2025-04-30-accounts - Banburyshire Citizen Project

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Trustees' Annual Report for the period

Period start date Period end date Day Month Year Day Month Year From 01 05 2024 To 30 04 2025 Section A Reference and administration details Charity name Banburyshire Citizen Project Other names charity is known by BCP, Banburyshire Advice Centre Registered charity number (if any) 1170519 Charity's principal address 49c Castle Street, Banbury, Oxfordshire Postcode OX16 5NU ~~——~~ Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity Dates acted if not for whole Name of person (or body) entitled Trustee name Office (if any) year to appoint trustee (if any) 1 Andy Willis Chairman 2 Margaret Cullip 3 Surinder Dhesi 4 Nancy Horan 4 July 2025 joined 5 Karen Kenna 4 July 2025 joined 6 Paul Miller 15 Nov 2025 joined 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 ~~=~~ Names of the trustees for the charity, if any, (for example, any custodian trustees) Name Dates acted if not for whole year

Section A Reference and administration details

Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity

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Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)

Type of adviser Name Address

Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)

Section B Structure, governance and management

Description of the charity’s trusts

Constitution

Type of governing document (eg. trust deed, constitution) Unincorporated Charitable Association How the charity is constituted (eg. trust, association, company) Appointment and Election Trustee selection methods

(eg. trust, association, company)
(eg. appointed by, elected by)

Additional governance issues (Optional information)

Conflict of Interest Policy You may choose to include Safeguarding Policy additional information, where Health and Safety Policy relevant, about: IAG Policy Disciplinary Policy

policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees;
the charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works;
relationship with any related parties;
trustees’ consideration of major risks and the system and procedures to manage them.

Section C Objectives and activities

THE OBJECTS OF THE GROUP SHALL BE: 1) THE RELIEF OF POVERTY 2) THE RELIEF OF THOSE IN NEED BY REASON OF AGE, DISABILITY, FINANCIAL HARDSHIP OR OTHER DISADVANTAGE 3) THE PROMOTION OF GOOD HEALTH AND WELLBEING 4) THE Summary of the objects of the PROMOTION OF SOCIAL INCLUSION OF THOSE EXCLUDED FROM charity set out in its SOCIETY OR PART OF SOCIETY DUE TO THEIR SOCIAL AND/OR governing document ECONOMIC CIRCUMSTANCES 5) THE ADVANCEMENT OF EDUCATION 6) THE FURTHERANCE OF SUCH OTHER CHARITABLE PURPOSES (CHARITABLE UNDER ENGLISH LAW) AS THE TRUSTEES SEE FIT FROM TIME TO TIME

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Provide benefit advice, general advice and Education course information and Career advice to the general public. Help clients access benefits by assisting with form filling and on-line application. Help disabled people access Blue Badge scheme. Help people in financial hardship access Food bank vouchers and access other help from other support charities. Sign post clients to debt advice charities. Promote health and well-being by running educational courses from time to time.

Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public benefit in relation to these objects (include within this section the statutory declaration that trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit)

Additional details of objectives and activities (Optional information)

You may choose to include further statements, where relevant, about:

policy on grantmaking;
policy programme related investment;
contribution made by volunteers.

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Section D Achievements and performance

Summary of the main The charity has had a very busy year helping 1,541 people. The main achievements of the charity enquiries were Personal Independence Payments, Attendance Allowance during the year and Benefit checks as well as Blue Badges. The majority of clients we help are Oxfordshire residents namely Banbury. The charity has been affected by the local Citizen’s Advice changing its working model and now they refer benefit cases to ourselves. The yearly gain for clients was £300,106.86. We received funding from Paradigm Housing, SOHA and Sanctuary Housing. Banburyshire Advice Centre IAG Trends and Targets Period The charity is affected by the number of enquiries we receive and the type of IAG help needed, for instance resource available, trained volunteers in the area, training requirements and storage of resources, such as forms and leaflets. IAG Goals Our goals are to try and get benefits first time round with the benefit form filling. As an organisation most of the time we achieve this and normally it is lack of medical evidence that prevents the client to achieve the benefits. We measure as an organisation financial gains clients achieve and report this back in reports such as Charity Commission Reporting as this is important as funders look at this information before awarding grants. Helping clients financial, physical and mental wellbeing through benefits achieve our charitable aims. Charitable objects THE OBJECTS OF THE GROUP SHALL BE: 1) THE RELIEF OF POVERTY 2) THE RELIEF OF THOSE IN NEED BY REASON OF AGE, DISABILITY, FINANCIAL HARDSHIP OR OTHER DISADVANTAGE 3) THE PROMOTION OF GOOD HEALTH AND WELLBEING 4) THE PROMOTION OF SOCIAL INCLUSION OF THOSE EXCLUDED FROM SOCIETY OR PART OF SOCIETY DUE TO THEIR SOCIAL AND/OR ECONOMIC CIRCUMSTANCES 5) THE ADVANCEMENT OF EDUCATION 6) THE FURTHERANCE OF SUCH OTHER CHARITABLE PURPOSES (CHARITABLE UNDER ENGLISH LAW) AS THE TRUSTEES SEE FIT FROM TIME TO TIME We are a key service for Banbury cross Health Centre and Swan Practice as we provide extra support to their patients and provide and expertise they do not have or time to do. Attendance Allowance The number of clients of clients seen has increased significantly from last year. We had 150 cases this year and last year we had 114 cases. Our target is to see 100 enquiries, which we achieved. The increase may be due to changes locally with advice provision. Blue Badges We aim to see 45 Blue Badges each year and we meet this target. There was however a decrease, this year compared to last year in which there was 75 enquiries.

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Section D Achievements and performance

Care Homes

Care Home enquiries remain roughly constant.

Career Counselling

The Career counselling decreased slightly.

Charitable Grants

Remained about the same as last year with only a decrease of 2.

Legal

Cases remained in the 40s.

Mandatory Reconsideration

There was a drop in the number of Mandatory Reconsideration from 42 to 24. Our new target is to see 15 enquiries a year.

Money & Debt

The number of money and debt cases has decreased from 29 last year to 16.

Personal Independence Payment

This is one of the most common enquiries we help with. We had a slight decrease to 183 from 194 enquiries. We meet our target of 100 enquiries. The impact on the service is that we need to constantly update our volunteer’s knowledge and skills with benefit changes/

Universal Credit

The number of enquiries remained roughly the same and we meet our target of seeing 50 enquiries.

It is likely the number of enquiries may increase with benefit changes. It does mean the charity needs to spend resources and training in this area, especially has Universal credit cases are often complex in nature.

Achievements and performance Activities we will do to improve IAG as a result of evaluation Continuous Improvement of IAG activities

Attract more volunteers to meet demand  Continually train staff on
developments in benefits
0 Share good practice at staff meetings
0 Discuss issues and other members of staff to offer solutions
0 Follow up cases and signposting
0 Monitor developments in benefit world, CPAG, NAWRA, Benefits and Work, Media
QO Review feedback from clients

ENQUIRY

Rank

Option Count %

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Section D Achievements and performance

Aids and Adaptations	1	0.09%	37
Attendance Allowance	150	13.01%	2
Blue Badge	50	4.34%	6
Bus Pass	5	0.43%	27
Care Home	4	0.35%	29
Career counselling	11	0.95%	22
Carers Allowance	25	2.17%	12
Charitable Grants	4	0.35%	29
Consumer	1	0.09%	37
Council Tax Benefit	8	0.69%	24
Crisis payment	0	0.00%	42
Disability Living Allowance	21	1.82%	15
Disabled Companion bus pass	1	0.09%	37
Disabled Railcard	0	0.00%	42
Education course / educational	2	0.17%	33
Employment and Support Allowance	19	1.65%	17
Family/Personal	21	1.82%	15
Food Bank	18	1.56%	18
General enquiry	65	5.64%	5
Good Neighbour Scheme	0	0.00%	42
Grants	6	0.52%	25
Health and Wellbeing	13	1.13%	21
Housing Benefit	10	0.87%	23
Housing Issue	37	3.21%	9
Income Support	0	0.00%	42
Industrial Injuries benefit	4	0.35%	29
Jobseekers	1	0.09%	37
Legal	45	3.90%	8
Leisure	0	0.00%	42
Loneliness	0	0.00%	42
Mandatory Reconsideration / Tribunal	24	2.08%	13
Mental Health	2	0.17%	33
Money / Debt	16	1.39%	19
National Trust Disabled member
scheme	0	0.00%	42
Ombudsman	1	0.09%	37
Other	47	4.08%	7
Pension Credit	32	2.78%	10
Pension Credit (Housing element)	0	0.00%	42
Personal Independence Payment	183	15.87%	1
Power of Attorney	26	2.25%	11
Private Pensions	2	0.17%	33
State Pension	5	0.43%	27
Support Group	0	0.00%	42
Tradesman	0	0.00%	42
Transport	2	0.17%	33
Universal Credit	94	8.15%	4
Unspecified state benefit	3	0.26%	32
Utilities	6	0.52%	25
Wills	15	1.30%	20
Tax	23	1.99%	14
Advocacy	0	0.00%	42

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Section D Achievements and performance

Benefit check					13.01%
GENDER
Option	Count			%	Rank
Female	606			39.3%	2
Male	917			59.5%	1
Transgen der	0			0.0%	4
Not known	18			1.2%	3
ETHNICITY
Option			Count	%	Rank
Any mixed background			2	0.2%	11
Asian - Bangladeshi			0	0.0%	15
Asian - British			12	1.3%	6
Asian - Chinese			2	0.2%	11
Asian - Indian			2	0.2%	11
Asian - Other Asian bg			14	1.5%	4
Asian - Pakistani			13	1.4%	5
Black - African			9	1.0%	7
Black - British			6	0.6%	8
Black - Caribbean			0	0.0%	15
Black - Other black bg			5	0.5%	10
Not known			296	31.7%	2
Other ethnic background			6	0.6%	8
White - British			532	56.9%	1
White - Irish			1	0.1%	14
White - Other White bg			35	3.7%	3
DISABILITY
Option		Count	%	Rank
Aspergers		2	0.2%	16
Autism		11	1.2%	9
Brain injury		9	1.0%	10
Cancer		22	2.4%	7
Dementia		19	2.0%	8
Dyscalcula		1	0.1%	17
Dyslexia		5	0.5%	13
Dyspraxia		0	0.0%	19
Eyesight		6	0.6%	12

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Section D Achievements and performance

Hearing	9	1.0%	10
Learning Disabilities	4	0.4%	15
Mental health	86	9.2%	4
No disabilities	82	8.8%	5
Not applicable	272	29.1%	1
Parkinson's	5	0.5%	13
Phys. and Memory Problems	24	2.6%	6
Phys. and MH Disabilities	117	12.5%	3
physical disabilities	260	27.8%	2
Speech	1	0.1%	17
LOCALITY
Option		Count	%	Rank
Banbury resident		364	38.9%	1
Buckinghamshire (Most done remotely)		206	22.0%	2
Cherwell District		77	8.2%	3
City of Oxford		15	1.6%	11
Out of Area		10	1.1%	15
South Northants		25	2.7%	6
South Oxfordshire		6	0.6%	17
Warwickshire		13	1.4%	12
West Oxfordshire		24	2.6%	7
Vale of White Horse		1	0.1%	18
Bodicote		9	1.0%	16
Bicester		22	2.4%	9
Adderbury		11	1.2%	14
Not known		60	6.4%	4
Banbury (Grimsbury Ward)		34	3.6%	5
Banbury (Ruscote Ward)		22	2.4%	9
Banbury (Neithrope Ward)		23	2.5%	8
Banbury (Bretch Hill)		13	1.4%	12
Banbury (Hightown)		0	0.0%	19

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Section E Financial review

The charity tries to maintain 6 months reserves where possible. None of Brief statement of the our funding is regular or guaranteed which means long term financial charity’s policy on reserves planning is exceptionally difficult. Details of any funds materially None in deficit Further financial review details (Optional information) The charity continues to apply funding and donations from a wide range You may choose to include of Trusts, Charities, Foundations, local Councils and donations in additional information, where general. relevant about: • the charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising); • how expenditure has supported the key objectives of the charity; • investment policy and objectives including any ethical investment policy adopted. ~~~~ Section F Other optional information Section G Declaration ~~~~ The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above. Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees Signature(s) Full name(s) Andrew Willis TAR 9 March 2012

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Position (eg Secretary, Chair, Chair etc) Date 18/11/25

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CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Banburyshlre Cttlzen Project Receipts and payments accounts CC16a For the perlod from To 01-Ma -24 30-N)r-25 Section A Receipts and payments Unre3trlctod funds to th• noa14•t Ré8trictod fund8 Endowffnt funds Total fund• Last ymr tr the nwesl £ to the n•arest £ to the nre$l £ to th• n¢or•Bt£ A1 Recel Grants & Donations Gift Receipts Interest Course fee iome Sub total{Gross income for AR) 8.489 eAI.759 69,248 31,754 A2 Asset and Investment sales, lsee tablo). Sub total Totsl rnceipts 8,489 60.759 69,248 31,754 A3Pa ments Room Hire and entertalnin Wages and sdalaries Trainin9 Insuiance Rent and Rates utilrties Tdephone Printing, Posl¥e and Stationery Volunteer ExFenses Computer ccéts Repairs knertksing, Pub¢i¢ity arvj Sut60fSFtions $81 10.899 665 1,403 10.513 11,480 665 821 1,872 126 12.385 973 1,797 9,073 447 2,078 1.115 47 1.624 3,462 167 9,786 167 6.671 1,558 2875 13,560 1.645 3,203 3,780 49.631 1515 Operational l Administration Sub total 36.071 28.495 A4 Asset and Investment purchases. (see table Com uter E ui ment Rent de oslt Fixture5 & Fittings 1,340 Sub total 13,560 37,435 27,835 Net of recelpts/(payments) A5 Tran8fern between funds A6 Cash fund8 last year end Cash funds this year end 5,071 214 18.138 12,863 23,324 214 13,106 18.253 3,919 31,244 49,497 27,325 31,244 CCXX R1 accounts (SS) 1811112025

Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period Unrestricted funds to nèarest£ Restricted funds to naBrest £ Endowment funds to noarttt £ Cateoorle3. Detall$ B1 Cash funds Cash at Bank 12.853 Total cash funds 12,853 36.644 law8 talances ¥ith r•t*¢pts and F4ymonts •Lxounrfill Unrestrlcted fund8 to nearest £ Restrfcted funds to nearest £ Endowmant funds to neare¥t £ Dptdils Rent deposit Fund to which assèt bglon CuTr•nt valué tional 'Dall$ Cost loptli>nal) Fund to whlch Cost lopfjonall Current value on81 B4 Assets retained for the charity's own use~ Computer Equipment Restri¢t¢d Unrestrict Com uter E ui menl Purchased l Donated l)ffice Fum5tr4re and equipment Purchased l Donated offi Furnrture and equlwient UnrestriGl&J Restrided Fund to whkh liabill rdatès Anx)unt du• tional When due onal Ohtails B5 Liabilities az2 Signed by one or two trust8es on behalf of all the trust8&$ Date of roval Signature Print Name ILLIS Iklii CCXX R2 accounts {SS) 1811112025

CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examinerf8 Report Report to the trustaésl ', members of .. Banburyshire Citizen Project On accounts for the year j 30 April 2025 ended Charity no (if any) 1170519 Set out on pages11_2 I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity ("the Trust") for the year ended 30 April 2025. Responslbilities and As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation basis of report of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ("the Act"). I report in respect of my examination of Ihe Trust's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Aet and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Cornmission under section 145(5Xb) of the Act. I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect: accounting CordS were not kept in accordance Vdith section 130 of the Act or the account5 do not accord wth the a¢UntIng records Independent examinerfs statement I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Signed: Date: li Name: Chris Bleach Relevant professlonal l None qualification(s) or body (if any): Address: 11 Thorpe Road I Chacombe Banbury, Oxfordshire OX17 2JW IER October 2018

CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts ••• Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the trusteesl members of Banburyshire Citizen Project On accounts for the year ended 30 April 2023 Charity no (if any) 1170519 Set out on pages I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity ("the Trust") for the year ended 30 April 2023. Responslbllltles and As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation basis of report of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ("the Act"). I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act. I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect: accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or the accounts do not accord with the accounting records Independent examiner's ststement I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Signed: Date: Name: Chris Bleach Relevant professional qualification(s) or body (If any): None Address: 11 Thorpe Road Chacombe Banbury, Oxfordshire OX17 2JW IER October 2018