Basic Income Research Group Charity number: 1171533
Annual report and accounts for the year ending 31 December 2024
30 October 2025
https://www.birg.co.uk/ info@birg.co.uk
Basic Income Research Group: Annual report and accounts 2024
Charity information
Basic Income Research Group (formally the Citizen’s Basic Income Trust until 21 February 2025) was constituted as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation whose only voting members are its charity trustees (with a ‘foundation’ model constitution) on 1 February 2017 and registered as a charity (no. 1171533) on 8 February 2017. Its registered address is 54 Sherwood Way, Feering, Colchester, CO5 9LJ.
Apart from the first charity trustees, every trustee is appointed for a term of three years by a resolution passed at a properly convened meeting of the charity trustees.
During 2024, officers were:
Chair from 26 July 2024: Matthew Johnson Secretary from 26 July 2024: Elliott Johnson Treasurer from 10 October 2024: Howard Reed Chair and Secretary until 26 July 2024 and Treasurer until 10 October 2024: Simon Duffy
Trustees were:
Simon Duffy Jacob Eliot (until 5 June 2024) Anne Gray (until 29 September 2024) Julia Hines (from 10 October 2024) Elliott Johnson (from 5 June 2024) Matthew Johnson (from 5 June 2024) Neal Lawson (until 6 March 2024) Daniel Mermelstein (from 5 June 2024) Anne Miller Gareth Morgan (until 27 September 2024) Remco Peters (from 5 June 2024) Joanna Poulton (from 10 October 2024) Howard Reed (from 26 July 2024) Roweena Russell (from 10 October 2024) Stuart White (until 26 July 2024)
Charity object
The object of the charity, as set out in its constitution, is ‘to advance public education about the economic and social advantages and feasibilities of a Citizen’s Basic Income: that is, a periodic, uniform (except by age), unconditional cash payment delivered to all on an individual basis, without means test or work requirement’.
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Basic Income Research Group: Annual report and accounts 2024
Activities
The trustees held four full trustees’ meetings remotely during the year on 6 March, 5 June, 26 July and 10 October.
The year saw a number of changes to officer and trustee composition as part of a transition plan agreed in 2023. We would like to thank all Trustees who stood down during 2024 for their contributions over the years and for initiating a transition plan that will enable the charity to build on that work. We would also like to thank Simon Duffy, in particular, for stewarding the charity through this transition period as Chair, Secretary and Treasurer.
Following these changes, the strategy agreed by trustees emphasised a return to the charity’s roots in its 40[th] year, including by reverting from the Citizen’s Basic Income Trust (CBIT) to the original Basic Income Research Group (BIRG) name (formally completed early in 2025) and refocusing on facilitating world-leading Basic Income research undertaken within England and Wales, particularly with regard to health, Basic Income Plus to account for diverse and additional needs, rural economies, the Net Zero transition, and pilots and trials. Outputs were planned for 2025 and 2026.
Administratively, the new officer group overhauled a number of processes, including initiating a move of the charity’s bank account from CAF to the Co-operative Bank, completed in early 2025. Daniel Mermelstein led a process of moving to a new website (https://birg.co.uk) to reflect the new name which was initiated in 2024 and completed in 2025.
Public benefit statement
During 2024, the activities above were in accordance with the objects of the charity, that is. Outputs are freely available at https://birg.co.uk.
Financial report
The finances of Basic Income Research Group (then known as the Citizen’s Basic Income Trust) were stable in 2024 and regular donations enabled it to meet its obligations while increasing overall reserves. Reserves were sufficient to ensure that future obligations could be met for an extended period sufficient to replace any fall in income. As part of the 2024 strategy, given limited regular expenses and as larger donations are anticipated, trustees agreed that the majority of reserves should be drawn down in 2025 and used to facilitate research activity in support of the charity’s object. The trustees are very grateful to those individuals and organisations who gave and continue to give time, effort and financial support to its work. The trustees would like to give particular thanks to AltraLaw for their very generous financial support during 2024 and beyond.
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Basic Income Research Group: Annual report and accounts 2024
Accounts for the period 1 January to 31 December 2024
| 2024 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted funds | ||
| Receipts | ||
| £1,650.46 | £2035.47 | |
| CAF Bank | ||
| £5,820.00 | - | |
| Co-operative Bank | ||
| £60.00 | £60.00 | |
| PayPal | ||
| £7,530.46 | £2,095.47 | |
| Total receipts | ||
| Expenditure | ||
| £60.00 | £60.00 | |
| CAF Bank charges | ||
| £5.40 | £5.40 | |
| PayPal fees | ||
| £0.00 | - | |
| Co-operative bank charges | ||
| £65.40 | £65.40 | |
| Total expenditure | ||
| £7,465.06 | £2,030.07 | |
| Net of receipts/payments | ||
| £22,590.95 | £15,125.89 | |
| TOTAL (cash funds at year end) | ||
This annual report for the year ending 31 December 2024 was prepared by Elliott Johnson, Secretary, and was approved by Matthew Johnson, Chair, and Howard Reed, Treasurer, on behalf of the Basic Income Research Group trustees.
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