOT Analysis

It is important to understand an organisation’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, and the effects of external influences (such as political, environmental, technological, legal and economical) when planning for and creating a sustainable organisation. With this in mind, YSJSU has identified key elements which may have major impact on the charity’s success.

Strengths: Commercial sales, communication with members, engagement with members, resource effectiveness and efficiency, efficient financial processes, training programme for officers and staff, Trustee Board and committee governance and effectiveness, adaptability and change management, agility.

Weaknesses: Small team, limited financial resource and decrease in university financial support, current limited access to external funding.

Opportunities: Diversify and increase marketing and commercial revenue, good working relationships with suppliers and university, new student markets for commercial services and activities.

Threats: Cost of living crisis, pension increases/extension, decrease in access to student funding, decrease in student disposable income and time availability, rising expectations of students in relation to service provision and experience.

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Document ID: b4c3f19d83434270a3a0169d0d8f6c3e130ca4f5184d940b61dd8f2875c7e9a3

York St John Students’ Union - YE 31 July 2025

Level of Reserves

Given the multifaceted and intricate nature of the services, activities, projects and events delivered by YSJSU, the Senior Management Team has recommended to the Trustees that the following areas be considered when identifying the level of reserves necessary:

The total funds that have been identified are £500,000. However, there would not be a situation when all these funds would be required simultaneously. For example, if in the event of occurrence ‘wind up of activities’ then other funds would not be required as the Students’ Union would no longer be operating.

Alternatively, there may be a situation when occurrences ‘ii’ to ‘iv’ inclusive occur, and so a total of all the funds may need to be drawn upon. There may also be situations, where a ‘winding down of activities’ occurs, when extra (unexpected) costs may be incurred (such as employment litigation by employees) and an extra £20,000 (buffer) has been introduced to the lower limit to accommodate such circumstances.

Therefore, YSJSU identifies that there is a minimum level of reserves that should be retained as follows:

Minimum level of reserves: £200,000

YSJSU may also use reserves to invest in the organisation such as capital investment and resourcing. YSJSU may hold monies above the minimum level of reserves for this reason, and therefore, it is recommended that a maximum level of reserve is as follows:

Maximum level of reserves: £325,000

The Students’ Union Trustee Board should therefore seek to achieve the minimum level and aspire to hold the maximum level. The Trustee Board may wish to utilise the financial reserve at any time should investment be required in infrastructure, resource etc to enable the ongoing success of the organisation.

How will the Students’ Union achieve our maximum level target?

On 31st July 2025 the Students’ Union held £316,274 (2024: £300,704) in free reserves. This means £116,274 above the minimum however a further £8,726 in additional reserve funds are required to meet the maximum target. The Students’ Union will endeavour to achieve this by operating at a surplus in each financial year with future budgets set accordingly to achieve a minimum of 1% of core activity turnover i.e., total turnover excluding the university subvention.

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Document ID: b4c3f19d83434270a3a0169d0d8f6c3e130ca4f5184d940b61dd8f2875c7e9a3

York St John Students’ Union - YE 31 July 2025

Future Funding

York St John University have confirmed via the University’s Finance and Capital Development Committee that the Block Grant for 2025/26 will be £418,140 (2024/25: £414,000).

Going Concern

The Trustees confirm that the Students’ Union has sufficient funds to meet its ongoing annual obligations. The Block Grant for 2025/26 has been confirmed at £418,140 and the commercial activities are expected to generate funds (surplus).

York St John University has agreed to continue to provide financial support to YSJSU in future years to ensure that it has sufficient funds to continue to operate effectively for the foreseeable future. The University and Students’ Union reviewed the Memorandum of Understanding during the 2020 and it was agreed:

Funds held as Custodian Trustee on Behalf of Others

The Students’ Union actively encourages the activities of clubs and societies to be organised by the students themselves. To be recognised, a club or society must comply with the objectives of the Students’ Union and follow administrative rules set up to protect the interests of its members and the Students’ Union. As well as direct financial support, clubs and societies are encouraged to collect and spend their own money for activities. Sums collected in this way are kept for safekeeping by the Students’ Union.

On 31st July 2025, £50,911 (2024: £66,057) was being held under this arrangement, which is included in Note 19, of the Statement of Financial Accounts within this document. This amount is identified as belonging to the members of the clubs and societies and not the Students’ Union.

Pay Policy for Senior Staff

All External Trustees and Student Trustees give of their time freely and did not receive remuneration in the year. Officer Trustees received an annual salary of £24,064 for their work as Full-time Elected Officers. Details of Trustees’ expenses are disclosed in note 13 of the Statement of Financial Accounts. The Heads of Service are appraised annually by the Chief Executive Officer and receive an incremental uplift if they have successfully achieved their objectives for the year. The current Chief Executive came into post full time on 28 January 2019 and is the most senior member of the York St John Students’ Union staff team. The Chief Executive is line managed by the Chair and Deputy Chair of the Trustee Board.

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Document ID: b4c3f19d83434270a3a0169d0d8f6c3e130ca4f5184d940b61dd8f2875c7e9a3

York St John Students’ Union - YE 31 July 2025

Responsibilities of the Trustees

The Trustees (who are also the directors of York St John Students’ Union Limited for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Report from the Board of Trustees 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 charitable company and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the Trustees are required to:

The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. The Trustees are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

Statement of disclosure to the auditor

In so far as the trustees are aware:

The Trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charitable company’s website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

Auditor

Sumer Auditco Limited were appointed as auditor to the company following BHP LLP becoming part of the Sumer Group on 31 December 2025, which required a change in audit firm to comply with applicable regulatory requirements.

Signed by the Chair of the Board of Trustees:

----- Start of picture text -----
areec
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Signer ID: IVX2JPNDWY...

Efosa Iyekekpolor Chair of the Board of Trustees 2025/26 20 January 2026

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Document ID: b4c3f19d83434270a3a0169d0d8f6c3e130ca4f5184d940b61dd8f2875c7e9a3

York St John Students’ Union - YE 31 July 2025

Independent Auditor’s Report to the Members of York St John Students’ Union

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of York St John Students’ Union (the ‘charitable company’) for the year ended 31 July 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:

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 charitable company 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 charitable company'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 trustees’ report, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. The trustees are responsible for the other information contained within the annual trustees’ report. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.

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.

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York St John Students’ Union - YE 31 July 2025

Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006

In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit:

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the charitable company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the directors’ report.

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:

Responsibilities of trustees

As explained more fully in the trustees’ responsibilities statement set out on page 25, the trustees (who are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

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York St John Students’ Union - YE 31 July 2025

Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below:

We assessed the susceptibility of the charitable company’s financial statements to material misstatement, including obtaining an understanding of how fraud might occur, by;

To address the risks of fraud through management bias and override controls, we:

In response to the risk of irregularities and non-compliance with laws and regulations, we designed procedures which included, but were not limited to:

Because of the inherent limitations of an audit, there is a risk that we will not detect all irregularities, including those leading to a material misstatement in the financial statements or non-compliance with regulation. This risk increases the more that compliance with a law or regulation is removed from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, as we will be less likely to become aware of instances of non-compliance. The risk is also greater regarding irregularities occurring due to fraud rather than error, as fraud involves intentional concealment, forgery, collusion, omission or misrepresentation.

A further description of our responsibilities is available on the FRC's website at: https://www.frc.org.uk/auditors/audit-assurance/auditor-s-responsibilitiesfor-the-audit-of-the-fi/descriptionof-the-auditor%E2%80%99s-responsibilities-for

This description forms part of our auditor’s report.

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York St John Students’ Union - YE 31 July 2025

Use of our report

This report is made solely to the charitable company’s members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company’s members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company and the charitable company’s members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Sumer Anuditeo Limited

Signer ID: 0ZMK8ESGOC...

Laura Masheder (Senior Statutory Auditor)

For and on behalf of

Sumer Auditco Limited

Chartered Accountants Statutory Auditor Rievaulx House 1 St Mary’s Court Blossom Street York YO24 1AH

Date: 27/01/2026 GMT

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Document ID: b4c3f19d83434270a3a0169d0d8f6c3e130ca4f5184d940b61dd8f2875c7e9a3

YORK ST JOHN STUDENTS' UNION LIMITED

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES (INCORPORATING INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2025

Note
Income from:
Grants, donations and legacies
2
Facilities in Kind
3
Other trading activities
4
Investment income
5
Charitable activities
6
Other income
Total income
Expenditure on:
Raising funds
7
Charitable activities
8
Total expenditure
9
Net Income / (expenditure)
Remeasurement of pension scheme
25
Net (expenditure) / Income and movement in funds
Reconciliation of funds:
Total funds at 1 August 2024
Net movement in funds
Total funds at 31 July 2025
21		 Unrestricted
funds
2025
£
414,000
365,721
56,913
10,937
415,849
-
1,263,420
55,807
1,174,364
1,230,171
33,249
-
33,249
(333,996)
33,249
(300,747)		 Restricted
funds
2025
£
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-		 Total
funds
2025
£
414,000
365,721
56,913
10,937
415,849
-
1,263,420
55,807
1,174,364
1,230,171
33,249
-
33,249
(333,996)
33,249
(300,747)		 Total
funds
2024
£
417,946
310,859
48,875
10,819
467,697
-
1,256,196
52,988
1,121,008
1,173,996
82,200
(91,106)
(8,906)
(325,090)
(8,906)
(333,996)

The Statement of Financial Activities complies with the requirements for an income and expenditure account under the Companies Act 2006 and includes all gains and losses recognised in the year.

All activities relate to continuing operations.

All funds in the current and previous year are unrestricted.

The notes on pages 32 onwards form part of these financial statements.

30

Document ID: b4c3f19d83434270a3a0169d0d8f6c3e130ca4f5184d940b61dd8f2875c7e9a3

YORK ST JOHN STUDENTS' UNION LIMITED

BALANCE SHEET

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2025

2025 2024
Note £ £ £ £
Fixed assets
Tangible assets 16 2,518 5,200
2,518 5,200
Current assets
Stocks 17 5,952 7,504
Debtors 18 39,892 10,934
Cash at bank and in hand 401,656 414,918
447,500 433,356
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year 19 (155,719) (153,486)
Net current assets 291,781 279,870
Total assets less current liabilities 294,299 285,070
Creditors: amounts falling due after more than one
year		 20 (595,046) (619,066)
Net liabilities 21 (300,747) (333,996)
Charity funds
Restricted funds 21 - -
General funds 21 318,792 305,904
Pension Deficit 21 (619,539) (639,900)
Unrestricted funds 21 (300,747) (333,996)
Total funds (300,747) (333,996)

The Financial Statements were approved by the Trustees on 20th January 2026 and signed for on their behalf, by:

Signer ID: IVX2JPNDWY... Signer ID: LTKJ6GNPDD... Efosa Iyekekpolor, President Matthew Hunnybun, External Trustee

The notes on pages 32 onwards form part of these financial statements.

31

Document ID: b4c3f19d83434270a3a0169d0d8f6c3e130ca4f5184d940b61dd8f2875c7e9a3

YORK ST JOHN STUDENTS' UNION LIMITED CASH FLOW STATEMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2025

Note
Cash flows from operating activities
Net cash provided by operating activities:
23
Cash flows from investing activities:
Purchase of tangible assets
Bank interest received
Net cash provided by Investing activities
Cash flows from financing activities:
Change in cash and cash equivalents in the year
Cash and cash equivalents brought forward
Cash and cash equivalents carried forward
24		 2025
£
(24,199)
-
10,937
10,937
(13,262)
414,918
401,656		 2024
£
62,414
(4,120)
10,819
6,699
69,113
345,805
414,918

32

Document ID: b4c3f19d83434270a3a0169d0d8f6c3e130ca4f5184d940b61dd8f2875c7e9a3

YORK ST JOHN STUDENTS' UNION LIMITED

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2025

1. Accounting policies

1.1. Basis of preparation of financial statements

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland issued in October 2019, the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102), the Charities Act 2011, the Companies Act 2006 and UK Generally Accepted Accounting Practice.

York St John Students’ Union Limited meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy.

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 £.

1.2. Going concern

Not withstanding the balance sheet showing net liabilities of £300,745, the Trustees are of the opinion that there are no material going concern uncertainties. This assessment is based upon:

The Union having net current assets of £291,780.

The Union having free reserves not including the pension scheme funding deficit liability of £316,273.

Only £24,493 of the future pension funding deficit liability of £619,538 being due as a cash obligation to 31 July 2026.

This demonstrates that whilst the pension obligation presents a net liability position on the balance sheet it does not represent a cash obligation that the Union cannot meet through its available free reserves.

The University shall, subject to the terms of this Memorandum, pay to the Union the Subvention (Block Grant) approved by the Governing Body’s Finance and Capital Development Committee as a contribution to the annual budget of the Union. The Subvention will be paid to the Union to support activity relating to the Union’s core charitable objectives, including but not limited to representation, advice, support and advocacy, democratic activities, and student social and professional enhancement. The Subvention will be agreed in line with the University planning cycle and following consideration by the University of the Union’s annual planning documents. The University agrees to support the Students’ Union to mitigate any major liabilities, including the Students’ Union Superannuation Scheme (SUSS) ongoing liability. (MoU 2020)

In light of this, management forecasts and budgets reflect a deficit for the period to 31 July 2026 with surpluses from 1 August 2027 to 30 November 2027. These have been considered in light of sensitivities around key judgements such as current economic situation, salary costs and we are satisfied these forecasts are achievable.

Therefore the trustees believe it is appropriate to prepare the accounts on the going concern basis.

1.3. Company status

The company is a company limited by guarantee. The members of the company are the Trustees named on page 4. In the event of the company being wound up, the liability in respect of the guarantee is limited to £1 per member of the company.

33

Document ID: b4c3f19d83434270a3a0169d0d8f6c3e130ca4f5184d940b61dd8f2875c7e9a3

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2025

YORK ST JOHN STUDENTS' UNION LIMITED

1.4. Fund accounting

General funds are unrestricted funds which are available for use at the discretion of the Trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the company and which have not been designated for other purposes.

Restricted funds are funds which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors or which have been raised by the company for particular purposes. The costs of raising and administering such funds are charged against the specific fund. The aim and use of each restricted fund is set out in the notes to the financial statements.

Investment income, gains and losses are allocated to the appropriate fund.

1.5. Income

All income is recognised once the company has entitlement to the income, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount of income receivable can be measured reliably.

Donated services or facilities are recognised when the company has control over the item, any conditions associated with the donated item have been met, the receipt of economic benefit from the use of the company of the item is probable and that economic benefit can be measured reliably.

On receipt, donated professional services and donated facilities are recognised on the basis of the value of the gift to the company which is the amount the company would have been willing to pay to obtain services or facilities of equivalent economic benefit on the open market; a corresponding amount is then recognised in expenditure in the period of receipt.

Income tax recoverable in relation to investment income is recognised at the time the investment income is receivable.

1.6. 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 classed 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 allocated on the basis of time spent, and depreciation charges allocated on the portion of the assets use.

Expenditure on raising funds are costs incurred in attracting voluntary income, and those incurred in trading activities that raise funds.

All expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis. All expenses including support costs and governance costs are allocated to their applicable expenditure headings.

1.7. Tangible fixed assets and depreciation

Fixed assets are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation. Assets are capitalised if they cost more than £2,500 and expected to last more than one year and any provision for impairment.

Depreciation is charged so as to allocate the cost of tangible fixed assets less their residual value over their estimated useful lives. Depreciation is provided on the following bases Equipment - 3 years straight line.

Tangible fixed assets are carried at cost, net of depreciation and any provision for impairment.

1.8. Interest receivable

Interest on funds held on deposit is included when receivable and the amount can be measured reliably by the Union; this is normally upon notification of the interest paid or payable by the institution with whom the funds are deposited.

34

Document ID: b4c3f19d83434270a3a0169d0d8f6c3e130ca4f5184d940b61dd8f2875c7e9a3

YORK ST JOHN STUDENTS' UNION LIMITED

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2025

1.9. Operating leases

Rentals under operating leases are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities on a straight line basis over the lease term.

1.10. Stocks and work in progress

Stocks and work in progress are valued at the lower of cost and net realisable value after making due allowance for obsolete and slow-moving stocks. Cost includes all direct costs and an appropriate proportion of fixed and variable overheads.

1.11. Debtors

Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount after any trade discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount repaid net of any trade discounts due.

1.12. Cash at Bank and in hand

Cash at bank and in hand includes cash and short term highly liquid investments with a short maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition or opening of the deposit or similar account.

1.13. Creditors and provisions

Creditors and provisions are recognised where the company has a present obligation resulting from a past event that will probably result in the transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably. Creditors and provisions are normally recognised at their settlement amount after allowing for any trade discounts due.

1.14. Financial instruments

The charity only has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value with the exception of bank loans which are subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.

1.15. Taxation

The company is considered to pass the tests set out in Paragraph 1 Schedule 6 of the Finance Act 2010 and therefore it meets the definition of a charitable company for UK corporation tax purposes. Accordingly, the company is potentially exempt from taxation in respect of income or capital gains received within categories covered by Chapter 3 Part 11 of the Corporation Tax Act 2010 or Section 256 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992, to the extent that such income or gains are applied exclusively to charitable purposes.

1.16. Pensions

The Union participates in the Students' Union Superannuation Scheme (SUSS), a defined benefit scheme which is externally funded and contracted out of the State Second Pension. The fund is valued at least every three years by a professionally qualified independent actuary with rates of contribution payable being determined by the trustees on advice of the actuary. The scheme operates as a pooled arrangement, with contributions paid at a centrally agreed rate. As a consequence, no share of the underlying assets and liabilities can be attributed to the Union. In these circumstances contributions are accounted for as if the scheme were a defined contribution scheme based on actual contributions paid through the year. The present value of the union's share of the deficit is recognised as a liability in accordance with SORP (FRS 102).

The Union also participates in Aegon and NEST pension schemes, both of which are defined contribution schemes. The assets of the schemes are held separately from those of the Union in independently administered funds. The pension charge represents the amounts payable by the company to the fund in respect of the year.

35

Document ID: b4c3f19d83434270a3a0169d0d8f6c3e130ca4f5184d940b61dd8f2875c7e9a3

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2025

YORK ST JOHN STUDENTS' UNION LIMITED

1.17. Grants

The recurrent block grant is receivable from York St John University. The grant is credited to the income and expenditure account in the year to which it relates.

Project support grants are project based and include grants which are receivable from the University and other funding bodies

1.18. Critical accounting estimates and areas and judgement

The charity makes estimates and assumptions concerning the future. The resulting accounting estimates and assumptions will, by definition, seldom equal the related actual results. The estimates and assumptions that have a significant risk of causing a material adjustment to the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities within the next financial year are discussed below:

(i) Pension deficit

The charity has entered into a commitment to provide deficit funding to the Students' Union Superannuation Pension Scheme, of which it is a contributing employer. Under FRS 102, the present value of the commitment is recognised. The calculation of the present value of the commitment is subject to an assumption of the discount rate. The discount rate is determined by reference to market yields at the reporting date on high quality corporate bonds.

Under FRS 102, the fair value of the commitment is recognised. The calculation of the fair value of the commitment is subject to an assumption of the discount rate. The discount rate is in line with HM Treasury Guidance found at www.gov.uk

(ii) Donation of facilities by York St John University

In accordance with the Charities SORP FRS 102, the union has valued the benefit it receives from occupying facilities owned by the University on a rent-free basis, at the University’s estimate of market value of £365,721.

(iii) Support costs

Many of the costs incurred by the Union such as support staff costs and service costs are shared between activities. The Union's policy is to allocate these costs on a basis of assessed consumption.

1.19. Employee benefits

The cost of short-term employee benefits are recognised as a liability and an expense, unless those costs are required to be recognised as par of the cost of stock or fixed assets.

The cost of any unused holiday entitlement is recognised in the period in which the employee's services are received.

Termination benefits are recognised immediately as an expense when the company is demonstrably committed to terminate the employment of an employee or to provide termination benefits.

2. Income from grants, donations and legacies

University block grant Unrestricted
funds
2025
£
414,000
414,000		 Restricted
funds
2025
£
-
-		 Total
funds
2025
£
414,000
414,000		 Total
funds
2024
£
417,946
417,946

36

Document ID: b4c3f19d83434270a3a0169d0d8f6c3e130ca4f5184d940b61dd8f2875c7e9a3

YORK ST JOHN STUDENTS' UNION LIMITED

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2025

3. Facilities in Kind

Facilities in Kind
4. Other trading activities
Marketing and communication
5. Investment income
Bank interest
6. Income from charitable activities
Student opportunities
Bar
Retail
Coffee
Catering
Events		 Unrestricted
funds
2025
£
365,721
365,721
Unrestricted
funds
2025
£
56,913
56,913
Unrestricted
funds
2025
£
10,937
Unrestricted
funds
2025
£
23,325
246,507
11,120
69,335
36,413
29,149
415,849		 Restricted
funds
2025
£
-
-
Restricted
funds
2025
£
-
-
Restricted
funds
2025
£
-
Restricted
funds
2025
£
-
-
-
-
-
-
-		 Total
funds
2025
£
365,721
365,721
Total
funds
2025
£
56,913
56,913
Total
funds
2025
£
10,937
Total
funds
2025
£
23,325
246,507
11,120
69,335
36,413
29,149
415,849		 Total
funds
2024
£
310,859
310,859
Total
funds
2024
£
48,875
48,875
Total
funds
2024
£
10,819
Total
funds
2024
£
70,156
270,291
16,382
55,826
45,839
9,203
467,697

37

Document ID: b4c3f19d83434270a3a0169d0d8f6c3e130ca4f5184d940b61dd8f2875c7e9a3

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2025

YORK ST JOHN STUDENTS' UNION LIMITED

7. Raising funds

Marketing and communication
Marketing and communication wages		 Unrestricted
funds
2025
£
22,248
33,559
55,807		 Restricted
funds
2025
£
-
-
-		 Total
funds
2025
£
22,248
33,559
55,807		 Total
funds
2024
£
17,919
35,069
52,988

8. Analysis of expenditure on charitable activities

Charitable activities :
Student voice
Student opportunities
Bar
Retail
Coffee
Catering
Events
Central services
Operations
Facilities in kind
Governance costs :
Audit fees
Other costs		 Unrestricted
funds
2025
£
184,036
35,489
146,388
7,185
37,014
30,597
10,602
172,032
170,309
365,721
1,159,373
11,750
3,241
1,174,364		 Restricted
funds
2025
£
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-		 Total
funds
2025
£
184,036
35,489
146,388
7,185
37,014
30,597
10,602
172,032
170,309
365,721
1,159,373
11,750
3,241
1,174,364		 Total
funds
2024
£
154,980
58,055
148,557
10,718
33,800
40,881
12,513
178,156
161,562
310,859
1,110,081
9,170
1,757
1,121,008

38

Document ID: b4c3f19d83434270a3a0169d0d8f6c3e130ca4f5184d940b61dd8f2875c7e9a3

YORK ST JOHN STUDENTS' UNION LIMITED

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2025

  1. Analysis of expenditure type
9. Analysis of expenditure type
Marketing and communication
Raising funds
Student voice
Student opportunities
Bar
Retail
Coffee
Catering
Events
Central services
Operations
Charitable activities
Expenditure on governance
10. Analysis of expenditure by activities
Student voice
Student opportunities
Bar
Retail
Coffee
Catering
Events
Central services
Operations		 Staff
costs
2025
£
33,559
33,559
171,656
23,003
54,670
-
13,679
11,376
-
125,089
167,534
567,007
-
600,566
Activities
undertaken
direcly
2025
£
178,732
31,952
139,314
5,416
37,014
30,597
-
166,726
181,531
771,282		 Other
costs
2025
£
22,248
22,248
50,452
49,404
269,386
25,644
23,335
19,221
10,602
85,015
59,307
592,366
14,991
629,605
Support
costs
2025
£
43,376
40,455
184,742
20,228
-
-
10,602
43,378
45,310
388,091		 Total
2025
£
55,807
55,807
222,108
72,407
324,056
25,644
37,014
30,597
10,602
210,104
226,841
1,159,373
14,991
1,230,171
Total
2025
£
222,108
72,407
324,056
25,644
37,014
30,597
10,602
210,104
226,841
1,159,373		 Total
2024
£
52,988
52,988
186,961
90,036
298,612
26,262
33,800
40,881
12,513
211,929
209,087
1,110,081
10,927
1,173,996
Total
2024
£
186,961
90,036
298,612
26,262
33,800
40,881
12,513
211,929
209,087
1,110,081

39

Document ID: b4c3f19d83434270a3a0169d0d8f6c3e130ca4f5184d940b61dd8f2875c7e9a3

YORK ST JOHN STUDENTS' UNION LIMITED

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2025

11. Net income / (expenditure)

This is stated after charging:

This is stated after charging:
2025 2024
£ £
Auditor's remuneration 11,750 9,170
Depreciation of owned assets 2,682 8,083

12. Trustees' Expenses

14 trustees received reimbursement of expenses for travel and accommodation of £1,675 (2024: - 6 trustees - £1,757).

13. Staff costs

Staff costs were as follows:

Staff costs were as follows:
Wages and salaries
Social security costs
Defined contribution pension costs (Note 25)		 2025
£
545,914
39,826
14,826
600,566		 2024
£
508,391
34,973
14,050
557,414

Total redundancy/termination payments amounted to £0 (2024: £0).

During the year key management personnel received remuneration (including Employer's NI and pension) totalling £251,139 (2024: £245,427). The union considers its key management personnel to comprise of the Trustees and those individuals detailed in the administrative information on page 5.

The average monthly number of employees was 33 (2024: 38) and the average monthly number of Full Time Equivalent employees during the year was as follows (including casual and part-time staff):

Permanent staff
Student staff		 2025
No.
13
4
17		 2024
No.
14
5
19

No employee received remuneration amounting to more than £60,000 in either year.

40

Document ID: b4c3f19d83434270a3a0169d0d8f6c3e130ca4f5184d940b61dd8f2875c7e9a3

YORK ST JOHN STUDENTS' UNION LIMITED NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2025

14. Trustees' remuneration

The three sabbatical roles each incurred a salary charge as authorised in the Students' union governing document, for the representation, campaigning and support work they undertake as distinct from their trustee responsibilities. This work includes voicing student opinion with the University and local community, defending and extending the rights of students through petitions, discussions with MPs and also organising and supporting student volunteers and service provision for them.

Remuneration is paid to each sabbatical trustee for an annual term which runs to the 30 June. For the year to 31 July 2025 each received £24,786 and for the year to 31 July 2024 each received £23,363. The aggregate amount payable under such contracts is shown below:

Wages and salaries
Defined contribution pension costs		 2025
£
76,423
-
76,423		 2024
£
72,934
643
73,577

41

Document ID: b4c3f19d83434270a3a0169d0d8f6c3e130ca4f5184d940b61dd8f2875c7e9a3

YORK ST JOHN STUDENTS' UNION LIMITED NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2025

  1. SOFA prior year comparatives
Income from:
Grants, donations and legacies
Facilities in kind
Other trading activities
Investments
Charitable activities
Other income
Total income
Expenditure on:
Raising funds
Charitable activities
Other expenditure
Total expenditure
Other recognised gains / (losses)
Remeasurement of pension scheme
Net Income and movement in funds
Reconciliation of Funds
Total funds at 1 August 2023
Net movement in funds
Funds carried forward		 Unrestricted
funds
2024
£
417,946
310,859
48,875
10,819
467,697
-
1,256,196
52,988
1,121,008
-
1,173,996
(91,106)
(8,906)
(325,090)
(8,906)
(333,996)		 Restricted
funds
2024
£
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-		 Total
funds
2024
£
417,946
310,859
48,875
10,819
467,697
-
1,256,196
52,988
1,121,008
-
1,173,996
(91,106)
(8,906)
(8,906)
(8,906)
(17,812)

42

Document ID: b4c3f19d83434270a3a0169d0d8f6c3e130ca4f5184d940b61dd8f2875c7e9a3

YORK ST JOHN STUDENTS' UNION LIMITED NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2025

16. Tangible fixed assets

16. Tangible fixed assets
Cost
Balance as at 1st August 2024
Additions
Balance as at 31st July 2025
Depreciation
Balance as at 1st August 2024
Charge for the Year
Balance as at 31st July 2025
Net Book Value:-
At 31st July 2024
At 31st July 2025		 2025
£
Equipment
27,682
-
27,682
22,482
2,682
25,164
5,200
2,518

These assets include refurbishments to the Bar, Shop, Catering facilities and social areas within the building.

17. Stocks

17. Stocks
Retail
Bar
Coffee
Catering		 2025
£
1,319
3,007
1,336
290
5,952		 2024
£
3,745
2,726
340
693
7,504

.

43

Document ID: b4c3f19d83434270a3a0169d0d8f6c3e130ca4f5184d940b61dd8f2875c7e9a3

YORK ST JOHN STUDENTS' UNION LIMITED NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2025

18. Debtors

18. Debtors
Trade Debtors
Prepayments and accrued income
19. Creditors
Amounts falling due within one year
Clubs and societies
Trade creditors
VAT
Other creditors
Accruals and deferred income
Defined benefit scheme funding deficit liability (Note 25)
20. Creditors over one year
Amounts falling due after more than one year
Defined benefit scheme funding deficit liability (Note 25)		 2025
£
34,289
5,603
39,892
2025
£
50,911
40,007
8,298
852
31,158
24,493
155,719
2025
£
595,046
595,046		 2024
£
4,542
6,392
10,934
2024
£
66,057
39,403
3,534
2,408
21,250
20,834
153,486
2024
£
619,066
619,066

.

44

Document ID: b4c3f19d83434270a3a0169d0d8f6c3e130ca4f5184d940b61dd8f2875c7e9a3

YORK ST JOHN STUDENTS' UNION LIMITED NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2025

  1. Statement of funds
Current year
Unrestricted funds
General funds
Pension deficit
Restricted funds
Total of funds
Prior year
Unrestricted funds
General funds
Pension deficit
Restricted funds
Total of funds		 Brought forward
£
305,904
(639,900)
(333,996)
-
-
(333,996)
Brought forward
£
242,500
(567,590)
(325,090)
-
-
(325,090)		 Income
£
1,263,420
-
1,263,420
-
-
1,263,420
Income
£
1,256,196
-
1,256,196
-
-
1,256,196		 Expenditure
£
(1,198,176)
(31,995)
(1,230,171)
-
-
(1,230,171)
Expenditure
£
(1,261,237)
(31,066)
(1,173,996)
-
-
(1,173,996)		 Gains/(losses)
£
-
-
-
-
-
-
Gains/(losses)
£
-
(91,106)
(91,106)
-
-
(91,106)		 Transfer
£
(52,356)
52,356
-
-
-
-
Transfer
£
(49,862)
49,862
-
-
-
-		 Carried forward
£
318,792
(619,539)
(300,747)
-
-
(300,747)
Carried forward
£
187,597
(639,900)
(333,996)
-
-
(333,996)

Transfers in the year of £52,356 relate to repayments of the pension deficit liability.

45

Document ID: b4c3f19d83434270a3a0169d0d8f6c3e130ca4f5184d940b61dd8f2875c7e9a3

YORK ST JOHN STUDENTS' UNION LIMITED NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2025

22. Analysis of net assets between funds
Current year
Tangible Fixed assets
Current assets
Creditors due within one year
Creditors due after one year
Prior year
Tangible Fixed assets
Current assets
Creditors due within one year
Creditors due after one year		 Unrestricted
funds
2025
£
2,518
447,500
(155,719)
(595,046)
(300,747)
Unrestricted
funds
2024
£
5,200
433,356
(153,486)
(619,066)
(333,996)		 Restricted
funds
2025
£
-
-
-
-
-
Restricted
funds
2024
£
-
-
-
-
-		 Total
funds
2025
£
2,518
447,500
(155,719)
(595,046)
(300,747)
Total
funds
2024
£
5,200
433,356
(153,486)
(619,066)
(333,996)

46

Document ID: b4c3f19d83434270a3a0169d0d8f6c3e130ca4f5184d940b61dd8f2875c7e9a3

YORK ST JOHN STUDENTS' UNION LIMITED NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2025

  1. Reconciliation of net movement in funds to net cash flow from operating activities
Net income for the year (as per Statement of Financial Activities)
Adjustment for:
Depreciation
Bank interest received
Pension finance charge
Decrease/(increase) in stocks
(Increase) in debtors
(Decrease) / increase in creditors
SUSS pension contribution paid
Net cash provided by operating activities
24. Analysis of cash and cash equivalents
Cash at bank and in hand		 2025
£
33,249
2,682
(10,937)
31,995
1,552
(28,959)
(1,426)
(52,355)
(24,199)
2025
£
401,656
401,656		 2024
£
82,200
8,083
(10,819)
31,066
(3,213)
(3,117)
8,076
(49,862)
62,414
2024
£
414,918
414,918

47

Document ID: b4c3f19d83434270a3a0169d0d8f6c3e130ca4f5184d940b61dd8f2875c7e9a3

YORK ST JOHN STUDENTS' UNION LIMITED NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2025

25. Pension commitments

The Union participates in the Students' Union Superannuation Scheme, which is a defined benefit scheme whose membership consists of employees of students' unions and related bodies throughout the country. Benefits in respect of service up to 30 September 2003 are accrued on a "final salary" basis, with benefits in respect of service from 1 October 2003 onwards accruing on a Career Average Revalued Earnings (CARE) basis. With effect from 30 September 2011 the scheme closed to future accrual.

The most recent valuation of the scheme was carried out on 30 June 2022 and showed that the market value of the scheme's assets was £106,700,000 with assets representing 44% of the value of benefits that had accrued to members after allowing for expected future increases in earnings. The deficit on an ongoing funding basis amounted to £136,600,000

Valuations are conducted every three years based upon assumptions agreed by the Trustees, and is used to set the contributions payable by the participating employers.

The outcome in financial terms is set out in the table below:

The decrease shown in the deficit since 2019 is in line with the changes previously reported, following annual reviews, but makes allowance for the impact of the 7% pension increase issue. This has increased the deficit in SUSS but its impact has been mitigated by the member consent exercise.

Whilst the assets have performed well rising by over 17% over the three years, the liabilities have increased by a similar percentage. The sustained low yield on government bonds has continued to affect the liabilities, but the increase was driven in large part by the pension increase issue. The Trustees have concluded that the level of contributions to clear the deficit will have to rise above the planned 5% annual increase in order to address this. However, in order to allow time for the unions to make necessary arrangements the increase in contributions have come into effect from October 2021.

The increase of 5% due in October 2024 proceeded as planned, and these contributions formed part of the plan to remove the funding deficit in SUSS.

Following the 2020 increase, and in order to attribute the further increase in costs as fairly as possible, the Trustees have allocated the additional liabilities arising from the 7% pension increase issue to those unions whose members are directly affected by it. This means that a union with many affected members may see a substantial increase in their contributions to SUSS from October 2021, while a union with no members affected by the issue would see a much smaller increase.

The Trustees also considered whether the costs of carrying out the member consent exercise should be borne only by those unions whose members are directly affected by the pension increase issue. After careful consideration, and keeping in mind the principle collectivism, they concluded that a significant proportion of the costs incurred were justifiable expenses of running SUSS as a whole (because benefits needed to be adjusted, and members written to, whether or not the compromise offer was made). What remained, once allocated to the many affected unions and reclaimed over a reasonable period of time, was not material in the context of the overall level of payments being made to the SUSS by the unions, and so no additional charges will be made in respect of this.

The existing recovery plan, based on the results of the 2016 valuation, was due to end in 2033. One option considered by the Trustees was to retain this target end date, in line with the Pensions Regulator's guidance that funding deficits should be addressed over as short a period as possible. However, given the already substantial level of contributions being made to SUSS by the employers, the Trustees concluded that extending the recovery period, and hence reducing the initial increase in contributions that unions would be required to make, struck an appropriate balance between removing the deficit as quickly as possible while remaining affordable.

In summary, the 2022 valuation recommended a monthly contribution requirement by each Union expressed in monetary terms intended to clear the ongoing funding deficit over a period of 14 years and 10 months ending May 2037 and has increased by 5% through to 2037 an extension of 20 months. These contributions also include an allowance for the cost of the ongoing administrative and operational expenses of running the scheme. These rates applied with effect from 1 October 2022 and will be formally reviewed following completion of the next valuation due with an effective date of 30 June 2025. Surpluses or deficits which arise at future valuations will also impact on the Union's future contribution commitment. In addition to the above contributions, the Union also pays its share of the scheme's levy to the Pension Protection Fund.

48

Document ID: b4c3f19d83434270a3a0169d0d8f6c3e130ca4f5184d940b61dd8f2875c7e9a3

YORK ST JOHN STUDENTS' UNION LIMITED NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2025

25. Pension commitments - continued

Under FRS102 the Union is required to recognise as a liability the present value of its agreed share of future deficit contributions. Finance costs are recognised as the present value unwinds.

Total contributions paid into the scheme by York St John Students' Union in respect of eligible employees for the year ended 31 July 2025 amounted to £nil (2024: £nil). At the balance sheet date, the Union's pension deficit was £619,539 (2024: £639,900), split by amounts due within 1 year £24,493 (2024: £20,834) and amounts due after 1 year £595,046 (2024: £619,066). The deficit payment to the scheme is £52,355 (2024: £49,862).

The company also operates two defined contribution pension schemes. The assets of the schemes are held separately from those of the company in independently administered funds. The pension cost charge represents contributions payable by the company to the funds and amounted to £14,826 (2024: £14,050). Contributions totalling £2,865 (2024: £2,541) were payable to the fund at the balance sheet date and are included in creditors.

The full reconciliation of this present value is as follows:

Present value of provision
Student's Union Superannuation Scheme
Present value of provision:
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year (Note 19)
Creditors: amounts falling due after more than one year (Note 20)
Reconciliation of opening and closing provisions:
Opening Provision
Unwinding of discount factor
Deficit contribution paid
Movement in net present value calculation
Closing Provision
Assumptions:
Rate of discount		 2025
£
619,539
24,493
595,046
619,539
639,899
31,995
(52,355)
-
619,539
2025
%
5.00		 2024
£
639,900
20,834
619,066
639,900
567,590
31,066
(49,862)
91,106
639,900
2024
%
5.00

The discount rates shown above are the equivalent single discount rates when used to discount the future recovery plan contributions due, would give the same results using a full AA corporate bond yield curve to discount the same recovery plan contributions.

49

Document ID: b4c3f19d83434270a3a0169d0d8f6c3e130ca4f5184d940b61dd8f2875c7e9a3

YORK ST JOHN STUDENTS' UNION LIMITED NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2025

26. Operating lease commitments

At 31 July 2025 or 31 July 2024 the company had no annual commitments under non-cancellable operating leases.

27. Related party transactions

The Union is in receipt of a recurrent grant from York St John University of £414,000 (2024: £417,946) and other paid items £19,441 primarily for events held on behalf of international students whilst the prior year (2024: £8,498) was primarily for events held on behalf of international students.

In addition the Student Union occupies its building on a rent free basis and York St John University provides support services. In accordance with the Charities SORP FRS102, the trustees have estimated that the provision of space and associated services is worth £365,721 (2024: £310,859) to the Union and have recognised this amount in the financial statements.

Other related parties are the Sabbatical Officers and Trustees as detailed in the Trustees’ report. Details of remuneration received by these individuals are shown in Note 14 and Trustees' expenses in Note 12.

50

Document ID: b4c3f19d83434270a3a0169d0d8f6c3e130ca4f5184d940b61dd8f2875c7e9a3