REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 07490255 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1151979
Report of the Trustees and
Unaudited Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2023
for
AUTO ITALIA SOUTH EAST LTD
Brown McLeod Limited Chartered Accountants The Old Workshop 1 Ecclesall Road South Sheffield South Yorkshire S11 9PA
AUTO ITALIA SOUTH EAST LTD
Contents of the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2023
| Page | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Report of the Trustees | 1 | to | 10 |
| Statement of Financial Activities | 11 | ||
| Balance Sheet | 12 | ||
| Notes to the Financial Statements | 13 | to | 17 |
| Detailed Statement of Financial Activities | 18 |
AUTO ITALIA SOUTH EAST LTD
Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 March 2023
The trustees who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006, present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2023. The trustees have adopted the provisions of 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).
Purpose and aims
The object of the Charity is the advancement of the arts and to advance education through the commissioning and production of arts projects and exhibitions.
About Auto Italia
Auto Italia is a non-profit visual arts institution dedicated to researching, producing and exhibiting work on the intersections of queer studies and social change.
Our programme supports artists to develop critical discourse, active research and experimental projects through major commissions and process driven participation projects. This work is presented through exhibitions, performance and live work, international touring projects and creative learning activities for young people
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We are situated in the heart of a diverse residential neighbourhood in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. We are active in facilitating local networks and partnerships that create new ways for audiences to engage with art, and which support young people to take active and empowered roles investigating contemporary issues on identity.
History of Auto Italia
Auto Italia was established in 2007 by a group of artists who were living, working and programming exhibitions from a squatted car garage in Peckham, South London. From the beginning there was an interest in exploring what it meant to work together, with a vision to investigate experimental forms of community practice.
During its first ten years, the gallery operated from a series of donated buildings across the city - including warehouses, industrial buildings and commercial units - using the sites to produce commissions with a generation of early-career artists, activists and researchers who have gone onto become household names in art and academia.
Developed against the backdrop of government austerity, this programming foregrounded innovative new research on digital culture, group work and self-organisation. Its early collaborators included award winning artists and researchers including Ed Atkins, Franco 'Bifo' Berardi, Hannah Black, Frederico Campagna, Benedict Drew, Mark Fisher, Huw Lemmey, Yuri Pattison, Eddie Peake, Heather Phillipson, and others.
This daring and experimental ethos continues to lead Auto Italia and its work today. Working in a dynamic international ecology of artists and organisations, the gallery has grown into an essential boundary pushing platform, with an international track record foregrounding artists' work that is deeply political in content and form. This programming has secured recognition as a bellwether for influential trends and ideas in contemporary art, and in fostering the early expansion and dissemination of radical ideas before they enter mainstream institutions.
Over the last six years, this has focused on producing major new commissions by early-career artists exploring dissenting forms of subjectivity, and surveys by mid-career artists whose archives trace key conflicts in culture and society. This has included critically acclaimed exhibitions with intergenerational artists of diverse geographies and subjectivities including CFGNY, Elysia Crampton Chuquimia, Nolan Oswald Dennis, Gran Fury, April Greiman, Invernomuto, Sin Wai Kin, Tarek Lakrissi, Metahaven, Shaun Motsi, Christelle Oyiri-K, Ingrid Pollard, Jill Posener, Terre Thaemlitz, Natasha Tontey, and others.
Work commissioned by Auto Italia has toured internationally to museums and institutions including KW Institute for Contemporary Art Berlin; Hessel Museum of Art, New York; Haus der Kunst, Munich; Museo d'Arte Moderna di Bologna; Centre d'Art Contemporain Genève; Cemeti Institute for Art and Society, Yogyakarta; Stroom Den Haag, The Hague; If I Can't Dance, Amsterdam; Firstdraft, Sydney; Nubuke Foundation, Accra, and others.
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AUTO ITALIA SOUTH EAST LTD
Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 March 2023
STRATEGIC AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
Developing strategy 2020-30
Over the last six years Auto Italia has been steered into a new phase of its history: departing from its origin as a grassroots project space, it has been transformed into a successful and financially resilient institution with an international track record for championing new, global discourses in contemporary art.
Our development has been made possible through the introduction of a new financial operating plan. In FY 17-18 we restructured the organisation through an evolving stakeholder-led approach to business planning led by increased partnership working and resource sharing with local, national and international partners.
We are now a learning organisation committed to embedding feedback and influence from our stakeholders in the design and delivery of work through co-design practices; including artists, participants, audiences and partners. By embracing constant change we deliver high quality work that meets the changing needs and interests of these groups.
The implementation of this strategy has enabled us to reinforce our role as a network convenor for diverse artists and audiences. Through responsive and data driven business modelling we reflect and interact with evolving needs of these stakeholders and have rapidly increased the scale, sustainability, diversity and impact of our work.
Developing aims 2020-30
These achievements are informing the design of a new and evolving 10-year strategy. It seeks to build on our history as a highly ambitious young arts organisation committed to radical practices, with an aim to reinforce our growing resilience, partnerships, diversity and audiences over the forthcoming decade.
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To commission and produce an ambitious and critically acclaimed programme of exhibitions championing cultural diversity by early and mid-career national and international artists at the forefront of new discourse and practice in contemporary art.
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To develop an interdisciplinary programme of performance, talks and live events with artists, curators, academics and musicians that foster opportunities for audiences to participate in urgent dialogues in art and society.
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To establish a dynamic touring partnership network with contemporary galleries and museums to increase earned income and reach new audiences in regions of strategic importance to contemporary art.
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To maintain and develop our partnership s with national and international private and public stakeholders including international arts councils, embassies and diplomatic missions, trusts and foundations to increase support for the development of our artistic work.
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To develop our place based role in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets through building on our relationship with principal partner Tower Hamlets Council, and to continue developing successful co-design partnerships with a wide portfolio of third sector and local government organisations.
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To establish and develop an education department that will work to increase the visibility, scale and impact of ourcreative learning activities for children and young people.
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To maintain and grow our specialist co-design partnership for the design and delivery of the Young Artists Programme by increasing voluntary, charitable, secondary education and higher education sector partners across the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.
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To develop cross-borough partnership opportunities for increasing the reach, impact and partnerships of the Young Artists Programme in the London Borough of Newham.
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To develop the visibility, impact and partnerships of our leading talent development initiative Art / Work Association aimed at visual artists within five years of higher education graduation into a nation-wide programme.
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To secure our organisation's longer-term sustainability through increased partnership working with our principal partners Arts Council England through the delivery of Let's Create 20-30, and Tower Hamlets Council in the delivery of the Strategic Plan 21-24.
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AUTO ITALIA SOUTH EAST LTD
Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 March 2023
EXHIBITION AND EVENT PROGRAMME
We present four exhibitions and four exhibition events per year in our gallery in London, alongside a touring programme of works commissioned by the gallery to galleries and museums in the UK and internationally.
In FY 22-23 the impact of Covid-19 began to lessen and the gallery was able to gradually transition back to its standard programming structure. During this period we produced and presented three exhibitions, all of which were new commissions. This was accompanied by four exhibition events, delivered through live and digital formats.
This involved 11 artists, curators, musicians, writers and academics and engaged audiences with global critical perspectives on relationships between identity and place. This included practitioners from Afghanistan, Ghana, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Palestine, South Korea, Nigeria, Switzerland, Tunisia, United Kingdom and USA.
1. Exhibitions
The sea, it slopes like a mountain Adjoa Armah (UK) 28 April - 24 July 2022
The sea, it slopes like a mountain was an exhibition of sculpture and sound works by the British-Ghanaian artist Adjoa Armah. The exhibition centred a 330 mile journey along the Ghanaian coast, from Beyin to Keta, an area with more forts than anywhere else on the African continent. Using sand gathered from these sites, Armah produced facsimiles of objects associated with the region that held sonic, linguistic, spiritual and historical significance. The reproductions were placed in correspondence with a soundscape consisting of sea, birdsong, conversations with local participants, and the artist's narration. Together, the work explored how Blackness is formulated in place. Commissioned by Auto Italia, London in partnership with Nubuke Foundation, Accra.
"The journey of creating, of creating the archive, my own documentation, the relationships being built with photographers and the acquisitions of this material are as important to me as the actual content and photographic negatives" - Adjoa Amrah in conversation with Osei Bonsu, Curator of International Art at Tate Modern in Boy Brother Friend
Garden Amidst The Flame
Natasha Tontey (ID) 17 September - 4 December 2022
In this newly commissioned film, Natasha Tontey continued her ongoing research into the ancient knowledge, technologies and cosmology of the Minahasa, an indigenous nation in the North Sulawesi province of Indonesia. Its protagonist, a schoolgirl named Viray, is carried away to a realm of nowhere where she meets a cast of Minahasan behemoths. The encounters serve as an entry point into the worldview of the Minahasa, an animistic society whose beliefs are informed by a non-anthropocentric gift economy based on kinship and mutual aid with nature. Commissioned by Auto Italia, London in partnership with La Becque, Tour-de-Peilz; Stroom Den Haag, The Hague and Shedhalle, Zurich.
"Flickering between earnest ancestral ceremonies and a whimsical exploration of youth, Garden Amidst the Flame is a dazzling coming-of-age film that draws a thread between the metamorphoses of childhood and the intergenerational practices of Minahasan culture" - Nevan Spier, Frieze
Sin City Sitara Abuzar Ghaznawi (AFG / CH) 20 January - 19 March 2023
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AUTO ITALIA SOUTH EAST LTD
Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 March 2023
Sin City was an exhibition of sculptures and drawings by Sitara Abuzar Ghaznawi. In this new body of works, Ghaznawi's expanded her ongoing investigation into the classist and racialised structures of hegemonic Western aesthetics. The show presented a series of material assemblages produced using materials often categorised as low-brow or tacky - metallic foils, disposable plastics, polycotton fabrics - that were woven through robust, metal structures that resembled forms of exhibition architecture and institutional design. By bringing these disparate materials together, Ghaznawi sought to respond to complex geopolitical hierarchies embedded in material cultures, question established concepts of value and authenticity, and discuss the power dynamics inherent within taste-making.
"Ghaznawi's ideas are guided by an interest in how aesthetics are expected to be organised in gallery and museum settings, hinting at what a refreshed "art world" might look like, one that is inspired by real people, real experiences, and is less concerned with a pointlessly glossy facade" - Issy Scott, Post-Art Clarity
2. Live and digital programme
Our exhibition events are designed to foster critical thinking by expanding on ideas and research embedded within exhibition commissions. They create unique opportunities for audiences to engage with multidisciplinary practitioners -including artists, curators, writers, musicians and academics - and offer deeper understanding of artistic processes, diverse contexts that inform works, and the research that underpins them.
We mostly commission UK-based artists and creative workers in exhibition events. This aims to create opportunities for cultural exchange, peer-learning and network development with artists in the gallery's exhibition programme, which is primarily international in focus.
Two events organised in conjunction with the exhibition The sea, it slopes like a mountain explored the themes of journeys, language and storytelling in relation to contemporary constructions of Black subjectivity. This included an online discussion with Adjoa Armah, Obe Odedina and Dr Hannah Catherine Jones, and a live performance by Adjoa Armah.
British artist Ashley Holmes presented a newly commissioned multimedia performance titled Crucial . Encompassing newly composed music, spatial projections and creative writing, the performance explored histories and legacies of Carribean musical traditions. This focused on the version and the riddim, iterative musical practices born from Jamaican music, that challenge standardised forms of ownership and belonging in music.
Events programming continued through live formats through Garden Amidst The Flame . We were joined by curators, researchers and publishers Karen Archey, Sarah Shin and Annie Jael Kwan for a panel discussion exploring gender and identity within concepts of 'Global Asias', organised in conjunction with Frieze East End Night.
A reading event was organised in conjunctio n with Sin City . This brought two writers and poets, Momtaza Mehri and Mira Mattar, together to present new and existing poems and essays exploring migration and identity.
PARTICIPATION PROGRAMME
Strand 1: Young Artists Programme
Young Artists Programme is our free to access programme of workshops and mentoring opportunities delivered by artists, designers, technologists and filmmakers for young people ages 14 to 18 living in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The Young Artists Programme introduces young people to experimental art with hands-on experience exploring ideas in new and ambitious ways. This programme is co-designed and delivered with 15 secondary education schools and local partners Tower Hamlets Art Teachers Network, Tower Hamlets Art and Music Education Services and Tower Hamlets Council.
Strand 2: Volunteer Forum
Auto Italia facilitates the Volunteer Forum, an association of young people ages 18 to 21 who are interested in careers in contemporary art. Members have access to voluntary roles including opportunities to work directly with artists, curators and technicians to support the delivery of ambitious artists' projects. The forum is designed as a first step into professional practice. Alongside voluntary roles members receive a range of mentoring opportunities including CV support, grant writing guidance and progression mentoring.
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Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 March 2023
Strand 3: Art / Work Association
Art / Work Association is an association of five hundred early-career artists who lead an ongoing programme of talks, screenings, seminars, workshops and critical feedback sessions. Conceived as an informal forum for peer exchange and community development, the project has developed into a platform for research and a supportive network that enables self-organised learning, professional development and critical dialogue. Membership is free and open to visual artists, curators and researchers within five years of graduating Higher Education.
AUDIENCES AND PARTICIPANTS
Auto Italia has a developed data culture that is used to monitor and evaluate our work and services. We use data to challenge our assumptions on the diversity, access and impact of our work. This enables us to reflect and interact with the needs of our stakeholders, and to ensure growth in the access, quality and relevance of our work.
Live audiences
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We engaged 12,096 live audiences at the gallery, and 5,346 through international touring of our commissions in the Czech Republic, Germany, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Switzerland and Thailand.
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Data demonstrates that the recovery of our live audiences after the pandemic has continued in a positive upwards trend. This year's data records an increase of 24% against FY 21-22 and 53% against engagement in FY 20-21.
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Data capture demonstrates increasingly positive diversity performance with our live audiences with averages this year recorded as 37% BIPoC, 47% LGBT, 29% trans and gnc, 44% women, 4% disabled and 77% ages of 16-35.
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Qualitative feedback collected from live audiences recorded that 94% felt we offer interesting ideas and programmes, 89% felt our work has something important to say about the world we live in, 88% felt the quality of our work is 'very good' or 'good', and 95% rated their overall experience as 'very good' or 'good'.
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62% of our live audiences are repeat visitors demonstrating demand for our work through repeat, multiyear engagement. Audiences living or working in LB of Tower Hamlets increased from 23% to 28% over 12-months demonstrating the continued growth of our organisation's place based role in the borough.
Digital audiences
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Auto Italia engaged 108,660 online audiences through its website, social media and digital communications channels, an increase of 51% on records in FY 21-22.
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New forms of international co-producing have led to an increase in our global digital audience. Metrics record engagement with our website and social media channels as 38% in the UK and 62% internationally.
Participation audiences
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Young Artist Programme engaged 1579 young people in Tower Hamlets, reflecting a continued upwards trend in demand for our creative learning activities, recorded as 48% against engagement in FY 21-22 and over 7000% in FY 17-18 when the programme was first established and piloted.
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Diversity of Young Artist Programme participants has maintained upwards trends with records showing 85% BIPoC, 19% LGBT, 54% women and 19% disabled.
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Art / Work Association engaged 22 participants and audiences of 198. Membership increased by 7% to 472, demonstrating continued demand for its services.
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Diversity of Art / Work Association participants was recorded as 27% BIPoC, 90% LGBT, 32% trans and gnc, 23%disabled and 100% ages of 16 to 35.
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AUTO ITALIA SOUTH EAST LTD
Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 March 2023
FINANCIAL REVIEW FY 22-23
Financial operating plan
Auto Italia is a not-for-profit limited company and registered charity. Our principal partners are Arts Council England as a National Portfolio Organisation, and Tower Hamlets Council through the Local Community Fund. Partnership working and resource sharing is central to all our activities. We supplement funding from our principal partners with diverse income streams through partnership and co-design activities including; earned income from national and international co-producing partners, project grants from international arts councils and embassies, donations from UK trusts and foundations, grants from lottery funds, individual donations and private giving.
Arts Council England
In FY 22-23 we were successful in securing increased investment from Arts Council England through the 2023-26 Investment Portfolio. Our annual settlement through the National Portfolio increased by 109% from £51,215 to£106,930 per annum.
Increased investment was awarded in recognition of the gallery's historic commitment to diversity in the visual arts and to support an expansion of our highly successful work with young people through the Young Artists Programme into the LB of Newham. The funding enables us to appoint an education curator who will expand co-design methodologies we have piloted in LB of Tower Hamlets with a wider network of education stakeholders.
This outcome was a huge achievement for our organisation. Over the last six years we have undertaken a process of institutional transformation under the leadership of a new Director. This has involved restructuring the organisation to build an effective governance body and develop a skilled workforce. As a result, the organisation's culture, policies and practices are delivering highly relevant and impactful work. This is in turn attracting diverse new investment from public and private sector stakeholders.
Our application to the National Portfolio was informed by extensive research, evaluation and planning. This work was undertaken by the Director and Board of Trustees under the leadership of the Chair. The Trustees decided to direct the significant resources into this process. It involved the Director focusing entirely on the NPO process for 9- months in Q3 and Q4 of FY 21-11 and Q1 of FY 22-23. A reduced level of project funding was delivered during this time and free reserves were used to support operations and programming.
There was risk associated with this decision however analysis indicated that following six years of growth and development the organisation was in a strong position for increased investment through the National Portfolio. Financial records included in this report outline the impact of this decision which resulted in the organisation's first annual deficit in over a decade, with income recorded as £138,240 against expenditure totalling £261,006.
This deficit was supported entirely by free reserves. Financial risk analysis in FY 21-22 identified that higher than normal levels of free reserves were being accrued due to the success of the organisation's new financial operating plan. On the advice of the Finance Subcommittee, the Board of Trustees decided to apportion surplus reserves towards the National Portfolio application process, identifying it as essential for our organisational development. As a result, no debts have been incurred as a result of this annual deficit.
Partners and funders FY 22-23
Lead partners
Arts Council England Tower Hamlets Council
Exhibition partners
Art Fund Graham Foundation Bank SulutGo La Becque, Tour-de-Peilz British Council Ghana London Community Foundation British Council Indonesia Nubuke Foundation, Accra Cockayne - Grants for the Arts Shedhalle, Zurich Department of Tourism and Culture of North Sulawesi Stroom Den Haag, The Hague Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Pro Helvetia Goethe-Institut London Swiss Cultural Fund UK Governance of North Sulawesi
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AUTO ITALIA SOUTH EAST LTD
Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 March 2023
Participation partners
Art Fund Bishop Challoner Catholic School Bow School Central Saint Martins Chelsea College of Art Department for Work and Pensions Mulberry Stepney Green St Paul's Way Trust School
Stepney All Saints School Stepney Green Maths, Computing & Science College The National Lottery Community Fund Tower Hamlets Art Music Education Services Tower Hamlets Art Teachers Network Tower Hamlets Volunteer Forum Volunteer Centre Tower Hamlets
Reserves policy
Auto Italia ended FY 22-23 holding £115,131 in funds. Although financial performance this year appears to have experienced obstacles, the period was instead marked with success through the securing of increased investment in ACE's National Portfolio. The Trustee's decision to allocate a large proportion of free reserves and focus workforce attention on the application process was instrumental in securing this positive outcome. This resulted in a temporary decrease in grant and partnership fundraising and lower levels of income than in previous financial years. However, increased investment will have ongoing impact on financial sustainability and institutional transformation over the next three years.
Restricted Income at £19,500: secured through local, national and international funders for the delivery of artistic projects and creative learning activities for children and young people. Fewer funds were held in this category than previous years due to the pause in fundraising whilst delivering the ACE National Portfolio application. Fundraising resumed in Q3 after the successful securing of increased investment and the restricted income that is necessary for the sustainability and viability of the organisation continued to be secured.
Unrestricted undesignated funds at £22,631: free reserves for unexpected operating and variable costs. Benchmarks are set to ensure the organisation holds appropriate levels of free reserves for unexpected risk equivalent to 25% of the annual budget. At the end of FY 22-23 free reserves had been expended on the ACE National Portfolio process and fell short of this target. Although this poses a minor financial risk, the security that has been gained by increasing this annual settlement mitigates its short and long-term impact.
Unrestricted designated funds at £73,018: the organisation's reserves policy equivalent to expenditure for one financial quarter, including three months overheads (salary, operating, and building costs) and three months variable costs (exhibitions, events and children and young people activities). In FY 23-23 the organisation maintained its full reserve strategy.
Risk management
The Trustees have a duty to identify and review the risks to which the charity is exposed and to ensure appropriate controls are in place to provide reasonable assurance against fraud and error. Analysis is completed in quarterly evaluation meetings of the finance subcommittee and an updated risk register is applied in quarterly Trustee meetings.
1. Covid-19 recovery
Auto Italia faced substantial disruptions throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, which led to venue closures, reduced footfall, and constraints on delivering core services. As the situation improved and restrictions eased in FY 22-23, new challenges arose in returning to regular delivery while ensuring the safety and confidence of visitors, staff and artists.
Revenue implications: The gallery's financial operating plan is delivery focused and relies on securing grants from funders and partners for the delivery of exhibitions, events and creative learning activities for children and young people. Due to the strategic focus on applying to ACE's National Portfolio we were only able to begin measuring the recovery and performance of this model in Q3 and Q4 as standard fundraising processes resumed. A more comprehensive report on this recovery will be compiled and delivered in FY 23-24.
Audiences: Changes in visitor behaviour were recorded even as the environment of public health normalised. Some individuals and groups remained cautious about attending events, leading to a reduced footfall at exhibitions and events, in particular from disabled groups. Changes in public attitudes or preferences are expected in the forthcoming year.
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AUTO ITALIA SOUTH EAST LTD
Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 March 2023
2. Free reserves :
In response to the significant financial commitment made in applying for ACE's National Portfolio, a substantial portion of free reserves were used for our operational and variable costs to keep business as usual activity. As we move forward, the Trustees recognise the importance of rebuilding reserves to ensure the appropriate funds are held to mitigate new and unforeseen risks, and ensure the sustainability and resilience of the organisation.
Financial monitoring: Quarterly financial subcommittee meetings held by the Treasurer, Chair and Director will monitor financial performance and provide suggested actions for decision making within quarterly meetings of the Board of Trustees. A robust financial sustainability plan will be developed in FY 23-24 that outlines clear targets for rebuilding reserves over a defined period. This will prioritise budgeting practices that allocate a percentage of surplus funds toward replenishing reserves, ensuring a steady and sustainable approach to rebuilding.
Operational improvements: The restructuring of the workforce in FY 22-23 has diversified skills held within the organisation and embedded new processes, practices and policies within the organisation's operations. The staff team now has a dedicated exhibitions and education curator. This has been designed to maximise income generating capacity with two posts supporting the Director within specialised fields. Comprehensive reviews of operational processes will be conducted by the Director to identify opportunities for efficiency improvements to maximise fundraising without compromising core activities.
Funds held as Custodian Trustee
No funds are held in this capacity.
Public benefit
The Trustees confirm that in compiling this report they have had due regard to the guidance on public benefit issued by the Charity Commission in compliance with the duty set out in section 4 of the Charities Act 2006.
Small company exemption
This report has been prepared in accordance with provisions in Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 applicable to companies, which are subject to the small companies regime.
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AUTO ITALIA SOUTH EAST LTD
Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 March 2023
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
Governing document
The charity is controlled by its governing document, a deed of trust, and constitutes a limited company, limited by guarantee, as defined by the Companies Act 2006.
Workforce and governance
The success of the organisation's financial operating plan has enabled rapid growth and diversification of our workforce.The organisation has grown from a small team of freelance contractors 1.6 FTE into a permanent workforce composed of seven staff 4.4 FTE.
In FY 22-23 important changes to the organisation's workforce were implemented as we prepared for increased delivery of creative learning activities for children and young people. This follows successfully securing increased investment from Arts Council England through the 2023-26 Investment Portfolio.
Restructuring included appointing a dedicated education post in the Curator: Community and Engagement and increasing resources for assistance in the Project Assistant post, increasing the team from 3.4 to 4.4 FTE.
FY 22-23 staff structure:
Director (FT) Curator: Exhibitions and Events (FT) Curator: Community and Engagement (FT) Project Assistant (FT) Front of House Assistants (PT 0.4) Event Staff (freelance ad hoc basis)
Appointment of Trustees
The Trustees of the Charity are also Directors of the Company. The Board of Trustees is composed of Trustees and Advisors. The Board, led by its Chair, organises an annual skills audit and monitors expertise in line with the business plan and strategic objectives. The Trustees appoint new members where necessary to fill skills gaps. Advisors are recruited to add additional expertise but do not have the same responsibilities as Trustees. Advisors are not Directors of the Company.
Management
The Board of Trustees holds quarterly meetings with the Advisors and the Director (Chief Executive). As required, the Trustees and Advisors provide individual or group support through subcommittees to support the Charity and its staff team between meetings. The Chief Executive is appointed by the Trustees to manage the operations of the Charity.
Organisation
Auto Italia's operations, finance and management are coordinated by the Director, Edward Gillman. The Director works closely with the Chair of Trustees to coordinate the direction and strategy of the Board of Trustees. The organisation currently has 6 Trustees and 1 Advisor who support the staff team to deliver its business plan, and who are advocates and ambassadors for Auto Italia's work and activities within the sector.
REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS
Registered Company number 07490255 (England and Wales)
Registered Charity number 1151979
Registered office 44 Bonner Road London E2 9JS
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AUTO ITALIA SOUTH EAST LTD
Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 March 2023
Trustees Ben Vickers Beatrice Pembroke Ali Eisa (resigned 26.7.23) Matthew Leitch Khuroum Ali Bukhari (resigned 26.7.23) Sunil Gupta Bo Escritt Andrew Durbin (appointed 31.10.22) (resigned 25.4.23) Eleanor Pinfield (appointed 9.3.23)
Company Secretary Edward Gillman
Approved by order of the board of trustees on ............................................. and signed on its behalf by: 08/12/2023
........................................................................ Eleanor Pinfield - Chair of Trustees
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AUTO ITALIA SOUTH EAST LTD
Statement of Financial Activities for the Year Ended 31 March 2023
| Unrestricted fund Notes £ 38,411 2 191 38,602 163,520 (124,918) 240,049 INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM Grants and donations Investment income Total EXPENDITURE ON Charitable activities Programmes and support NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE) RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS Total funds brought forward TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD 115,131 |
Restricted fund £ 99,638 - 99,638 99,638 - - - |
31.3.23 Total funds £ 138,049 191 138,240 263,158 (124,918) 240,049 115,131 |
31.3.22 Total funds £ 255,996 21 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 256,017 | |||
| 212,443 | |||
| 43,574 196,475 |
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| 240,049 |
The notes form part of these financial statements
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AUTO ITALIA SOUTH EAST LTD
Balance Sheet 31 March 2023
| Unrestricted fund Notes £ FIXED ASSETS Tangible assets 7 5,637 CURRENT ASSETS Debtors 8 145 Cash at bank 116,701 116,846 CREDITORS Amounts falling due within one year 9 (7,352) NET CURRENT ASSETS 109,494 TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES 115,131 NET ASSETS 115,131 FUNDS 10 Unrestricted funds TOTAL FUNDS |
Restricted fund £ - - - - - - - - |
31.3.23 Total funds £ 5,637 145 116,701 116,846 (7,352) 109,494 115,131 115,131 115,131 115,131 |
31.3.22 Total funds £ 7,516 2,242 232,376 234,618 (2,085) 232,533 240,049 240,049 240,049 240,049 |
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The charitable company is entitled to exemption from audit under Section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 for the year ended 31 March 2023.
The members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023 in accordance with Section 476 of the Companies Act 2006.
The trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for
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(a) ensuring that the charitable company keeps accounting records that comply with Sections 386 and 387 of the Companies Act 2006 and
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(b) preparing financial statements which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company as at the end of each financial year and of its surplus or deficit for each financial year in accordance with the requirements of Sections 394 and 395 and which otherwise comply with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 relating to financial statements, so far as applicable to the charitable company.
These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to charitable companies subject to the small companies regime.
The financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees and authorised for issue on ............................................. and were signed on its behalf by: 08/12/2023
.............................................
Eleanor Pinfield - Chair of Trustees
The notes form part of these financial statements
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AUTO ITALIA SOUTH EAST LTD
Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2023
1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Basis of preparing the financial statements
The financial statements of the charitable company, which is a public benefit entity under FRS 102, have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) '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)', Financial Reporting Standard 102 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland' and the Companies Act 2006. The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention.
Income
All income is recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities once the charity has entitlement to the funds, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably.
Expenditure
Liabilities are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to that expenditure, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all cost related to the category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings they have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources.
Tangible fixed assets
Depreciation is provided at the following annual rates in order to write off each asset over its estimated useful life.
Fixtures and fittings - 25% on reducing balance Computer equipment - 25% on reducing balance
Taxation
The charity is exempt from corporation tax on its charitable activities.
Fund accounting
Unrestricted funds can be used in accordance with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the trustees.
Restricted funds can only be used for particular restricted purposes within the objects of the charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes.
Further explanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is included in the notes to the financial statements.
2. INVESTMENT INCOME
| INVESTMENT INCOME | ||
|---|---|---|
| 31.3.23 | 31.3.22 | |
| £ | £ | |
| Deposit account interest | 191 | 21 |
continued...
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AUTO ITALIA SOUTH EAST LTD
Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the Year Ended 31 March 2023
3. NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE)
Net income/(expenditure) is stated after charging/(crediting):
| 31.3.23 | 31.3.22 | |
|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | |
| Depreciation - owned assets | 1,879 | 2,505 |
4. TRUSTEES' REMUNERATION AND BENEFITS
There were no trustees' remuneration or other benefits for the year ended 31 March 2023 nor for the year ended 31 March 2022.
During the year £2,500 (2022 - £nil) was paid to a trustee for work outside of their remit as a trustee.
Trustees' expenses
There were no trustees' expenses paid for the year ended 31 March 2023 nor for the year ended 31 March 2022.
5. STAFF COSTS
The average monthly number of employees during the year was as follows:
| 31.3.23 | 31.3.22 | |
|---|---|---|
| Employees | 3 | 2 |
| No employees received emoluments in excess of £60,000. | ||
| COMPARATIVES FOR THE STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES | ||
| Unrestricted | ||
| fund | ||
| £ | ||
| INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM | ||
| Grants and donations | 255,996 | |
| Investment income | 21 | |
| Total | 256,017 | |
| EXPENDITURE ON | ||
| Charitable activities | ||
| Programmes and support | 212,443 | |
| NET INCOME | 43,574 | |
| RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS | ||
| Total funds brought forward | 196,475 | |
| TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD | 240,049 |
6. COMPARATIVES FOR THE STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES
continued...
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AUTO ITALIA SOUTH EAST LTD
Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the Year Ended 31 March 2023
| 7. TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS Fixtures and fittings £ COST At 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2023 9,656 DEPRECIATION At 1 April 2022 8,720 Charge for year 234 At 31 March 2023 8,954 NET BOOK VALUE At 31 March 2023 702 At 31 March 2022 936 8. DEBTORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR VAT 9. CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR Trade creditors Social security and other taxes Other creditors Accrued expenses 10. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS At 1.4.22 £ Unrestricted funds General fund 240,049 TOTAL FUNDS 240,049 |
Computer equipment £ 9,815 3,235 1,645 4,880 4,935 6,580 31.3.23 £ 145 31.3.23 £ 209 930 2,809 3,404 7,352 Net movement in funds £ (124,918) (124,918) |
Totals £ 19,471 11,955 1,879 13,834 5,637 7,516 31.3.22 £ 2,242 31.3.22 £ 1 - 1,472 612 2,085 At 31.3.23 £ 115,131 |
|---|---|---|
| 115,131 |
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continued...
AUTO ITALIA SOUTH EAST LTD
Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the Year Ended 31 March 2023
10. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS - continued
Net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows:
| Incoming resources £ Unrestricted funds General fund 38,602 Restricted funds Exhibitions 99,638 TOTAL FUNDS 138,240 Comparatives for movement in funds At 1.4.21 £ Unrestricted funds General fund 196,475 TOTAL FUNDS 196,475 Comparative net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows: Incoming resources £ Unrestricted funds General fund 256,017 TOTAL FUNDS 256,017 A current year 12 months and prior year 12 months combined position is as follows: At 1.4.21 £ Unrestricted funds General fund 196,475 TOTAL FUNDS 196,475 |
Resources Movement expended in funds £ £ (163,520) (124,918) (99,638) - (263,158) (124,918) Net movement At in funds 31.3.22 £ £ 43,574 240,049 43,574 240,049 Resources Movement expended in funds £ £ (212,443) 43,574 (212,443) 43,574 Net movement At in funds 31.3.23 £ £ (81,344) 115,131 (81,344) 115,131 |
|---|---|
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continued...
AUTO ITALIA SOUTH EAST LTD
Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the Year Ended 31 March 2023
10. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS - continued
A current year 12 months and prior year 12 months combined net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows:
| Unrestricted funds General fund Restricted funds Exhibitions TOTAL FUNDS |
Incoming resources £ 294,619 99,638 394,257 |
Resources Movement expended in funds £ £ (375,963) (81,344) (99,638) - (475,601) (81,344) |
|---|---|---|
11. RELATED PARTY DISCLOSURES
There were no related party transactions for the year ended 31 March 2023.
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AUTO ITALIA SOUTH EAST LTD
Detailed Statement of Financial Activities for the Year Ended 31 March 2023
| 31.3.23 | 31.3.22 | |
|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | |
| INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS | ||
| Grants and donations | ||
| Income | 52,363 | 30,827 |
| Donations | 25,275 | 68,731 |
| Grants - general | 48,411 | 143,938 |
| Local authority grants | 12,000 | 12,500 |
| 138,049 | 255,996 | |
| Investment income | ||
| Deposit account interest | 191 | 21 |
| Total incoming resources | 138,240 | 256,017 |
| EXPENDITURE | ||
| Charitable activities | ||
| Fundraising costs | 351 | 527 |
| Programme expenses | 116,549 | 81,804 |
| 116,900 | 82,331 | |
| Support costs | ||
| Staff costs and volunteers Rent and utilities Insurance Travel and hospitality Telephone Heat and light Repairs and renewals Accountancy Bank charges Fixtures and fittings Computer equipment |
114,178 20,355 1,124 3,644 1,254 537 2,345 640 302 234 1,645 |
96,879 19,859 1,072 5,106 1,820 802 548 612 909 312 2,193 |
| 146,258 | 130,112 | |
| Total resources expended | 263,158 | 212,443 |
| Net (expenditure)/income | (124,918) | 43,574 |
This page does not form part of the statutory financial statements
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