## **Ongo Communities Limited**
Report and Financial Statements Year Ended 31 March 2025
Company Number 08619739 (England and Wales) Charity Number 1156007
**Ongo Communities Limited**
**Report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025**
## **Contents**
## **Page:**
- 3 Directors, Trustees and Advisors 4 Chair’s Statement 5 Report of the Trustees 15 Trustees’ Responsibilities in Relation to the Financial Statements 16 Independent Auditor's Report 19 Statement of Financial Activities 21 Statement of Financial Position 22 Statement of Cash Flows 23 Index of notes 24 Notes forming part of the financial statements
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**Ongo Communities Limited**
**Directors, Trustees and Advisors for the year ended 31 March 2025**
## **Directors and trustees**
The directors of the charitable company (the charity) are its trustees for the purpose of charity law. The trustees serving during the year and since the year end were as follows:
|J Williams|K Merta|||
|---|---|---|---|
|D Clegg|K Locking|||
|N Cresswell||||
|**Executive leadership team:**|Chief Executive||S Hepworth|
||Property Director||S Ellard (appointed 9 July 24)|
||Director of Resource and Commercial||A Harrison|
||Director of Corporate & Compliance Services||J Sugden|
||Director of Customer Services||K Hornsby|
|**Secretary**|J Sugden|||
|**Registered number:**|Company number|08619739||
||Charity registration number|1156007||
|**Registered office:**|Ongo House, High Street, Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire DN15 6AT|||
|**Auditor:**||Crowe U.K. LLP||
|||3rd floor||
|||56 Peter St||
|||Manchester||
|||M2 3NQ||
|**Bankers:**||Barclays Bank|plc|
|||One Snowhill||
|||Snowhill Queensway||
|||Birmingham B4 6GB||
|**Solicitors:**||||
|Devonshires Solicitors|Forbes Solicitors||Knights Professional Services|
|Park House|Rutherford House||The Lexicon|
|Park Square|4 Wellington Street (St|Johns)|Munt Street|
|Leeds|Blackburn||Manchester|
|LS1 2PW|BB1 8DD||M2 5FA|
|Bermans|Trowers and Hamlins||Wilkin Chapman LLP|
|Exchange Station|55 Princess Street||Cartergate House|
|Titheburn Street|Manchester||26 Chantry Lane|
|Liverpool|M2 4EW||Grimsby|
|L2 2QP|||DN31 2LJ|
|Manchester||||
|M2 5FA||||
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**Chair’s Statement for the year ended 31 March 2025**
## **Ongo Communities Limited**
Ongo Communities Limited has been providing opportunities for local people and communities since 2013. Part of the Ongo group, the Communities arm has done a substantial amount of positive work over the past year and the teams have achieved targets in areas including mental health support, employment, training, work with young people, ex-offenders, lone parents and other groups maximising their opportunities and prospects.
The organisation receives funds from Ongo Homes Limited (OH) and external grants which enable it to continue the excellent work delivered in the community. The statement of financial activities shows a total of £489k of funding and donations in the year from a number of funders and donors, in addition to the funding from OH. These enable an increasing range of projects and services to be delivered; including wellbeing and mental health support.
With a new five-year strategy in place, and focus on the theme “Customer Focus” which is part of the group’s corporate plan, we have set challenging aims and objectives for the coming years. This includes a focus on those communities and neighbourhoods which are the most challenging and require our support to increase their skills, access new opportunities and improve the overall quality of life for those areas.
**N Cresswell**
**Director Date: 8 September 2025**
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## **Ongo Communities Limited**
## **Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 March 2025**
The trustees are pleased to present their annual trustees’ report (incorporating the directors’ report under the Companies Act) together with the financial statements of the charity for the year ending 31 March 2025, which are also prepared to meet the requirements for a trustees’ report and accounts for Companies Act 2006 purposes.
The financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Companies Act 2006, the memorandum and Articles of Association, and 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).
## **Our objectives and activities**
The corporate structure of the Ongo group is clearly defined and the relationship between this Company, the parent and its other subsidiaries is set out in Intra-Group agreements which were considered and approved by each of their Boards.
The role of the charity, which is partly funded by Ongo Homes Limited, is to deliver that company’s wider social objectives by co-ordinating community development activity and improving opportunities for our tenants and wider customers and communities. To assist with this objective Ongo Communities has two wholly owned subsidiaries: Ongo Recruitment Limited, which is a social enterprise employment agency supplying temporary and permanent staff, particularly for local people within disadvantaged communities in order that they may develop their skills and re-engage with the labour market and Crosby Brokerage Limited, a company that provides managed services for clients in receipt of a personal allowance.
## **Governing documents**
Ongo Communities is a registered charity (Charity Number 1156007) governed by its Articles of Association dated 22[nd] July 2013. It is registered with the Charity Commission and is also a Company Limited by Guarantee (Company Number 08619739). At the year end the Charity was a subsidiary of Ongo Homes Limited, the ultimate parent undertaking.
## **NHF Code of Governance**
The Board has adopted the National Housing Federation (NHF) Code of Governance and following an assessment against the code is fully compliant.
The charity has no shareholders so sections 1.6.6 and 1.6.7 are not applicable, nor are sections 2.8, 2.8.1 and 2.8.2 as there are no joint ventures. The group parent is registered so section 2.7.1 is not applicable. We do not have any joint ventures within the group so section 2.8 is not applicable. All entities in the Group have adopted this code so section 3.11.3 does not apply.
## **Key achievements and performance**
During the current year Ongo Communities generated a surplus of £108k for the year (2024: £97k). This includes spending of designated reserves totalling £198k and donations totalling £281k which were received at the end of March 2025. The Trustees consider this to be an acceptable standard of performance.
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## **Ongo Communities Limited**
## **Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 March 2025**
Key achievements during the year were:
- ➢ We were successful in gaining funding of £174k to deliver wellbeing support in our communities over two years. This funding aims to support over 200 people to stop smoking. We also were funded for £55k from the Glasspool charity to purchase items to help our tenants to be more comfortable in their homes such as white goods, furniture and carpets. Due to the success of these two projects they have been extended into next year with additional funding secured. We delivered the final year of the Multiply project, supporting 110 people to improve their numeracy skills through a range of courses and activities
- ➢ Our two community buildings, The Arc, which was built as part of the physical regeneration of the Westcliff estate in Scunthorpe, and the Viking Centre in Barton on Humber have become the heart of the communities, delivering service to meet the needs of our tenants and residents of both estates including a café, training and social activities for all ages.
- ➢ Our in-house social enterprise agency and wholly owned subsidiary, Ongo Recruitment, was successful in donating circa £43k of surplus funds to Ongo Communities that will be used to fund some of the skills and personal development team staff. The team support customers with coaching and counselling, volunteering, training and employment support.
Using the HACT (Housing Associations’ Charitable Trust) model, we calculate that for every £1 we invested in community projects, we achieved £15.36 worth of value in return. This is lower than the previous year (£26.08), which was due to a clearer understanding of the new calculations provided by HACT and the outcomes achieved from supporting over 1,100 people with mental health support, employability skills, providing “warm spaces“ to help with the cost-of-living crisis, and working with young people from our disadvantaged estates delivering mentoring and youth activities, and supporting them into apprenticeships.
## **Structure, governance and management**
Ongo Communities is managed and governed by the Trustees who hold regular board meetings and agenda items include finance, health and safety and other operational reports.
The Trustees delegate the day-to-day management of the charity to the Executive Leadership Team, details of which can be found on page 3.
## **Recruitment and appointment of Trustees**
Recruitment for charity trustees is overseen by its ultimate parent company, Ongo Homes, who review and agree the recruitment procedures to be followed. Any new trustees will only be appointed if they have demonstrated they meet the skills and competencies required for the company following a recruitment exercise. New trustees can be appointed by the ultimate parent company.
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**Ongo Communities Limited**
## **Report of the Trustees**
## **for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)**
## **Training and induction**
All new trustees undertake an induction programme within the first six months of their appointment. As part of this they meet with the Chair of the Board, the Chief Executive and other members of the Executive Management Team to provide them with an overview of the charity and the context in which it operates. A number of documents are shared with the Trustees for them to read including the charity’s Articles of Association and the Charities Commission Essential Role of the Charity Trustee. Additionally, there are some core training courses which all new trustees are expected to complete.
## **Public benefit statement**
The charity trustees have complied with their duty to have due regard to the guidance on public benefit published by the Commission in exercising their powers or duties.
## **Fundraising statement**
Section 162a of the Charities Act 2011 requires charities to make a statement regarding fundraising activities. The legislation defines fundraising as “soliciting or otherwise procuring money or other property for charitable purposes.” All fundraising activities relate to applications for grant funding from relevant public and non-public sector bodies. We do not undertake widespread fundraising from the general public.
In relation to the above all solicitations are managed internally, without involvement of commercial participants or professional fund-raisers, or third parties. The day-to-day management of all income generation is delegated to the executive team, who are accountable to the trustees.
The charity is not bound by any undertaking to be bound by any regulatory scheme.
We have not received any complaints in relation to fundraising activities. Our terms of employment require staff to behave reasonably at all times. As we do not approach individuals for funds we do not have to particularise this to fundraising activities nor do we consider it necessary to design specific procedures to monitor such activities.
## **Financial review**
Incoming resources for the year totalled £1,897k (2024: £1,661k) of which £164k (2024: £167k) related to funding activities upon which restrictions were placed and £1,159k (2024: £1,073k) was received from Ongo Homes. Unrestricted income from donations during the year totalled £326k. Expenditure totalled £1,788k (2024: £1,564k) including spending of designated reserves of £198k. The surplus for the year was £108k (2024: £97k surplus).
Reserves are needed to bridge the gap between the spending and receiving of income and to cover any unplanned expenditure. The Board has resolved to maintain sufficient reserves to cover short-term operational costs. The operating cash and reserves positions should not fall below a minimum level of £100,000, which is sufficient to cover three months fixed operating costs, other than in relation to fluctuations due to the short-term operating cash cycle. Any such fall below the prescribed level will be identified as such by the cash control and forecasting process.
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**Ongo Communities Limited**
## **Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)**
We will ensure that sufficient reserves are held to be able to fund all forthcoming projects to which we are committed and any further opportunities that may present themselves. These include match funding opportunities that will maximise income through achieving external grant funding to deliver projects that meet the outcomes of our corporate plan, and proposing projects to be approved by the board as an appropriate use of reserves that respond to emerging issues that affect our tenants, their families, and the wider estates and communities. We will enter into no commitments which cannot be funded by available reserves plus budgeted surpluses to be generated up to the point or points at which the commitment crystalises.
At 31 March 2025 the charity’s free reserves, excluding designated funds, stood at £667k (2024: £369k) with restricted funds carried forward of £nil (2024: £nil) and designated funds of £127k (2024: £317k). The charity received unrestricted donations totalling £281k in the final week of the year, which has resulted in an inflated level of free reserves at the 31 March 2025.
The designated funds relate to various projects, including a match funded project to provide intensive support to 50 local people who are economically inactive and have complex needs, including mental health; provision of the Ongo Talk counselling services for up to 200 customers; and projects to support individuals, couples, and families in financial hardship.
The charity continues to investigate available opportunities to ensure its free reserves are utilised to benefit the communities in which it operates.
## **Future plans**
During the coming years it is expected that the activities of the Ongo Communities will expand:
1. The Board of Ongo Homes has supported the payment of funding to Ongo Communities during the next financial year to enable the charity to deliver activities that meet its objects and the new Ongo corporate plan.
2. A funding strategy is in place to continue to seek further opportunities to bid for funds and match fund projects that meet the needs of our customers and the wider communities within our area of benefit. However due to the ending of EU funding and limited UKSPF funding fewer opportunities will be available.
**3.** We continue to engage with our customers by offering a mix of face to face and telephone support and a digital only programme for customers in rural areas and who cannot easily access our premises. We also provide IT skills and re-designed the customer facing areas in our buildings to best meet the individual needs of our customers.
**4.** We want to support customers as much as possible with the cost-of-living crisis and have continued to deliver the Improving Lives project to provide carpets and decorating to help our tenants in their homes, as well as delivering money management and budgeting support
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**Ongo Communities Limited**
**Report of the Trustees**
**for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)**
## **Financial instruments**
## _Credit Risk_
Credit risk is the risk of financial loss to the company if a customer or counterparty to a financial instrument fails to meet its contractual obligations.
Credit risk also arises from cash and cash equivalents and deposits with banks and financial institutions. The financial institution used, Barclays Bank plc, had a Moody’s long-term rating of A1, which is acceptable to the board:
## _Liquidity risk_
Liquidity risk arises from the charity’s management of working capital. Rolling cash flow projections are prepared regularly, together with the value of the company’s cash investments. At the end of the financial year, these projections indicated that the company expected to have sufficient liquid resources to meet its obligations under all reasonably expected circumstances.
## _Cash flow interest rate risk_
The charity is not currently exposed to cash flow interest rate risk.
## **Assessment of the effectiveness of Ongo Communities’ system of internal control.**
The Ongo Homes Board is ultimately responsible for the group’s system of internal control and for reviewing its effectiveness.
The Board recognises that no system of internal control can provide absolute assurance or eliminate all risk. The system of internal control is designed to manage risk and provide reasonable assurance that key business objectives and expected outcomes will be achieved. It also exists to give reasonable assurance about the preparation and reliability of financial and operational information and the safeguarding of group’s assets and interests.
The Board has adopted a risk-based approach to internal controls, which are embedded within the normal management and governance process. This approach includes the regular evaluation of the nature and extent of risks to which the group is exposed and is consistent with good practice and regulatory requirements.
The main area in which this is evidenced is as follows:
## **Risk Management**
Alongside the launch of our new Corporate Plan in April 2024, we reviewed our strategic risks to ensure that they fully represented the risks to achieving our strategic objectives. Sessions were held at a Board Strategy Day to ensure that all Board members were able to discuss and contribute to the identification of the Strategic Risks for Ongo.
Together, our Leadership Team assessed the identified risks to ensure we fully understand mitigations in place and required, developing a clear action plan to manage these risks.
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## **Ongo Communities Limited**
## **Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)**
To support the process our Risk Management Framework was fully reviewed and approved by our Ongo Homes Board.
## **Our approach**
Risk is the possibility of an event and the consequences it has on the achievement of objectives, at a strategic, operational and project level. Risk creates uncertainty which we must understand, control, and monitor to reduce the uncertainty to an acceptable level.
Risk is part of everyday life and directly linked the decisions we make. The management of risk is therefore essential in ensuring the group meets its strategic objectives and remains legally and regulatory compliant.
Our risk management framework provides a clear and robust approach to managing risk. It provides a structure to integrate risk management into all aspects of Ongo activity, with the aim of protecting our assets, complying with all relevant laws and regulation, successfully achieving our corporate plan and creating a truly vibrant and resilient organisation.
## **Our principles of risk management**
The overarching principle of risk management is to add value, and to support the successful delivery of objectives.
At Ongo, we use **GUARDED** principles to set our approach to risk management:
- **Governed –** Risk management is integral to governance and leadership at Ongo, it is fundamental to how Ongo is directed and managed.
- **Understood –** Risks are comprehensive, well-articulated and understood by all.
- **Aligned –** Risk management is aligned with other business activities and is not a separate activity.
- **Relevant –** Risks are relevant to objectives and the management of risk is proportionate to the level of risk.
- **Discussed –** Risk is communicated and discussed with all interested parties.
- **Embedded –** Risk management is part of everyday life, activities and decision making at Ongo,
- **Dynamic –** The management and reporting of risk is responsive to change and can adapt and identify emerging risks quickly.
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**Ongo Communities Limited**
**Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)**
## **Our risk appetite**
Our risk appetite is reviewed at least on an annually basis. With the launch of the new corporate plan our Board set our new appetite statements as part of the risk focussed strategy day. Detailed statements were approved as part of our Risk Management Framework and provided as guide for decision making to ensure we do not take risks outside of our agreed boundaries. Our risk appetites for 2024-25 are shown below:
- **Financial Risks: (medium risk appetite)**
- We will ensure that we remain financially strong and will manage risks within our Golden Rules. We will take a balanced approach and seek to take risk only where the benefits outweigh potential costs.
- **Compliance Risks (low risk appetite)** :
- We understand our compliance obligations and have a low-risk appetite for any action or decision that would result in a breach of our statutory or regulatory obligations.
- **People Risks (medium risk appetite):**
- We empower and support our colleagues to make the right decisions. We will ensure those carrying out work have the relevant qualifications and competences. We will encourage a culture of learning and look to take risks where benefits can be justified, and any potential risks are managed.
- **Customer Risks** : **(medium risk appetite):** We will ensure that all those working on behalf of Ongo have a strong customer focus, we will listen to our customers and work together to ensure we have a balanced approached to risk.
- **Delivery Risks (medium risk appetite):**
- We will ensure that we meet all required standards and work together to ensure our services meet the needs of our customers, we will take a balanced approach to managing risk ensuring that benefits and costs are assessed.
- **Growth Risks (high risk appetite):**
We are open to growth opportunities that align with our Corporate Objectives and will look at innovative ways of working and new technologies. Where the benefits can be demonstrated we will manage the risk.
.
## **Operating environment and risk management**
To help identify emerging risks, we assess the external and internal environments using a variety of tools and techniques. Our performance management framework runs in line with our risk management framework to help identify areas of concern or emerging risks. We have a suite of key risk indicators (KRIs) which provide intelligence on the key areas of risk facing our business and act as early warning indicators. Our key financial ratios and stress testing indictors are monitored monthly in our management accounts. We also map the annual sector risk profile with our existing risk registers as a comparison aid.
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**Ongo Communities Limited**
## **Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)**
## **Assurance framework**
To ensure that risk management is effective and that we have a sound and effective system of internal control we have a control framework in place. As Boards have ultimate responsibility for risk management, it is essential that Board members understand the risks facing Ongo and receive assurance on the effectiveness of controls. Strategic and emerging risks are discussed at each Board meeting as a separate agenda item (alternate meetings), but also embedded within each report. The Ongo Homes Board have delegated assurance reviews to the Group Audit and Risk Committee. This enables the committee to focus on key areas of risk and assurance.
Assurance can come from many sources within an organisation. Developed from the three lines of defence, we have adopted four lines of assurance (FLA), which helps identify and understand where these different contributions arise:
- **First line of assurance** This comes directly from our business operational areas. Various controls are in place, designed or directing processes and behaviours to ensure that operational objectives are achieved. The responsibility is to ensure procedures are followed, identify risks and improvement actions, implement controls and report on progress.
- **Second line of assurance**
- This comes from corporate oversight. It is separate from those responsible for delivery, but not independent to the organisation. There are various teams that provide this assurance, including health and safety, finance, compliance, legal and audit and risk. The responsibility is to ensure that compliance obligations and commitments are understood and met.
- **Third line of assurance**
This comes from independent, objective and expert sources. It provides independent challenge. It places reliance upon assurance mechanisms in the first and second lines of defence, and request evidence to confirm assurance is in place. Assurance is gained from internal and external audit, regulators, and accreditations.
- **Fourth line of assurance**
Our customers provide a fourth assurance level. As they directly receive certain services, they are in the ideal position to assess and review service delivery. We have strong customer engagement arrangements, including a Resident Scrutiny Panel, Community Voice, Property Services Panel, and Complaints Monitoring Panel.
All assurance activities are co-ordinated centrally to provide assurances maps. The assurance map of the strategic risk register is used to inform the internal audit programme and assurance work for the next financial year.
## **Internal audit**
Our internal auditors are appointed by the Group Audit and Risk Committee to provide an objective evaluation and opinion on the overall adequacy and effectiveness of our risk management and internal control environment.
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**Ongo Communities Limited**
## **Report of the Trustees**
## **for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)**
The annual internal audit plan is set using a risk-based approach and is approved by the Group Audit and Risk Committee. The plan includes a range of internal audits and assurance appraisals.
The findings within the Internal Audits informs both an individual assurance assessment and the annual assurance opinion statement, provided by the Head of Internal Audit.
The annual plan is subject to ongoing review and could change as the risks change throughout the year. Any changes are formally reviewed with the Executive Leadership Team and the Group Audit and Risk Committee should a significant issue arise.
Internal audit reports carried out are signed off at each Group Audit and Risk Committee, where members have the opportunity to discuss and challenge the findings. Progress on any recommendations made are monitored by the committee and once implemented are verified by internal audit for final sign off. The internal auditors have an opportunity at every committee meeting to discuss matters without the presence of executives.
## **Fraud**
The fraud register is reviewed at each Group Audit and Risk Committee. To assess our internal control framework, assurance tests are built in to the internal audit plan each year.
The fraud register is updated as necessary for all actual and potential frauds committed or attempted to be committed against the group.
## **Reporting, review and corrective action**
A process of regular management reporting on control issues provides assurance to the Executive Leadership Team and to the Board. This includes a rigorous procedure for ensuring that corrective action is taken in relation to any significant control issues, particularly those that may have a material impact on the financial statements and the delivery and fulfilment of our services.
The Group Audit and Risk Committee conducts an annual review of the effectiveness of the system of internal control and has taken account of any changes needed to maintain the effectiveness of risk management and control process. This Committee makes an annual report on this matter to the Board. The Board has received this report and has included it within the Financial Statements.
The Board confirms that there is an ongoing process for identifying, and managing significant risks faced by the Society. This process has been in place throughout the year under review, up to and including the date of the annual report and accounts, and is regularly reviewed by the Board.
## **Going concern**
The Board have reviewed financial assumptions during the budget process to ensure the charity remains a going concern. The budget is subject to sensitivity testing to assess the possible financial impacts of various scenarios and the resilience of the budget. In all scenarios the company remains financially viable.
Given the strength of the balance sheet and liquidity the Board believes that while there is some uncertainty in respect of inflationary pressures and future funding opportunities these do not pose a material uncertainty that would cast doubt on the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern. The charity’s financial performance in the year proved resilient and on this basis the Board has a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future, being a period of twelve months after the date on which the report and financial statements are signed. For this reason, it continues to adopt the going concern basis in the financial statements.
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## **Ongo Communities Limited**
## **Report of the Trustees**
## **for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)**
## **Employment and equal opportunities**
Employee information is set out in the notes to the financial statements.
The charity is committed to the principles of equal opportunities.
## **External audit**
In so far as the Board is aware, all of the current board members have taken all the steps that they ought to have taken to make themselves aware of any information needed by the auditors for the purposes of their audit and to establish that the auditors are aware of that information. The directors are not aware of any relevant audit information of which the auditors are unaware.
Signed on behalf of the Trustees
## **N Cresswell Trustee**
8 September 2025
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**Ongo Communities Limited**
## **Trustees’ responsibilities in relation to the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025**
The Trustees are responsible for preparing the Annual report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and regulations.
Company law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (United Kingdom Accounting Standards and applicable law). 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 charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charity for that period.
In preparing these financial statements, the Trustees are required to:
- select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
- make judgements and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
- state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements;
- prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in business.
The Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the charity’s transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity 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 charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
Financial statements are published on the charity’s website in accordance with legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements, which may vary from legislation in other jurisdictions. The maintenance and integrity of the charity’s website is the responsibility of the trustees. The trustees’ responsibility also extends to the ongoing integrity of the financial statements contained therein.
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## **Ongo Communities Limited**
## **Independent auditor's report to the members of Ongo Communities Limited for the year ended 31 March 2025**
## **Opinion**
We have audited the financial statements of Ongo Communities Limited for the period ended 31 March 2025 which comprise the balance sheet as at 31 March 2025; the statement of financial activities, the statement of cash flows and noted 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 company’s affairs as at 31 March 2025 and of its income 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;
- have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.
## **Basis for opinion**
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the 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 Directors’ 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 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 Directors with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.
## **Other information**
The Directors are responsible for the other information contained within the annual report. The other information comprises the information included in the annual report, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.
Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material 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.
## **Opinion on other matter prescribed by the Companies Act 2006**
In our opinion based on the work undertaken in the course of our audit
- the information given in the Directors' report for the financial period for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and
- the Directors' 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 Company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in directors’ report.
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**Ongo Communities Limited**
## **Independent auditor's report to the members of Ongo Communities Limited for the year ended 31 March 2025**
We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:
- adequate accounting records have not been kept by the Company, 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 Directors were not entitled to prepare the financial statements in accordance with the small companies regime and take advantage of the small companies exemption in preparing the Directors report and from the requirement to prepare a strategic report.
## **Responsibilities of Directors**
As explained more fully in the Directors’ responsibilities statement set out on page 15, the Directors 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 Directors 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 Directors are responsible for assessing the 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 Directors either intend to liquidate the Company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.
## **Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements**
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists.
Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.
Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below:
We obtained an understanding of the legal and regulatory frameworks that are applicable to the Company and determined the most significant are the appropriate accounting standards in conformity with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 and the Financial Services legislation;
We identified areas of laws and regulations that could reasonably be expected to have a material effect on the financial statements from our sector experience, through discussion with the Directors, and from inspection of the Company’s board minutes and legal and regulatory correspondence. We discussed the policies and procedures regarding compliance with laws and regulations with the Chief Financial Officer;
We assessed the susceptibility of the financial statements to material misstatement, including how fraud might occur, by meeting with management from relevant parts of the business to understand where management considered there was a susceptibility to fraud. We also considered the potential for management to manage earnings and influence the perceptions of the financial statements.
We identified the greatest risk of material impact on the financial statements from irregularities, including fraud, to be the override of controls by management and the timing of recognition of income.
17
## **Ongo Communities Limited**
## **Independent auditor's report to the members of Ongo Communities Limited for the year ended 31 March 2025**
- Audit procedures performed by the engagement team included:
- Evaluation of the design of controls established to address the risks related to material irregularities in the financial statements; Testing manual journal entries, in particular journal entries relating to management estimates and entries determined to be large or relating to non-routine transactions.
- Evaluation of income recognition policies and any judgements made around income recognition; reviewing the income system for significant deficiencies or susceptibility to fraud;
- Challenging assumptions and judgements made by management in their significant accounting estimates;
- Agreement of the financial statement disclosures to underlying supporting documentation;
- Making enquiries of management;
- Review of minutes of board meetings throughout the period;
Our audit procedures were designed to respond to risks of material misstatement in the financial statements, recognising that the risk of not detecting a material misstatement due to fraud is higher than the risk of not detecting one resulting from error, as fraud may involve deliberate concealment by, for example, forgery, misrepresentations or through collusion. There are inherent limitations in the audit procedures performed and the further removed non-compliance with laws and regulations is from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, the less likely we are to become aware of it.
Owing to the inherent limitations of an audit there is an unavoidable risk that we may not have detected some material misstatements in the financial statements, even though we have properly planned and performed our audit in accordance with auditing standards. We are not responsible for preventing non-compliance and cannot be expected to detect noncompliance with all laws and regulations. These inherent limitations are particularly significant in the case of misstatement resulting from fraud as this may involve sophisticated schemes designed to avoid detection, including deliberate failure to record transactions, collusion or the provision of intentional misrepresentations.
A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor’s report.
## **Use of our report**
This report is made solely to the Company's members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the Company's members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor's report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the company and the company's members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.
**Crowe U.K. LLP** Statutory Auditor 3rd floor 56 Peter St Manchester M2 3NQ
18
## **Ongo Communities Limited**
**Statement of financial activities Incorporating an income and expenditure account for the year ended 31 March 2025**
|**Note**
**Income**
Income from charitable activities
2
Income from donations
Income from trading activities
3
Grants receivable
4
Total income
**Expenditure**
Expenditure on charitable activities
Expenditure on trading activities
Total expenditure
6
**Net income / (expenditure) for the year**
5
Transfers between funds
15
**Net movement on funds**
**Reconciliation of funds**
Total funds brought forward
**Total funds carried forward**|**Unrestricted**
**Funds**
**2025**
£
1,158,772
325,598
248,565
-
1,732,935
(1,308,408)
(313,966)
(1,622,374)
**110,561**
(2,598)
**107,963**
685,337
**793,300**|**Restricted**
**Funds**
**2025**
£
-
33,704
-
130,034
163,738
(166,336)
-
(166,336)
**(2,598)**
2,598
**-**
-
**-**|**Total Funds**
**2025**
£
1,158,772
359,302
248,565
130,034
1,896,673
(1,474,744)
(313,966)
(1,788,710)
**107,963**
-
**107,963**
685,337
**793,300**|**Total Funds**
**2024**
£
1,130,262
128,972
236,365
165,571|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|||||1,661,170|
|||||(1,264,505)
(299,496)|
|||||(1,564,001)|
|||||**97,169**
-|
|||||**97,169**
588,168|
|||||**685,337**|
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derives from continuing activities.
The notes on pages 23 to 30 form part of these financial statements.
19
## **Ongo Communities Limited**
**Statement of financial activities Incorporating an income and expenditure account for the year ended 31 March 2024**
||**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**|**Total Funds**|**Total Funds**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Funds**|**Funds**|||
||**2024**|**2024**|**2024**|**2023**|
||£|£|£|£|
|**Income**|||||
|Income from charitable activities|1,130,262|-|1,130,262|1,052,896|
|Income from donations|127,424|1,548|128,972|109,732|
|Income from trading activities|236,365|-|236,365|215,227|
|Grants receivable|-|165,571|165,571|531,524|
|Total income|1,494,051|167,119|1,661,170|1,909,379|
|**Expenditure**|||||
|Expenditure on charitable activities|(1,036,074)|(228,431)|(1,264,505)|(1,518,836)|
|Expenditure on trading activities|(299,496)|-|(299,496)|(270,484)|
|Total expenditure|(1,335,570)|(228,431)|(1,564,001)|(1,789,320)|
|**Net income / (expenditure) for the year**
**and net movement on funds**|**158,481**|**(61,312)**|**97,169**|**120,059**|
|Transfers between funds|(61,312)|61,312|-|-|
|**Net movement on funds**|**97,169**|**-**|**97,169**|**120,059**|
|**Reconciliation of funds**|||||
|Total funds brought forward|588,168|-|588,168|468,109|
|**Total funds carried forward**|**685,337**|**-**|**685,337**|**588,168**|
The notes on pages 23 to 30 form part of these financial statements.
20
## **Ongo Communities Limited**
**Statement of financial position at 31 March 2025**
|**Company number 08619739**
**Note**
**Current assets**
Debtors
11
Cash at bank and in hand
Creditors: amounts falling due within one
year
12
**Total assets less current liabilities**
**Total net assets**
**The funds of the charity**
Unrestricted funds
15
Designated unrestricted funds
15
Restricted funds
15
Total funds
15|**2025**
£
181,161
864,866
1,046,027
(252,727)|**2025**
£|**2024**
£
28,997
750,154
779,151
(93,814)|**2024**
£|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||||||
||||||
||||||
||||||
|||793,300||685,337|
||||||
|||793,300||685,337|
||||||
||||||
||||||
|||666,599||369,049|
|||126,701||316,288|
|||-||-|
||||||
||||||
|||793,300||685,337|
||||||
The financial statements were approved by the Board of Directors and authorised for issue on 8 September 2025
**N Cresswell Trustee**
**S Hepworth Chief Executive**
The notes on pages 23 to 30 form part of these financial statements.
21
## **Ongo Communities Limited**
## **Statement of cash flows for the year ended 31 March 2025**
|Net cash inflow/(outflow) from operating activities
Increase / (decrease) in cash
Notes
Change in cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents at 1 April 2024
**Cash and cash equivalents at 31 March 2025**
**Reconciliation of operating surpluses to net cash inflow / (outflow)**
**from operating activities**
Net income/(expenditure) for the period
Decrease/(increase) in debtors
Increase/(decrease) in creditors
**Net cash inflow / (outflow) from operating activities**
**Analysis of cash and cash equivalents**
Cash in hand
Notice deposits (less than 3 months)
**Cash and cash equivalents at 31 March 2025**
**Analysis of changes in net debt (cash at bank only)**
Cash flows in the year
Net debt at 1 April 2024
**Net debt at 31 March 2025**|**2025**
£
114,712
114,712
114,712
750,154
864,866
107,963
(152,164)
158,913
114,712
3,507
861,359
864,866
114,712
750,154
864,866|**2024**
£
223,632|
|---|---|---|
|||223,632|
|||223,632
526,522|
|||750,154|
|||97,169
64,891
61,572|
|||223,632|
|||2,070
748,084|
|||750,154|
|||223,632
526,522|
|||750,154|
The notes on pages 23 to 30 form part of these financial statements.
22
**Ongo Communities Limited Notes forming part of the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025**
## **INDEX OF NOTES General notes**
- 1 Accounting policies
## **Income and expenditure related notes**
- 2 Income from charitable activities
- 3 Income from trading activities
- 4 Grants received
- 5 Net expenditure
- 6 Analysis of expenditure
- 7 Support costs
- 8 Employees
- 9 Directors' remuneration
## **Statement of financial position related notes**
- 10 Fixed asset investments
- 11 Debtors: amounts falling due within one year
- 12 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
- 13 Corporation tax
- 14 Share capital 15 Analysis of movement in funds
- 16 Analysis of net assets between funds
- 17 Related party disclosures
- 18 Operating leases
- 19 Volunteers
23
**Ongo Communities Limited Notes forming part of the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025**
## **1 Significant accounting policies**
Ongo Communities Limited is a charitable company limited by guarantee and incorporated in England & Wales under the Companies Act 2006. The address of the registered office is given on the page 3 and the nature of the charity's operations and its principal activities are set out in the Report of the Trustees. The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention and in accordance with Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2015) – (Charities SORP (FRS 102)), FRS 102, the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, the Charities Act 2011 and the Companies Act 2006.
Ongo Communities Limited is a public benefit entity.
The preparation of financial statements in compliance with FRS 102 requires the use of certain critical accounting estimates. It also requires the charity's management to exercise judgement in applying the charity's accounting policies.
The presentation currency of the financial statements is the Pound Sterling (£), rounded to the nearest £1.
The following principal accounting policies have been applied:
## _Basis of preparation - going concern_
The charity's financial plans have been reviewed and the Board are satisfied that the plans are affordable and that the financial statements should be prepared on a going concern basis.
The board revised the charity’s financial forecasts, for the two years ended 31 March 2027, to reflect the risks and financial impacts as relevant and proportionate to our business, including the impact of inflation. This included an assessment of grant income and delivery of projects, including an assessment whether any funds should be designated for future projects. Although Brexit and a reduction in EU funding means availability of some grants has been reduced, external grant funding continues to be available. The charity will continue to receive the agreed long term support from within the Ongo Group.
The charity has effective controls and processes in place to manage and monitor cash flows. On this basis, the board consider it appropriate for the financial statements to be prepared on a going concern basis.
## _Judgements in applying accounting policies and key sources of estimation uncertainty_
Management do not consider there to be any significant judgements or estimation uncertainty due to the straightforward nature of the charity's
## _Income_
Incoming resources are accounted for when receivable. Donations and gifts-in-kind are accounted for when receivable. Grants are 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 d li bl
## _Expenditure_
Charitable expenditure includes direct costs and support costs. Support costs comprise those necessary costs which do not themselves produce the output of the charity, including central office functions and governance costs as shown in note 6. Such administration and accommodation support costs have generally been allocated on the basis of income.
## _Taxation_
Ongo Communities Limited is a charity within the meaning of Para 1 Schedule 6 Finance Act 2010. Accordingly the company is potentially exempt from taxation in respect of income or capital gains within categories covered by Chapter 3 of Part 11 of the Corporation Tax Act 2010 or Section 256 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992, to the extent that such income or gains are applied exclusively to charitable purposes.
24
**Ongo Communities Limited Notes forming part of the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025**
## **1 Significant accounting policies (continued)**
## _Grants payable_
Grants are recognised in full when there is a legal and constructive obligation.
## _Pension costs_
Contributions to the company's defined contribution pension scheme are charged to the statement of financial activities in the year in which they become payable. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the company in an independently administered fund.
## _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 discounts due.
## _Financial instruments_
The company only has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value.
## _Cash at bank and in hand_
Cash at bank and in hand includes deposits which can be withdrawn within 24 hours without penalty and short term deposits which have a maturity period of 3 months or less and are not subject to significant risk of changes in value.
## _Liabilities_
Liabilities are recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to make a payment to a third party, it is probable that settlement will be required and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably.
## _Fund accounting_
Restricted funds are funds which are subject to specific restrictions imposed by the funder or donor. The aim and use of the restricted funds is set out in the notes to the financial statements.
Designated funds are set aside by the Trustees for specific purposes, but would otherwise form part of the general funds. The aim and use of the designated funds is set out in the notes to the financial statements. General funds are available to spend at the discretion of the Trustees in furtherance of the charitable objectives of the company.
## **2 Income from charitable activities**
All income from charitable activities was generated within the UK. £1.11m of this income (2024: £1.07m) relates to contributions from the parent company, Ongo Homes Limited.
|**3**
**Trading income**
Income from café facilities
Rental income
Income from Post Office
Other income|**2025**
**Unrestricted**
**£**
48,769
97,030
18,803
83,963
248,565|**2024**
**Unrestricted**
**£**|
|---|---|---|
|||52,936|
|||101,764
17,313|
|||64,352|
||||
|||236,365|
Rental income includes gifts-in-kind in respect of properties leased at below market rent. The facilities have been valued in excess of rent paid at £84,664. This cost is also included within expenditure.
25
## **Ongo Communities Limited**
**Notes forming part of the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025**
|**4**
**Grants receivable**
North Lincolnshire Council
*
Department for Work and Pension
*
Others|**2025**
**Restricted**
**£**
73,874
-
56,160
130,034|**2024**
**Restricted**
**£**
55,685
107,370
2,516|
|---|---|---|
|||165,571|
All grants are classed an income from charitable activities. Those identified with an * are deemed to be grants receivable from government agencies
|**5**
**Net income/(expenditure):**
This is stated after charging:
Operating lease charges - land and buildings
Operating lease charges - others|**2025**
**£**
5,342
6,554|**2024**
**£**
10,518
9,313|
|---|---|---|
All fees for the audit of the company's annual accounts are paid by the ultimate parent company of the group.
- **6 Analysis of expenditure**
|**Charitable activities**
Community benefit/improvement projects
Total charitable expenditure
**Trading activities**
The Arc and other trading costs
Management costs
Total trading expenditure
**Total resources expended**|**Direct staff**
**costs**
**£**
844,504
844,504
157,865
-
157,865
**1,002,369**|**Other direct**
**costs**
**£**
200,193
200,193
38,627
-
38,627
**238,820**|**Support**
**costs**
**(note 7)**
**£**
430,047
430,047
-
117,474
117,474
**547,521**|**Total 2025**
**£**
**1,474,744**
**1,474,744**
**196,492**
**117,474**
**313,966**
**1,788,710**|**Total 2024**
**£**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||||||1,264,505|
||||||1,264,505|
||||||173,292
126,204|
||||||299,496|
|||||||
||||||1,564,001|
The Arc is a well-being hub based in the Westcliffe estate in Scunthorpe. It houses a café, post office, has rooms for hire as well as providing opportunities to offer other activities. Ongo Communities use this building as a hub for providing training and support to users of its services. All costs have been allocated to trading activities, as has any income generated from the use of the building.
During the year the charity made grants totalling £35,000.
These grants were made to local groups, such as sports clubs, resident associations, those offering health and wellbeing initiatives or other community focused groups. Applications to our community grants were accepted from not-for-profit organisations based in areas where Ongo Homes tenants are based.
26
## **Ongo Communities Limited Notes forming part of the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025**
- **7 Support costs**
|**Support costs**|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|**Charitable activities**
Community benefit/improvement projects
Management fee from parent company
Governance costs
Total charitable expenditure
**Trading activities**
Management expenditure
Governance costs
Total trading expenditure
**Total resources expended**|**Finance and**
**corporate**
**£**
199,861
53,335
-
253,196
25,169
1,227
26,396
**279,592**|**IT**
**£**
-
15,520
-
15,520
-
-
-
**15,520**|**Human**
**resources**
**£**
-
118,805
-
118,805
-
-
-
**118,805**|**Property and**
**offices**
**£**
42,526
-
-
42,526
91,078
-
91,078
**133,604**|**Total 2025**
**£**
**242,387**
**187,660**
**-**
**430,047**
**116,247**
**1,227**
**117,474**
**547,521**|**Total 2024**
**£**|
|||||||230,871
181,314
1,734|
|||||||413,919|
|||||||124,104
2,100|
|||||||126,204|
||||||||
|||||||540,123|
The company is charged a management fee from its ultimate parent company to cover all central finance, corporate, IT, HR, PR and governance costs. This has been allocated to charitable activities and is shown separately in the table above.
Management expenditure includes the notional cost of the gifts in kind relating to the lease of properties as detailed in note 3 to the accounts.
- **8 Employees**
|**Employees**
Staff costs (excluding those directors who are paid by the parent company) consist of:
Wages and salaries
Social security costs
Cost of defined benefit scheme
Cost of defined contribution scheme
Charitable activities
Support staff
The average number of employees during the year, based on headcount, was as follows:|**2025**
**£**
968,345
91,843
16,119
70,288
1,146,595
**2025**
**Number**
24.5
14.0
38.5|**2024**
**£**
884,029
75,505
7,400
66,491|
|---|---|---|
|||1,033,425|
|||**2024**
**Number**
19.1
16.3|
|||35.4|
One of the trustees has a contract of employment with the charity but works across the Ongo group. The cost of remuneration paid by the charity is reflected in the management fee charged by Ongo Homes in such a way that the majority of the costs are borne by the parent company. The individual did not receive any remuneration or other benefits from their trusteeship. The charity's governing document provides a legal authority for thi ti
The company employs staff who work across the Ongo group. In such cases costs are recharged to other members of the group as appropriate. The costs detailed above are the net costs, after recharges, incurred by Ongo Communities Limited. The average number of employees detailed includes all staff employed by the charity.
Trustees did not receive any remuneration or benefits arising from their trusteeship directly from Ongo Communities Limited during the year (2024: none). No trustee (2024: none) was paid expenses during the year.
A defined contribution pension scheme is operated by Ongo Homes Limited on behalf of all Ongo group subsidiary undertakings. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the group in an independently administered fund.
The pension charge represents contributions payable by the company to the fund and amounted to £70,288 (2024: £66,491). Contributions amounting to £11,892 (2024: £11,602) were payable to the fund at year end.
A defined benefit pension scheme is operated by Ongo Homes Limited on behalf of Ongo group subsidiary undertakings. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the group in an independently administered fund.
The pension charge represents contributions payable by the company to the fund and amounted to £16,119 (2024: £7,400). Contributions amounting to £1,142 (2024: £606) were payable to the fund at year end.
27
**Ongo Communities Limited Notes forming part of the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025**
## **9 Directors' remuneration**
Directors' costs, with the exception of the trustee detailed in note 8, were paid by Ongo Homes Limited and the relevant portion was recharged to Ongo Communities Limited (with a mark-up) through their management fee.
## **10 Fixed asset investments**
## _Subsidiary undertakings_
The only undertaking in which the company has an interest is as follows:
**Proportion of voting rights Country of incorporation or and ordinary share capital Name registration held Nature of business** Ongo Recruitment Limited England and Wales 100% Recruitment consultancy
Ongo Recruitment Limited has a wholly owned subsidiary, which gives Ongo Communities Limited an interest in:
||Crosby Brokerage Limited|England and Wales|100%||Business services|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|**11**|**Debtors**|||||
|||||**2025**|**2024**|
|||||**£**|**£**|
||Trade debtors|||157,108|15,325|
||Prepayments and accrued income|||24,053|13,672|
||Total|||||
|||||181,161|28,997|
|**12**|**Creditors: amounts falling due within**|**one year**||**2025**|**2024**|
|||||**£**|**£**|
||Trade creditors|||4,775|1,771|
||Other creditors|||17,363|15,071|
||Taxation and social security|||61,602|31,311|
||Accruals and deferred income|||168,987|45,661|
||Total|||252,727|93,814|
||_Deferred income_|||||
||Brought forward|||(4,607)|-|
||Released in the period|||4,607|-|
||Deferred in the period|||(118,177)|(4,607)|
||Carried forward|||(118,177)|(4,607)|
Income is deferred where income received in the year is subject to performance-related conditions received in advance of delivering the services required by that condition, or is subject to unmet conditions wholly outside of the charity's control.
## **13 Corporation tax**
The charity is exempt from tax on income and gains falling within section 505 of the Taxes Act 1988 or section 252 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992 to the extent that these are applied to its charitable objectives.
## **14 Share capital**
Being limited by guarantee, the company does not issue shares.
28
## **Ongo Communities Limited Notes forming part of the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025**
## **15 Analysis of movement in funds**
|**Balance at 1**
**April 2024**
**£**
**Restricted funds**
North Lincolnshire Council
-
Others
-
-
**Unrestricted funds**
Designated unrestricted funds
316,288
Unrestricted funds
369,049
685,337
**Total funds**
685,337
**Analysis of movement in funds - previous year**
**Balance at 1**
**April 2023**
**£**
**Restricted funds**
Department for Work and Pension
-
North Lincolnshire Council
-
Other grants
-
-
**Unrestricted funds**
Designated unrestricted funds
136,152
Unrestricted funds
452,016
588,168
**Total funds**
588,168|**Income**
**£**
73,874
89,864
163,738
-
1,732,935
1,732,935
1,896,673
**Income**
**£**
107,370
55,685
4,064
167,119
-
1,494,051
1,494,051
1,661,170|**Expenditure**
**£**
(76,472)
(89,864)
(166,336)
(197,604)
(1,424,770)
(1,622,374)
(1,788,710)
**Expenditure**
**£**
(165,020)
(59,347)
(4,064)
(228,431)
-
(1,335,570)
(1,335,570)
(1,564,001)|**Transfers**
**between**
**funds**
**£**
2,598
-
2,598
8,017
(10,615)
(2,598)
-
**Transfers**
**between**
**funds**
**£**
57,650
3,662
-
61,312
180,136
(241,448)
(61,312)
-|**Balance at**
**31 March**
**2025**
**£**
-
-
-
-
126,701
666,599
793,300
793,300
**Balance at**
**31 March**
**2024**
**£**
-
-
-
-
316,288
369,049
685,337
685,337|
|---|---|---|---|---|
Restricted funds relate to grants receivable used for charitable purposes, including projects around employment, training and life skills. The transfer from unrestricted to restricted funds represents the charity's contribution towards the costs of providing these projects.
During the year the charity received restricted funding of £54,932 from the RL Glasspool Charity Trust. The charitable outcomes of this grant were intended to promote grant recipients to have an improved financial position, to feel better able to manage their lives and to have a more settled home.
During March 2025, the charity received unrestricted donations from other Ongo group companies totalling £281,725. These were received at the end of March 2025, were therefore unspent at the year end and are included in closing unrestricted funds.
Prior to the year end the Trustees designated £126,701 of the unrestricted funds to be carried forward to be used for specific projects.
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## **Ongo Communities Limited Notes forming part of the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025**
## **16 Analysis of net assets between funds**
Fund balances at 31 March 2025 are represented by:
|Debtors
Cash at bank and in hand
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**£**
174,519
839,799
(221,018)
793,300|**Restricted**
**funds**
**£**
6,642
25,067
(31,709)
-|**Total funds**
**£**
181,161
864,866
(252,727)|
|---|---|---|---|
||||793,300|
Comparative information in respect of the preceding period is as follows:
|Debtors
Cash at bank and in hand
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**£**
26,879
747,665
(89,207)
685,337|**Restricted**
**funds**
**£**
2,118
2,489
(4,607)
-|**Total funds**
**£**
28,997
750,154
(93,814)|
|---|---|---|---|
||||685,337|
## **17 Related party disclosures**
The ultimate controlling party is Ongo Homes Limited. Ongo Homes Limited is a Community Benefit Society and its primary purpose is to provide social housing in North Lincolnshire. Its accounts are available to the public at www.ongo.co.uk
Other than transactions between the group and other group companies, the directors do not consider that the company has any related party
During the year the charity had the following inter-group transaction with companies controlled by Ongo Homes Limited, the ultimate parent company:
|**Entity**|**Purpose**|**2025**|**2024**|
|---|---|---|---|
|||**£**|**£**|
|Ongo Homes Limited|Income - charitable activities|1,107,988|1,073,112|
|Ongo Homes Limited|Income - trading activity|75,466|56,261|
|Ongo Homes Limited|Income - gift in kind - rent|84,664|94,629|
|Ongo Homes Limited|Expenditure - gift in kind - rent|(84,664)|(94,629)|
|Ongo Homes Limited|Expenditure - rent and utilities|(24,747)|(24,285)|
|Ongo Homes Limited|Expenditure - management fee|(187,660)|(181,314)|
|Ongo Recruitment Limited|Expenditure - staffing|(28,926)|(20,161)|
|Ongo Recruitment Limited|Income - donation|42,618|107,424|
|Ongo Developments Limited|Income - donation|156,725|-|
|Ongo Roofing Limited|Income - donation|10,000|10,000|
|Ongo Heating and Plumbing Limited|Income - donation|135,000|10,000|
## **18 Operating leases**
The company had minimum lease payables under non-cancellable operating leases as set out below:
||**Total**
**Vehicles**
**2025**
**£**
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
**Land and**
**buildings**|**Total**|
|---|---|---|
|||**2024**|
|||**£**
6,396|
|Not later than 1 year|||
|||6,396|
||||
## **19 Volunteers**
Our mental health support service, Ongo Talk, utilises the opportunity for volunteer counsellors, those who are in their final year at university studying counselling, who are required to deliver 100 to 200 hours of counselling as part of the qualification. We have engaged 54 volunteers in the year, delivering over 5,000 hours of voluntary work for the organisation
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