COMMUNrrY ACTION SUFFOLK Community Action Suffolk Annual Report 2020-21
Reference and administrative details of the charity, its trustees and advisers
Introduction from the Chair of Trustees
Message from the Chief Executive
Trustees’ report including Strategic Report
Trustees’ Responsibilities Statement
Independent Auditors’ Report
Consolidated Statement of Financial Activities
Consolidated Balance Sheet
Unconsolidated Charity Balance Sheet
Statement of Cash Flows
Notes to the Financial Statements
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Reference and Administrative Details of the Charity, its Trustees and Advisers
For the Year Ended 31 March 2021
Charity Registration No. 1150501 Company Registration No. 08316345 Registered Office Community Action Suffolk, Brightspace, 160 Hadleigh Road, Ipswich, Suffolk. IP2 0HH Patron Clare, Countess of Euston – Lord Lieutenant of Suffolk Company Secretary Kerry Evans
Trustees
Mr Kevin Ward Chair of Trustees Mr John Shaw Vice-Chair of Trustees Director of CAS subsidiaries Chair of Staff Wellbeing Committee Mr Ben Matthews Chair of Finance and Audit Committee (appointed 04/09/20) Director of CAS subsidiary Mr Graham Watson Chair of Finance and Audit Committee (Resigned 04/09/20) Baroness Ros Scott Chair of Programme and Services Committee Dame Lin Homer Member of Finance and Audit Committee Member of Staff Wellbeing Committee Ms Helen Greengrass Member of Programme and Services Committee (Resigned 04/09/20) Mrs Julie Crudgington Member of Programme and Services Committee Mr Brian Parrott Member of Staff Wellbeing Committee Mr Chris Betson Director of CAS subsidiaries (Resigned 09/09/20) Member of Finance and Audit Committee (Resigned 09/09/20) Mr Ashley Smith Director of CAS subsidiaries (Appointed 19/11/20) Member of Programme and Services Committee (Appointed 19/11/20) Mr Mike Locke Member of Programme and Services Committee (Appointed 19/11/20) Mrs Mary Atkins Member of the Finance and Audit Committee (Appointed 19/11/20)
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Reference and Administrative Details of the Charity, its Trustees and Advisers
Executive Team
Christine Abraham Chief Executive Kerry Evans Director of Finance Hannah Reid Director of Innovation and Business Development Auditors Larking Gowen LLP, 1 Claydon Business Park, Great Blakenham, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP6 0NL Principal Bankers Barclays Bank PLC, 1 Princes Street, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP1 1PB
Solicitors Birketts LLP, 24-26 Museum Street, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP1 1HZ
Website www.communityactionsuffolk.org.uk Twitter @CASuffolk Facebook Community Action Suffolk Instagram @CommActionSuffolk Email info@communityactionsuffolk.org.uk
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Foreword
from Kevin Ward, Chair of Trustees
“There have been few times in history where community, volunteering and supporting each other have been quite so important”
This annual report is covering a year like no other we have seen, and the Trustees are delighted to present this report after a highly successful year of immensely hard and important work by the team at Community Action Suffolk.
CAS has an integral role within the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector in Suffolk. Within the VCSE sector and increasingly beyond it, CAS has found itself at the heart of so many key elements of the fight against Covid over the last year. This has been while dealing with the same challenges as many of those CAS has been supporting, with team members working from home and adapting to the changing world to deliver our services. The team weren’t going to let such demanding circumstances hold them back though, and you only have to read the excellent impact reports to see how much amazing work has continued, including two conferences that were held entirely virtually. Covid didn’t even stop the staff having a Christmas sing along at the virtual staff party.
Our Executive team of Christine, Hannah and Kerry have continued to support each other as well as the wider team, and while Christine has been pulled away at times to help with vital work towards the Covid fight in Suffolk, Hannah deserves special mention for deputising as and when required and ensuring those key day to day services continued. I would love to mention all the team members by name, who have contributed positively and delivered the amazing services and given support to so many others, but I’m afraid I would have to list the entire staff here, but my thanks and that of the Trustees goes to them all.
Although we may be Suffolk based, under the fantastic leadership of Christine, we have increasingly had a national impact, with direct feedback given to parliamentary reports relating to the sector, as well as CAS being instrumental in developing key policy documents such as the Safeguarding guidance for Village Halls with the ACRE network. A personal special thank you to Christine for her passionate advocacy and refusal to accept boundaries in pushing CAS, Suffolk and the Sector forward.
We have seen a few changes to our Trustee board, with some valuable Trustees finishing their terms of office and some new faces joining the board with their own sets of skills to offer. I thank all of the Trustees who have served through this year for their support and commitment and their continuous focus on providing truly effective governance. As for many, our Trustees have had to adapt to a world of online meetings and virtual inductions, but this has not dampened the enthusiasm we all have for the organisation and willingness to support staff and activities. I thank my fellow Trustees for their continuous support and expertise they bring to and willingly share with the board and wider organisation.
My final thank you this year goes to our partners and funders, who continued to support us during the year and allowed us to adapt services quickly and responsively to provide what was needed, when it was needed, during the year. Here’s looking forward to a year where we hopefully emerge from the worst of the Covid challenges.
6 6Kevin Ward, Chair of Trustees
Introduction from Christine Abraham, Chief Executive
“Thank you to the hundreds and thousands of volunteers, communities and organisations who created a tidal wave of help”
As we marked the 1-year anniversary at the end of March of a year like no other, this report doesn’t dwell on the negative impacts of Covid 19 (although they must not be forgotten) but highlights and tells the story of CAS’s journey; the rapid and positive changes we made at CAS to continue our work and to support the sector during the pandemic. The report will demonstrate the vast range of activities that have taken place often at very short notice.
One of the first major changes was to enable the majority of our workforce to work at home, upgrading computers and technology to make this effective – introducing Microsoft 365 and a cloud-based telephone system. Not only was the speed of implementation impressive by our small IT team but also the way that staff embraced the changes and learnt to manage and work with new technology.
We have now moved our meetings, training courses, conferences, and networking events to be delivered online, facilitated by CAS staff to retain the personal interaction with the facilitators and across attendees. While I do look forward to more meetings with actual human beings in front of me rather than a screen, I also intend to make sure that CAS continues to use technology in whatever way it can to support our work, help our employees and make our services accessible to wider audiences. Our mini, internal, digital revolution has also allowed us to make great strides in the national arena this year. We have been proud to highlight work in Suffolk through national campaigns, specifically of note in the #NeverMoreNeeded campaign; to work more closely with national partners and colleagues in similar infrastructure organisations, particularly through our Safeguarding activity;
and to collaborate much more closely with regional partners on various projects – for example, our Village Halls & Community Buildings conference earlier this year. This aspect of our work means that not only can we showcase the Suffolk VCSE sector outside of the county, but also that expertise from across the country and other sectors is more accessible and less geographically bound. Breaking down all sorts of barriers like these has been a key positive from Covid 19 that I sincerely hope will continue.
Working at home will be our future as we thought and planned about the longer-term ways of working and supporting our staff whilst maintaining the breadth and quality of service. We look forward to implementing our blended working policy in the coming year giving staff more flexibility. In the past year CAS, as have many others, went from an organisation concerned about taking unknown steps without planning and forethought, to taking giant leaps and a ‘What will it take to get it done, and fast?’ attitude. I’m by no means saying that planning shouldn’t be done, – but I’d like to think this experience has given us all a little more balance to face future fears and perhaps advocate more of those managed risks being taken in the future.
But finally, I could not complete this introduction to our annual report without a thank you to the hundreds and thousands of volunteers, communities and organisations who created a tidal wave of help, playing a vital role by ferrying shopping, delivering meals or prescriptions, checking in on others, or simply staying in contact by phone. It was both humbling and heart-warming.
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Christine Abraham, Chief Executive
Trustees’ Report for the year ended 31 March 2021
The Trustees of Community Action Suffolk (CAS), (who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act) present their annual report together with the audited financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2021. The Trustees confirm that the annual report and financial statements of the company comply with the current statutory requirements, the requirements of the company’s governing document and the provisions of the Statement of Recommended Practice FRS 102 (FRS 102 SORP) “Accounting and Reporting by Charities” effective 1 January 2019.
Who we are and what we do
Community Action Suffolk (CAS) is an infrastructure organisation that supports the Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector in Suffolk. CAS provides services, activities, and projects across the whole of Suffolk and employed an average of 47 members of staff operating from two physical bases, one in Ipswich and one in Lowestoft. To help achieve its aims, CAS works with a range of partners across the whole of the Suffolk System, including but not exclusively, Suffolk County Council, District and Borough Councils, private sector, health sector, faith sector, New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership and the Police.
CAS’s charitable objective as set out in the company’s Memorandum of Association adopted on 3rd December 2012 is: to promote any purpose that is charitable under the laws of England and Wales, in particular without limitation promoting the voluntary sector in Suffolk.
CAS’s mission is to strengthen and champion community action in Suffolk by supporting the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector in its work. To achieve this we have four strategic priorities:
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i. To support a diverse and resilient VCSE sector to build capacity and sustainability.
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ii. To stimulate and develop impactful community and voluntary action.
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iii. To create and maintain influential, equitable and beneficial relationships between the public, business and voluntary community and social enterprise sector.
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iv. To develop CAS as a sustainable and essential business in Suffolk, driven by continuous improvement and innovation.
Public benefit
The trustees confirm that in exercising their powers and duties they have complied with the duty in Section 17 of the Charities Act 2011, to have due regard to the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit. Trustees believe this is demonstrated throughout this report particularly in the sections of achievements and performance against the four strategic priorities.
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Supporting the sector by...building capacity and sustainability
Building capacity and sustainability has never before been as vital to the sector as it has this year. While for many organisations the usual growth plans have been put on hold in favour of adaptation and even, for some, survival, the foundations of the support we provide under this priority have not changed even though the method of delivery and prioritisation of needs has. We continued to provide support and development, coordination, and promotion to help them sustain and meet the challenges they have inevitably faced. Delivered more digitally and often in resource format, we provided business support, funding & financial resilience advice, training, conferences, networking opportunities, and face to face online guidance.
Small Charities Week 2020
In a year where the small charities in Suffolk have demonstrated just how important they are to local communities and residents, we were proud to support this national campaign again with a wealth of activities and resources throughout the week across our website and social media platforms.
Safeguarding support
Safeguarding support has been essential this year – keeping people safe during various lockdowns and online can be tricky concepts for organisations to navigate. Enquiries soared as organisations faced increased digital activity and concerns for staff & volunteers with new ways of working. Enquiries, policy development and implementation surgeries, running ‘pop up’/emergency response groups safely, and developing accessible and relevant training materials were key to CAS provision during the pandemic. We also created and hosted our first on demand Virtual Safeguarding conference with partners (SCC, Suffolk Safeguarding Partnership, Norfolk & Suffolk Constabularies and Suffolk Trading Standards). It was a great success and we have gone on to provide national training and resources through partner organisations across the country during this year.
Village Halls and Community Buildings
In Q2, support demand for Village Halls and Community Buildings soared as venues began to think about reopening the doors. Perhaps one of the most devastating community effects of Covid 19 was the overnight closure of village halls and community buildings. However, as re-opening was authorised, management committees and boards found themselves in the position of navigating reams of information and guidance to comply with new operational procedures and health & safety requirements. With the help of updated guidance from National ACRE, our Development Officer for Governance and Community Buildings was on hand to help.
With 141 direct referrals and enquiries coming in more or less overnight, support was provided in a number of ways – 8 online group meetings were held with 187 attendees, 1:1 meetings were scheduled and email support, dissemination of information sheets, and online updates via the CAS website were abundant. The webpage was clicked 36,540 times in Q2 alone!
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Supporting foodbanks in Suffolk
Bacton Foodbank was set up by Reverend Carl Melville in direct response to the lockdown. He originally planned to help the villages in his local area to the north of Stowmarket, but went on to serve a wider catchment when he had plenty of food available and funding in place. The Foodbank supported over 20 households each week. As Carl said, “ I have been shocked at how quickly things have changed for families, particularly families with children ”.
Food banks are designed to provide short-term, emergency support with food during a crisis. Their aim is to relieve the immediate pressure of the crisis by providing food, whilst also providing additional support to help people resolve the crises they face.
The ability to purchase sufficient food is a luxury that not everyone has. As Covid-19 unfolded, food banks were hit hard in terms of meeting increasing demand with a matching supply. They played a major role in the provision of food by distributing donated and purchased groceries directly to families in need.
Castle Hill Community Centre repurposed their premises to set up a food bank in North West Ipswich. In the first 5 weeks they went from supporting 20 families per week to 79, with this number increasing throughout the pandemic.
Pre-Covid-19, there were just over 20 established food banks in Suffolk providing food to people in need; within the first 3 months of the pandemic there were 49 established and pop up food banks operating weekly. Since the end of March 2020, CAS has been working in partnership with Suffolk County Council, Ipswich Borough Council and East Suffolk, Babergh/Mid Suffolk and West Suffolk Councils to establish a food supply chain to food banks across Suffolk.
The National food charity FareShare has a base in Suffolk and has been a member of CAS for a number of years. CAS contacted FareShare who already supplied food banks across Suffolk to ask them to take on further food banks. This partnership went from strength to strength and with help from the MOD for deliveries, FareShare continued to expand the number of food banks it supplied weekly. Between the beginning of April and the end of June, FareShare distributed 33,159.41 kg of food to Foodbanks in Suffolk.
The partners met regularly to look at the information being collected from food banks and offer help where needed; including additional food at short notice and extra storage. CAS has been able to provide advice on both funding and sustainability and appropriate governance for those food banks looking at a more formal structure going forward.
Alongside the work with FareShare, CAS liaised with national and local companies to provide extra and luxury food items. Cadburys contacted Suffolk Police offering Easter Eggs which CAS quickly linked up with FareShare for distribution. Claire and Matthew Thacker of Kingfishers at Cretingham Country Park donated 500 frozen meals; the Teapot Project were happy to take delivery of these and distribute widely.
CAS’s CEO was also contacted by National Business Response Network with an offer of frozen food from Greggs as well as pallet loads of donations from Nestle. Working with food banks with freezer capacity, CAS was able to distribute these much needed donations amongst the food banks with all ambient food being distributed through FareShare.
Castle Hill Community Centre
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Fundraising Suffolk Online Conference
In a difficult economic climate, on September 8th, this pioneering virtual conference provided a timely opportunity to connect with a wide variety of fundraising experts to strengthen the sector’s knowledge and expertise to 163 delegates. Postponed from earlier in the year due to C19, we engaged nationally- and regionally-recognised influencers from across the sector to inspire, innovate and offer practical solutions to funding challenges. We provided a range of interactive workshops with key information on the fundamentals of fundraising and impact measurement to promote sustainability and resilience.
Keynote speakers
Elizabeth Chamberlain, Head of Policy at NCVO, who looked at the current and immediate landscape for the sector
Eric Hodges, who leads the Community Impact Partnership at Orbit Housing, addressed the theme of investing in impact
Workshop Leaders
Giles Kerkham from Larking Gowen accountants addressed the need to build resilience through charity reserves
Big Society Capital led a workshop on social investment
Andrew Laws enabled organisations to consider ways to market their cause
Just Giving looked at funding opportunities
East of England Coop also looked at funding opportunities
Lindsay Harood, Development Manager at the Foundation for Social Improvement, explored ways to implement a fundraising strategy
Christina Andreatta of Inspiring Impact explored impact practice and local organisations
Suffolk Observatory presented ways into relevant data
What did people say?
“The whole exhibition was brilliant... think I liked it better than face to face. The whole concept was perfect - well done!”
“It gave me a really useful insight into options. I help 5 organisations on a voluntary basis & there is something for all of them which helps me work with them more effectively.”
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“... Overall, pretty darned good for £10 I’d say!”
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Met 451 Village
Hall/Community
Building 121 support
requests
Guidance andsup
port
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1100+ received
safeguarding
guidance
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1044 rural orgs received significant support
52 organisations received Specialist Business Support
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1st FB LIVE reached
>2,300, with 30
delivered overall
9 ProHelp webi-
nars & new Pod-
cast launched
Virtual Safeguarding
Conference: 8 work-
shops, 262 views
Social mediaand
di
git
al
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128 1:1 Fund-
ing Surgeries
in partnership
with SCC
10,146 visits to
Funding4Suf-
folk
nding
Fu
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8 websites designed
by IT Services at CAS
Ltd, and 18 IT support
clients
Business Services
at CAS Ltd insured
883 village halls
and 482 parish
2597 DBS checks
councils
by DBS at CAS Ltd
CAS training par-
ticipant numbers
up 548%, with over
1000 opportunities 7 brand new train-
on our website ing courses and
29 new on demand
courses/work-
shops
99% satisfac-
tion rate
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Supporting the sector by...developing community and voluntary action
The Covid-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on Volunteering in Suffolk. Volunteers aged 70+ needed to self-isolate and those with certain health conditions were told to shield. Volunteers who had loved ones that were in these categories also found themselves in the position where they were unable to volunteer in the usual way. Groups and organisations found themselves closing their services almost overnight and not requiring some or all their volunteers. As the situation progressed, volunteer managers had to adapt their service and volunteering offer in response to Covid-19.
What did we do?
But the CAS volunteering team remained on hand to help - available remotely to volunteer managers and supporting them through challenges, encouraging them to think ahead and reflect on the current situation. At a glance Volunteer Management guides were developed and peer support groups provided a way to learn from each other. Regular newsletters to both the registered 700 volunteer managers and the 3400 volunteers’ members of Volunteer Suffolk provided up-to-date information and guidance.
Alongside this, the team found that there was a rapidly growing army of volunteers for the 100s of mutual aid groups that were starting up in incredibly quick timescales. The challenge was how to enable these groups to respond to the urgency of the pandemic while also promoting good and safe volunteer management. A dedicated webpage was set up for Volunteer Management and setting up a community response group. Over 1000 views to both pages were recorded during the 3 months of April to June 2020. There was a suite of resources that included quick guides to more comprehensive toolkits and our new 6-point guide proved popular as a way for groups to think about structure.
CAS also led the mapping exercise of community groups across Suffolk, creating a database of 1500+ providing a
C19 response to 436 parishes and towns across the county used by the Home But Not Alone campaign partners (of which CAS was one) to find available support. A survey was sent to 620 group leaders to find out what was available. 165 responses were received, a response rate of 27% compared to a national average response rate for these surveys of 10-15%.
The Lowestoft Community Capacity Enablers
The Lowestoft Community Capacity Enablers have also been hard at work this year supporting the 3 ward communities of Kirkley, Harbour and Kessingland.
Designed specifically to support local communities with 4 distinct outcomes, the enablers have been supporting local organisations and groups adapt activities to align with C19 restrictions and be Covid secure. From helping with food supplies, supporting craft and book groups, to community outreach and local resident associations, their work has been varied and vital to those living in the wards.
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Volunteering: the 20/20 vision
Puddlebrook Pump Track
As C19 continued, CAS’s volunteer services team created and led the Volunteering: the 20/20 vision campaign. This 6 month programme was created in response to the impact of Covid 19 on volunteering across Suffolk. Together we asked ourselves, our network and the wider voluntary sector: what’s next for volunteering?
During the pandemic, access to outdoor space has been vital and Puddlebrook Pump Track has been a focal point for many where meeting with friends, developing riding skills, having fun and relaxing is in abundance. Residents see the track as an asset for their community and are developing their voice and ownership of this space supported by the Haverhill South Local Conversation Project.
The campaign was aimed at those who oversee, manage, or lead volunteers. We cannot underestimate the impact of C19 for management of volunteers. We reflected and shared how 2020 highlighted new ways that the general public engaged with volunteering. For many years we have talked about the future of volunteering, what this could look like & how the public may want something different - C19 has shown us the future of volunteering is now here!
Following his father’s involvement with the development of the track, one such resident is Leon, who has become an integral member of the track’s community. Riding several times a week, Leon has actively posted on social media, including a post about a litter pick at the site which Leon took it upon himself to undertake. Leon has also shared information about other activities within the project on social media. He set up and administers a Puddlebrook Pump Track Instagram with 62 followers and has been present at Zoom meetings helping set up BMX and scooter coaching sessions asking all the pertinent questions when speaking to representatives from coaching companies.
Each month there was a spotlight on a different theme inspiring us to think differently as well as stay connected with volunteer managers: Community, 5 Ways to Wellbeing, and Local Businesses. Together we can share ideas, inspire, support each other, and continue to engage the public with volunteering through and beyond C19.
Living in the locality all his life, he is well connected with members of the community both in and outside of the track facility. Seeing the pump track come together from its roots has given him a great oversight of what can be achieved and the importance of working alongside partner organisations. He is well placed to be a real driving force within the project’s outside spaces ambitions and is in a perfect position to share his enthusiasm and ‘we can do this’ attitude with members of the community for the project as a whole. He is a true asset and inspiration to others.
“Covid 19 has shown us the future of volunteering is now here!”
People’s Health Trust
The Local Conversations in Kirkley and Haverhill South are funded by People’s Health Trust using money raised by Health Lottery East and are led by the residents. Both projects encouraged residents to check on their neighbours and help each other in safe and appropriate ways during the year.
“There were around 4.5k visits to the track in Quarter 2!”
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Puddlebrook
Pump Track
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Buddy Up!
This Community Can is a project that was designed to tackle rural isolation through volunteer-led activity sessions across Suffolk and has in the previous two years successfully established many groups providing activities and volunteering opportunities across Suffolk. However, the lockdown in March 2020 meant an end to these activities and the social opportunities they afforded, so This Community Can diversified to meet the need for companionship, particularly among older people whose isolation has been compounded by the Covid crisis.
Many elderly people have been referred by social prescribers, community connectors or family members who were concerned for their mental and physical wellbeing following an extended period of isolation. Others now felt able to refer themselves for help, and following discussion, it was apparent several had been isolated before but the impact of Covid on their community and the upswell of neighbourliness meant they felt able to reach out for help in a way they never had before.
Buddy Up is a befriending scheme recruiting volunteers who are DBS checked and matched 1:1 with an isolated individual according to location and interests. They build rapport initially with telephone calls but then meet and the plan is that the volunteer supports their friend to re-engage with the local community and activities that they may otherwise feel anxious to rejoin.
This could be anything from a weekly swim to a walk to the local shop and has been widely supported by social prescribers and community connector teams who have recognised its potential to tackle a growing crisis of increased isolation among the vulnerable across Suffolk. With the support of local partners like the Community Connectors, funding was secured to continue the project and 64 people have been linked to new buddies in the last 6 months.
What do people say?
“When there was literally nothing else, when everywhere had closed its doors and the groups people relied upon were on hold, Buddy Up was there, offering a lifeline to our participants who can go weeks without speaking to a single person. The wellbeing benefits are not only felt by those who are socially isolated but by volunteers too. In a time when morale is low, offering a helping hand or a listening ear to someone in need can instantly put a spring back in our step. There are people out there needing a buddy and there are people out there wanting to volunteer. Nicky Russell makes it happen. Buddy Up is needed now more than ever. It would be foolish and devastating for it to end.”
How does it work?
Buddy Up recruits volunteers who are DBSchecked and matched with an isolated individual
Matches are made according to location and interests
Buddies support their friend to re-engage with the community - like going for a weekly swm
(Community Connector - Connect for Health)
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Suffolk Action Week
Suffolk Action Week (SAW) returned for its second year from 5th - 11th October, in very different circumstances to the first, but still with the ambition to promote and celebrate volunteering in Suffolk. Planned in partnership with11 groups, and a further 40 taking part, the week was a great success.
2020 was a year of incredible volunteering and community spirit and we set out to celebrate the volunteering response to Covid 19 as well as celebrate volunteers in other roles making a difference in our communities. In addition, SAW is an opportunity to support groups recruiting volunteers and show the public the many ways you can volunteer.
With a packed programme of 13 events over 7 days, the highlight was the online ‘Volunteering Festival’ involving 50 groups promoting and celebrating volunteers. Supported by our friends at BBC Radio Suffolk, the general public heard interviews throughout the day from volunteers and organisations and were even treated to a little singsong with Jon Wright!
Suffolk Action Week programme
Suffolk Good Neighbour Network
Good Neighbour Schemes across the county found themselves in demand as never before; many bolstered by new volunteers stepping forward to support residents through these unprecedented times, while others found volunteer numbers halved or less, as many long-time volunteers found themselves falling into the shielding or higher risk groups, and needing to isolate/potentially use the services they have long delivered.
We’ve also seen communities adapt their GNS or join forces with other community organisations and parish/town councils, in order to manage supporting activities in their area, and where no GNS was active, newly formed pop-up C19 Community Response Groups or Mutual Aid Groups developed to fill that void.
Good Neighbours have continued their commitment to supporting their most vulnerable, lonely or isolated residents, and found new ways to build community spirit and spread kindness, inclusion and joy within their neighbourhoods.
Examples include:
Transport to vaccination centres
Grocery shopping and prescription collection, as well as organising emergency food parcels or freshly cooked hot meals delivered to those in need
Telephone befriending and check-in and chats
Acts of neighbourly kindness such as anonymous homemade jam drops or birthday afternoon tea deliveries to those shielding
- Organising Friday fish & chip orders and deliveries to help lift spirits
In an ever-changing C19 landscape, many communities and their voluntary groups, both GNS and pop-up Community C19 Response Groups, their committees/ steering groups, volunteer coordinators and volunteers on the ground have been supported to navigate challenges and next steps by the GNS Development Officer and wider CAS Volunteering Team.
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511 activity bags
delivered to residents’
963 residents homes in lockdown
actively participated
in the Local Conver-
sations projects
9 groups supported
to move activities
online due to lock-
down
7 groups supported
to restart activities
after lockdown
32 dedicated
145 households volunteers cur-
currently supported rently running the
in Lowestoft initiative
700+ face
shields More than 5 metric
delivered tonnes of food accessed
by Lowestoft households
rather than going into
landfill
C19 Community Action
response Facebook
group – 270 posts &
832 comments in first
3 months
C19 Volunteer
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Housing
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80+ parishes worked with on Rural Housing
11 Housing Needs Surveys completed
6 Community Land Trusts successfully set up
72 new organisations registered on Volunteer Suffolk
31,468 unique hits on the Volunteer Suffolk website u
1122 expressions of interest and 1244 new volunteers registered on Volunteer Suffolk
er
1800+ groups/ organisations mapped responding to support the Home But Not Alone helpline
49 Good Neighbour Schemes operating across Suffolk
30 volunteers quickly recruited for 3 Suffolk schools for Rapid Testing and Suffolk Volunteering Strategy refreshed
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Supporting the sector by...creating strategic relationships and partnerships
We have been key partners in the strategic response to the crisis, particularly with the local government and health sectors, and also through our unequivocal commitment and involvement with the Suffolk C19 Collaborative Communities Board, with our Chief Executive stepping into the role of deputy chair. At the height of the pandemic, the board met daily to collaborate with others to work on key campaigns, providing vital support such as Mutual Aid and Community Response groups, Home But Not Alone, Everyone In to support homeless people into accommodation, the Suffolk Coronavirus Emergency Fund and Rebuilding Local Lives with Suffolk Community Foundation. Thousands of individuals across the county have had access to support providing a vital lifeline in dark times.
Key partnerships
Alongside this, our Chief Executive has played an integral part on the Voluntary & Community Sector Emergency Partnership, a national partnership available to support locally through its partners, of which CAS is one, where emergency needs are identified as a direct result of Covid 19. This work has contributed locally to our work with the Suffolk Resilience Forum and in the last 6 months has met the need for 3 requests of PPE and brokered food donations through Business in the Community which has all been distributed to foodbanks locally via FareShare.
Nationally, we have lobbied government alongside our national infrastructure partners – NCVO, NAVCA and ACRE* - to keep the Suffolk voice heard, contribute to key policy decisions and take part in national sector campaigns. After all, our sector really has been #NeverMoreNeeded than now and indeed #EveryDayCounts.
The VCSE Sector Leader’s group has met throughout the pandemic to discuss and plan action to address issues arising from C19. This has included consideration of questions for our C19 Impact Surveys, news of the Government rescue package for our sector, and various
presentations from colleagues in health, local authorities, local economic partners and group members themselves.
With meetings taking place weekly at the start of the pandemic and gradually moving back to monthly, the group has enabled leaders to discuss common challenges and find solutions together enabling greater collaboration and engagement. It has also led to links between and across sectors, notably connections with the LEP, CCG’s and key C19 strategic groups/boards. It has also created a safe place where peer support and advice was provided in what has been an unprecedented and challenging year for VCSE sector Chief Executives.
In addition, this work has enabled our sector to feed in to the LEP’s Restart Recovery Plan which as a result has a revised section dedicated to the VCSE sector with some comments included almost verbatim.
- National Council for Voluntary Organisations; National Association for Voluntary and Community Action; and Action for Communities in Rural England
20
Minding the Gap: a case study
Olly and James were referred to Minding the Gap during the summer of 2020.
They were friends when they signed up, both school leavers, with no work experience other than whilst at school and neither knew what they wanted to do for their next steps.
They worked with our Employment Advisors, researching career options to gain an understanding of what might interest them and to prepare for interviews and the world of work. They both had an interest in doing manual work.
Despite the limitations brought by the UK Covid-19 response, Minding the Gap Advisors researched local companies and found a Landscaping company who were willing to offer them both a work trial. Within three months of that first conversation, both Olly and James were working on a Horticultural and Landscaping Apprenticeship with ‘Project Landscaping’.
So they both entered full time work and training, working towards an Apprenticeship level 2 qualification with the YMCA alongside their practical work. Minding the Gap Advisors worked closely with the company and the training provider to set up the apprenticeships and support Olly and James to be ready for the assessment process this entailed.
When Olly and James left Minding the Gap, they were both extremely happy with their new careers, and both feel they would not have achieved this great personal result without the support and guidance of their Minding the Gap Employment Advisors.
Marketing and Communications
It’s been a very busy year for CAS Marketing and Communications.
Since the new website launched, with key Covid 19 pages offering a wealth of support, guidance, tools and resources, we have experienced a surge in hits never seen before as people from across the sector and partners searched for key information when they needed it.
Our response has been fast paced and we have embraced our social media channels and even reinvigorated a couple that had limited use in previous years to ensure we reached appropriate audiences.
Perhaps one aspect the team is most proud of is the amount of storytelling we have done this year and celebrations of the incredible activity going on across the sector – we have put together your case studies and shared them far and wide with a new page on our website and across Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.
We have also been able to bring organisations along in our press campaigns, enabling not just further promotion across the county, but also a wider public audience to learn about the fantastic things our sector does. It has been a privilege to share your journeys.
As a result of this work, our reach and network sign ups continue to increase, with social media posts and website content reaching thousands of individuals on a daily basis.
James and Olly
21
The Impactof Covid-19 22
Impact Surveys
During the year, we have carried out regular C19 VCSE Sector Impact Surveys to understand your needs and respond with helpful and practical support for your organisation. We have adapted delivery and content to ensure organisations are supported in the best way they can be to enable them to survive.
In April 2020:
23
m
Facebook: 2220 followers; 1525 likes; Instagram: 465 164K reach followers; 5610 impressions
Twitter: 3644 followers; 1062 likes; 355,000 impressions; 665 tweets
LinkedIn: 339 followers; 446 engagements
ms
CAS C19 Newsletter delivered 21,687 times and opened 34,814 times (6 months only)
42,636 Page views on CAS website C19 pages
55 articles published in local press/media
883 CAS Network sign ups
CAS Network News delivered 48,770 times and opened 47,459 times
Volunteer Network News delivered 16,210 times and opened 18,731 times
24
----- Start of picture text -----
6 C19 VCSE
Impact Surveys
32 x VCSE distributed to
Leaders the sector; 1080
meetings responses
ment
e
ag
g
n
E
----- End of picture text -----
----- Start of picture text -----
Supported 113
new young people
32 young people
into education /
training
28 young people
into employment
5 young people now
actively seeking employ-
ment, who were previous-
ly economically inactive
Minding The Gap
----- End of picture text -----
25
Structure, Governance and Management
Constitution
Community Action Suffolk (CAS) was formed in 2012 as a company limited by guarantee and registered as a charity. CAS was set up under a Memorandum of Association which established the objects and powers. The trustee board consists of 11 trustees who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of company law. None of the trustees have any beneficial interest in the company. All the trustees are members of the company and guarantee to contribute £1 in the event of winding up.
Appointment and election of Trustees
There must be a minimum of three and no more than fifteen Trustees. Trustees can stand for two consecutive terms of three years after which they must take a break, unless it is deemed to be in the best interests of the charity for them to stand for one further exceptional term.
Trustees are recruited using a process of open recruitment as trustees come to end of their term of office or as vacancies or skills gaps arise on the board.
When trustees are appointed to the board they receive background and current information about the charity. They also receive Charity Commission documentation to inform them of their responsibilities and obligations under charity law. Each year all trustees review and update any declarations of interest and this is a standing item on all trustee meeting agendas.
Trustee Remuneration
Trustees receive no remuneration. However, they are able to claim for limited expenses. Amounts claimed during the year can be seen in Note 7 to the accounts. Trustee and Trust Fund Indemnity insurance is paid by the organisation.
Organisational structure and decision making
In accordance with the Articles, the Trustees are responsible for the management of the Charity’s business, for which purpose they may exercise all the powers of the Charity. The main trustee board meets a minimum of four times a year and there are three sub committees also meeting four times a year reporting into the main board. These are:
-
Finance and Audit Committee
-
Programmes and Services Committee
-
Staff Wellbeing Committee
The Trustees are responsible for agreeing the overall strategy of CAS. The day to day operational responsibilities of CAS are devolved by the trustees to the Chief Executive, the Executive Team and their managers, who remain responsible to the Trustee Board for all aspects of performance.
Senior staff pay is set using sector guidelines and market indicators. All staff received a 2% pay increase in this year.
Related parties
CAS currently has three 100% owned trading subsidiaries with the specific purpose to generate income for the organisation. These are Business Services at CAS Ltd, DBS Services at CAS Ltd and IT Services at CAS Ltd. CAS also owned a dormant company, Community Buying at CAS Limited which was dissolved during the year.
Business Services at CAS Ltd has been audited in 2020-21. The financial results of the trading subsidiaries are set out in note 4 to the financial statements.
26
Structure, Governance and Management
Risk Management
A strategic risk register is maintained and updated monthly by the Executive Team and is reviewed quarterly by the trustees. Major risks have been reviewed and procedures established to manage and monitor them. At March 2021, the top risk was:
Risk at 31st March 2021 Actions to address Financial sustainability (lack of long-term funding) Improved marketing and promotion of services Increased income generation through improved marketing post Covid 19
Maintain and further develop relationships with current funders
Identify new funding opportunities that help CAS deliver its aims
Quarterly monitoring and impact reporting.
Ongoing reporting and communicating of value of Local Infrastructure during Covid Impact.
Investment policy
CAS maintains sufficient funds on current account to meet short term demands. Surplus funds are placed on deposit to provide the charity with the security of capital and an appropriate degree of liquidity, no funds are “invested” and subsequently no professional investment advisors are engaged by the charity.
Reserves policy
The Trustees have ensured that the Reserves Policy is fit for purpose and meets the requirements of the Statement of Recommended Practice for charity accounting (FRS 102) and in addition have considered the Charity Commission’s guidance on the matter. The reserves policy focusses on the level of free reserves. Free reserves are defined as unrestricted funds less:
-
Amounts not readily realisable (fixed assets) - £527k
-
Amounts to cover future building maintenance - £101k
-
Amounts to cover sustainable income growth - £181k
-
Amounts to cover increased uncertainty around Covid-19 - £100k
-
Amounts to cover an orderly wind-down of the Charity should this be required - £247k
A target free reserves level is set by the Trustees periodically and regularly reviewed and monitored at least annually. This is based on a risk identification approach which identifies key short, medium and longer term risks to which the Charity is and will be exposed in the normal course of its business, including but not limited to safeguarding against volatile income streams and recognising the need for significant investment in the future income generation for the Charity. Restricted reserves are spent as soon as practicable in line with commissioner and donor wishes. Unrestricted reserves will aim to be maintained to stabilise and invest in the strength of the charity. The unrestricted fund balance is £1,348k (2019-20, £1,252k) and free reserves are £192k (after designating funds to cover the amounts listed above) against a target of £157k which equates to 3 months running costs of the charity. A breakdown of reserves between fixed and net current assets can be seen in note 19 to the accounts.
27
Structure, Governance and Management
Financial review
At the start of 2020-21, like many other charities, we were rebudgeting for the year ahead with numerous unknowns and a potentially significant impact on our income streams arising from Covid lockdown periods. Revised deficit budgets were predicted of up to £100k. Fortunately, during 2020-21 we have been able to secure additional grant income of £141k from current funders, Government and both County and District Councils to cover the significant predicted reductions in our unrestricted training, business support, rural housing, building and subsidiary income. Details of Covid government grants received are included within Note 23. With constant monitoring and rebudgeting, effective financial management and staff cost savings during the year we managed to perform better than budget and finished the year with an unrestricted surplus.
The Statement of Financial Activities (SOFA) on page 34 shows an overall surplus for the year of £258k compared to the deficit of £40k in 2019-20. The current year surplus is mainly due to the increase in restricted fund income received during the year resulting in a restricted funds surplus of £161k. New grants have been received to help and assist the sector with its recovery from Covid and restricted funding expenditure is expected to increase to utilise these funds in 2021-22. The unrestricted surplus is £97k and, as mentioned above, is mainly as a result of a change in income due to additional grant funding resulting from Covid. Total income has increased by £88k to £2,130k from £2,042k in 2019-20. Resources expended were £1,872k (2019-20, £2,082k) which is a decrease of £210k.
Total Reserves at 31 March 2021 are £2,296k, of which £1,349k is unrestricted and £947k represents restricted funds.
CAS had set a 3 year budget for 2019-22 along with a refreshed sustainable business plan for the same period, however this will be revised during 2021-22 following the significant changes to income experienced over the last year. The organisation has budgeted for a small unrestricted deficit in 2021-22 but is aiming to try and maintain a breakeven position over future periods.
The organisation’s cash balances at 31 March 2021 stood at £1,518k and are forecast to remain positive.
Fundraising
Community Action Suffolk does not raise funds from the general public. It does not work with any professional fundraisers and no fundraising is carried out on its behalf.
Looking ahead
As we move into the new financial year, Covid 19 and its impact remains a key concern for the wider sector. While there is no doubt the pandemic has highlighted the importance of our sector and the work of CAS in keeping communities safe and well and communicating vital information, we are yet to experience an ‘end’ to the pandemic and are in a preparation phase looking to support the sector as it begins to reopen services and attempt to recover from the dramatic impact experienced.
CAS leads by example and this year will also be a year of recovery for CAS. Although financially, our organisation has been able to sustain, it is time to look ahead and resume growth where it has stabilised and to recover some aspects of the organisation which have suffered as a direct result of the pandemic – specifically our buildings services and DBS at CAS Ltd subsidiary. We will also continue to explore new services that complement our work, support our partners, and provide much needed support in communities while securing our long-term financial viability.
Throughout the year, many CAS services were quickly adapted and staff redeployed with support of funders and commissioners to respond to the crisis. Despite the pandemic CAS staff have worked tirelessly, mainly from home, they have embraced digital technology transformation, and have clearly demonstrated and earned recognition for the value of local infrastructure in supporting community action, volunteering and the VCSE sector’s resilience.
28
Thank you to our Funders
| Project | Funder | Logo |
|---|---|---|
| Core Grant | Sufolk County Council | |
| Core Grant | Babergh and Mid Sufolk | |
| District Councils | ||
| Core Grant | Ipswich Borough Council | |
| Covid Support Buddies | Covid19 Outbreak Management | |
| Community Restart | Fund, Sufolk County Council | |
| Felixstowe Timebank | East Sufolk Council | |
| Volunteer Passport | East Sufolk Partnership | |
| VCSE Business Support | ||
| Rural Proofng | ||
| Community Partnerships Devel- | ||
| opment | ||
| Sufolk Good Neighbour | The National Lottery | |
| Network | Community Fund | |
| Lowestoft Community | ||
| Capacity | ||
| Sufolk Pro Help | ||
| Rural projects and services | Department for Environment | |
| Food and Rural Afairs | ||
| Action with Communities in Rural | ||
| England | ||
| Local Conversations | People’s Health Trust | |
| Kirkley, Gainsborough, | ||
| South Haverhill | ||
| This Community Can | Sport England | |
| Social Investment | Barrow Cadbury - Connect Fund | |
| New Anglia Social Investment | Orbit | |
| Partnership | Barrow Cadbury | |
| Sufolk County Council | ||
| Norfolk County Council | ||
| Minding the Gap | Lottery Community Fund and | |
| European Social Fund | ||
| VCSE Emergencies | Ministry of Housing, Communities | |
| Partnership | & Local Government | |
| Via National Association for Volun- | ||
| tary and Community Action |
29
Trustees’ Responsibilities Statement for the year ended 31 March 2021
The Trustees (who are also directors of Community Action Suffolk for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
Company law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under company law the Trustees must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and the group and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable group 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 of the Charities SORP (FRS 102)
-
State whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures dis-
-
closed and explained in the financial statements.
-
Make judgements and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent.
-
Prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charitable
-
company will continue in operation.
The trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the charitable company and the group’s transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable group 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 the group and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
Each of the persons who are trustees at the time when this trustees’ report is approved has confirmed that:
-
So far as that trustee is aware, there is no relevant audit information of which the charitable group’s auditors are una-
-
ware.
-
That trustee has taken all the steps that ought to have been taken as a trustee in order to be aware of any relevant
-
audit information and to establish that the charitable group’s auditors are aware of that information.
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.
In preparing this report, the Trustees have taken advantage of the small companies exemptions in Companies Act 2006 s415a.
This report was approved by the Trustees on 2 September 2021 and signed on their behalf by
Kevin Ward
John Shaw
Chair of Trustee Board
Trustee
30
Independent Auditor’s Report to the Members and Trustees of Community Action Suffolk
Opinion
We have audited the financial statements of Community Action Suffolk (the ‘parent charitable company’) and its subsidiaries (the ‘group’) for the year ended 31 March 2021 which comprise the Consolidated Statement of Financial Activities, the Consolidated and Unconsolidated Balance Sheet, the Statement of Cash Flows and notes to the financial statements, including significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice). In our opinion the financial statements:
-
give a true and fair view of the state of the group’s and parent charitable company’s affairs as at 31 March 2021, and of
-
the group’s incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure, for the year then ended;
-
have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and
-
• have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 and the Charities Act 2011.
Basis for opinion
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the company in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
Conclusions relating to going concern
In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the trustee’s 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 group’s or parent charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue. Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.
Other information
The other information comprises the information included in the trustee’s annual report, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. The trustees are responsible for the other information contained within the annual report. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.
We have nothing to report in this regard.
31
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 trustees’ report for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is
-
consistent with the financial statements; and
-
the trustees’ report has 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 group and parent charitable company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the trustees’ report.
We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 and the Charities Act 2011 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; or
-
the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or
-
certain disclosures of directors’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or
-
we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit; or
-
the trustees were not entitled to prepare the financial statements in accordance with the small companies regime
-
and take advantage of the small companies’ exemptions in preparing the directors’ report and from the requirement to prepare a strategic report.
Responsibilities of trustees
As explained more fully in the trustees’ responsibilities statement set out on page 30, the trustees (who are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.
In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the group’s and parent charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the group or parent charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.
Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements
We have been appointed auditor under the Companies Act 2006 and the section 151 of the Charities Act 2011 and report in accordance with those Acts.
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.
Those standards require us to comply with the Ethical Standards issued by the Financial Reporting Council (FRC), including “Ethical Standard – Provisions Available for Small Entities” in the circumstances set out in note 24 to the financial statements. We have taken advantage of the exemptions in section 6 in providing non-audit services as set out in note 24. 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. Because of the field in which the client operates, we identified the following areas as those most likely to have a material impact on the financial statements: health and safety, employment law and compliance with company and charity law and regulations.
32
Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements (continued)
The specific procedures for this engagement and the extent to which these are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below:
-
Enquire with management about actual and potential litigations and claims against the group or parent charitable
-
company;
-
Enquire with management about any known or suspected instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations
-
and fraud;
-
Reviewing financial statement disclosures and testing to supporting documentation to assess compliance with appli-
-
cable laws and regulations;
-
Reviewing board minutes;
-
Auditing the risk of management override of controls, including through testing journal entries and other adjustments
-
for appropriateness.
Because of the inherent limitations of an audit, there is a risk that we will not detect all irregularities, including those leading to a material misstatement in the financial statements or non-compliance with regulation. This risk increases the more that compliance with a law or regulation is removed from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, as we will be less likely to become aware of instances of non-compliance. The risk is also greater regarding irregularities occurring due to fraud rather than error, as fraud involves intentional concealment, forgery, collusion, omission or misrepresentation. A further description of our responsibilities is available on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: https://www.frc.org.uk/ Our-Work/Audit/Audit-and-assurance/Standards-and-guidance/Standards-and-guidance-for-auditors/Auditors-responsibilities-for-audit/Description-of-auditors-responsibilities-for-audit.aspx. This description forms part of our auditor’s report.
Use of our report
This report is made solely to the charitable company’s members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006 and to the charitable company’s trustees, as a body, in accordance with Part 4 of the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company’s members and its trustees those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company and the charitable company’s members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.
Giles Kerkham FCA DChA (Senior Statutory Auditor) For and on behalf of Larking Gowen LLP Chartered Accountants Statutory Auditors Ipswich Date: 15 September 2021
Larking Gowen LLP is eligible to act as an auditor in terms of section 1212 of the Companies Act 2006.
33
Consolidated Statement of Financial Activities including an income and expenditure account for the year ended 31 March 2021
| Note | Unrestricted Funds |
Restricted Funds |
Total Funds 2021 |
Total Funds 2020 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | £ | £ | |||||
| Income | ||||||||
| Donations | 5 | 3,192 | 250 | 3,442 | 1,950 | |||
| Other trading activities |
4 | 335,639 | - | 335,639 | 354,693 | |||
| Investments | 2,097 | - | 2,097 | 7,410 | ||||
| Charitable activities: |
||||||||
| Grants receiv- able |
5 | 533,302 | 1,116,259 | 1,649,561 | 1,411,309 | |||
| Trading income |
5 | 133,537 | 75 | 133,612 | 257,502 | |||
| Other Income | 5 | 5,336 | 45 | 5,381 | 8,768 | |||
| Total | 1,013,103 | 1,116,629 | 2,129,732 | 2,041,632 | ||||
| Expenditure | ||||||||
| Raising funds: | ||||||||
| Fundraising and trading costs |
6 | 286,857 | - | 286,857 | 352,115 | |||
| Charitable activities |
6 | 629,558 | 955,706 | 1,585,264 | 1,729,898 | |||
| Total | 916,415 | 955,706 | 1,872,121 | 2,082,013 | ||||
| Net income/ (expenditure) |
96,688 | 160,923 | 257,611 | (40,381) | ||||
| Transfers | 19 | - | - | - | - | |||
| Total move- ment in funds |
96,688 | 160,923 | 257,611 | (40,381) | ||||
| Reconcilia- tion of funds |
||||||||
| Total funds brought forward as at 1 April 2020 |
1,251,998 | 786,752 | 2,038,750 | 2,079,131 | ||||
| Total funds carried for- ward as at 31 March 2021 |
19 | 1,348,686 | 947,675 | 2,296,361 | 2,038,750 |
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
34
The net income and expenditure of the parent charity is disclosed in Note 3.
Consolidated Balance Sheet as at 31 March 2021
| 2021 | 2020 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notes | £ | £ | £ | £ | |||
| Fixed assets | |||||||
| Tangible assets |
10 | 997,379 | 1,021,079 | ||||
| Intangible assets |
11 | 1,800 | 3,600 | ||||
| Investments | 13 | 3,000 | 3,000 | ||||
| Total fxed assets |
1,002,179 | 1,027,679 | |||||
| Current assets |
|||||||
| Debtors | 14 | 324,235 | 177,788 | ||||
| Cash at bank and in hand |
1,518,482 | 1,079,926 | |||||
| 1,842,717 | 1,257,714 | ||||||
| Liabilities | |||||||
| Creditors: amounts due within oneyear |
15 | (538,779) | (246,643) | ||||
| Net current assets |
1,303,938 | 1,011,071 | |||||
| Creditors: amounts due after more than oneyear |
16 | (9,756) | - | ||||
| Total net assets |
2,296,361 | 2,038,750 | |||||
| Restricted funds |
19 | 947,675 | 786,752 | ||||
| Unrestricted funds |
1,348,686 | 1,251,998 | |||||
| Total funds | 2,296,361 | 2,038,750 |
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with provisions applicable to small companies within Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006.
The financial statements on pages 34 to 62 were approved by the Board of Trustees on 2 September 2021 and signed on its behalf by:-
Kevin Ward
Chair of Trustee Board
John Shaw
Trustee
35
Company Number: 08316345
Unconsolidated Charity Balance Sheet as at 31 March 2021
| 2021 | 2020 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notes | £ | £ | £ | £ | |||
| Fixed assets |
|||||||
| Tangible assets |
10 | 997,379 | 1,021,079 | ||||
| Invest- ments |
12/13 | 3,006 | 3,006 | ||||
| Total fxed assets |
1,000,385 | 1,024,085 | |||||
| Current assets |
|||||||
| Debtors | 14 | 300,890 | 164,150 | ||||
| Cash at bank and in hand |
1,293,851 | 920,714 | |||||
| 1,594,741 | 1,084,864 | ||||||
| Liabilities | |||||||
| Creditors: amounts due within oneyear |
15 | (393,108) | (108,022) | ||||
| Net current assets |
1,201,633 | 976,842 | |||||
| Total net assets |
2,202,018 | 2,000,927 | |||||
| Restricted funds |
19 | 947,675 | 786,752 | ||||
| Unre- stricted funds |
1,254,343 | 1,214,175 | |||||
| Total funds |
2,202,018 | 2,000,927 |
The charity surplus for the year is £201,091 as disclosed in Note 3. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with provisions applicable to small companies within Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006. ‘The financial statements on pages 34 to 62 were approved by the Board of Trustees on 2 September 2021 and signed on its behalf by:-
Kevin Ward John Shaw
Chair of Trustee Board
Trustee
36
Company Number: 08316345
Statement of cash flows for the year ended 31 March 2021
| 2020/21 | 2019/20 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | |||
| Cash fows from operating activities |
||||
| Net cash provided by / (used in)operatingactivities |
426,703 | (58,777) | ||
| Cash fows from investing activities |
||||
| Investment income | 2,097 | 7,410 | ||
| Purchase of property, plant and equipment |
- | (5,750) | ||
| Purchase of Software Appli- cation |
- | (5,400) | ||
| Investment in Cirican LLP | - | (3,000) | ||
| Net cash provided by in- vesting activities |
2,097 | (6,740) | ||
| Cash fows from fnancing activities |
||||
| New bank loans | 21 | 9,756 | - | |
| Net cash used in fnancing activities |
9,756 | - | ||
| Change in cash and cash equivalents in the reporting period |
438,556 | (65,517) | ||
| Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of theyear |
21 | 1,079,926 | 1,145,443 | |
| Cash and cash equivalents at the end of theyear |
21 | 1,518,482 | 1,079,926 | |
| Reconciliation of net in- come / (expenditure) to net cash fow from operating activities |
||||
| Net income / (expenditure) for the reporting period |
257,611 | (40,381) | ||
| Adjustments for: | ||||
| Depreciation charges | 25,500 | 24,925 | ||
| Investment income | (2,097) | (7,410) | ||
| (Increase)/Decrease in debtors |
(146,447) | (18,667) | ||
| Increase/ (Decrease) in creditors |
292,136 | (17,244) | ||
| Net cash provided by/(used in) operating activities |
426,703 | (58,777) |
37
Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2021
Community Action Suffolk is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales, registration number 08316345. The registered office is Brightspace, 160 Hadleigh Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP2 0HH.
1. Accounting policies
The significant accounting policies used in the preparation of these financial statements are:
(a) Basis of accounting and consolidation
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 2019) – (Charities SORP (FRS 102)), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006.
Community Action Suffolk 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 notes.
The financial statements are presented in sterling (£) and all values are rounded to the nearest £, except where indicated.
(b) Group financial statements
Results of subsidiaries have been included in the Statement of Financial Activities on a line-by-line basis as they relate to trading activities, see note 4 for individual profit and loss accounts. The results of the parent company are included in the consolidated Statement of Financial Activities and are set out in note 3. The balance sheets of subsidiaries have been consolidated on a line by line basis.
As permitted by Companies Act 2006, Section 408 the Statement of Financial Activities of the parent company is not presented with these accounts.
(c) Going Concern
The trustees have considered the company and group’s position at the time of signing the financial statements. Despite the operational and financial challenges caused by Covid-19, the company and group continued to maintain and in some areas strengthened their services over the last year. The trustees are confident that the company and group are now entering a Covid-19 recovery period and have been able to prepare budgets and forecasts for the short and medium term that demonstrate resource adequacy. The trustees have also considered the company and group’s financial strength, the contracts and funding agreements in place, its portfolio of activities, the improved relationships with funders, the lessening impact of the disease on operations and finances and the measures available to mitigate ongoing costs.
Based on this, the trustees have concluded that they have a reasonable expectation, that the company and group will have adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future, being at least twelve months from the date of signing these financial statements. They continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing these financial statements.
38
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2021
(d) Company status
The charity is a company limited by guarantee. The members of the company are the trustees named in the Trustees’ Report. In the event of the charity being wound up, the liability in respect of the guarantee is limited to £1 per member of the charity.
(e) Income
Income is recognised when the group has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the item(s) of income have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably.
Grants and donations are recognised when the group 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.
(f) Expenditure
Liabilities are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the group to the expenditure, it is probable that settlement will be required and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. All expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis.
Costs of raising funds are those incurred in attracting grant and other funding and those incurred in trading activities that raise funds.
Charitable activities include expenditure associated with community services and include both the direct and indirect costs relating to these activities.
Support costs include central functions and have been allocated to activity cost categories on a basis consistent with the use of resources.
Governance costs are part of support costs and include those incurred in the governance of the charity and its assets and are primarily associated with constitutional and statutory requirements.
(g) VAT
For VAT purposes the charity is partially exempt. The charity’s irrecoverable VAT is treated as an expense and is included under the appropriate cost headings, under fundraising and trading costs and charitable activities.
(h) Fixed Assets and Depreciation
Tangible fixed assets are recognised at cost and depreciated on a straight line basis over their estimated useful lives as follows:
| Freehold buildings | 50 years |
|---|---|
| Ofce equipment | 5 years |
| Computer equipment | 3 years |
| Fixtures and fttings | 15 years |
39
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2021
Freehold Land is not depreciated.
Items of equipment are capitalised where the purchase price including VAT, exceeds £2,000.
Intangible fixed assets are recognised at cost and depreciated on a straight line basis over their estimated useful lives as follows:
Software Application
3 years
(i) Funds
Funds fall into two categories; restricted, where their use is governed by the wishes of the entity providing the funds or the contractual terms under which the funds are earned and, unrestricted, where there are no pre-conditions to the use of the funds other than the charitable objectives of the organisation.
Funds are transferred from restricted to unrestricted funds as they become free from the relevant restrictions.
It is the aim of the charity to maintain the balance of unrestricted reserves at a level that would give it the ability to continue functioning in times of major funding change and to invest in projects for which only partial third party funding is available.
(j) Investments
Investments consist of a holding in Cirican LLP and holdings in subsidiary companies and are included at cost, less provision for impairment.
(k) 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 100 days or less from the date of acquisition or opening of the deposit or similar account.
(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. Other receivables are measured initially at fair value, net of transaction costs, and are measured subsequently at amortised cost using the effective interest method, less any impairment.
(m) Creditors
Creditors and provisions are recognised where the group 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. Short term creditors and provisions are normally recognised at their settlement amount after allowing for any trade discounts due. Other financial liabilities are measured at fair value, net of transaction costs, and are measured subsequently at amortised cost using the effective interest method.
40
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2021
(n) Financial instruments
The group only has financial assets and 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.
(o) Pension scheme
The company set up a workplace pension scheme with Royal London in July 2017 and the company has complied with the auto-enrolment pension regulations. Pension payments are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities when paid.
(p) Taxation
No charge to taxation arises in the accounts of the commercial trading subsidiaries, reflecting the expectation that the taxable profits of the companies will be paid by gift aid to the charity within 9 months of the year end, thus fully relieving the companies Corporation Tax.
2. Judgements in applying accounting policies and key sources of estimation uncertainty
The trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. These estimates and judgements are continually evaluated and are based on historical experience and other factors considered relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
The judgements, estimates and assumptions which have significant risk of causing a material adjustment to the carrying amount of assets and liabilities are set out below:
The annual depreciation charge for tangible assets is sensitive to changes in the estimated useful economic lives and residual values of the assets. The useful economic lives and residual values are re-assessed annually. They are amended when necessary to reflect current estimates, based on technological advancement, future investments, economic utilisation and the physical condition of the assets. See note 10 for the carrying amount of the property plant and equipment, and note 1(h) for the useful economic lives for each class of assets.
41
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2021
3. Financial Activities of the Charity
The financial activities shown in the consolidated statement includes those of the charity’s wholly owned subsidiaries as listed in note 4. A summary of the financial activities undertaken by the parent charity is set out below:
| 2020/21 | 2019/20 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | |||
| Income | ||||
| Incoming resources from: |
||||
| Raising funds | 64,232 | 86,663 | ||
| Charitable Activities | 1,783,174 | 1,668,811 | ||
| Other | 5,381 | 8,768 | ||
| Total income | 1,852,787 | 1,764,242 | ||
| Expenditure | ||||
| Raising funds | 26,119 | 15,074 | ||
| Charitable Activities | 1,625,577 | 1,795,098 | ||
| Total expenditure | 1,651,696 | 1,810,172 | ||
| Net movement in funds |
201,091 | (45,930) | ||
| Total Funds | ||||
| At the beginning of the year |
2,000,927 | 2,046,857 | ||
| Movement in funds for theyear |
201,091 | (45,930) | ||
| Total Funds at the end of theyear |
2,202,018 | 2,000,927 | ||
| Represented by | ||||
| Restricted funds | 947,675 | 786,752 | ||
| Unrestricted funds | 1,254,343 | 1,214,175 | ||
| 2,202,018 | 2,000,927 |
42
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2021
4. Subsidiary Companies
The charity owns 100% of the share capital of its trading subsidiaries, which are all registered in England. The companies gift aid their taxable profits to Community Action Suffolk. A summary of the companies trading results and capital and reserves is shown below. These results are consolidated into the group accounts.
| Business Services at CAS Limited |
IT Services at CAS Limited |
DBS at CAS Limited | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Company registration number | 03332778 | 04281770 | 02919237 |
| 2020/21 | £ | £ | £ |
| Turnover | 170,316 | 80,376 | 84,947 |
| Cost of sales | - | (34,388) | (62,963) |
| Gross Profit | 170,316 | 45,988 | 21,984 |
| Administrative expenses | (103,927) | (26,744) | (18,526) |
| Operating Profit | 66,389 | 19,244 | 3,458 |
| Interest receivable and similar income | 8 | - | 244 |
| Profit after tax | 66,397 | 19,244 | 3,702 |
| Retained Earnings | |||
| At the beginning of the year | 28,985 | 2,883 | 5,959 |
| Profit for the year | 66,397 | 19,244 | 3,702 |
| Distribution - donation to parent company | (23,985) | (2,883) | (5,959) |
| Retained earnings at the end of the year | 71,397 | 19,244 | 3,702 |
43
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2021
The net incoming resources reflected in the Statement of Financial Activities are as follows:
| 2020/21 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | £ | |
| Operating Proft | 66,389 | 19,244 | 3,458 |
| The aggregate of the assets, liabilities and funds was: | |||
| Assets | 222,551 | 29,456 | 20,655 |
| Liabilities | (151,152) | (10,210) | (16,951) |
| 71,399 | 19,246 | 3,704 |
During the year Community Buying at CAS Limited (company registration number 04794467) was dissolved.
44
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2021
4. Subsidiary Companies (continued)
| Business Services at CAS Limited |
IT Services at CAS Limited |
DBS at CAS Limited | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Company registration number | 03332778 | 04281770 | 02919237 |
| 2019/20 | £ | £ | £ |
| Turnover | 161,604 | 55,831 | 137,258 |
| Cost of sales | - | (25,494) | (106,538) |
| Gross Proft | 161,604 | 30,337 | 30,720 |
| Administrative expenses | (102,664) | (27,454) | (24,761) |
| Operating Proft | 58,940 | 2,883 | 5,959 |
| Interest receivable and similar income |
45 | - | - |
| Proft after tax | 58,985 | 2,883 | 5,959 |
| Retained Earnings | |||
| At the beginning of the year | 25,474 | 1,674 | 5,126 |
| Proft for the year | 58,985 | 2,883 | 5,959 |
| Distribution - donation to parent company |
(55,474) | (1,674) | (5,126) |
| Retained earnings at the end of theyear |
28,985 | 2,883 | 5,959 |
The net incoming resources reflected in the Statement of Financial Activities are as follows:
| 2019/20 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | £ | |
| Operating Proft | 58,940 | 2,883 | 5,959 |
| The aggregate of the assets, liabilities and funds was: | |||
| Assets | 165,054 | 9,387 | 22,018 |
| Liabilities | (136,067) | (6,502) | (16,057) |
| 28,987 | 2,885 | 5,961 |
45
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2021
5. Group Income
| 5. Group Income | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted Funds |
Restricted Funds |
Total Funds 2020/21 |
Unrestricted Funds |
Restricted Funds |
Total Funds 2019/20 |
|
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Donations | 3,192 | 250 | 3,442 | 1,300 | 650 | 1,950 |
| Grants Receivable by strategic priority: |
||||||
| Priority 1 - Build capac- ity and sustainability in VCSE sector |
190,652 | 215,604 | 406,256 | 154,205 | 81,736 | 235,941 |
| Priority 2 - Community and Voluntary Action |
190,652 | 496,905 | 687,557 | 154,204 | 382,811 | 537,015 |
| Priority 3 - Strategic relationships and part- nerships |
151,998 | 403,750 | 555,748 | 122,940 | 515,413 | 638,353 |
| 533,302 | 1,116,259 | 1,649,561 | 431,349 | 979,960 | 1,411,309 | |
| Trading income by stra- tegic priority: |
||||||
| Priority 1 - Build capac- ity and sustainability in VCSE sector |
68,248 | - | 68,248 | 131,604 | - | 131,604 |
| Priority 2 - Community and Voluntary Action |
40,320 | 75 | 40,395 | 77,750 | - | 77,750 |
| Priority 3 - Strategic relationships and part- nerships |
24,969 | - | 24,969 | 48,148 | - | 48,148 |
| 133,537 | 75 | 133,612 | 257,502 | - | 257,502 | |
| Other Income | 5,336 | 45 | 5,381 | 4,888 | 3,880 | 8,768 |
Income from investments was unrestricted in both periods..
46
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2021
6. Total Group Expenditure
| 2020/21 | Staf costs |
Other costs |
Depreciation | Support costs |
Total 2020/21 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | ||
| Costs of raising funds: |
100,764 | 117,866 | 1,800 | 66,427 | 286,857 | |
| Charitable activ- ities: |
||||||
| Priority 1 - Build capacity and sustainability in VCSE sector |
166,029 | 130,554 | - | 93,909 | 390,492 | |
| Priority 2 - Community and Voluntary Action |
393,955 | 74,408 | - | 144,070 | 612,433 | |
| Priority 3 - Strategic relationships and partner- ships |
134,778 | 332,631 | - | 114,930 | 582,339 | |
| 694,762 | 537,593 | - | 352,909 | 1,585,264 | ||
| Total resources expended |
795,526 | 655,459 | 1,800 | 419,336 | 1,872,121 | |
| Support costs | 305,540 | 90,096 | 23,700 | (419,336) | - | |
| 1,101,066 | 745,555 | 25,500 | - | 1,872,121 |
In the current and previous period all costs of raising funds was unrestricted. In the current period £955,706 of charitable activities costs was restricted (2020: £1,022,182). The remainder was unrestricted. The breakdown of support costs and how these were allocated between governance and other support costs is shown in the table below.
| Governance | Other support | Total allocated | Allocation basis | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | £ | ||
| Staf costs | 19,110 | 286,430 | 305,540 | Staf time |
| Other costs | 16,946 | 73,150 | 90,096 | Direct use |
| Depreciation | - | 23,700 | 23,700 | Direct use |
| 36,056 | 383,279 | 419,336 |
Support costs have been allocated to priorities on the basis of income received.
47
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2021
6. Total Group Expenditure (continued)
| 2019/20 | Staf costs | Other costs |
Deprecia- tion |
Support costs |
Total 2019/20 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | ||
| Costs of raising funds: |
113,416 | 156,623 | 1,800 | 80,276 | 352,115 | |
| Charitable activities: |
||||||
| Priority 1 - Build capac- ity and sustainability in VCSE sector |
158,479 | 166,336 | - | 83,929 | 408,744 | |
| Priority 2 - Community and Voluntary Action |
376,040 | 94,802 | - | 140,382 | 611,224 | |
| Priority 3 - Strategic relationships and part- nerships |
128,649 | 423,799 | - | 157,482 | 709,930 | |
| 663,168 | 684,937 | - | 381,793 | 1,729,898 | ||
| Total resources expended |
776,584 | 841,560 | 1,800 | 462,069 | 2,082,013 | |
| Support costs | 331,829 | 107,115 | 23,125 | (462,069) | - | |
| 1,108,413 | 948,675 | 24,925 | (0) | 2,082,013 |
The breakdown of support costs and how these were allocated between governance and other support costs is shown in the table below.
| Governance | Other support | Total allocated | Allocation basis | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | £ | ||
| Staf costs | 18,889 | 312,940 | 331,829 | Staf time |
| Other costs | 9,650 | 97,465 | 107,115 | Direct use |
| Depreciation | - | 23,125 | 23,125 | Direct use |
| 28,539 | 433,530 | 462,069 |
48
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2021
7. Staff costs
| 7. Staf costs | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2020/21 | 2019/20 | |
| No. | No. | |
| The average monthly number of employees during the period was: |
||
| Administration | 6 | 7 |
| Field Ofcers and Infrastructure Services | 41 | 45 |
| 47 | 52 | |
| £ | £ | |
| Wages and salaries | 986,856 | 994,514 |
| Social security costs | 76,656 | 75,124 |
| Pension costs | 37,554 | 34,971 |
| 1,101,066 | 1,104,609 | |
| Agency staf costs | - | - |
| Other staf related costs | - | 3,804 |
| 1,101,066 | 1,108,413 |
Other Staff related costs include redundancy payments of £nil (2020:£3,804).
All amounts were paid in the period and are recognised on the basis set out in accounting policy 1(f).
No. of employees whose total emoluments (excluding employer pension costs) for the reporting period to fall within each band of £10,000, from £60,000 upwards.
| 2020/21 | 2019/20 | |
|---|---|---|
| No. | No. | |
| £60,001 - £70,000 | 1 | 1 |
No trustee received any remuneration in the current or previous year.
During the year ended 31 March 2021, no out of pocket travel expenses were paid to any trustee (2020: nil).
The key management personnel in the year received a total remuneration of £168,327 (2020: £165,151).
49
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2021
8. Net Incoming Resources
| Total | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Net incoming resources are stated after charging: | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | |
| £ | £ | ||
| Depreciation of owned tangible fxed assets | 23,700 | 23,125 | |
| Amortisation on owned intangible fxed assets | 1,800 | 1,800 | |
| Remuneration of the company's auditors (inclusive of irrecoverable VAT) |
|||
| - audit of charity | 9,486 | 9,300 | |
| - audit of one subsidiary | 5,020 | 4,920 | |
| - non-audit services | 2,440 | 4,130 |
9. Taxation
No liability to corporation tax arises on the results reflected in these financial statements. The element relating to the charity qualifies for relief from corporation tax under the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 2010, Sections 466 to 493.
10. Tangible fixed assets for the group and charity
| Ofce equipment | Fixtures & fttings |
Freehold property | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Cost | ||||
| As at 1 April 2020 | 154,989 | 117,471 | 1,171,730 | 1,444,190 |
| Additions | - | - | - | - |
| Disposals | - | - | - | - |
| As at 31 March 2021 | 154,989 | 117,471 | 1,171,730 | 1,444,190 |
| Depreciation | ||||
| As at 1 April 2020 | 154,989 | 84,640 | 183,482 | 423,111 |
| Charge for theyear | - | 7,831 | 15,869 | 23,700 |
| On disposals | - | - | - | - |
| As at 31 March 2021 | 154,989 | 92,471 | 199,351 | 446,811 |
| Net book value | ||||
| As at 31 March 2021 | - | 25,000 | 972,379 | 997,379 |
| As at 31 March 2020 | - | 32,831 | 988,248 | 1,021,079 |
Included in freehold property is land of £450,000 (2020: £450,000) that is not depreciated.
50
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2021
11. Intangible fixed assets for the group
| Software Application | Total | |
|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | |
| Cost | ||
| As at 1 April 2020 | 5,400 | 5,400 |
| Additions | - | - |
| Disposals | - | - |
| As at 31 March 2021 | 5,400 | 5,400 |
| Depreciation | ||
| As at 1 April 2020 | 1,800 | 1,800 |
| Charge for the year | 1,800 | 1,800 |
| On disposals | - | - |
| As at 31 March 2021 | 3,600 | 3,600 |
| Net book value | ||
| As at 31 March 2021 | 1,800 | 1,800 |
| As at 31 March 2020 | 3,600 | 3,600 |
12. Investments in subsidiaries
| Total | Total | |
|---|---|---|
| 2020/21 | 2019/20 | |
| £ | £ | |
| Cost | ||
| As at 1 April 2020 | 6 | 8 |
| Disposal | - | (2) |
| As at 31 March 2021 | 6 | 6 |
The charitable company holds 100% of the share capital of: Business Services at CAS Limited IT Services at CAS Limited DBS at CAS Limited
During the year Community Buying at CAS Limited was dissolved. Note 4 sets out details of the subsidiary companies.
51
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2021
13. Other Investments
| 13. Other Investments | ||
|---|---|---|
| Total | Total | |
| 2020/21 | 2019/20 | |
| £ | £ | |
| Cost | ||
| As at 1 April 2020 | 3,000 | - |
| Addition | - | 3,000 |
| As at 31 March 2021 | 3,000 | 3,000 |
During 2019/20 the charity invested in Cirican LLP.
14. Debtors
| Group | Charity | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | ||
| £ | £ | £ | £ | ||
| Amounts falling due within one year: | |||||
| Trade debtors | 294,335 | 155,295 | 274,607 | 131,556 | |
| Prepayments and accrued income | 24,848 | 22,493 | 21,231 | 20,123 | |
| Other debtors | 5,052 | - | 5,052 | - | |
| Amounts owed by subsidiary undertak- ings |
- | - | - | 12,471 | |
| 324,235 | 177,788 | 300,890 | 164,150 |
52
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2021
15. Creditors: Amounts falling due within one year
| Group | Charity | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | ||
| £ | £ | £ | £ | ||
| Trade creditors | 23,855 | 26,151 | 15,710 | 17,302 | |
| Other creditors | 139,732 | 125,398 | 13,062 | 11,594 | |
| Accruals and deferred income | 350,915 | 70,132 | 317,175 | 46,629 | |
| Taxation and social security payable | 24,277 | 24,962 | 24,277 | 24,962 | |
| Amounts owed to subsidiary undertakings | - | - | 22,886 | 7,535 | |
| 538,779 | 246,643 | 393,108 | 108,022 |
Deferred income comprises
| Group | Charity | |
|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | |
| Deferred income at 1 April 2020 | 44,701 | 26,538 |
| Amounts released to income earned from charitable activities | (44,701) | (26,538) |
| Amounts deferred in the year | 322,517 | 295,238 |
| Deferred income at 31 March 2021 | 322,517 | 295,238 |
16. Creditors: Amounts falling due after more than one year
| Group | Charity | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | ||
| £ | £ | £ | £ | ||
| Bounce Back Loan | 9,756 | - | - | - | |
| 9,756 | - | - | - |
During March 2021 the DBS at CAS Ltd subsidiary applied for and received a Bounce Back Loan of £10,000. The loan has a 6 year term with a 2.50% per annum interest rate, fixed for the duration of the loan. During the first 12 months the UK Government will pay interest due under this loan to the bank. No repayment of capital is required during the first 12 months of the loan.
53
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2021
17. Financial Commitments
Commitments under operating leases
At 31 March 2021 the group had future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases as follows:
| follows: | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2020/21 | 2019/20 | |
| £ | £ | |
| Property leases | ||
| Not later than one year | - | - |
| Equipment leases | ||
| Not later than one year | 16,803 | 3,236 |
| Later than one year and not later than fve years | 54,135 | 1,336 |
| Total Equipment leases | 70,938 | 4,572 |
Capital Commitments
At 31 March 2021 the group had capital commitments of £7,980 (2020: £14,820) in respect of a software application and licence contracted but not completed.
18. Pension arrangements
Contributions to the company workplace pension scheme were made in respect of staff. Pension costs are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities when paid. The pension charge for the year amounts to £37,554 (2020: £34,971). Contributions amounting to £5,884 (2020: £5,719) were payable to the scheme at 31 March 2021 and are included within creditors.
54
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2021
19. Restricted Funds - 20/21
| 19. Restricted Funds - 20/21 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 1 April 2020 | Income | Expendi- ture |
Transfers | 31 March 2021 |
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Funding 4 Sufolk - Sufolk County and District Councils |
- | 7,650 | (7,650) | - | |
| Prohelp | 5,870 | - | (937) | 4,933 | |
| Big Lottery Fund - Prohelp | 2,432 | 20,429 | (17,352) | 5,509 | |
| Social Investment - Barrow Cadbury Trust | 8,928 | 15,000 | (17,627) | (6,301) | - |
| Social Investment -Sufolk County Council | 1,592 | - | - | 1,592 | |
| New Anglia Social Investment Partnership | - | 18,957 | (15,371) | 6,301 | 9,887 |
| Power2Change - Community Business | 34 | 2,334 | (2,368) | - | |
| Food Bank support work - Sufolk County Council |
- | 118,583 | (88,783) | 29,800 | |
| Community Restart -Sufolk County Council |
- | 13,846 | - | 13,846 | |
| VCSE recovery and support - Sufolk CountyCouncil |
- | 18,805 | (8,543) | 10,262 | |
| Youth Work Training - Sufolk County Council |
34,445 | - | (3,782) | 30,663 | |
| Priority 1 - Build capacity and sus- tainability in VCSE sector |
53,301 | 215,604 | (162,413) | - | 106,492 |
| This Community Can - Sport England | 35,010 | 7,500 | (38,371) | 4,139 | |
| Felixstowe Timebank - East Sufolk Council | 2,730 | - | (2,730) | - | |
| Volunteer Passport - East Sufolk Council | 8,117 | 75 | (5,308) | 2,884 | |
| CALM Cuppa - East Sufolk Council | 4,613 | - | (4,613) | - | |
| Volunteering campaign - East Sufolk Council |
- | 5,852 | (1,454) | 4,398 | |
| Covid support Buddies - Sufolk County Council |
- | 140,000 | (13,352) | 126,648 | |
| ABCD E-learning - Sufolk County and District Councils |
- | 4,650 | 1,350 | 6,000 | |
| Sufolk Good Neighbours Scheme - Big LotteryFund |
29,269 | 48,432 | (48,678) | 29,023 | |
| Sufolk Good Neighbours Scheme - Covid extension - BigLotteryFund |
- | 60,000 | (60,000) | - | |
| Lowestoft Community Capacity - Big LotteryFund |
60,460 | 129,625 | (109,425) | 80,660 | |
| Local Conversations - People's Health Trust |
45,243 | 100,519 | (103,073) | 42,689 | |
| Young Leadership - Legacy Funds | 10,917 | 622 | (10,254) | 1,285 | |
| Priority 2 - Community and Voluntary Action |
196,359 | 497,275 | (395,908) | 55 297,726 |
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2021
| Revenue | 1 April 2020 | Income | Expenditure | Transfers | 31 March 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minding the Gap - Big Lottery Fund and ESF Building Better Opportunities |
4,854 | 377,250 | (355,774) | 26,330 | |
| VCSE Business Support - SNEE ICS/NHSEI |
40,000 | - | (12,905) | 27,095 | |
| VCSE Design Panel - SNEE ICS |
- | 2,000 | (2,000) | - | |
| Rural Proofng - East Sufolk Council |
- | 15,000 | (1,248) | 13,752 | |
| VCS Emergencies Partner- ship- NAVCA |
- | 9,500 | (9,500) | - | |
| Sufolk Information Partner- ship- Sufolk CountyCouncil |
3,408 | - | (42) | 3,366 | |
| Awards Funds - various sponsors |
680 | - | - | 680 | |
| Priority 3 - Strategic relationships and part- **nerships ** |
48,942 | 403,750 | (381,469) | - | 71,223 |
| Revenue | 298,602 | 1,116,629 | (939,790) | - | 475,441 |
| Brightspace | 409,297 | - | (15,130) | - | 394,167 |
| Kirkley Centre | 78,853 | - | (786) | - | 78,067 |
| - | |||||
| Capital (expenditure split equally to 3priorities) |
488,150 | - | (15,916) | - | 472,234 |
| Total | 786,752 | 1,116,629 | (955,706) | - | 947,675 |
The restricted capital funds represent freehold property acquired with the assistance of restricted funding.
56
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2021
19. Restricted Funds - 19/20
| 19. Restricted Funds - 19/20 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 1 April 2019 |
Income | Expendi- ture |
Transfers | 31 March 2020 |
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| One Sufolk - Sufolk County Council | 7,250 | - | - | (7,250) | - |
| Funding 4 Sufolk - Sufolk County and District Councils |
- | 8,580 | (8,580) | - | |
| Prohelp | 10,531 | 7,000 | (11,661) | 5,870 | |
| Big Lottery Fund - Prohelp | - | 9,815 | (7,383) | 2,432 | |
| Social Investment - Barrow Cadbury Trust |
4,956 | 30,000 | (26,028) | 8,928 | |
| Social Investment -Sufolk County Council |
1,735 | 4,500 | (4,643) | 1,592 | |
| Power2Change - Community Business | - | 7,668 | (7,634) | 34 | |
| Youth Work Training - Sufolk County Council |
34,933 | 14,173 | (14,661) | 34,445 | |
| Priority 1 - Build capacity and sus- tainability in VCSE sector |
59,405 | 81,736 | (80,590) | (7,250) | 53,301 |
| This Community Can - Sport England | 30,883 | 44,011 | (39,884) | 35,010 | |
| Felixstowe Timebank - East Sufolk Council |
3,863 | 8,572 | (9,705) | 2,730 | |
| Volunteer Passport - East Sufolk Council |
15,944 | - | (7,827) | 8,117 | |
| Sufolk Action Week | - | 2,000 | (2,000) | - | |
| CALM Cuppa - East Sufolk Council | - | 5,004 | (391) | 4,613 | |
| Sufolk Good Neighbours Scheme - Big LotteryFund |
30,020 | 48,485 | (49,236) | 29,269 | |
| Lowestoft Community Capacity - Big LotteryFund |
32,651 | 127,542 | (99,733) | 60,460 | |
| Local Conversations - People's Health Trust |
85,574 | 120,451 | (160,782) | 45,243 | |
| Young Leadership - Legacy Funds | 25,354 | - | (14,437) | 10,917 | |
| Sufolk Community Foundation - De- mentia FriendlyCommunities Fund |
2,167 | - | (2,167) | - | |
| Sufolk Community Foundation - #iwill Fund |
1,496 | - | (1,496) | - | |
| Big Local Trust North Ipswich | 11,295 | 25,366 | (36,661) | - | |
| Priority 2 - Community and Volun- tary Action |
239,247 | 381,431 | (424,319) | - | 196,359 |
57
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2021
19. Restricted Funds - 19/20
| Revenue | 1 April 2019 |
Income | Expenditure | Transfers | 31 March 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Macmillan Cancer Support - Research Project |
- | 5,000 | (5,000) | - | |
| Minding the Gap - Big Lottery Fund and ESF Building Better Opportunities |
23,646 | 460,413 | (479,205) | 4,854 | |
| VCSE Business Support - SNEE ICS/NHSEI |
- | 40,000 | - | 40,000 | |
| Transition Triangle | 274 | - | (274) | - | |
| Sufolk Community Foundation - Cultural Education Partnership |
- | 15,000 | (15,000) | - | |
| Sufolk Information Partnership - Sufolk CountyCouncil |
3,184 | 260 | (36) | 3,408 | |
| Awards Funds - various spon- sors |
704 | 650 | (674) | 680 | |
| Our Place - Sufolk County Council |
1,168 | - | (1,168) | - | |
| Priority 3 - Strategic rela- **tionships andpartnerships ** |
28,976 | 521,323 | (501,357) | - | 48,942 |
| Revenue | 327,628 | 984,490 | (1,006,266) | (7,250) | 298,602 |
| Brightspace | 424,427 | - | (15,130) | - | 409,297 |
| Kirkley Centre | 79,639 | - | (786) | - | 78,853 |
| - | |||||
| Capital (expenditure split equally to 3priorities) |
504,066 | - | (15,916) | - | 488,150 |
| Total | 831,694 | 984,490 | (1,022,182) | (7,250) | 786,752 |
The restricted capital funds represent freehold property acquired with the assistance of restricted funding.
A transfer of £7,250 was made from restricted funds to unrestricted funds in relation to the One Suffolk Project which no longer has restricted funding.
19. Restricted Funds (continued)
The restricted funds detailed on the preceding pages are to be applied for the specific purposes agreed with the respective funders or donors. The restricted revenue funds cover the three main areas of the charity’s focus: Priority 1 - Build capacity and sustainability in VCSE Sector, Priority 2 - Community and Voluntary Action, Priority 3 - Strategic relationships and partnerships. Further details of these activities are included in the Trustees’ report.
58
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2021
20. Analysis of net assets between funds
| 2020/21 | 2020/21 | 2020/21 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Total | |
| £ | £ | £ | |
| Group | |||
| Tangible fxed assets | 525,145 | 472,234 | 997,379 |
| Intangible fxed assets | 1,800 | - | 1,800 |
| Investments | 3,000 | - | 3,000 |
| Loan | (9,756) | - | (9,756) |
| Net current assets | 828,497 | 475,441 | 1,303,938 |
| Total | 1,348,686 | 947,675 | 2,296,361 |
| Charity | |||
| Tangible fxed assets | 525,145 | 472,234 | 997,379 |
| Investments | 3,006 | - | 3,006 |
| Net current assets | 726,192 | 475,441 | 1,201,633 |
| Total | 1,254,343 | 947,675 | 2,202,018 |
| 2019/20 | 2019/20 | 2019/20 | |
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Total | |
| £ | £ | £ | |
| Group | |||
| Tangible fxed assets | 532,929 | 488,150 | 1,021,079 |
| Intangible fxed assets | 3,600 | - | 3,600 |
| Investments | 3,000 | - | 3,000 |
| Net current assets | 712,469 | 298,602 | 1,011,071 |
| Total | 1,251,998 | 786,752 | 2,038,750 |
| Charity | |||
| Tangible fxed assets | 532,929 | 488,150 | 1,021,079 |
| Investments | 3,006 | - | 3,006 |
| Net current assets | 678,240 | 298,602 | 976,842 |
| Total | 1,214,175 | 786,752 | 2,000,927 |
59
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2021
21. Analysis of changes in net debt
| At 1 April 2020 |
Cash fows | Other non-cash changes |
At 31 March 2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Cash and cash equivalents | ||||
| Cash | 277,044 | (15,158) | 261,886 | |
| Overdrafts | - | - | - | - |
| Cash equivalents | 802,882 | 453,714 | 1,256,596 | |
| 1,079,926 | 438,556 | - | 1,518,482 | |
| Borrowings | ||||
| Debt due wthin one year | - | - | - | - |
| Debt due after one year | - | (9,756) | - | (9,756) |
| - | (9,756) | - | (9,756) | |
| Total | 1,079,926 | 428,800 | - | 1,508,726 |
22. Related party transactions
In 2020/21 the following transactions took place between the charity and its wholly owned subsidiary companies:
| 2020/21 | 2019/20 | |
|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | |
| Donations to Charity | 32,828 | 62,274 |
| Cost recharges & fees from the charity to subsidi- arycompanies |
26,119 | 15,074 |
The amounts owed to/from the charity by/to the subsidiary companies at 31st March were:
| 2020/21 | 2019/20 | |
|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | |
| Business Services @ CAS Limited | (5,642) | (7,535) |
| IT Services at CAS Limited | (17,237) | 2,742 |
| DBS at CAS Limited | (7) | 9,729 |
60
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2021
23. Government grants
Income from government grants comprises:
| 2020/21 | 2019/20 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | ||
| Grants supporting general charitable activities |
530,802 | 429,986 | |
| Grants supporting specifc activities | 165,358 | 40,556 | |
| Included within the above are Covidgrants as follows: |
|||
| Job Retention Scheme grants | 18,121 | - | |
| Retail, Hospitality and Leisure grants | 41,057 | - | |
| Additional Restrictions grants | 22,760 | - | |
| 81,938 | - |
24. Non audit services
Our auditors, Larking Gowen, provided non-audit services in April and May 2021, assisting with an update to IT systems. This consisted of liaising with a subcontractor and checking the work of the subcontractor.
61
Clear Legal Advice
Not for Prof For expert legal advice, contact Birketts' Charities and it Team
Liz Brownsell Partner, Head of Charities 01473 406383 liz-brownsell@birketts.co.uk
birketts.co. uk/ charities
COMMUNITY ACTION SUFFOLK