2024-03-31-accounts

Disability Rights UK (A Company Limited by Guarantee)

Company No. 7314865 Charity No. 1138585

Report and financial statements For the year ended 31 March 2024

Disability Rights UK Report and financial statements For the year ended 31 March 2024

Contents

Contents
	Page
Reference and administrative information	1
Trustees’ Annual Report	2 - 44
Independent auditors' report	45 - 47
Statement of financial activities	48
(incorporating an income and expenditure account)
Balance sheet	49
Statement of cash flows	50
Note s to the financial statements	51 - 62

Disability Rights UK Reference and administrative information For the year ended 31 March 2024

Reference & administrative information

Trustees: Company Secretary: Chief Executive: Company number: Charity number: Registered office: Auditors: Bankers

Liz Leach Murphy Chair Madeline Close Vice Chair/Acting Treasurer Atif Choudhury Mostafa Attia Joanne Becker Resigned 4thFebruary 2024 Greg Smith Shelley Simmonds Claire Nevin Clenton Farquharson MBE Dr Naomi Lawson Jacobs Dr Fiona Creaby Treasurer, appointed 2nd January 2024 Nick Spencer Kamran Mallick 7314865 1138585 Plexal 14 East Bay Lane Here East, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Stratford London E20 3BS Goldwins Limited 75 Maygrove Road West Hampstead London NW6 2EG www.goldwins.co.uk Unity Trust Bank Four Brindley Place Birmingham B1 2JB

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Disability Rights UK Trustees’ Annual Report For the year ended 31 March 2024

Trustees Annual Report

The trustees, who are also directors under company law, present their report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024. The trustees confirm that the financial statements comply with current statutory requirements, the memorandum and articles of association and the Statement of Recommended Practice - Accounting and Reporting by Charities: SORP applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with FRS 102.

A message from Liz Leach Murphy, Chair of Trustees

2023/24 has been another productive and purposeful year at Disability Rights UK (DR UK) where the team and the trustees have worked positively together to bring about clarity on strategy and future direction.

Last year the team commenced work on strategy development, creating the opportunities to talk to members of DR UK and other Disabled Peoples Organisations about what we need to address the current issues we face as well as work towards a positive future. Now we have a completed and aspirational strategy to drive DR UK and its members into 2026.

As a key part of the strategy development, we reviewed and renewed the Vision, Mission, Principles, and Organisational Structure, meaning that we continue to be purpose-driven and aligned in values and actions.

DR UK renewed vision; ‘ To create an inclusive society where Disabled people have equal power, rights and equality of opportunity’ . Everything we deliver moving forward will be to work towards this vision.

One way we are making progress towards this vision is through DR UKs newly launched website. This is now managed by the DR UK communications and digital lead. As a result, in the last 6 months, we have seen a significant increase in the number of visitors to the site and the length of time for each visit. People are using the site to access information and advice on issues regarding their rights in terms of welfare benefits as well as general information about the cost-of-living crisis faced by Disabled people.

DR UK's influence and presence in policy and campaign work have increased over the last year. We are a core participant in the COVID-19 General Enquiry, which is significant in recognising the negative experiences of Disabled people throughout the pandemic.

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Disability Rights UK Trustees’ Annual Report For the year ended 31 March 2024

DR UK has also worked closely with other Disabled Peoples Organisations (DPOs) around England to present collective experience to the United Nations as it gets ready to review the progress made by the UK government in its obligations to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) treaty.

As a nation, we continue to face inequalities and hardships, which is especially demonstrated through the cost-of-living crisis and the proposed changes to public transport ticket offices; DR UK remain hot on each topic in making sure that Disabled people's voices are heard.

We have achieved all this while remaining a financially robust and sustainable charity. During one of the hardest economic periods, we have even experienced growth. DR UK is in a strong position to continue to advocate for change and play an active part in the DPO networks across the UK.

We look forward to implementing the new strategy and making progress towards a more inclusive society in the coming year.

I would like to recognise the dedication and energy given to the work of DR UK by our CEO Kamran Mallick, our trustees, the staff team, volunteers, ambassadors and our partners. It is through this that we can begin to realise our ambitions for the future.

Thank you.

Liz Leach Murphy Chair

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Disability Rights UK Trustees’ Annual Report For the year ended 31 March 2024

Objectives and activities

We launched our new strategic areas, a new Vision and Mission and our values this year. These are outlined below:

The social model of disability underpins all our work, and we recognise that Disabled people experience vast and varied barriers. These are frequently compounded depending on their identity. Disability Rights UK is inclusive to and works for the equality of all Disabled people – regardless of their gender identity, race, sexuality, or religion.

We are committed to improving representation across the board within our organisation and aim to take an intersectional approach in all we do. We understand that, although our barriers and experiences may differ, all fights for inclusion, equality and equity benefit everyone.

Our key decisions are made through our members who elect the Board of Trustees: and by our Leadership Team (LT). We work with our members to influence national policy on independent living, benefits, education, employment, transport, human rights and other issues - shaping policy through direct experience and expertise. We also work with our local individual and organisational members to empower and to influence local policy and services.

Our Trustees and staff have a wide range of personal experiences of disability including mental health issues, autistic spectrum, learning difficulties, sensory impairments, long-term health conditions and mobility impairments.

We work hard to be inclusive and to understand and reflect the interests of everyone living with disability/health conditions. Our staff and Trustees come from a range of communities and backgrounds, including different faiths and minority ethnic communities.

Vision

To create an inclusive society where Disabled people have equal power, rights and equality of opportunity.

Mission

To support the Disability Rights movement campaigning for the rights and justice of all Disabled people.

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Disability Rights UK Trustees’ Annual Report For the year ended 31 March 2024

We work together to build the capacity of Disabled People’s Organisations including DR UK, engaging and networking to speak with a unifying voice on the inequality that affects our lives.

We bring the lived experiences of Disabled people to everything we do. We challenge policy makers, institutions and individuals to remove the barriers that exist for us as Disabled people.

Values Statements

Disabled people matter because we are here, because we belong, and because we are part of human diversity. Human beings are wondrously different in so many ways and we celebrate this.

• We uphold Disabled people’s human rights and oppose racism and all forms of discrimination.

• We are driven by the experience of Disabled people in all its richness.

• We think that kindness and consideration are strengths and a necessary force for change.

• We live by the principle of ‘Nothing about us without us’ to ensure our full participation in everything that affects us.

Strategic Goals

1. Support, build and engage in the Disability Rights movement

1. Ensure DR UK’s place is understood in the community and sector we operate, and that we are clear about our role.

2. Continually develop our understanding of engagement with Disabled people, allies and the wider society.

3. Create opportunities for feedback and co-production where possible.

2. Grow ourselves and the DPO sector

1. Help to build capacity and resilience of our sector (Disabled People’s Organisations - DPO).

2. Create a supportive environment for DPOs – through networking and engagement.

3. Grow our capacity with purpose and resilience.

3. Advocate for change

1. Influence UK Government, national regulators and institutions.

2. Influence local decision makers through working with local/regional DPOs.

3. Work to unify the voice of Disabled people.

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Disability Rights UK Trustees’ Annual Report For the year ended 31 March 2024

4. Develop our knowledge and understanding

1. Capture our impact – through strategic and targeted evaluation.

2. Work in partnership to develop the evidence base.

3. Share our learning.

5. Advise and inform

1. High-quality advice and information to DPOs and Disabled people of their rights and how to claim them.

2. Stakeholders (organisations and institutions) on the social model of disability, co-production and inclusive practice.

The trustees review the charity's aims, objectives and activities each year. This report looks at what the charity has achieved and the outcomes of its work in the reporting period. The trustees report the success of each key activity and the benefits the charity has brought to those groups of people that it is set up to help. The review also helps the trustees ensure the charity's aims, objectives and activities remain focused on its stated purposes.

The trustees have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit when reviewing the charity's aims and objectives and in planning its future activities. In particular, the trustees consider how planned activities will contribute to the aims and objectives that have been set.

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Disability Rights UK Trustees’ Annual Report For the year ended 31 March 2024

Highlights of the year

Disability Rights UK Award Recognition – Charity Governance Awards We are proud to announce that Disability Rights UK has been awarded the prestigious Board Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Award. This recognition reflects our unwavering commitment to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion within our board and throughout our organisation.

With over 90% of our board members identifying as Disabled individuals, we ensure that the voices and experiences of the communities we serve are at the forefront of our decision-making processes. Our strategic focus on intersectionality, alongside our inclusive recruitment practices, highlights our dedication to creating a society where Disabled people have equal power, rights, and opportunities.

This award reinforces our mission to challenge barriers faced by Disabled individuals and serves as a testament to our ongoing efforts to advance disability rights across the UK. Together, we continue to break barriers, empower communities, and champion the rights of Disabled people.

Covid 19 Public Inquiry Core Participants

We have worked successfully with Disability Action Northern Ireland, Inclusion Scotland, and Disability Wales as core participants in the COVID-19 Public Inquiry.

We submitted evidence to Module 1 “Resilience and preparedness” - INQ000185333 Witness Statement of Kamran Mallick, on behalf of Disability - - - Rights UK, dated 28/04/2023 UK Covid 19 Inquiry (covid19.public inquiry.uk).

DR UK’s CEO Kamran Mallick was a witness for Module 2, “Core UK - decision-making and political governance” INQ000280035 Witness statement of Kamran Mallick, made on behalf of Disability Rights UK, dated 21 September 2023 - UK Covid-19 Inquiry (covid19.public-inquiry.uk).

The four nation DPOs will be reviewing as each new module is announced by the Inquiry and making decisions on applications for core participant status. We also held a meeting with DPOs who were specifically interested in the Public Inquiry to keep them updated and to seek evidence from them. A current list of modules can be found at the Inquiry website: Structure of the Inquiry - UK Covid-19 Inquiry (covid19.public-inquiry.uk).

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Disability Rights UK Trustees’ Annual Report For the year ended 31 March 2024

The Disrupt Foundation supports our work on the COVID-19 Inquiry and is part of our Policy work, which was again considerable this year.

Disabled People’s Manifesto

With the potential for a General Election looming, we worked with the DPO Forum England to put together a unified Manifesto set out by Disabled people. Our team has worked to be a partner and ally to all Disabled people, and the Manifesto is a testament to that. It was launched in September 2023 and used as the basis of a Manifesto Score Card, which can be viewed on the Manifesto website - Home | DPO Forum Manifesto (disabledpeoplesmanifesto.com).

Access to Elected Fund campaigning

We worked on a social media campaign with Centenary Action, Elect Her, and Disability Policy Centre calling for the reinstatement of the Access to Elected fund, which supports Disabled people who wish to stand at local and general elections. In February 2024, the Government’s Disability Action Plan included a commitment to re-instate the Access to Elected Office Fund in 2025.

Legal Protest Rights

As inequality for Disabled people has worsened, there has been more and more interest in using legal protest to have our voices heard. We worked again with Liberty in response for a growing desire by Disabled people and our organisations to protest due to the growing inequalities we all experience. DR UK and Liberty launched information materials targeted at Disabled protesters, to ensure that the intersection between equality law and protest rights was understood. In October 2023, again working with Liberty, we held a webinar on disability and protest rights, targeted at DPOs.

Our New Strategy focusing on DPOs

As outlined in the preceding pages, our new strategy firmly places us within the Disabled People’s Organisations sector. Disabled people have a rich history in the UK of building a movement and campaigning for change, culminating in landmark legislation such as the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. This is just one example, and there are so many more. There is still much more to do, and we want to support local and regional DPOs and Disabled people through them to be strong and resilient and to speak with a unifying voice as we demand change so we can take our rightful place in society.

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Disability Rights UK Trustees’ Annual Report For the year ended 31 March 2024

In the year, our DPO Development Manager has carried out research on the diversity of DPOs and, importantly, looking at those that are led by and for Intersectional Disabled people. We have, through co-production, researched what the support needs of DPOs are. We plan to launch a DPO hub on our website. The hub will start with practical resources first, written by those who have worked in and run DPOs. We will also launch an online directory of DPOs in 2024/25. To follow this work, visit our website - https://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/disabled-peoples-organisations.

Our Voices Group

The Our Voices group has continued to meet every month throughout the year. Its core membership is listed below. The group of CEOs and policy staff from Disabled People’s Organisations (DPOs) have formed a trusted group that meets to share knowledge and information and speak with a unified voice when needed.

Disability Positive		Disability Sheffield
Spectrum CIL		Leicestershire CIL
Disability Peterborough		Asian People with Disabilities Alliance
Wiltshire CIL		Living Options Devon
Wheels for Wellbeing		Disability North
WECIL		Breakthrough UK
Disability Cornwall		Centre for Independent Living Kent
Wheels for Wellbeing		Inclusion Gloucestershire

Advice and Information

Disabled people drive our organisation, our lived experiences inform what we do, say and write. The information we provide through our website and helplines is written and provided by Disabled people for Disabled people. Our helplines cover independent living, education and advice for benefit advisors. In the year, we supported over 7,000 individuals answering their inquiries on a wide range of topics. Some of the issues covered included advice on Disabled Students Allowance, the Equality Act, advise on challenging decisions for Personal Independent Payment (PIP) and support with financial assessments carried out by local authorities.

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Disability Rights UK Trustees’ Annual Report For the year ended 31 March 2024

Our website received over 2.5 million page views by 1.1 million users. Visitors downloaded fact sheets on a range of topics, the most popular being information on the Work Capability Assessment.

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Disability Rights UK Trustees’ Annual Report For the year ended 31 March 2024

Achievements and performance

Policy

The challenges that face Disabled people are multiple and varied, ranging across insufficient benefits and incomes, lack of vital services such as social care and education support, inaccessible information, barriers to housing, transport and the street environment and discrimination in all its forms.

Disability Rights UK works to highlight the injustices, propose solutions and influence positive change. We thank all the amazing partners we worked with, particularly Disabled People’s Organisations (DPOs) but also a range of organisations fighting for equality and human rights.

Policy highlights of 2023 to 2024

Rights and Justice

Disabled People’s Manifesto: Under the banner of DPO Forum for England, we contributed to the shaping and promoting of a Manifesto that set out what Disabled people wanted from a new UK Government. The Manifesto calls for a transformational disability plan that covers voice/representation, rights, independence and inclusion. The Manifesto was launched in September 2023, and we worked hard to promote it on social media and through events and conferences. In particular, we worked to ensure that all political parties were made aware of the Manifesto and that it received Trade Union support. We prepared a Manifesto Score Card targeted at political parties, questioning them on their intentions in relation to Manifesto asks.

United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRDP): In August 2023, we attended the UN in Geneva, alongside other DPOs and disability campaigners, to give evidence on the UK Government’s record in respect of three Treaty Articles - independent living, work and living standards. The UN was undertaking a special inspection, to follow up on its 2016 report on these issues. The evidence provided by DPOs and activists was extremely robust, demonstrating multiple violations of the Treaty. The UK Government failed to attend the August 2023 hearing and instead gave evidence in March 2024. Disability Rights UK was an active member of the delegation to Geneva in March 2024 and secured funding to enable the attendance of ourselves and others. The subsequent UN report was extremely critical of the UK Government record.

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Disability Rights UK Trustees’ Annual Report For the year ended 31 March 2024

COVID Public Inquiry: Disability Rights UK, Inclusion Scotland, Disability Wales and Disability Action Northern Ireland, were granted core participant status for module 2 of the COVID Inquiry, which related to government decision making.

On 9 October 2023, our CEO, Kamran Mallick, gave evidence, highlighting the challenges faced by Disabled people during the height of the pandemic and the failure of the UK Government to adequately engage with Disabled people or plan for our support and protection.

This evidence was followed by that of two disability academic experts, Tom Shakespeare and Nick Watson, evidence for which we had lobbied. The same day, we held a protest outside the Inquiry attended by Inclusion London, Disabled People Aagainst Cuts (DPAC), Winvisible and ourselves to draw attention to the fact that 60% of COVID deaths were those of Disabled people.

In advance of the closing submissions for module 2(a) relating to the UK Government, the legal team met with DPOs, to finalise key points. The barrister’s closing statement was extremely strong, pointing to systemic failings within UK Government. We have since secured Core Participant status for other modules of the Inquiry including those on vaccinations and social care.

Access to Elections

In April 2023, we gave evidence to a Select Committee on the inaccessibility of the voting process and the barriers affecting Disabled people, in particular photo ID. We have raised these concerns with the Electoral Commission. In summer 2023, as part of the consultation on the Disability Action Plan, the Government proposed a review of the need for an Access to Elected Office Fund. Such a Fund has previously existed and met the additional costs of reasonable adjustments for Disabled candidates. We joined with others in rejecting a review and instead calling for the re-instatement of the Fund. Through the autumn of 2023, We continued to make the case for the Fund through a social media campaign with Centenary Action, Elect Her and the Disability Policy Centre. In February 2024, the Government’s Disability Action Plan included a commitment to re-instate the Access to Elected Office Fund in 2025, following consultation with Disabled people.

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Disability Rights UK Trustees’ Annual Report For the year ended 31 March 2024

Disabled people and Protest

Protest rights: In spring 2023, we worked with Liberty to launch information materials targeted at Disabled protesters, to ensure that the intersection between equality law and protest rights was understood. In October 2023, again working with Liberty, we held a webinar on disability and protest rights, targeted at DPOs.

Disabled Migrants: In December 2023, we participated in a demonstration outside the Home Office, to protest at the way in which Disabled migrants were housed and left without vital care and support. This followed a highprofile case in Essex, where Disabled migrants were placed in inaccessible accommodation without care and support being provided. Our involvement in this issue has led to us becoming part of the Disability and Migrants Network and we intend to do more in this area.

Social Security and Cost of Living

Work Capability Assessment (WCA): In spring 2023, we challenged government White Paper plans to abolish the WCA. We highlighted that the plans would give more discretion to job coaches, increase sanctions and conditionality, and create unfairness by making Personal Independence Payment a gateway to receiving an additional health component of Universal Credit. Whilst there remain many criticisms of the WCA, we highlighted that it was a standard process, whereas government plans proposed to individualise every decision. As the removal of WCA wasn’t planned to start until 2026, in September 2023 the government introduced new proposals to restrict eligibility for WCA. We and other DPOs spoke out against these proposals, highlighting that they would cause real harm to thousands of Disabled people. However, they were approved in modified form in November 2023 and their introduction timetabled for April 2025.

Data Protection and Digital Information Bill: We joined Big Brother Watch and allies to call for provisions allowing mass surveillance of claimant bank accounts to be withdrawn. These powers were an unacceptable intrusion into personal financial matters and would have also resulted in false allegations, for example where someone had a second bank account due to receiving direct payments. The Bill was dropped due to the General Election.

Adequacy of Benefits: In spring 2023, we gave evidence to a Select Committee on the inadequate levels of social security payments. Throughout the year, we joined calls in support of an “an essentials guarantee” to ensure benefit payments cover life’s necessities. Through our leadership of the Disability Poverty Campaign Group (DPCG) we highlighted the struggles

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Disability Rights UK Trustees’ Annual Report For the year ended 31 March 2024

faced by Disabled people on benefits and low incomes to pay for food, energy, care charges, medication and spiralling rents.

Energy Payments: Whilst energy bills came down in spring 2023, they remained well above autumn 2021 prices. Therefore continuing great hardship for Disabled people on low fixed incomes, requiring additional energy to maintain health and or charge vital equipment. Through DPCG, we continued to press for an energy social tariff, promised by the Chancellor in November 2022 but the government quietly dropped its commitment. Following lobbying from DPCG and others on pre-payment meters, Ofgem tightened the rules for energy companies, preventing Disabled people being automatically and forcibly moved to this method of payment.

Housing

Inquiry into Disabled people and housing: We worked with MPs to set up a select committee inquiry into Disabled people and housing. This topic has been much neglected and the scale of barriers to housing faced by Disabled people is enormous. We supported the committee’s work and gave evidence in December 2023. The Committee reported in spring 2024, making important recommendations such as the urgent need to set standards for accessible new build homes and to improve the Disabled Facilities Grant. We will take these proposals forward with the new government.

Renters Reform Bill: We supported the flagship proposal to stop no-fault evictions, as well as raising our concerns about other areas of the Bill. These related to a new eviction ground of anti-social behaviour that we believed could be wrongly used against Disabled tenants, and the failure of the Bill to address inaccessible housing. The Bill was dropped due to the General Election.

Social Care

Bristol City Council proposal: In a drive to restrict funding for social care, Bristol City Council issued a consultation, proposing to move Disabled people into residential accommodation, where this would be more cost effective than providing support in their own homes. We joined with other DPOs to support a campaign against these proposals run by Bristol Reclaiming Independent Living (BRIL). We wrote to the Mayor and leading politicians arguing against the proposals and wrote news articles for print and digital media. Whilst the proposals were withdrawn in January 2024, a review of social care policy was then initiated, leading to concerns that the original proposal had not been defeated.

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Disability Rights UK Trustees’ Annual Report For the year ended 31 March 2024

National Independent Living Service: Whilst there are many voices calling for improved delivery and funding of social care, DPOs have a radical vision for a very different type of service, where Disabled people set national policy and standards and lead local delivery. We worked with a small group of DPOs to distil this vision, so we are ready to lobby for it, with a new government.

Education and Employment

Inquiry into Transitions: The House of Lords Public Services Committee ran an inquiry on the transition of young Disabled people from education to employment. We advised on the terms of reference and urged that the Committee heard directly from young people. We gave written and oral evidence to the Committee and attended the online sessions organised for young Disabled people. They spoke eloquently about the lack of support that they had received from education and career professionals and their reliance on their parents to speak up. The Committee’s work was suspended due to the General Election.

Department For Education (DFE) Funding: We found out in December 2023 that our funding to advise young Disabled people and work with them to influence policy change was threatened. We wrote to the responsible Minister, to secure a meeting and prepared papers showing the difference we were making. We were pleased to secure the funding for an additional year, pending DFE making arrangements to tender the work.

Offensive remarks by Warwickshire Councillors: In February 2024 there was a national storm when councillors in Warwickshire made offensive remarks about children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) and their parents. We worked with SEND Crisis Warwickshire and a range of other groups, to write to the Council and the UK Government, criticising the culture that led to such comments and highlighting the wider discriminatory attitudes and approaches to SEND.

Disability Employment Charter: The Charter has now been signed by around 200 organisations. We promoted the Charter at political and union events. Some of its recommendations were adopted by the Labour shadow minister for employment. These included a right to flexible working from day one, time limits for reasonable adjustments and work force monitoring.

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Disability Rights UK Trustees’ Annual Report For the year ended 31 March 2024

Transport

Ticket Office Closures: In July 2023, a proposal to close 1,000 ticket offices was announced. Initially there was a very short consultation but this was extended due to pressure. We played an active part in the campaign against closures, communicating our opposition to the Secretary of State and rail stakeholders and sharing our position in e-news and social media. We argued that closures would leave thousands of Disabled people without the ability to seek journey and ticket information, buy the most cost-effective tickets and locate passenger assistance staff.

We pointed to access and affordability challenges in buying digital tickets and the problems with ticket vending machines both in terms of being inaccessible and failing to provide the cheapest tickets. It is often ticket-office staff that summon passenger assistance colleagues and we highlighted both the impracticality and risk to safety of Disabled people trying to locate staff. Following over 700,000 responses to the consultation, in October 2023 the Government announced that the proposals would be ditched. We are keeping a close watch on any attempts to de-staff stations by back door methods.

Climate Change

Everyone’s Environment: We continued our partnership with New Philanthropy Capital, to explore the concerns of Disabled people in respect of climate change and bring them to the attention of decision makers.

Plastics Treaty: We compiled a list of plastic items that are essential to Disabled people, to seek their exemption from a Plastics Treaty.

COP 28: We made representations to UK Government and those leading COP 28 to make disability an agenda item. Disabled people are disproportionately impacted by climate events and emergency planning should specifically address our needs. We also seek to promote the opportunity to embed disability inclusive policy and practice into environmental solutions.

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Disability Rights UK Trustees’ Annual Report For the year ended 31 March 2024

Access to Activity

Benefit Trap: It is believed that many Disabled people in receipt of social security, fear that undertaking exercise or activity could lead to their benefits being withdrawn. We have embarked on a study with Disabled people and academics to explore this issue and make recommendations.

Accessible Neighbourhoods: We worked with a group of Disabled people to examine the challenges faced by those of us who walk or wheel on pavements, those who use cycles or other mobility vehicles and Disabled people who use cars. Our intention is to produce a policy paper targeted at decision makers that recognises all our interests as Disabled people, in moving around safely and independently.

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Disability Rights UK Trustees’ Annual Report For the year ended 31 March 2024

Engagement

Disabled People’s Organisations Capacity Building

Our strategic shift to aligning DR UK with local and regional DPOs has been a central focus of our work this year. Our DPO capacity building work demonstrates the value and importance the DPOs play in our communities as organisations led by and for Disabled people, driven by lived experience.

Our DPO Manager, Rebecca Taylor Edwards, has engaged extensively with DPOs and focused on engaging with and learning from Intersectional DPOs. The research and findings of the DPO Sector Analysis that we carried out can - - be found on our website:https://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/disabled peoples organisations. Rebecca outlined her findings in a podcast discussion with Dr Theo Blackmore.

In the coming year we will be launching the DPO Support Hub on our website. This will provide a range of resources, guides and other material that DPOs have told us they want from DR UK. We expect this to go live in the second quarter of next year. The Hub will also include an interactive map to enable Disabled people to find their local DPO.

With the DPO Capacity Building Group Members, we co-produced a standardised compensation framework and a position statement, to enable DPOs to more readily request that stakeholders compensate them for their time, knowledge and expertise.

We launched an Intersectional DPO Forum meeting quarterly during the year. Rebecca’s presentation on ‘Intersectional Funding Justice’ at the Festival of Learning outlines the value of this work and the importance of intersectional DPOs' work. We worked with six DPOs and a Disabled consultant to create a best communication practice with DPOs.

Supported by Sport England Funding, we were able to appoint to a new role within the organisation. The Data and Insight role will help us make better use of publicly available data, strengthening our advocacy role and supporting us in capturing data from our work to demonstrate impact. We appointed Sonja Randhawa, who joined us in January 2024. In a very short time, she created the Disability Scorecard to support our policy team’s work in the lead-up to the General election.

Just over 8,000 enquiries by email and phone accessed our direct support to disabled people through our information provision. This is in addition to the support people access through our website resources. Further details of this are later in the report.

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Disability Rights UK Trustees’ Annual Report For the year ended 31 March 2024

Information and advice

Personal Budgets Helpline

The Personal Budgets Helpline received a total of 669 queries over the year.

Care needs assessments and eligibility: Many enquiries focused on how to obtain a care needs assessment from social services and the eligibility criteria for receiving personal budget social care funds.

Financial assessments and contributions: Callers frequently sought information regarding the cap on personal care costs, financial assessments, light touch assessments, and the contributions they might be required to make towards their care and support packages. A significant trend was the concern over high contributions due to local authorities not considering their full disability-related expenditure, leading to financial hardship. There was also a notable issue with inadequate financial assessments by Local Authorities, often disregarding the individual's complete list of Disability Related Expenditure (DRE), resulting in debt and financial strain for individuals.

Challenging care cost charges: Numerous queries were about how to challenge the charges for care costs, understand what constitutes DRE, and seek advocacy or legal advice.

Employing Personal Assistants (PAs): Some individuals needed guidance on employing PAs and how to advertise for private PAs.

Respite care: Respite care was another common topic of concern among callers.

Elderly individuals and adult social care system: Many elderly individuals are not well-informed about how the adult social care system works, such as personal budgets or direct payments. Often, family members or children take on the responsibility of finding PAs for their parents. It was observed that unpaid carers or family members acting as PAs frequently face delayed or insufficient payments from LAs. For example, Tracey, a caller who has been providing care for her father, reported multiple instances of delayed payments from the LA, sometimes for over a year.

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Disability Rights UK Trustees’ Annual Report For the year ended 31 March 2024

Feedback

• "Thank you very much for all your help and support. I am well informed now to know my rights." – J.

• "Thank you so much for your help on the telephone. I very much appreciate your valued help. This support is vital for us."

Members Welfare Rights Helpline

This service provides expert advice to DPOs and other organisational members for complex welfare rights cases.

The Members Welfare Rights Helpline handled a total of 452 enquiries this year.

Personal Independence Payment (PIP): Most queries revolved around eligibility issues, assessments, and how to challenge decisions.

Universal Credit (UC) and Employment and Support Allowance (ESA): Enquiries regarding UC and ESA covered similar areas but also included concerns about transitioning from legacy benefits such as ESA to UC and whether claiming UC would be financially beneficial. There were additional issues related to the award of the limited capability for work element, permitted work for ESA, and benefits such as carers allowance, state pension, and child benefit.

Appeal tribunal submissions: The helpline also provided advice and support in preparing appeal tribunal submissions.

Disabled Students’ Helpline

The Disabled Students’ Helpline handled a total of 1,742 phone and email enquiries .

Enquiries covered a variety of learning areas which we categorise as follows: Further Education and Adult Education (27%), Undergraduate study (50%), Postgraduate study (incl. PGCEs) (12%), Apprenticeships and other workbased training (11%).

The top 5 subject areas were: Funding for fees and living costs (31%), Getting support with studies (15%), Disabled Students’ Allowance (14%), Complaints (12%) and Rights under the Equality Act 2010 (10%).

Transition challenges: There is a growing need for improved advice and guidance for disabled students navigating the complex landscape of post-16 education and training options. Students and their families contacted the helpline seeking tailored advice to understand their rights, available

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Disability Rights UK Trustees’ Annual Report For the year ended 31 March 2024

adjustments, and how each education path aligns with their long-term goals. For instance, one student needed clarity on the differences between a vocational course and a foundation degree in terms of support needs, while another required detailed information on support for disabled apprentices. Transition points are very disruptive for young Disabled people who depend on established support structures. Effective transition planning and coordination among education and training providers, employers, and local authorities are often lacking.

Mental health support: Mental health issues remain a significant concern, with a need for providers to enhance mental health support services and create environments where students feel understood and supported. Examples include a student dealing with depression who felt isolated and unsupported and another whose anxiety was worsened by poor communication and lack of support from their disability support service.

Assistance dogs: Disabled students relying on assistance dogs face challenges in education environments due to institutional policies, health and safety concerns, and misconceptions about the role of assistance dogs. Cases included students being denied permission to bring their assistance dogs into college premises or facing restrictions in specific areas like accommodation and lecture halls.

Support on apprenticeships: There is a lack of awareness among training providers and employers about the support available for Disabled apprentices. Better information dissemination is needed regarding supports like the Access to Work grant, aimed at educating apprenticeship providers and employers about the available support and how to access it.

Legal rights under the Equality Act 2010: Students often seek clarification on their legal rights and the obligations of education providers under the Equality Act 2010. Issues include inadequate access arrangements and the complexity of requesting reasonable adjustments. There is a need for better training and awareness among staff about the importance and legal requirements of reasonable adjustments.

Accommodation challenges: Securing suitable accommodation remains a significant challenge for many Disabled students. Students often find out just weeks before their courses begin that their accommodation needs cannot be met. For example, a student was informed three weeks before starting a Medicine degree that her request for an emotional support animal would not be accommodated, forcing her to seek unaffordable private accommodation or defer her course. Despite providing medical evidence, the university rigidly

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Disability Rights UK Trustees’ Annual Report For the year ended 31 March 2024

applied its 'no pets' policy and failed to consider the request as a reasonable adjustment.

The cost of specialist accommodation continues to be a big concern. Whilst the specialist accommodation is essential for accessibility, it comes with a higher price tag compared to standard student accommodation. We’ve heard from students who require an en-suite to manage personal care routines safely and comfortably and others that need studio flats for medical equipment and rest. For many disabled students, this means facing a dilemma: either pay a premium for accommodation which is essential to meet needs or compromise on well-being and comfort.

Furthermore, students’ experiences indicate a mismatch between the demand for specialist accommodation and what is available from the university. This shortfall forces many to seek alternative housing, exacerbating the challenges they already face.

Feedback

Survey results indicated that 92% of users rated our information and advice as useful.

• "This is a vital service. I am supporting a young person with complex needs through the education system, and it is a challenge. We are at university level now and still facing all sorts of misunderstanding, discrimination, and unhelpfulness from education providers. Getting clear advice is crucial.

• "The support that I received was very good; it helped me to understand my rights."

• "The helpline was great, Rundip was brilliant. She gave me the information to fight my case, and the more I learned, the more confident I became. As a result, I did at the end get sufficient breaks I needed in my exams."

• "Rundip was very kind and compassionate. The information she provided was thorough, and she is the only person I’ve spoken to who could give me straightforward answers. Many thanks for the help – I would not be enrolling on a course without her knowledge and support."

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Disability Rights UK Trustees’ Annual Report For the year ended 31 March 2024

Website education resources

From April 2023 to March 2024, our education factsheets and guides received 153,771 visits .

96% of users reported an increased awareness of their options and greater confidence in choosing their own career paths after using our factsheets and guides.

Sharing Information on Disability

We launched our Sharing Information on Disability report. This report presents findings from a survey conducted in March and April 2023, designed to better understand the experiences of Disabled students, trainees and employees in respect of sharing information on disabilities and exploring what could make sharing such information easier. We held an online launch event, partnering with the Disabled Apprentices Network (DAN). During the event we discussed findings from the report and heard about the experiences of five DAN members and Tik Tok influencer Barbie Advocates.

Online information sessions

We have delivered advice and information through webinars aimed at parents and students on various topics including transitioning from a specialist school to a mainstream setting, post 16 options and support on apprenticeships. We delivered these sessions for Oakwood Specialist College, Amazing Apprenticeships, Oakgrove College to name a few.

Tik Tok

We continue to reach more young people through advice and informationbased TikTok videos. Some highlights include a comprehensively informative video on what to do on GCSE results day, should you not get the grades you’d hoped for, and a promotion of the Student Helpline. Our education advice TikToks used current trends to promote our advice resources.

One video challenged the idea that ‘it’s not bad enough to need adjustments’ and promoted our “Adjustments for disabled students and apprentices” factsheet by using the trending “and then I go and spoil it all by saying something stupid” sound. This gained 15,300 views, 1,567 likes and 75 saves.

Another video used the popular ‘sad hamster’ trend to promote our “Funding HE for Disabled Students” factsheet and to remind prospective HE students to apply for student finance. This video reached 12,700 views, 346 likes, and 103 saves.

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Disability Rights UK Trustees’ Annual Report For the year ended 31 March 2024

Career opportunities

The Leadership Academy Programme

The Leadership Academy Programme (LAP) is proud to celebrate its 10th anniversary this year. Since transitioning from in-person delivery to an online format, the programme has successfully eliminated geographical barriers, allowing us to reach a broader pool of talent and more organisations. This shift was inspired by the success of our Bespoke Programmes, which we have now further developed to exclusively offer customised content tailored to the strategic objectives of our partner organisations. This bespoke approach allows us to target specific areas of focus with precision.

Our delegates have reported that the move to an online format has been advantageous, enhancing their ability to participate and commit fully to the programme. Learning from our experience with the Disabled Councillors Leadership Programme (DCLP) last year, we completely redesigned our main LAP delivery. The updated curriculum now includes module days on conflict resolution, managing difficult conversations and the development of a new ‘Inclusive Leadership’ tool. We are proud that our success in this area enabled us to secure the contract for the continued delivery of the DCLP with the Local Government Association (LGA) for another term.

Looking forward, our vision for LAP is to become the leading provider of leadership training for Disabled individuals, working more closely with Disabled People’s Organisations in creating the future disabled leaders of tomorrow. We aim to secure funding to offer various leadership pathways. One of the most significant impacts of our programme each year is the increase in delegates' confidence, enabling them to apply for more senior positions or change roles altogether. Beyond this, delegates report feeling supported and, for the first time, able to openly share their lived experiences as disabled employees. This creates a safe environment where they can learn from and support each other, which is often not possible in traditional training settings.

This year, we introduced a new measurement tool, the ‘Inclusive Leadership Charter’, which focuses on using co-production methodology to incorporate the opinions and thoughts of all LAP participants. We have also invested in mediation training and are now equipped to provide mediation services to employers with Disabled employees, aiming to resolve conflicts before they escalate to formal grievances.

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Disability Rights UK Trustees’ Annual Report For the year ended 31 March 2024

Through co-production we have developed a robust programme where delegates collaborate to share ideas, experiences, expertise, and best practices on what constitutes authentic leadership for a Disabled employee. The addition of the Inclusive Leadership Tool, alongside delegate reports, will help us create an online resource to support employers and employees in implementing inclusive practices in the workplace. This tool will influence policies, procedures, and the everyday lives of Disabled employees, fostering a more inclusive workplace culture.

Our goal is to see this tool widely implemented, driving a positive cultural shift in workplaces through the application of best practice in all its forms. We believe that by continuing to evolve and improve our programme, we can make a significant and lasting impact on the professional lives of disabled individuals.

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Disability Rights UK Trustees’ Annual Report For the year ended 31 March 2024

Influencing public attitudes and behaviours

Digital communications

Throughout the period of April 2023 to March 2024, Disability Rights UK Digital Content has seen some significant developments, as well as consistency across platforms, with audiences continuing to grow and engage with our content. This report provides a snapshot of this, through the social media platforms, website and E-newsletters.

Website

Analytical Markers - What They Mean and Averages

Number of users/views: This is the number of people who visit our website page in any given or chosen period. It is difficult to provide average numbers for this between organisations as it varies dependent on organisation size and sector but is helpful to measure in comparison with our stats in previous years.

Bounce rate: A website's bounce rate is the percentage of people who land on a page on the website, then leave. They do not click on anything else or visit a second page on the site.

For many charities and NGOs, the bounce rate is around 60-70%, with a particularly good bounce rate lying within 40-55%. A bad bounce rate would be around 80%, although of course all of this varies on the type of website and service you provide.

Time spent on the website (session duration): This shows us whether people have just briefly clicked through on a link and then left or have been interested enough in the other resources and pages promoted whilst on our site that they have gone through to look at more pages. It helps us to measure the alternative side of a bounce rate and is a helpful metric on how captivating our website is once people are on the site, as opposed to how well we can promote it through external methods, like social media.

Whilst it is hard to find an average figure for this across sectors, anything over 3 minutes is considered a good session duration.

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Disability Rights UK Trustees’ Annual Report For the year ended 31 March 2024

Comparison Between April 2023 and March 2024

Page Views

2023: 340,000 2024: 217,000

As we will see in the stats below, it’s clear that April 2023 was a month with significant traction, most likely from news stories. The subsequent bounce rate and low session duration prove that it was likely a high-news month, with lots of traffic reading one news article and leaving. Our general website stats average around 200,000-250,000 viewers each month, a considerably high number for our size of organisation.

Session Duration

2023: 53s 2024: 1m 57s

This jump in session duration shows that in March 2024, people were often staying on our website through multiple articles and reading over resources.

Bounce Rate

2023: 75% 2024: 42.5%

Again, this considerable decrease in bounce rate is a good portrayal of people staying on our site because they have been drawn to other stories, resources or guides. The majority of people who now click on a DR UK website article will go to at least one other page on our site before clicking off.

Device Usage:

Device Usage:
2023	2024
Mobile: 62%	Mobile: 60%
Desktop: 34%	Desktop: 36%
Tablet: 4%	Tablet: 4%

Largely consistent device usage – important to note just how many mobile users there are.

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Disability Rights UK Trustees’ Annual Report For the year ended 31 March 2024

Monetisation

Monetisation
April 2023	March 2024
Total sales: £9,600	Total sales: £18,424.49
Total orders: 1,300	Total orders: 1,700

March 2024 E-commerce Purchases

1. Radar Key (without VAT) - £8,158

2. Disability Rights Handbook 2024-25 (Full Price) - £940

3. Personal Independence Guide - £251

4. Radar Key (with VAT) - £150

5. Disability Rights Handbook 2024-25 (Concessionary rate) - £69

March 2024, Popular Pages

1. Work Capability Assessment Resource: 16,816

2. Home page: 15,641

3. Radar Key: 8,531

4. New Style Employment and Support Allowance Guide: 7,411

5. UK Government Faces UN For Violation of Disability Rights (news story): 5,842

Traffic Acquisition: How Do People Reach Us?

Traffic acquisition refers to the path through which people were directed to us. Organic Search means they have searched for something in a search engine and clicked on our website as a result. High direct search rates mean we have a good Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) rate, because our website pages are coming up high on search engine results.

Direct is a category used in traffic acquisition by Google Analytics that is largely a catch-all, and quite ambiguous. It could be anything from typing in a link directly or going to a webpage from your bookmarks. It could also be because of autofill – when someone has visited a page frequently, their browser will remember it and fill it in, so they don’t need to go through a search engine and instead end up directly on the page.

Referral traffic explains those who have reached our site through another site, not by searching on a search engine. This does not include social media links, which has its own category. Organic Social is the name used to refer to this category.

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Disability Rights UK Trustees’ Annual Report For the year ended 31 March 2024

How people found and engaged with our website in March 2024:

Organic Search: 63.8% Direct: 27.6% Referral: 4.7% Organic Social: 2.9%

[Other 1% is made up of smaller categories]

Developments

DPO Support Hub: The major development we’ve seen in the last year is the DPO Support being launched. As a result, we have added a slide deck on the landing page, where we are now able to highlight the DPO Forum website and DPO Support Hub together, alongside any important news or announcements we might need to highlight.

Blog: We have also launched our Blog in November 2023, incorporating pieces from the previous blog, and using it as an opportunity to highlight the work and views of DR UK staff, Trustees, and increasingly, people not related to DR UK. It is a future aim to pitch callouts and publish work from Disabled writers and activists, similar to the very well-performing blog of the National Survivor User Network (NSUN).

E-News: Our E-news is an important part of DR UK’s digital comms output, as it has 29,858 subscribers. Despite such a high number, it maintains an open rate of around 25%, which is significant compared to both other small charities and organisations similar to DR UK and given such a high rate of subscribers.

We also have our DPO Newsletter, which has been an important way to build trust with DPOs, as well as having a line of communication with organisation and sector workers. This has 268 subscribers, a high number given there are around 200 DPOs in the country – although we are aware that not all subscribers are specifically from a DPO and may be from a charitable organisation with similar aims, or a political organisation. Our DPO Newsletter maintains a very high open rate, averaging around 55%.

Social Media

Facebook: Our Facebook remains consistent, with an engaged audience that we do not reach through other forms of social media – they are most likely to be found in our E-news subscribers.

In March 2024, our page reached 14,200 users, which is on or slightly below average for us. Facebook engagement fluctuates heavily due to the algorithm, but we rarely see less than 15,000 users engaging each month – in January 2024, we reached as many as 301,484 users, partially due to an ad campaign we were running at the time.

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Disability Rights UK Trustees’ Annual Report For the year ended 31 March 2024

Following on from our March 2024 stats, we gained 156 new page likes and had 1,700 engagements. We average around 100 – 150 new pages likes/follows every month, which is a steady and significant climb given we already have 37k likes and 42k followers.

Twitter/X: On X, formerly known as Twitter, we are more likely to be engaging with other DPOs, charities, think-tanks and journalists. It’s an important news dissemination site. However, since an administration change, from April 2024 onwards, we are unable to judge or record our analytics, as that is a premium feature.

Our last recorded stats were March 2024, where we reached 49,168 accounts, with 34,104 engagements and an engagement rate of 6%.

LinkedIn: Whilst LinkedIn is a smaller platform, it still performs well in the sector and is a beneficial way of contacting and reaching out to other organisations and businesses.

During March 2024, we had 1,917 engagements, with 1,733 page views, 670 unique visitors and 1,384 new followers (which itself is astonishingly high considering we have 12,027 followers overall. Each month between April 2023 and March 2024, we have averaged 451 new followers per month.

TikTok: Our TikTok, run during the time period of April 2023 – March 2024 solely by Beth Bale, reaches a significantly large audience and produces content that can occasionally be reproduced on Twitter, and certainly on Instagram. Through this platform, we are able to reach a younger audience we otherwise are unable to access on other forms of social media or through our E-news. Whilst TikTok is the most algorithmically dependent, we have consistently high analytics for this platform.

A snapshot from March 2024 shows: 169,459 video views, 1,941 profile views, 15,740 total engagements, with 2,476 new followers. March 2024 was height of our UN coverage, hence such high stats this month.

Conclusion

Overall, DR UK as an organisation continues to reach an extremely high number of people given our size and revenue as an organisation. With future developments including an Instagram, more op-ed and article outputs with outlets such as the Big Issue and Open Democracy, we hope this will only grow, as well as tapping into audiences we traditionally have struggled to reach.

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Disability Rights UK Trustees’ Annual Report For the year ended 31 March 2024

Get Yourself Active (GYA)

During the last year we have seen significant change within both Disability Rights UK as an organisation and Get Yourself Active as a programme, largely brought about via the benefits of becoming a System Partner. We spent some of the last year in internal review, reworking our vison and mission whilst taking the learning and listening directly from our stakeholders. We were able to co-produce our evaluation framework for the GYA Programme and are looking to develop this for the wider organisation.

Our work on intersectionality will be crucial to ensure that all Disabled people not only have their voice represented and heard but also their ability to shape the landscape to not tackle both the inequalities that are so disproportionate for disabled people but also to look beyond to a future where we can thrive. As an example of this, as a team we are supporting our colleague’s work on Disability Funding Justice, an exciting and challenging emerging landscape which links to conversations taking place in the wider environment about how funding is decided upon and awarded.

We are very optimistic, although cautious, about the opportunities we must develop and strengthen the DPO sector to enable them to play crucial roles across the country to help shape, develop and challenge policy areas within their locality including the physical activity sector. Resourcing DPOs to do this will remain a critical factor, and one on which we have a fundraising (and by extension, a partnership) lens firmly focused.

Moving Social Work (MSW)

Moving Social Work is an evidence-based and co-produced education programme designed to encourage social workers to speak about physical activity with Disabled people within care planning and assessments. Disability Rights UK, Durham University and Sport England are currently developing Phase 2 of Moving Social Work with a further £1 million investment, which will see us providing more place-based work enabling and supporting social workers to better support disabled people to get active. This follows the Phase 1 work undertaken by the Get Yourself Active team and Durham University.

The Moving Social Work Programme Manager has joined the DR UK team to support this progression towards a national roll out. The programme has created and co-produced training resources for the promotion of physical activity within social work practice.

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Disability Rights UK Trustees’ Annual Report For the year ended 31 March 2024

Research has shown that social workers do not feel confident in this area to support Disabled people in accessing good, purposeful physical activity and Phase 1 evidenced how the training resources improved this. These resources have been developed with Durham University, co-production groups and research gained throughout to provide social workers with the knowledge and confidence to consider and implement physical activity for Disabled people when completing Care Act assessments. Research and evaluation will be on-going throughout the programme to ensure that the training programme being developed is continually considering the needs and benefits for Disabled people.

We were pleased to be able to start Phase 2 of this work during this year with the recruitment of a Project Manager in January 2024. This has included the re-establishment of our relationships with key partners and the sounding board, with the latter also recruiting new members with a view to diversifying the membership. We are building towards a major national event in September 2024 which will bring together stakeholders (including people with lived experience) to provide a blueprint for working together as the project matures and develops.

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Disability Rights UK Trustees’ Annual Report For the year ended 31 March 2024

Organisational achievements 2023-24

We sold a record 29,000 Radar keys last year. The keys provide independent access to over 9,000 accessible public toilets around the UK. We still work in partnership with Nicholls & Clarke, who invented the Radar locks that are still fitted and used today. Monthly highs are a continuing trend. The scale of growth continues to surprise us. Factors include: the ongoing benefits from improving the new online shop, carefully planted messages about the history of the National Key Scheme, and influencing partners to re-direct their websites to us. Our theory was that maintaining the price at £5 including postage has helped us gain a higher market share. A recent customer survey led us to think that support for the National Key Scheme and brand recognition are strong motivations to buy from DR UK. We believe we can potentially increase the price without significantly affecting sales volumes. We will report on this for 2024-25.

Combined income from the Disability Rights Handbook and other publications was £285k, which was up £10k on budget. The digital version of the Handbook, which sits on the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) AskCPAG platform, attracted over 600 subscribers, although income has begun to plateau at around £16k.

Online training continued to grow. DR UK worked with over 60 private and public sector organisations to promote and create inclusive environments, products and services. Disability Confidence training remained our primary product, mainly training managers and HR teams. In 2023-24 these organisations included:

• ABM Aviation

• Barnwood Trust

• Chelmsford Council

• Dance Leaders Group

• Dementia UK

• Engineering UK

• Eversheds Sutherland

• Francis Crick Institute

• Greenwich University

• Harper Collins

• HM Treasury

• Methodist Church

• Ofcom

• Rambert School of Dance

• Royal College of Psychiatrists

• Scope

• Sheffield College

• Siemens

• White Stuff

• Xerox

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Disability Rights UK Trustees’ Annual Report For the year ended 31 March 2024

We also continued to expand the other ways we work with businesses, such as access audits and Disability Confident Level 3 Leader validation. We continued to deliver ad hoc consultancy to ALDI, Business Disability Forum, National Fire Chiefs Council, South Western Railways and Oxford University Press. We utilised our in-house expertise for external speaking opportunities.

In total our training and consultancy delivered an operational surplus of £55k in 2023/24, a profit increase of 12% compared to the previous year.

Fundraising

Last year’s strategic linking of fundraising to strategic goals has been further refined this year, with the production of a streamlined internal document that gives our Finance Committee up-to-date information about the status of all bids submitted and those in development.

We continued to embed our co-production approach with the production of large-scale and ambitious bids to (for example) the Arts Council England. Whilst this was not successful at the first stage, we are using the feedback received to iterate the bid for re-submission. We remain committed to our partnership approach to funding and have honed in on the considerable opportunities that being a Sport England System partner affords.

We have successfully secured funding from Trust for London to develop our Temporary Accommodation work under the auspices of the Policy Team. We have also been accepted as a funded partner of the Three Guineas Trust, thus ensuring the sustainability of our policy work. At the time of writing, we await the outcome of several bids, including one to the City Bridge Trust, which, if successful, will appreciably improve the longer-term sustainability of Disability Rights UK’s infrastructure function. We are also awaiting the outcome of a number of environmentally themed bids which aim to address the additional pressures that climate change causes to Disabled people and people with long-term health conditions.

We have successfully re-tendered two Care Quality Commission contracts, the Local Government Association’s Disabled Councillor’s programme and the Department for Education-funded work with young Disabled people.

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Disability Rights UK Trustees’ Annual Report For the year ended 31 March 2024

Plans for the future

Anti-Racist Work

We will lay out our plan to consider and implement the recommendations we receive from the Anti-Racism work that has begun. We are expecting to receive the final report in September 2024.

This work will take more than one year to implement and ultimately ensure that it becomes part of all that we do, say, represent, and are. The journey will undoubtedly be challenging at times, but we are up for it. We will work with marginalised staff and centre them in the work.

We will also ensure that intersectionality and Disability Justice are core drivers of our work and that these guide us as well as the Social Model of Disability.

As we go on this journey, we will consider how best to share our experience with our DPO member organisations and how we may be able to support them in making similar discoveries and changes.

Co-Production

We will build on the work we have done this year and embed this framework and practice wherever relevant. We will work with our staff and board to ensure a solid understanding of Co-Production and how to implement it.

Through our website, we will share our learning and provide resources and information for others to use. We will gauge our work against the coproduction ladder and make this public.

DPO Hub

We have worked in the year with our web developer, Compuco to build the space on our website for DPOs. We will build the area with new content and a national map so anyone wanting to find their nearest DPO is able to.

Influencing funders

Next year, we will build on our work to continue to inform, educate, and influence funders on the unique role that DPOs have in the nation. We want more funders to ensure that their funding streams are options for DPOs to apply to and that, whenever possible, there is specific funding aimed at them.

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Disability Rights UK Trustees’ Annual Report For the year ended 31 March 2024

Policy Priorities for 2024 to 2026

Following the election of a new UK Government in July 2024, the political landscape has significantly changed. We have a new Labour UK Government with a large majority (412 seats), a new legislative programme and extremely constrained public finances.

There are a handful of Bills which may have some beneficial impact for Disabled people, particularly relating to provisions on employment and housing. However, announcements already made by Government such as: building 1.5 million homes with no mention of accessibility standards; cutting Winter Fuel Payments to pensioners; not proceeding with the proposed cap on social care charges of £86k and refusing to scrap the two-child benefit limit, signal difficult times ahead.

In terms of the Government’s approach to disability, it is too early to say whether it will embrace calls from the Disabled people’s movement for: a transformational approach to tackling systemic inequalities; deeper engagement with Disabled People’s Organisations (DPOs); increased recognition and funding for DPOs; and the rejection of disparaging language and the rhetoric of blame. The tagging on of the disability brief to the minister with responsibility for social security is concerning, as it denotes a lessening of priority, but it remains to be seen how this plays out.

The House of Commons has increased its diversity with 260 women MPs and 87 MPs of minority ethnic origin. In relation to Disabled MPs, the number isn’t known but 28 MPs have received workplace adjustments, and 10 further requests are in the pipeline.

The DR UK Policy Team plays a major role, often with partners, in reacting to UK Government announcements, spending proposals and legislation, ensuring that the needs of Disabled citizens are highlighted and the impacts upon us recognised. The Team also responds to media requests, which enable us to promote the perspectives of DPOs and Disabled people.

Given the political context, legislative programme and the ambitions of the Disabled People’s Manifesto, it is proposed that there is proactive influencing in the following areas between October 2024 and March 2026. All priorities will involve collaboration with DPOs and allies.

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Disability Rights UK Trustees’ Annual Report For the year ended 31 March 2024

UK Government Approach to Disability

• Development of Transformational plan

• Coproduction and engagement with Disabled people and DPOs

• Recognition and funding of DPOs

Social Security

• Benefit levels that meet the essentials of life

• Benefit levels that meet extra costs

• Benefit processes that are fair and safeguard claimants

- Anti poverty

• Disability Poverty Campaign Group

• Energy social tariff

Young People

• Inclusive schools

• Equality of Post 16 options

• Engagement with young Disabled people

Independent Living

• Social care to independent living

• Increased funding for social care

• De-institutionalisation

Housing

• Accessibility standards

• Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans

• Temporary accommodation

Employment

• Employment support

• Mandatory disability workforce monitoring

Transport

• Accessibility strategy for Great British Railways

• Accessible buses

Activity

• Accessible streets

• Improving access to activity

• Highlighting the Activity Trap

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Disability Rights UK Trustees’ Annual Report For the year ended 31 March 2024

Climate Change

• Involvement of Disabled people in emergency planning and

environmental solutions

Disabled Migrants

• Producing information resources

• Advocating for policy improvements

COVID Inquiry

• Representation in Module on Vaccinations

• Representation in Module on Social Care

• Representation in Module on children and young people

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Disability Rights UK Trustees’ Annual Report For the year ended 31 March 2024

Financial review

With agreement from the board of trustees, a negative budget was set for the year allowing the charity to draw down from the restricted reserve to fund education work.

Despite this, the charity had a positive movement in funds of £636 (2023 £18,943). This has improved the balance sheet which now shows net assets of £333,794 (£333,158), of which unrestricted reserves are £306,934 (£275,463).

The charity continued to work with its long term partners at the Department for Education, Sport England and City Bridge Trust. The Three Guineas Trust grant was due to end in March 2024 but was extended for a further three years beginning April 2024.

Trading activity was strong, continuing a trend seen post pandemic. The flagship Disability Rights Handbook publication continued to sell well and income increased year on year. Radar Key sales had another record year with 29,700 being sold.

Training and consultancy turnover increased by 24% as a growing online offer was supplemented by in person training. The charity delivered training to a diverse pool of over 60 customers across the year including local and central government departments, large corporate partners and several NHS properties.

The charity earned £22,315 bank interest in the year due to saving with the Charity Aid Foundation Flagstone platform. This enabled access to multiple savings accounts within the one platform and ensured cash at hand was put to good use throughout the year. The charity expects to earn a similar amount of interest in 2024-25.

The active pension arrangements for staff are all now defined contribution, and the charity has complied with its obligations under auto enrolment. This has included the second three-year anniversary re-enrolment which was completed in July 2022.

The Finance team supports the charity’s activities by providing financial analysis, reporting to funders and giving administration support. The charity does not hold material financial investments.

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Disability Rights UK Trustees’ Annual Report For the year ended 31 March 2024

Reserves policy

As at 31 March 2024 the unrestricted reserves are £306,934 (2022: £275,463). The reserves policy is reviewed annually by the Finance Committee and the main Board of Trustees. The core running costs (excluding project expenditure) for 3 months are approximately £330,000 (£280,000), which is the level of reserves the Board consider appropriate. The charity has a variety of income streams which are both long and short term. And like many charities some income is uncertain and there are always income targets that need to be met.

The policy is therefore to try to build up unrestricted reserves to £330,000. With unrestricted reserves at £307,000, the charity is £23,000 below target. However, the Board recognise the need for innovation in order to grow the charity and should the need arise, spending from the reserve will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Going concern

The charity manages its cash position very carefully and as always, the 2024/25 budget was developed on a prudent basis. The budget, cash flow and financial plans are closely monitored with any negative variances being quickly addressed to ensure the financial viability of the organisation over the longer-term.

The trustees have considered the going concern issue and are confident that there are sufficient resources and plans in place to ensure the charity is a going-concern for the twelve months following the signing of these accounts.

Principal risks and uncertainties

The principal risks faced by the charity are the failure to secure new grant and trust funding and a reduction in unrestricted income through sales, donations or training and consultancy. The trustees are fully aware of this and there is a constant drive to find new sources of income. At the same time costs are monitored as closely as possible. The Leadership Team review the top risks regularly, and these are presented to every Board of Trustees meeting. In addition, the Risk Register itself has been reviewed and improvements made around actions and controls.

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Disability Rights UK Trustees’ Annual Report For the year ended 31 March 2024

With thanks to our Funders

We would like to thank our funders and supporters for their funding and kind donations throughout the year:

Care Quality Commission City Bridge Trust Department for Education Disrupt Foundation Edinburgh Trust Elizabeth and Prince Zaiger Trust GD Herbert Charitable Trust Legal Education Foundation Liberty Speciality Markets Snowdon Trust Social Enterprise Support Fund Sport England Three Guineas Trust

Some special thanks to those individuals and organisations who took the time to fundraise for us during the year, including:

Marathon runner: Mitch Brady

Mount Kilimanjaro climbers: Jurate Jurksaityte, Steve Grange and Diana and Mantas Katciulis

And finally, thank you to our members.

Our funders, supporters and members enable us to deliver our priorities and strengthen our voice.

Page | 41

Disability Rights UK Trustees’ Annual Report For the year ended 31 March 2024

Structure, governance and management

The charitable company was established under a memorandum of association and is governed under its articles of association which are available on the website.

As per the Articles of Association, the Board must consist of a minimum of six trustees and a maximum of 16 of whom 75% must be Disabled people. No fewer than three quarters of the Board shall be elected by the membership and no more than one quarter appointed by the board. Currently the Board comprises 10 Trustees of whom 9 were elected with the treasurer being appointed by the Board. The Board manages the business of the charity and exercises all the powers of Disability Rights UK. It seeks to ensure the charity is compliant with charity and company law and works with its charitable objectives.

We have two sub committees accountable to the main Board, each with agreed terms of reference and delegated authority from the Board. They are the Finance Committee and the People, Equality and Governance Committee. A member of the Leadership Team is responsible for each committee. These committees can have co-opted members who are not trustees, at the discretion of the Board. These individuals are subject to the same declaration of interest policy as trustees.

The trustees delegate the day-to-day running of the organisation to the Chief Executive, supported by the Leadership Team, who are the Head of Policy, Advice and Information, Head of Partnerships, Head of Engagement and Head of Business Development.

The organisation is a private company limited by guarantee, incorporated on 14 July 2010 and registered as a charity on 26 October 2010. Members of the charity guarantee to contribute an amount not exceeding £1 to the assets of the charity in the event of winding up.

All trustees give their time voluntarily and receive no benefits from the charity. Any expenses reclaimed from the charity are set out in note 7 to the accounts.

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Disability Rights UK Trustees’ Annual Report For the year ended 31 March 2024

Appointment of trustees

New trustees are appointed through a fair and open process ensuring, as far as possible, diverse representation from a cross section of society, including different experiences of disability and skills. Trustees are elected on a threeyear cycle.

Trustee induction and training

New trustees spend a day meeting key management personnel and other members of staff to learn about the projects and programmes delivered by the charity. Incoming trustees are buddied with an existing member of the Board.

Remuneration policy for key management personnel

Remuneration for all staff, including key management personnel, is considered in the December/January period before year-end when the budget for the next year is set. There is union consultation via a member of staff under a voluntary trade union agreement between the charity and the union.

Final decisions on remuneration are made by the People, Equality and Governance Committee and Finance Committee and then ratified by the Board. This policy applies to all staff, including key management personnel.

Statement of responsibilities of the trustees

The trustees (who are also directors of Disability Rights UK for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Annual Report including the strategic report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

Company law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:

• Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently

• Observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP

• Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent

• State whether applicable UK Accounting Standards and statements of recommended practice have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements

• Prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation

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Disability Rights UK Trustees’ Annual Report For the year ended 31 March 2024

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. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

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.

Statement as to disclosure to our auditors

In so far as the trustees are aware:

• There is no relevant audit information of which the charitable company’s auditors are unaware; and

• The trustees have taken all steps that they ought to have taken to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the auditors are aware of that information.

Auditors

Goldwins were re-appointed as the charitable company’s auditors during the year and have expressed their willingness to continue in that capacity.

The trustees’ annual report has been approved by the trustees on 3[rd] October 2024 and signed on their behalf by;

…………………………………….

Fiona Creaby Treasurer

Page | 44

Independent auditors’ report To the members of Disability Rights UK For the year ended 31 March 2024

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of Disability Rights UK (the ‘Charity’) for the year ended 31 March 2024 which comprise the Statement of Financial Activities, the Balance Sheet, statement of cash flows and notes to the financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102: The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

In our opinion, the financial statements:

• give a true and fair view of the state of the Charityʼs affairs as at 31 March 2024 and of its income and expenditure for the year then ended;

• have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice;

• have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditorʼs responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the Charity in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRCʼs Ethical Standard and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Conclusions relating to going concern

In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the trustees’ use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charity's ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.

Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the directors with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.

Other information

The trustees are responsible for the other information. The other information comprises the information included in the annual report other than the financial statements and our auditorʼs report thereon. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.

In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material

Page | 45

Independent auditors’ report To the members of Disability Rights UK For the year ended 31 March 2024

misstatements, we are required to determine whether there is a material misstatement in the financial statements or a material misstatement of the other information. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.

We have nothing to report in this regard.

Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006

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

• the information given in the trusteesʼ report (incorporating the directorsʼ report) for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and

• the trusteesʼ report (incorporating the directorsʼ report) have been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the Charity and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the Trustees’ Annual Report.

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

• adequate accounting records have not been kept or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us;

• the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns;

• certain disclosures of trusteesʼ remuneration specified by law are not made; or

• we have not obtained all the information and explanations necessary for the purposes of our audit.

Responsibilities of the trustees

As explained more fully in the trusteesʼ responsibilities statement, the trustees 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 they 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 Charityʼs 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 Charity or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Our 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 auditorʼs 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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Independent auditors’ report To the members of Disability Rights UK For the year ended 31 March 2024

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 are set out below.

In identifying and assessing risks of material misstatement in respect of irregularities, including fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations, our procedures included the following:

• We enquired of management, which included obtaining and reviewing supporting documentation, concerning the charity's policies and procedures relating to the internal controls established to mitigate risks related to fraud or non-compliance with laws and regulations.

• We inspected the minutes of meetings of those charged with governance.

• We reviewed the financial statement disclosures and tested these to supporting documentation to assess compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

• In addressing the risk of fraud through management override of controls, we tested the appropriateness of journal entries and other adjustments, assessed whether the judgements made in making accounting estimates are indicative of a potential bias and tested significant transactions that are unusual or those outside the normal course of business.

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. 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 for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Councilʼs website at: [www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities]. This description forms part of our auditorʼs report.

This report is made solely to the Charityʼs 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 Charityʼs members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditorʼs report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the Charity and the Charityʼs members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Anthony Epton (Senior Statutory Auditor) for and on behalf of Goldwins Limited Statutory Auditor Chartered Accountants 75 Maygrove Road West Hampstead London NW6 2EG

28 October 2024

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Disability Rights UK Statement of financial activities

(incorporating an income and expenditure account)

For the year ended 31 March 2024

Note Income from: Donations and legacies 3 Charitable activities: 4 Member Services Promoting social inclusion Advice and publications Training and sponsorship Total income Expenditure on: Raising funds Charitable activities: Member Services Promoting social inclusion Advice and publications Training and sponsorship Total expenditure 5 Net movement in funds Reconciliation of funds: Total funds brought forward Total funds carried forward	Unrestricted funds £ 101,349 11,644 243,160 285,416 157,533 799,102 39,667 77,867 218,659 286,728 144,710 767,631 31,471 275,463 306,934	Restricted funds £ - - 926,239 - - 926,239 14,952 - 942,122 - - 957,074 (30,835) 57,695 26,860	2024 Total funds £ 101,349 11,644 1,169,399 285,416 157,533 1,725,341 54,619 77,867 1,160,781 286,728 144,710 1,724,705 636 333,158 333,794	2023 Total funds £ 106,517 19,799 1,089,278 278,252 132,700
				1,626,546
				86,764 76,030 1,046,505 274,880 123,424
				1,607,603
				18,943 314,215
				333,158

All of the above results are derived from continuing activities. There were no other recognised gains or losses other than those stated above. The attached notes form part of these financial statements.

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Disability Rights UK Balance sheet As at 31 March 2024

Note Fixed assets: 9 10 Current assets: 11 Liabilities: 12 15 Funds General funds Total charity funds Unrestricted funds: Creditors: amounts falling due after one year Restricted funds Tangible and intangible assets Investments Cash at bank and in hand Creditors: amounts falling due within one year Net current assets Total net assets Total assets less current liabilities Debtors	£ 203,441 561,225	2024 £ 22,244 6,057	£ 155,186 652,906	2023 £ 31,371 6,057
		28,301 305,493		37,428 295,730
	764,666 (459,173)		808,092 (512,362)
		333,794 -		333,158 -
		333,794		333,158
		26,860 306,934		57,695 275,463
		333,794		333,158

Total charity funds

Approved by the trustees on 03/10/2024

and signed on their behalf by:

Fiona Creaby Treasurer

Liz Leach Murphy Chair of Trustees

Company registration no. 7314865

The attached notes form part of the financial statements.

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Disability Rights UK Statement of cash flows For the year ended 31 March 2024

	2024	2023
	£	£
Net income for the reporting period	636	18,943
(as per the statement of financial activities)
Depreciation	15,446	9,401
Disposal of fixed assets	-	-
(Increase) / decrease in debtors	(48,255)	5,304
Increase / (decrease) in creditors	(53,189)	72,668
Net cash provided by operating activities	(85,362)	106,316
	2024	2023
	£	£
Change in cash and cash equivalents in the year	(85,362)	106,316
Purchase of fixed assets	(6,319)	(27,646)
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year	652,906	574,236
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year	561,225	652,906

Page | 50

Disability Rights UK Notes to the financial statements For the year ended 31 March 2024

• 1 Accounting policies

• a) Basis of preparation

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102 - effective 1 January 2015) - (Charities SORP FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006.

The charitable company 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 or note.

b) Going concern

The trustees consider that there are no material uncertainties about the charitable company's ability to continue as a going concern. The trustees do not consider that there are any sources of estimation uncertainty at the reporting date that have a significant risk of causing a material adjustment to the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities within the next reporting period.

c) Income

Income is recognised when the charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the income have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and that the amount can be measured reliably.

Income from government and other grants, whether ‘capital’ grants or ‘revenue’ grants, is recognised when the charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the grants have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably and is not deferred. Income received in advance for the provision of specified service is deferred until the criteria for income recognition are met.

For legacies, entitlement is taken as the earlier of the date on which either: the charity is aware that probate has been granted, the estate has been finalised and notification has been made by the executor(s) to the charity that a distribution will be made, or when a distribution is received from the estate. Receipt of a legacy, in whole or in part, is only considered probable when the amount can be measured reliably and the charity has been notified of the executor’s intention to make a distribution. Where legacies have been notified to the charity, or the charity is aware of the granting of probate, and the criteria for income recognition have not been met, then the legacy is a treated as a contingent asset and disclosed if material.

d) Donations of gifts, services and facilities

Donated professional services and donated facilities are recognised as income when the charity has control over the item or received the service, any conditions associated with the donation have been met, the receipt of economic benefit from the use by the charity of the item is probable and that economic benefit can be measured reliably. In accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102), volunteer time is not recognised so refer to the trustees’ annual report for more information about their contribution.

On receipt, donated gifts, professional services and donated facilities are recognised on the basis of the value of the gift to the charity which is the amount the charity 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.

e) Interest receivable

• Interest on funds held on deposit is included when receivable and the amount can be measured reliably by the charity; this is normally upon notification of the interest paid or payable by the bank.

f) Fund accounting

Unrestricted funds are available to spend on activities that further any of the purposes of charity. Designated funds are unrestricted funds of the charity which the trustees have decided at their discretion to set aside to use for a specific purpose. Restricted funds are donations which the donor has specified are to be solely used for particular areas of the charity’s work or for specific projects being undertaken by the charity.

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Disability Rights UK Notes to the financial statements For the year ended 31 March 2024

1 Accounting policies (continued)

g) Expenditure and irrecoverable VAT

Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to make a payment to a third party, it is probable that settlement will be required and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is classified under the following activity headings:

• Costs of raising funds comprise of costs incurred by the charitable company in inducing third parties to make voluntary contributions to it, as well as the cost of any activities with a fundraising purpose.

• Expenditure on charitable activities includes the costs of delivering services undertaken to further the purposes of the charity and their associated support costs.

• Other expenditure represents those items not falling into any other heading.

Wholly irrecoverable VAT is charged as a cost against the activity for which the expenditure was incurred. Partially irrecoverable VAT is charged in one figure to overheads.

h) Allocation of support costs

Support costs are those functions that assist the work of the charity but do not directly undertake charitable activities. Support costs include administration, IT, finance, HR, payroll and governance costs which support the charity and its and activities. These costs have been allocated between cost of raising funds and expenditure on charitable activities. The bases on which support costs have been allocated are set out in note 5.

i) Operating leases

Rental charges are charged on a straight line basis over the term of the lease.

j) Tangible fixed assets

Items of equipment are capitalised where the purchase price exceeds £500. Depreciation is provided at rates calculated to write down the cost of each asset to its estimated residual value over its expected useful life. The depreciation rates in use are as follows:

Computer equipment 33% Fixtures and fittings 33%

k) Investments in subsidiaries

Investments in subsidiaries and other unlisted investments are stated at fair value.

l) Debtors

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

m) Cash at bank and in hand

Cash at bank and cash 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.

n) Creditors and provisions

Creditors and provisions are recognised where the charity 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.

o) Pensions

The charity operates a defined contribution scheme to satisfy stakeholder pension requirements. The employer's contributions are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities as incurred.

p) 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.

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Disability Rights UK Notes to the financial statements For the year ended 31 March 2024

2 Detailed comparatives for the statement of financial activities Income from: Donations and legacies Charitable activities: Member Services Promoting social inclusion Advice and publications Other trading activities Total income Expenditure on: Raising funds Charitable activities: Member Services Promoting social inclusion Advice and publications Other Total expenditure Net movement in funds Total funds brought forward Total funds carried forward 3 Income from donations and legacies £ Donations 68,034 Legacies 11,000 Bank interest 22,315 101,349 Unrestricted	2023 £ 106,517 19,799 179,460 278,252 132,700 716,728 71,812 76,030 136,687 274,880 123,424 682,833 33,895 241,568 275,463 £ - - - - Unrestricted Restricted	2023 £ - - 909,818 - - 909,818 14,952 - 909,818 - - 924,770 (14,952) 72,647 57,695 2024 Total £ 68,034 11,000 22,315 101,349 Restricted	2023 Total £ 106,517 19,799 1,089,278 278,252 132,700
			1,626,546
			86,764 76,030 1,046,505 274,880 123,424
			1,607,603
			18,943 314,215
			333,158
			2023 Total £ 91,449 10,392 4,676
			106,517

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Disability Rights UK Notes to the financial statements For the year ended 31 March 2024

4 Income from charitable activities

Organisational members Individual members Total for member services Government grants Trust and foundation grants Contracts Key sales Total for promoting social inclusion Publications Advice services Contracts Total for advice and publications Training & consultancy and courses Partnerships and projects Total for training and consultancy Total income from charitable activities	Unrestricted £ 10,125 1,519 11,644 18,175 - 74,977 150,008 243,160 276,000 9,416 - 285,416 144,933 12,600 157,533 697,753	£ - - - 125,000 801,239 - - 926,239 - - - - - - - 926,239 Restricted	2024 Total £ 10,125 1,519 11,644 143,175 801,239 74,977 150,008 1,169,399 276,000 9,416 - 285,416 144,933 12,600 157,533 1,623,992	2023 Total £ 16,602 3,197
				19,799
				127,941 789,818 53,354 118,165
				1,089,278
				273,189 5,063 -
				278,252
				116,600 16,100
				132,700
				1,520,029

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Disability Rights UK Notes to the financial statements For the year ended 31 March 2024

5 Analysis of expenditure

				Charitable	activities
		Cost of		Promoting
	Basis of	raising	Member	social	Advice and	Training &	Support
	allocation	funds	services	inclusion	publications	sponsorship	costs	2024 Total	2023 Total
		£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£
Staff costs	Direct	18,778	39,176	469,279	118,487	-	341,431	987,151	905,186
Direct project costs	Direct	17,953	3,638	394,290	92,666	70,523	-	579,070	567,734
Office running costs	Direct	-	-	-	-	-	112,740	112,740	87,051
Premises costs	Direct	-	-	-	-	-	45,744	45,744	47,632
		36,731	42,814	863,569	211,153	70,523	499,915	1,724,705	1,607,603
Overhead salaries		12,899	24,718	189,383	48,084	66,347	(341,431)	-
Office running costs		3,549	7,352	76,706	19,556	5,577	(112,740)	-
Rent & rates		1,440	2,983	31,123	7,935	2,263	(45,744)	-
Total expenditure 2024		54,619	77,867	1,160,781	286,728	144,710	-	1,724,705	1,607,603
Total expenditure 2023		86,764	76,030	1,046,505	274,880	123,424	-	1,607,603

Of the total expenditure, £767,631 was unrestricted (2023: £682,833) and £957,074 was restricted (2023: £924,770).

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Disability Rights UK Notes to the financial statements For the year ended 31 March 2024

6 Net income / (expenditure) for the year

This is stated after charging:	2024	2023
	£	£
Operating lease rentals:
Property - rent	45,744	47,632
Other equipment - photocopier	-	-
Depreciation	15,446	9,401
Auditor's remuneration - audit fees	7,000	6,000

7 Analysis of staff costs, trustee remuneration and expenses, and the cost of key management personnel

Staff costs were as follows: Salaries and wages Social security costs Employer’s contribution to defined contribution pension schemes	2024 £ 875,093 89,823 22,235	2023 £ 797,929 85,838 21,419
	987,151	905,186

There were no other employee benefits other than those listed above.

The following number of employees received employee benefits (excluding both employer's NIC and pension contributions) during the year between:

		2024	2023
		Number	Number
£70,000	- £79,999	1	1

The total employee benefits including Employer's NIC and pension contributions of the key management personnel were £294,719 (2023 £274,899).

The charity trustees were not paid or did not receive any other benefits from employment with the charity in the year (2023: £nil). No charity trustee received payment for professional or other services supplied to the charity (2023: £nil).

Trustees' travel travel and subsistence expenses totalled £4,263 (2023: £2,700). Some trustees do not claim any expenses for travel and subsistence.

Staff numbers Raising funds Member Services Promoting Social Inclusion Advice and publications Training and consultancy	2024 2023 Number Number 0.8 0.8 1.7 1.7 17.4 15.9 4.4 4.4 1.3 1.2 25.6 24.0 Average number of staff employed during the year	2024 2023 Number Number 0.8 0.8 1.7 1.7 17.4 15.9 4.4 4.4 1.3 1.2 25.6 24.0 Average number of staff employed during the year	2024 2023 Number Number 0.7 0.7 1.5 1.5 15.1 14.3 3.9 3.9 1.1 1.1 22.3 21.5 employed during the year Average number of FTE staff	2024 2023 Number Number 0.7 0.7 1.5 1.5 15.1 14.3 3.9 3.9 1.1 1.1 22.3 21.5 employed during the year Average number of FTE staff
	25.6	24.0	22.3	21.5

Average number of staff is based on head count and FTE is based on hours worked compared with full time.

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Disability Rights UK Notes to the financial statements For the year ended 31 March 2024

8 Taxation

The charitable company is exempt from corporation tax as all its income is charitable and is applied for charitable purposes.

9 Tangible & intangible fixed assets Cost At the start of the year Additions in year Disposals in year At the end of the year Depreciation At the start of the year Charge for the year At the end of the year Net book value At the end of the year At the start of the year	£ 36,170 - - New website (intangible)	£ 33,970 4,324 - Computer equipment	£ 2,170 1,995 - Fixtures and fittings	Total £ 72,310 6,319 -
	36,170	38,294	4,165	78,629
	8,873 12,056	29,896 3,058	2,170 332	40,939 15,446
	20,929	32,954	2,502	56,385
	15,241	5,340	1,663	22,244
	27,297	4,074	-	31,371

All of the above assets are used for charitable purposes.

10 Investments Investments at fair value: Preference shares in Santander UK plc Investment in Helpcard Holdings Ltd Investment in subsidiary undertakings incorporated in the UK	2024 £ 913 5,142 2	2023 £ 913 5,142 2
	6,057	6,057

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Disability Rights UK Notes to the financial statements For the year ended 31 March 2024

11 Debtors

Debtors
Trade debtors Other debtors Prepayments Accrued income	2024 £ 175,205 6,086 12,151 9,999	2023 £ 118,555 4,126 31,505 1,000
	203,441	155,186

12 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year

Trade creditors Taxation and social security Other creditors Accruals Deferred income Deferred income Balance at the beginning of the year Amount released to income in the year Amount deferred in the year Balance at the end of the year 49th Handbook pre-orders, invoices raised and online payments received Handbook published end of April 2023 Grants subject to performance-related conditions (shown as deferred in restricted note) Training and consulting projects	2024 £ 37,447 43,314 23,672 80,254 274,486	2023 £ 62,621 37,168 2,061 40,545 369,967
	459,173	512,362
	2024 £ 369,967 (369,967) 274,486	2023 £ 309,520 (309,520) 369,967
	274,486	369,967
	2024 £ 67,643 140,852 65,991	2023 £ 57,824 252,754 59,389
	274,486	369,967

The grants above are "grants subject to performance-related conditions received in advance of delivering the services required by that condition". These are "accounted for as a liability and shown on the balance sheet as deferred income" in accordance with the Charities SORP para 5.24. The income, when released, flows through the restricted funds part of the SOFA and the grants are referred to as "deferred" in the restricted funds note.

13 Pension scheme

The charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme with Friends Life which is a qualifying scheme for auto-enrolment.

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Disability Rights UK Notes to the financial statements For the year ended 31 March 2024

14 Analysis of net assets between funds Year ended 31 March 2024 Tangible fixed assets Investments Net current assets Long term liabilities Net assets at the end of the year Year ended 31 March 2023 Tangible fixed assets Investments Net current assets Long term liabilities Net assets at the end of the year	General unrestricted £ 22,244 6,057 278,633 -	Restricted £ - - 26,860 -	Total funds £ 22,244 6,057 305,493 -
	306,934	26,860	333,794
	General unrestricted £ 31,371 6,057 238,035 -	Restricted £ - - 57,695 -	Total funds £ 31,371 6,057 295,730 -
	275,463	57,695	333,158

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Disability Rights UK

Notes to the financial statements For the year ended 31 March 2024

15	Movements in funds			Incoming	Outgoing
			At the start of	resources &	resources &	At the end of
			the year	gains	losses	the year
	Year ended 31 March 2024		£	£	£	£
	Restricted funds:
	Department for Education	Apr - Mar	-	125,000	(125,000)	-
	Sport England - System Partner	To 31 March	-	328,973	(328,973)	-
	Sport England - Moving Social Work 1	Finished	-	11,701	(11,701)	-
	Sport England - Moving Social Work 2	Deferred	-	130,158	(130,158)	-
	Sport England - Together Fund	Finished	-	51,428	(51,428)	-
	City Bridge Trust - Bridge to Work	Finished	-	6,000	(6,000)	-
	City Bridge Trust - advice work in London	Quarterly	-	35,000	(35,000)	-
	DSA QAG	Ongoing	57,695	-	(30,835)	26,860
	The Three Guineas Trust	Half yearly	-	100,000	(100,000)	-
	The Three Guineas Trust - diversity	To 31 March	-	5,000	(5,000)	-
	The Three Guineas Trust - UNCRPD	Finished	-	35,000	(35,000)	-
	The Legal Education Foundation	Deferred	-	83,052	(83,052)	-
	Disrupt Foundation - see below	Deferred	-	250	(250)	-
	Social Enterprise Fund	Finished	-	14,677	(14,677)	-
	Total restricted funds		57,695	926,239	(957,074)	26,860
	General funds - unrestricted		275,463	799,102	(767,631)	306,934
	Total charity funds		333,158	1,725,341	(1,724,705)	333,794
				Incoming	Outgoing
			At the start of	resources &	resources &	At the end of
			the year	gains	losses	the year
	Year ended 31 March 2023		£	£	£	£
	Restricted funds:
	Department for Education	Apr - Mar	-	120,000	(120,000)	-
	Sport England - Get Yourself Active	Finished	-	83,414	(83,414)	-
	Sport England - System Partner	To 31 March		166,254	(166,254)
	Sport England - Moving Social Work	Deferred	-	59,237	(59,237)	-
	Sport England - Tackling Inequalities	Deferred	-	218,270	(218,270)	-
	City Bridge Trust - Bridge to Work	Quarterly	-	20,645	(20,645)	-
	City Bridge Trust - advice work in London	Quarterly	-	35,000	(35,000)	-
	DSA QAG	Ongoing	72,647	-	(14,952)	57,695
	The Three Guineas Trust	Half yearly	-	100,000	(100,000)	-
	The Legal Education Foundation	Deferred		68,392	(68,392)	-
	Disrupt Foundation	Deferred		9,918	(9,918)	-
	Social Enterprise Fund	Deferred		28,688	(28,688)	-
	Total restricted funds		72,647	909,818	(924,770)	57,695
	General funds - unrestricted		241,568	716,728	(682,833)	275,463
	Total charity funds		314,215	1,626,546	(1,607,603)	333,158

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Disability Rights UK Notes to the financial statements For the year ended 31 March 2024

Purposes of restricted funds

The Department for Education. To support disabled people's skills for employment, to advise on policy development and to run the Disability and Skills Unit.

Sport England - Get Yourself Active System Partner, a continuation of Get Yourself Active. The programme is to create opportunities for Disabled people with Long-Term Health Conditions to be physically active in a way that is right for them, by working with local and national partners. Disability Rights UK became a System Partner of Sport England on 1 July 2022 and the project runs to 31 March 2027. Get Yourself Active started in February 2015.

Sport England - Moving Social Work Parts 1 & 2. A Sport England project, in partnership with Durham University that aims to develop research led teaching and community-based training materials and resources on physical activity to influence social work practice of today and tomorrow and improve disabled people’s health. Part 1 ended 30 April 2023. It was replaced by Part 2 which started 1 January 2024 and runs for 4 years.

Sport England - Together Fund (was Tackling Inequalities). A Sport England funded project to help organisations to support Disabled people and people with Long-Term Health Conditions to be active during the pandemic.

City Bridge Trust - Bridge to Work. To provide evaluation on the Supporting Disabled Londoners into Employment, Bridge to Work project.

City Bridge Trust - advice work in London. The grant is from City Bridge Trust, the funding arm of The City of London Corporation’s charity, Bridge House Estates (1035628). The grant is towards the salaries, operating and management costs of the London element of our Independent Living Helpline and Members’ Advice Line. The annual grant award will run until FYE 2025.

The Disabled Students' Allowance Quality Assurance Group (DSA-QAG). In March 2020, we received a restricted donation of £80,000 from DSA-QAG, following the closure of that organisation. The donation is restricted to work associated with assisting disabled students to enter and succeed in higher education.

The Three Guineas Trust is one of the Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts. The funding is to increase our capacity to influence policy change across areas such as the welfare benefits system, education, employment and social care.

The Three Guineas Trust - diversity project. This funds our anti-racist work and informing on future strategy

The Three Guineas Trust - UNCRPD. £35,000 towards the costs of disabled people from organisations across the UK attending the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities convention in Geneva in March 2024.

The Legal Education Foundation (LEF) have funded our work to build capacity within Disabled People’s Organisations (DPOs) over a three year period. We have created a Steering Group made up of DPO senior staff, as well as disabled people. The aim of the work is to make DPOs, and the sector, more sustainable and more able to apply for and obtain funding. We are in the process of finalising an online DPO Hub and interactive map of DPOs across the country, with the aim of directing Disabled people to their nearest DPO and to enable more joined up working between DPOs. This will maximise reach and minimise duplication.

Disrupt Foundation. This funding enabled us to work in partnership with People’s Voice Media to gather stories from disabled people about their experiences during the Covid pandemic. Further funding was received just prior to year end to continue the work for the financial year 2024/25.

Social Enterprise Support Fund. This grant offer was made by the Key Fund with funding from the National Lottery Community Fund. Over a 12 month period from June 2022, it has paid towards existing staff time to develop and start the implementation of core strategies around business development and the digitisation of fundraising. The funding has also included money for marketing materials and consultancy.

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Disability Rights UK Notes to the financial statements For the year ended 31 March 2024

16 Operating lease commitments

There are no future lease payments under operating leases.

The only operating lease was on the photocopier which ran for 5 years and finished in January 2022. We are currently just paying for the paper and printer ink costs.

The contract for the office in Plexal finished on 30 June 2024. It has been renewed at the same rate of £3,812 a month plus VAT for a further year.

17 Legal status of the charity

The charity is a company limited by guarantee and has no share capital. Each member is liable to contribute a sum not exceeding £1 in the event of the charity being wound up.

18 Related party transactions

There are no related party transactions to disclose for 2024 (2023: none).

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