PADDOCK WOOD COMMUNITY ADVICE CENTRE PADDOCK WOOD COMMUNITY ADVICE CENTRE A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE TRUSTEES, REPORT AND ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024 Company Number 8006468 Charity Registration Number 1147816 PADDOCK WOOD COMMUNrrY ADVICE CENTRE CONTENTS Page Legal and Adminlstratrve Information Trustees, Report Independent Examinerfs Report ststement of Financial Activtties io Balance Sheet li Notes forming part of the Accounts l. Atcounting Policies 12 2. Donations and Other Income 13 3. Investment Income 13 4. Grants 14 5. Re50urce5 Expended on Charitsble Activities 15 6. Governance Costs 16 7. Volunteers atid Trustees 16 8. Tangible Fixed Assets 16 9. Debtors 17 10. Credltors 17 11. Restrirted Funds 17 12. Unrestricted Funds 17 Page I PADDOCK WOOD COMMUNITY ADVICE CENTRE LEGAL AND ADMINISTIIATIVE INFORMATION CONSTITUTION Paddock Wood Community Advi￿ Centre is a company limited by guarantee (company registration number 80064681 and a tharity registered with the Charity Commission (charity registration number 11478161. It is governed by its Memorandum and Articles of knociation las amended on l November 20161, has no share capitsl and the liability of each member in the event of a winding up is limtted to £1, DIREcfoRS AND TRUSTEES Martin Pengelley Alison Cain David Ritchie Veronica Warner Chair Deputychalr Treasurer Company Secretsry {retired from the board on 5 July 20231 Sarah Hamilton Robert Machell Martin Palmer was appointed 3s Company Secretary on 28 July 2023 but is not a dirertor or trustee. The directors are charity trustee5 as defined by settion 177 of the Charities Act 2011. MEMBERS As at 31 March 2024, the Company had five members on Its register (six as at 31 March 20231. REGISTERED OFFICE Paddock Wood Community Advice Centre 94 Commercial Road Paddock Wood Kent TN12 6DP INDEPENDENT EXAMINER Martynjenks M N Jenks & Co Limited 72 Commercial Road Paddock Wood Kent TN12 6DP BANKERS HSBC 105 Mount Pleasarrt Tunbrldge Wells TNI IQP Page 2 PADDOCK WOOD COMMUNITY ADVICE CENTRE TRUSTEES. REPORT The Trustees are pleased to present thelr report together wth the Independentty examlned accounts of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2024. Legal and adminlstrative information set out on page 2 forms part of this report. The independently examined financlal accounts compty with current ststutory requirements, the Memorandum and Articles of Associatlon and the Ststement of Recommended prattl￿ in relation to Accounting and Reporting by Charities. srRUCTURE. GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT Governing Document Paddock Wood Communty Advice Centre I'PWCAC, or'centre'l was incorporated on 26 March 2012 as a ompany limited by guarantee and governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association. It 15 a charity registered in England and Wale5 with the Charity Commission. Appointment of Trustees As set out In the Articles of ￿SOcIation. the number of Tru5tee5 shall not be less than three but shall not be subject to any maximum. Trustees may be elected at on Annual General Meeting IAGMI or appointed by a resolution of the otherTrustees at a Board meeting. Trustses appointed by a resolution of the Board must stand for re*lection at the first AGM following su¢h appointment. As a minimum, one third of the Trustees must retire at each AGM so thot all Trustees will have retired by the third AGM following thelr appointment. Trustees who retire may stand for ￿￿lection. cUrren￿Y. it has been agreed thatall Trustees will retire at each AGM. All appointed Trustees are mernbers of PWCAC. Trustee Inductlon and Tralnlng The Board of Trustees is structured with the aim that tt encompasses leadership. business. management, financial, legal and political expertise. It is a requirement that all Trustees have a sound appreciation of the role and artivities of the charity before they are appointed. Further, that they are aware of their legal obligations. the content of the charitls Memorandum and Articles of A55oclation. the annual budget and the financial performance. Trustees attend training courses as appropriate to enable them to undertake their roles for the charity. Training courses have in recent years dealt with the responsibllrties of charity Trustees, identification and management of risks, charty finance and accounting and charity law. Or8anisation The Board of Trustees met six times during the year ended 31 March 2024 to administer the affairs of the charity including strategic direction, governan￿, accounting and risk management. The Centre's Manager, who is responsible for the day to day operations of PWCAC, is invited to attend all Board meetings. Page 3 PADDOCK WOOD COMMUNITY ADVICE CENTRE TRUSTEES. REPORT CONTINUED Rlsk mana8ement The Trustees recognise that any major risks to which the charlty is exposed need to be reviewed and SV5tem5 Put in place to rnitigate them. The Trustees are responslble for ensuring that all risk5 are identified, assessed and managed in the corrert manner and that the internal systems and procedures are robust, relevant and applied rigorously. Accordingly, a committee of the Board comprising two Trustees and the Manager has been estsblished and meets at least On￿ during the year to revlew the ri5k5. Seeks to identrfy new rlsks and continue5 to develop the charl￿$ risk management strategy in Complian￿ with 'Charities and Risk Management ICC26}' issued by the Charity Commission. The risk management report is reviewed by the Board annually. In addltlon, all major risks which have been Sdentlfled are hlghllghted on the Board agenda and discussed tn detsll at each meeting With the intention of developing appropriate strategies to provide mitlgation. OBJEcfivES AND AC￿￿llE$ PWCACS objertive5 are to promote any charitable purpose for the public benefit by the advancement of education, the protection and preservation of health and the relief of poverty. sickness and distress. It provides confidential, impartial, independent. fa￿t0-face advice and information. without charge, from the community advice centre in Paddock Wood and its outreach serrfices wtthin the surrounding area. ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE PWCACoffers free. confidential and impartial, independenL facfrtO-fa￿ advice on a widevarietyof topics, ranging from debt and benefits to housin& employment. family and relationship issues. The belief is that it is essential to provide fa￿-tO-faCe advice and 5UPPOrt to clients. many of whom have no internet a¢ce5S and need help to consider the options available to them. Given the cost and a lack of Legal ￿d. clients often have no realistic access to legal advlce. By provlding a community advice ￿ntre in Paddock Wood. PWCAC enables the community to acce55 free, confidentlal and impartial advice. In February 2021. PWCAC entered a five year lease for its office on the ground floor of 94 Commercial Road and injune 2023, this lease wasamended to include the offices on thefirstfloor of the Same buildin& thus increasing the Spa￿ in which the Centre operates. Special thanks are due to a supporter of PWCAC who is the landlord at these premises and has been most generous in first buyin& and then reconfigurin& the new premises to sutt PWCAC'S needs. Page 4 PADDOCK WOOD COMMUNITY ADVICE CENTRE TRUSTEES, REPORT CONTINUED Durlng the financlal year PWCAC helped 1,060 cllents, a conslderable Increase from the prevlous yearfs figure of 927. The Centre had 10.848 recorded contscts with clients through face-to-face meetings, telephone calls, emails and work done on their behalf, an increase of 3,289144%) on the 7,559 client contacts in the prior year. This uplift can be attributed primarily to the continued deterioration in service from central and local governments which have caused both a reductlon In the quallty and tlmeliness of interartions which, in tum, mean individuals are more likelyto seek assIstsn￿ from organisations such as PWCAC. Many PWCAC clients live with health, literacy or digital access limitations and find it especially challenging to interatt with public seryices including the DWP and local councils due to opaque communicatlon systems and a lack of face-to-face seNlces. It Is common to flnd delays wlth correspondence responsible for issues being escalated to courts and enfor￿ment agents when previously they would have been solved with a single. direct personal interaction. As at 31 March 2024. PWCAC had 13 advisers. 11 voluntrers and 2 paid. In an average week during this financial year, the volunteers gave a total of 112 hours of their tirne to the charity- During the financial year, the Centre delivered an estimated £1.4 million of financiol benefrt for its clients through the advi provided. PWCAC represented 11 dients in welfare benefit appeals at First TierTribunal over the year and won all of these. Most appeals are still being heard by phone or video with HM Courts & Tribunal Service5 and the Centre supports its clients through this process. This is a very valuable Servi￿ which the Centre offers, as many clients have stated that they would not be able to artlculate thelr issues and rety on PWCAC'S experience of presenting their case to the Tribunal. In some cases. the Centre has persuaded the DWP to reverse their decisions on the strength of its written submissions alone. Thi5 ha5 meant thatthose clients have received a positive outcorne without the stress of proceeding to appeal stage. PWCAC has continued to work in partnership with North arKI West Kent Citizen5 Advice this year on the allocation of the Household Support Fund to debt clients and has continued its relationship with the Paddock Wood Lions which offers utility grants and white goods provision to local individuals experiencing rinancial hardship. The Centre's geographical focus remains the 8orough of Tunbridge Wells, 67% of its clients Ilve in the Borough. but the Centre also assists clients from Tonbridge and Mallin8116%1, Maidstone17%1, with the remainder coming from further afield. Given demand is now outstripping the Centre's ability to deliver a quality service to all, focus is on enquiries from residents of Paddock Wood and the neighbouring towns and parishe5. especially those who have generously contributed to PWCAC. PWCAC passed its latest Advi￿ Qualrty Stsndard Audtt in Ortober 2022, which was carried out by the Advice Services Alliance. The Audit tskes place every two years and is key to underpinning the core work of the Centre and provlding the foundation for future development. The next Advlce Quallty Audlt is scheduled to tske place in Ortober 2024. In addition to checking and approNllngthe qualty of the advi the Centre 15 giving to its clients. it enables PWCAC to confirm that effective and approprlate policies and procedures are in place and being adhe￿d to. Page 5 PADDOCK WOOD COMMUNITY ADVICE CENTRE TRUSTEES. REPORT coMfiNUED Durlng the flnanclal year the Centre's volunteers have glven 5,856 hours of thelr tlme In supporrlng the work of PWCAC and helping dients. Based on the mean hourly pay rate for all employees in Tunbridge Wells in 2023 of £25.tK). as detailed in the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnlngs 2023 Iprovi5ionall, the financial value which could be attributed to volunteer time during this period is £146,400. This Is flQt reflected In the flnanclal accounts. PUBLIC BENEFIT The Trustees consider that the charity meets the Public Benefit requirements of the Charities Aci 2011 Ithe 2011 Act). The sole purpose of the charity is the provislon of advice relatlng to matters set out in section 311) of the 2011 Act and such advice is provided free of charge to any member of the public who seeks it. FINANCIAL REVIF Income Income during the financial year amounted to £65.498 (prior year £48,823). PWCAC is very grateful for the grants and donation5 received in the year from, The Post Code Lottery, Paddock Wood Town Coundl. Kent CommunSty Foundation. Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, Brenchley and Matfield Parish Council, Advice UK Capel Parish Cguncil. Cranbrook and Sissinghurst Parish Council. Hawkhurst Parish Council, Horsmonden Parish Council, Marden Parish Council, several other charitable 85SOClations. private individuals and a number of rts dients. Expenditure Expenditure totalled £39.583 (prior year £34.376). the main elements of thls expenditure being salary for the employed staff member, fees for a speciallst consultant adviser. rent for the PWCAC office in Paddock Wood, subscription and membership fees for a number of advice SeNi￿S and systems. depreciation of IT equipmenL telephony costs. and other office related costs. Surplus. Reserves and Cash The surplus for the year was £25.915 (prior year £14.4471. A5 at 31 March 2024, Unrestricted Reserves were £139,013 Iprlor year £113.0981 and Restritted Reserves were £Nil (prior year £Nill. The year end cash balan￿ was £138.485 {prior year £112,271). Page 6 PADDOCK WOOD COMMUNITY ADVICE cE￿rRE TRUSTEES. REPORT CONTINUED PWCAC is dependent upon a Ilmlted number of sources for Its annual Income, the maln sources belng grants from town and parish councilswhich are generally constrained by extremely tight financial budgets. Accordingly, the Board of Trustees considers that it would be prudent for the charity to aim to maintain unrestricted cash rese￿e5 equivalent to at least 18 months of the annual cost base. In the event such grants are wlthdrawn, either in whole or in part. theTrustees believe that thls pollcy would enable PWCAC to contlnue to provide the same current high level of service for o sufficient period while the financial position Is fully appraised and efftirts made to establish relation5hlp5 with newfinanaal sUPPOrters. Based on the annual costs incurred by the charlty during the 2023124 financial year. unrestrirted cash reserves would need to have a prescrlbed value of £59,375 as at 31 March 2024 In order to satlsfy the mlnlmum requirements of the Trustees, reseNe policy. In the event that PWCAC has eX￿sS cash to that needed for day to day operations. that cash is invested in an interest bearing bank account with the aim of gaining some extra income with Itttle or no risk. What constitutes excess cash above that required for day to day operations is decided upon by the Treasurer and the Board from time totime. PLANS FOR THE FUTURE In order to ensure the long term future of PWCAC. the Trustee5 in conjunction with the Mana8er will: seek to recruit a paid Assistant Operations Manager to support the volunteer Senior Manager regularly seek to recruit new volunteer adviser5 and undertake tralning for both new and current advisers. continue the charitys Outreach activitie5 to ensure a wide geographical area around Paddock Wood; seek mediurn to longer term commltted fvnding for specific purposes and for working cèpltal; seek dedlcated short term fundlng for speclflc proJects' endeavour to build mutually rewarding relationships with other voluntary and ¢harttsble organisatlons. Page 7 PADDOCK WOOD COMMUNITY ADVICE CENTRE TRUSTEES, REPORT CONTINUED TRUSTEES. RESPONSI8IUTIES IN RELATrON TO The UNAUDrrEO FINANaAL ACCOUNTS The Trustees are ￿SPOnsIble for preparingthe Report and Accounts in accordance with appllcable law and United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice. Company law requlresthe Trustees to p￿pare atcounts thatgive a true and fairview of the state of affairs of the charity as at the balance sheet date and of its surplu5 or deficf( for the financial period. In doing so, the Trustees are required to- select suitable accounting pollcles and then apply them consistentlyi make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent- prepare the accounts on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume the charlty will continue in buslnes5. The Trustees are responsible for malntalnlng proper accounting ￿CordS which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charlty and enables them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. The Trustees are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the detection of fraud and other irregularities. The Annual Rerort and kcounts were approved by the Trustees on 12 September 2024. Mortin Pengelley Chalr David Ritchie Treasurer Page 8 PADDOCK WOOD COMMUNITY ADVICE CENTRE INDEPENDEMf EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF PADDOCK WOOD COMMUNITY ADVICE CENTRE FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024 I report on the a¢counts of the Trust for the year ended 31 March 2024. which are set out on pages 10 to 17. Respectlve responslbllltles of Trustees and Independent Examlner: The charit(s Trustees (who are also directors of the company for the purpose of company lawl are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in attordance with the reqU1￿ments of the Companies Act 2006. The charivs Trustees consider that an audit is not requlred for thi5 year under section 144121 of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Attl and that an independent examination is needed and l am qualified to undertake the examination being a qualified member of Institute of Chartered A¢countants of England and Wales. Having satisfied myself that the charity is not subject to audlt under company law and is eligible for Independent examinatlon, itls my responsibility to: examine the accounts under section 145 of the 2011 Act; follow the procedures laid down in the General Dirertion5 given bythe Charity Commission under section 14515}Ibl of the 2011 Act- and stste whether particular matters have come to my attention. Basls of Independent Examinerfs report My examinatlon vns carrted out in accordance wlth the General Dire¢tions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the acCoun￿ng records kept by the tharty and a Comparlson of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts and seeking explanations from you as Trustees Con￿rning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and consequently no opinion is given as to whetherthe accounts present a true and falr view. Independent Examlnerfs Statement In the course of my examination. no matter has come to my attention: l. Which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any materlal respett the requlrements: to keep accounting records in accordan￿ with section 386 of the Companies Act 21XJ6 (the 2006 Artl; to prepare accounts which occord with the accounting records and comply with the accountln8 requirements of sertion 396 of the 2006 Act; which are consistent with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and ReportirTrg by Charities (applicable to Charitie5 preparing their Accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable In the UK and Republic of Ireland - FRS102 5ettion IA effertive l January 20191; have not been met: or 2. To which. in my opinion. attentlon should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Martyn Jenks For and on behalf of M N Jenk5 & Co Limited 72 Commercial Road Paddock Wood Kent TN12 6DP Signed Dated Page 9 orto '1¥ iii 111 to 'Ii ill 111 111 Ln i r4 %£* PADDOCK WOOD COMMUNITY ADVICE CENTRE BALANCE SHEEf AS AT 31 MARCH 2024 2024 2023 Notes Flxed Assets Tangible a55ets 352 566 Current a￿ets Cash at bank and in hand Debtors and prepayments 138,485 3,175 141,660 112.271 3,673 115.944 Current liabillties Creditors io 12.999) (2,999) 13,4121 13,4121 Net current assets 138,661 112,532 Total assets less Ilablllties 139.013 113,098 Funds Restrirted funds Unrestricted funds li 139.013 113,098 Total Funds 139.013 113,098 The Trustees are satisfied that forthe year ended 31 March 2024 the company is entitled to the exemption from the audit requirement contained in section 477 of the Companies Att 2C(16 (the 2006 Act}, and that no member of the company ha5 deposited a noti￿, pursuant to Section 476 of the 2CK)6 Art requiring an audlt of these accounts. The Trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for a) ensuring that the charity keeps accounting records which comply with section 386 of the 2006 Act. and b) preparing accounts which give è true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity as at the end of the financial year and of its income and expenditure for the financial year, in accordance wtth the requirements of settion 393 and which otherwise complywrth the requirements ofthe 2006 Art relating to accounts, so far as applicable to the charity. The accounts were approved by the Board of Trustees 0 September 2024. Martln Pengelley Chair David Ritchie Treasurer Page 11 PADDOCK WOOD COMMUNITY ADVICE CENTRE NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024 A¢¢ountin8 Polkles (l) Basls of preparatlon The Accounts have been prepared underthe historical cost convention. The Accounts have been prepared in ac¢ordonce with Accounting and Reporting Requirements by Charitles: Statement of Recommended Practlce appllcable to charities preparing their Accounts in accordan￿ wtth the Financial Reporting Stsndard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland IFRS 102 Section IA) {effective l January 20191 and the Companies Act 2006. The Charity constitutes a public benefit entity as defined by FRS 102. (21 In¢omlnz resources All Incoming resources becoming available to the charity in the year are reco8nised in the Statement of Financial Activittes ISOFAI when the tharity is legally entitled to the income and the amount can be quantified with reasonable accuracy. Income is deferred to the subsequent accounting period only when the charity has to fulfil conditions before becoming entitled to it, and the conditions have not been fvlfilled during the accountin8 period. The value of servlces provided by volunteers has not been included in these accounts. 13) Resources expended Expenditure Is recognised on an accruals basis as a liability is Incurred. The Charity Is not registered for VAT. Expenditure includes all VAT, which cannot be recovered, and is reported as part of the expenditure to which it relates. Charitable expenditure comprises those costs incurred by the charity in the delivery of its activities and services for its beneficiarie5. There is one functional artivity of the charity which is the giving of free and confidential advice and information to the public. It includes both costs that can be allocated directly to this activity and those Costs of an indire¢t nature necessary to support them. Governance costs include all those costs associated with meeting the constitutional and ststutory requirements of the Charity. (4) Tan8lblefixed assets and depreclatlon Tangible fixed assets which are purchased at a cost of £300 or More are capttalised and are stated at mst less depreciation. Depreciation is provided on a straight-line basis to wrtte off the cost of ea¢h a55et over its experted useful lrfe, as follows- Computer Equipment 3 years {5) Restrlcted Funds Restricted funds are subject to specific conditions. usually stipulated by grantors/donors as to how they may be used for partlcular restrlcted purposes wlthin the obje¢tlve5 of the Chority. Page 12 PADDOCK WOOD COMMUNITY ADVICE CENTRE NOTESTO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024 Donatlon$ and Other Iwime 2024 2023 Unrestrirted Donations from Clients Donations from Charitsble Trusts Donations from Corporations and Associations Donation5 from Private Indivlduals Gift Aid Reclaim Other Income Totsl Unrestrlcted Donations 941 5,ClJO 2.548 4,926 1.671 1.488 16.574 747 1,175 4,463 5,130 1,359 26 12.900 Total Restrkted Donatlons Total Donatlons and Other Income I6￿74 12,900 Investment Income 2024 2023 Interest received Totsl Investment Income 2,474 2.474 423 423 Page 13 PADDOCK WOOD COMMUNITY ADVICE CENTRE NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024 Grants 2024 2023 Unrestrirted Advice UK Brenchley and Matfield Parish Council Capel Parish Council Cranbrook and Sissinghurst Parish Council East Peckham Parish Council Geo Solutions Goudhurst Parish Council Hawkhurst Parish Council Horsmonden Parish Council Kent Communtty Foundation Marden Parish Council Paddock Wood Town Council P05t Code Lottery Tunbridge Wells Borough Council Total Unrestrlcted Grants 2,000 2.000 500 1,5C4) 250 250 2,500 250 500 200 10.0 2￿ 250 150 13,OLKI 15.0 2.800 46,450 12,000 35,51Xl Restrlrted Total Restricted Grants Total Grants 46.450 35.5LN) Page 14 J W QJ ITO 3 < < kl I,, , . I, kL,, O) bll• N>