2023-03-31-accounts

NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH NETWORK

(Charity No. 1173349)

Report and Financial Statements For the year ended 31 March 2023

As the national umbrella organisation of the largest voluntary movement for crime prevention in England and Wales, we support people to prevent and reduce crime by coming together with their neighbours to create safer, stronger and active communities.

Neighbourhood Watch Network Trustees’ Report

Contents

About Neighbourhood Watch Network ................................................................................................ 3 Our vision .......................................................................................................................................... 3 Our mission ....................................................................................................................................... 3 Our values ......................................................................................................................................... 3 Introduction from the Chair and the CEO ............................................................................................. 4 Trustees report ..................................................................................................................................... 5 Delivering Our Charitable Purpose .................................................................................................... 5 Public Benefit & Contribution Made by Volunteers .......................................................................... 5 Main Activities .................................................................................................................................. 6 Achievement and Performance ........................................................................................................ 7 Future Plans .................................................................................................................................... 11 Financial review .............................................................................................................................. 12 Structure, governance and management ....................................................................................... 14 Reference and administrative details ................................................................................................. 16 Trustees responsibilities ..................................................................................................................... 17 Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of Neighbourhood Watch Network ........................ 18 Financial Statements ........................................................................................................................... 19 Notes to the financial statements ....................................................................................................... 22

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Neighbourhood Watch Network Trustees’ Report

About Neighbourhood Watch Network

Neighbourhood Watch Network is the strategic voice and national umbrella organisation for England and Wales. We support the grassroots Neighbourhood Watch movement which involves over 2.3 million volunteers in preventing crime and strengthening communities. This work is delivered by our local Associations who are the members of Neighbourhood Watch Network.

Our vision

Our vision is a society where neighbours come together to create safer, stronger and active communities.

Our mission

Our mission is to support and enable individuals and communities to be connected, active and safe, which increases wellbeing and minimises crime.

Our values

Neighbourly, community-focused, inclusive, proactive, trusted, collaborative.

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Neighbourhood Watch Network Trustees’ Report

Introduction from the Chair and the CEO

Our 40[th] anniversary year in 2022 was, as we had hoped, a wonderful opportunity to honour the efforts and achievements of the thousands of volunteers across England and Wales who have worked tirelessly to make their neighbourhoods better places to live. Some of the highlights of campaigns and events held throughout the year are reported more fully in other parts of this report. We also wanted the anniversary to be more than a celebration of the past and to show how we are building on that legacy to create a vibrant and inclusive movement that is relevant to communities today and in the future.

The work we report on here certainly lived up to that ambition. One of its most visible aspects is the contemporary and colourful logo that we created for the anniversary celebrations and which has been embraced by many of our local associations to sit alongside the established image that has been used on street signs and window stickers for many years as the most visible aspect of our work on domestic crime prevention. The challenge of how to maintain and support the established work of Neighbourhood Watch schemes while also opening our movement to new initiatives and ways of working runs through so much of our work. We can only navigate this challenge by working closely with our local Associations and listening to their feedback and we are grateful for their interest and engagement in helping Neighbourhood Watch evolve.

The importance of neighbourliness in strengthening local communities, tackling loneliness and isolation and improving wellbeing was at the very forefront of the celebrations of the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in June 2022. We were delighted to continue our partnership with the annual Big Lunch programme to support the street parties and other events that marked that momentous occasion. The past year has also been dominated by significant economic and social tensions, particularly the cost of living crisis and the constraints on public spending, which have increased demand pressures on all our public services. It’s clear that different approaches are needed and we welcome the growing interest in reviving the spirit of local activism that can help tackle some of the causes of these tensions, and help prevent them from becoming more serious. We can see the value of this approach in our work on anti-social behaviour (ASB) and street harassment - our partnership with the Suzy Lamplugh Trust on bystander training, and our “Are You OK?” campaign that showed how to respond in the event of witnessing aggression aimed at women, racial minorities or LGBTQ+ people. During 2022/23 we also launched a Community Safety Charter which has been enthusiastically received by the Police, local authorities and many different public and commercial organisations as well as by individuals and local communities.

Voluntary organisations and movements like ours cannot replace public services, but this report shows how we can – and do – add value by allowing services to focus on their priorities and most serious problems. As a locally-based, volunteer-led movement we are a conduit for the efforts of over 90,000 people who give their time freely. As a small, national charity supporting that movement, we deliver an impressive range of work through a small, professional team. We very much hope that the potential these aspects of Neighbourhood Watch offer for national and local government to achieve impact and value-for-money will be better recognised in the future.

John Hayward-Cripps CEO

Ian Bretman Chair

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Neighbourhood Watch Network Trustees’ Report

Trustees report

The Trustees of Neighbourhood Watch Network (NWN) present their report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023.

The financial statements comply with current statutory requirements, the charity’s trust deed and the Statement of Recommended Practice - Accounting and Reporting by Charities: SORP applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with FRS 102.

Delivering Our Charitable Purpose

The Objects of NWN, as set out in the Constitution dated 10 April 2017 are to:

• Promote for the benefit of the public good citizenship, community safety and greater public participation in the prevention and detection of crime, and;

• Promote public support for the work of the police service and other partners in the protection of people and property from, and the prevention of, crime.

To achieve these objects, we provide free online resources for everyone to help them reduce their chances of becoming a victim of crime. We also signpost them to local Neighbourhood Watch groups which aim to strengthen community cohesion and wellbeing and create better connected and more resilient communities.

At a national level, we work closely with government departments, the National Police Chiefs Council Police and Crime Commissioners and voluntary sector partners to extend the reach of our work as far as possible and involve policy and research institutions in assessing our impact and help us plan for future improvements.

Local Neighbourhood Watch groups make a real, long-lasting difference to communities: as well as helping to reduce crime they increase neighbourliness and community wellbeing and strengthen the voice of the community with councils, the police and other public services. We support and enable local schemes to operate by providing resources, training and networking support to volunteers and members.

Public Benefit & Contribution Made by Volunteers

The public benefit from the activities carried out by the Charity by:

• Having access to information and advice on crime prevention and personal security;

• Being part of better connected and more resilient communities – the Charity facilitates the work of Neighbourhood Watch volunteers to maintain and develop community-based Neighbourhood Watch schemes which in turn contribute to better connected and more resilient communities, where crime and anti-social behaviour can be reduced and also the incidence and impact of loneliness and isolation.

The Trustees confirm that they have had due regard to the guidance on public benefit published by the Charity Commission in exercising their powers or duties.

Neighbourhood Watch volunteers (estimated to number at least 2.3 million individuals) work through their local schemes, many of which are charities in their own right. So, while this is not a direct contribution to NWN, it is important to recognise the significant social value created within communities by preventing crime, reducing the fear of crime, alleviating loneliness and isolation, and providing practical assistance between neighbours.

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Neighbourhood Watch Network Trustees’ Report

Main Activities

We review the aims, objectives and activities of the charity each year to ensure they remain focused on the charity’s stated purposes. In this report, we describe what the charity has achieved and how it has performed in the reporting period and how each key activity has benefitted the people that the charity was set up to help.

Objectives set out in our 2020-2025 strategic plan are to be:

• the authoritative voice on community-based crime prevention , so that everyone will be able to access advice and support they need

• a recognised contributor to community health and wellbeing , so that community cohesion is increased, and loneliness and isolation are reduced

• the most popular gateway for citizens to engage in their locality , so that neighbours have a place to go to connect with each other and their communities.

Activities to achieve these objectives, that we carry out as the umbrella body and the national voice for the Neighbourhood Watch movement in England and Wales, include:

• Providing advice and resources : we host the Ourwatch website for everyone to access crime prevention and community wellbeing advice and resources.

• Campaigning : we raise awareness of crime prevention actions that everyone can use, by launching national crime prevention campaigns across social media channels.

• Promoting the Neighbourhood Watch movement : We work with other charities, government bodies, sponsors the press to show Neighbourhood Watch as a modern, relevant movement for safer, connected communities for all.

• Facilitating work of local Neighbourhood Watch groups : we provide training, resources and networking opportunities for local groups, schemes and association across England and Wales.

• Protecting the intellectual property of the NW movement : we hold trademarks of the Neighbourhood Watch logo and name, to protect the reputation of the Neighbourhood Watch movement and to maximise income opportunities.

• Assessing and reflecting : we regularly survey Neighbourhood Watch members and also members of the public and commission research, to evaluate the impact of our work and assess ways to improve.

• Increasing our reach : we constantly look for new avenues to reach younger and more diverse audiences.

• Growing the resources of our charity : we continuously look for new sources of income and actively manage our relationships with existing sponsors, grant-givers, and other funders to ensure our income is sufficient for us to achieve all the work we set out to do.

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Neighbourhood Watch Network Trustees’ Report

Achievement and Performance

Some of our achievements in furthering Neighbourhood Watch Network’s charitable purposes 20222023 are described below.

Providing advice and resources

Website : We continued to develop our website to provide new and relevant crime prevention and community cohesion content to the over 1.3 million users each year. One focus was hate crime content including a definition of hate crime, impact, reporting, support for victims, disability, homophobic, transphobic, and religious hate crime.

Newsletter : We regularly share our newsletters to over 800,000 people with information on preventing crimes including cybercrime, theft, burglary, ASB, car crime, and scams

Other media : We shared information and advice through monthly Family Life magazines both online and printed through people’s doors in areas within the West Midlands, Shropshire, East Midlands and the North West.

Partners : We co-developed guides for Airbnb hosts and guests on crime prevention and being a good neighbour and gave expert advice to 197 hosts who attended a community safety webinar.

Media coverage: We provided crime prevention advice on 27 national and local TV and radio interviews this year including lengthy appearances on Crimewatch and BBC Morning Live. We also featured in 5 national newspaper articles and no less than 45 local articles.

Neighbourhood Watch Shop: After multiple requests from Associations and members for a central point to purchase Neighbourhood Watch branded merchandise, we successfully set up an on-line shop. Local coordinators, Associations, councils and police forces have purchased street signs, overlays stickers, window stickers, mugs, notebooks etc. The response has been extremely positive with local groups being able to purchase small quantities of products at bulk order prices. It has also enabled printed materials to be distributed locally for campaigns.

Campaigning

Crime prevention campaigns : We produced national targeted campaigns focused on password protection (June 2022), Street Harassment (September 2022), and Burglary (January 2023) with each campaign reaching over 1.2 million people via direct email or social media. The average time spent on the landing page of our ‘Protect your Password’ campaign was over 60 seconds, proving that our approach in messaging of providing simple, clear messages and calls to action, even in complex subjects, resonates with the public.

Partners’ campaigns : We shared partner campaigns such as the Crimestoppers Courier Fraud campaign, the Governments ‘Enough’ campaign addressing Violence Against Women and Girls, and the National Hate Crime Awareness Week campaign.

Our campaigns in use : Our ‘Are You OK’ campaign message was stencilled onto pavements by Hackney Council, in areas of high street harassment. They also translated it into Arabic. Two other London boroughs are also interested in adopting this activity and the campaign.

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Neighbourhood Watch Network Trustees’ Report

Achievements and performance (continued)

Promoting the Neighbourhood Watch movement

40[th] Anniversary

As this year was the 40th Anniversary of Neighbourhood Watch, the focus of Neighbourhood Watch Week was a broad campaign featuring ‘40 Ways to Improve Your Neighbourhood’ containing simple individual acts and larger community activities. Feedback from coordinators and volunteers was very positive as it supported local direct action. As previously, over 3 million people took part in Neighbourhood Watch Week and our collaboration with ‘The Big Lunch’ as part of the Week of Community provided further amplification of the week.

Crime and Community conference

In May 2022, we ran our first Neighbourhood Watch Crime Conference for volunteers, partners and other organisations to develop better relationships and joined up working with organisations at the local and national level. The event included presentations by experts in the field of disability hate crime, police/public engagement, bystander intervention and community organising. These themes were supported by workshops from the Jo Cox Foundation, the Country Landowners Association and Neighbourhood Watch volunteers. 91% of attendees rated the conference good or excellent and said the content extremely/very relevant for their role.

Broadcast Day

We held our first Broadcast Day as part of Neighbourhood Week with local volunteers supported to be spokespeople in all regions of England and Wales. Over 40 interviews on local and national radio took place highlighting the work of Neighbourhood Watch locally and nationally.

Impact Report

Our third Impact Report celebrating our 40[th] Anniversary focused on our impact on antisocial behaviour, drug dealing, burglary and other community crime with over 12,000 visits to the website page and 4,700 downloads of the report.

Facilitating the work of local Neighbourhood groups

Volunteer Training Hub

This has expanded to include over 1,750 volunteers actively using the site to access training, support and access to forums to discuss and share ideas with other volunteers across the network.

Volunteer workshops

We delivered on-line winter and summer development workshops, with over 1,000 volunteers attending over the year. Over 75% of volunteers reported that they are happy or very happy with the support they receive. While this is positive we aim to improve on this over the course of our 5- Year Strategy.

Supporting Association Leads

Quarterly meetings, with Board members and staff, continued to be well attended. Over the next year we will involve local Association Leads, coordinators and Board Members in a series of ‘Task and Finish’ groups, focusing on Perception Change, Donor Development, Recruitment, Youth Offer, and Volunteer Development & Support.

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Neighbourhood Watch Network Trustees’ Report

Achievements and performance (continued)

Facilitating the work of local Neighbourhood groups (continued)

Grant giving to local communities

We have continued to prioritise our Community Grant Scheme and enhance scope and funding to this programme. We distributed nearly £10,000 this year to local groups and schemes with very positive feedback. We are now starting to receive feedback on the impact of these grants which we will publish as part of our Newsletter and Impact Report.

Work by local Neighbourhood Watch groups

Some examples of the work carried out in the year at ground level are described below:

• In UPPER GRAIGWEN, PONTYPRIDD, Street Watch patrols were set up, and CCTV installed around the estate to address ASB, which had become a major problem at night. Crime reduced from about 65 crimes a year in 1999 to just three and there is a new community feel to the area.

• Four NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH GROUPS IN PETERBOROUGH united to provide regular reports about drug dealing in the area, enabling the police to apply to a magistrate to close two addresses under the Misuse of Drugs Act.

• CHOSEN WAY, BURLEIGH CROFT NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH in Gloucester supported residents to install video doorbells. They also erected dog patrol and CCTV signs as a visual deterrent. These measures led to no more car damage, and far fewer reports of ASB and drug dealing. People now feel safer, have more pride in their area, and are more trusting and neighbourly.

• FARMFIELD ROAD NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH in Kent, recorded dates and times of drug dealing in a vulnerable person’s house that they believed had been cuckooed. The police used this information to build intelligence profiles, deploy undercover officers, stop the activity and arrest the offenders. As a result, residents are now working directly with the police to improve women’s safety in the area.

• SEATON VALE NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH, Northumberland, collated the date, time, and location of shed and car break-ins. They shared CCTV footage to identify the culprits, leading to an arrest and almost no further crimes.

• Following an increase in car crime, SURREY HEATH NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH organised leaflet drops, individual and group meetings. This resulted in 12 new Neighbourhood Watch groups being set up, with around 150 members.

• OXFORD NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH led an evidence-based bike theft awareness project with Oxford University to help cyclists in socially deprived areas. They distributed 35,000 safety leaflets to cyclists and ran an event to provide free bike marking and demonstrate bike locks and safe locking techniques.

• CUMBRIA NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH ASSOCIATION developed an initiative with the Cumbria Federation of Young Farmers’ Club to create a unique training package to identify practical actions to prevent rural crime. The aim is for the training to become a module for young farmers across the UK.

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Neighbourhood Watch Network Trustees’ Report

Achievements and performance (continued)

Assessing and reflecting

Crime and Community survey: Our third Neighbourhood Watch Crime and Community Survey launched in November 2022 and received over 25,000 responses from supporters and members of the public. Results included:

• 60% thought that we are effective at preventing crime;

• 68% thought that we provide reliable community-based crime prevention advice and support;

• 57% thought that Neighbourhood Watch provides the first step for neighbours to connect with each other and get involved with other local community groups;

• 66% thought that Neighbourhood Watch contributes to community health and wellbeing; and

• 58% thought that Neighbourhood Watch effectively supports vulnerable members of the community.

While these results are extremely positive our 5-Year strategy is aimed at improving this perception further.

Increasing our reach

Social : Our reach on social media continued to grow with over 41,000 followers and our specific campaigns reached over one million people through direct email and Facebook advertising.

Youth Offer Development: We know how important it is to include young people in all stages of decision-making, to support their involvement in crime prevention and community building. In 2022 we recruited a Young Peoples Engagement and Development Manager to improve how we engage with young people and to develop a youth offer. We surveyed over 2,500 young people to better understand their views on crime and community. We delivered focus groups and community projects with over 340 young people in partnership with Bournemouth University, National Citizenship Service, Hereford College, Merton Young Inspectors and Free2Be. We also produced our fourth ‘Lookout’ magazine for students and worked in partnership with the Ben Kinsella Trust to deliver a set of knife Crime webinars to support parents and carers concerned about knife crime. Over the next year we will be applying for grant funding to trial new approaches for Neighbourhood Watch to engage with young people.

Community Safety Charter: This was designed to engage with a much broader range of individuals and organisations in crime prevention activity, focused on crime in public spaces. It was softlaunched to Neighbourhood Watch members at our Crime and Community Conference in May 2022 and more widely across England and Wales in July 2022. Since its launch, over 1,800 organisations and individuals have signed up to actively reduce street crime and support victims. Training modules in street harassment, hate crime, and ASB have been produced and distributed to all Community Safety Charter signatories, with Bystander intervention currently under development.

The Neighbourhood Watch Affiliate Membership model: The model was also launched at our Crime and Community conference. This model of engagement gives those signing up to the Community Safety Charter as well as other statutory and voluntary organisations a means to extend their engagement with Neighbourhood Watch whilst retaining their identity as a separate group or organisation.

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Neighbourhood Watch Network Trustees’ Report

Achievements and performance (continued)

Increasing our reach

Social : Our reach on social media continued to grow with over 41,000 followers and our specific campaigns reached over one million people through direct email and Facebook advertising.

More diverse Board: After running a Skills and Effectiveness Audit with the Board we embarked on a recruitment drive for new skilled Trustees. We were delighted to recruit Hugh Ind, Tayo Oguntonade and Andrew Whyte to the Board and formally vote them in at the 2022 Annual General Meeting. They bring a wealth of experience on policing, central government, housing, young people, communications and marketing

Growing the resources of our charity

Lottery : We launched a lottery, as part of One Lottery – an umbrella lottery platform – in July 2022. This has been popular with our supporters and raised £33,760 in 2022/23.

Future Plans

Our current 5-year strategy runs from 2020 to 2025. In 2023-2024 we aim to continue building on the strong foundations of the first 3 years. The workstreams include:

• Agree a new framework with the National Police Chiefs Council for liaison and communication between Neighbourhood Watch and local Police Forces.

• Gain funding to co-develop and trial new approaches to working with young people increasing engagement in their communities and developing new skills.

• Run a large scale recruitment drive across England and Wales supported by local Associations and schemes.

• Increase the capacity of the Central Support Team and involvement of local Associations by running several ‘Task and Finish Groups’.

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Neighbourhood Watch Network Trustees’ Report

Financial review

Financial position

The detailed figures for the year ended 31 March 2023 are set out in the financial statements that follow the Trustees’ Report.

There was a net deficit in the year of £17,953 (2021/22: £36,720). The deficit was planned as additional income had been received in previous years that was set aside by the Trustees, as designated funds, for projects in future years. This left total funds of £165,409 (2021/22: £183,362) at the end of the year.

Reserves

Total funds may include those that are –

• Restricted by the donor or funder for specific activities or programmes and that cannot be used for the general purposes of the charity,

and/or those that are

• Received in one financial year as part of a grant for work to be carried out wholly or partly in future financial years.

The existence and level of reserves does not mean that there has been an underspend in the past. Reserves can be built up for various reasons, including timing differences between our financial year and our funders’.

The funds that form our unrestricted funds reserve, should be enough to keep a positive cashflow for day-to-day operations, and keep enough for emergencies. This could be including cutting back our operations in the event of a downturn in funding, or for a winding-up of the charity if there was a large drop in funding. Unrestricted funds can also be designated for investment in future development as part of our long-term strategy.

The full Board reviews the reserves policy annually and has agreed an unrestricted reserve fund target of between three and six months of budgeted general fund operating costs. The table below shows how reserves are calculated:

	31 March 2023	31 March 2022
Total net assets	165,409	183,362
Less
carrying value of fixed assets	(4,326)	(9,732)
restricted funds	(10,784)	(9,778)
Certain designated funds	-	(2,783)
Total deductions	(15,010)	(22,293)
Total reserves	150,299	161,069
Budgeted general funds expenditure	481,637	432,628
Number of months of expenditure	3.8	4.5

The Board has instructed the Finance and Audit Committee to monitor reserves on a quarterly basis and to recommend any changes to the policy to the Board.

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Neighbourhood Watch Network Trustees’ Report

Financial review (continued)

Going concern

After reviewing our forecasts, projections and its reserves, the trustees have a reasonable expectation that we have adequate resources to continue in operation for the foreseeable future. We therefore continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing its financial statements.

Sources of funds

The Home Office grant to us provides funding for core activity and enables us to secure additional funding from commercial sponsors including ERA (home security products), Co-operative Insurance (insurance) Avast/Norton (internet security software), AirBnB (holiday accommodation), Deliveroo (home delivery). We are indebted to our sponsors who support us and work closely with them to amplify our message through their networks.

We continue to seek additional funding to grow the charity and introduced a lottery this year which has helped diversify our income. The Head of Fundraising and the CEO are focused on further increasing funds via grants, sponsorship and various forms of individual giving.

Fundraising Practices

Neighbourhood Watch Network is registered with the Fundraising Regulator and is fully compliant with the Code of Fundraising Practice. Our Head of Fundraising is an Individual Member of the Institute of Fundraising. In the year 2022/23 we did not carry out any direct marketing or face-toface fundraising and received no complaints related to our fundraising practices. We are committed to always protecting vulnerable people and will ensure adherence to the Code of Fundraising practice and clear guidelines should we undertake different types of fundraising in the future. All marketing materials contain clear instructions on how a person can be removed from mailing lists.

Risk Management

We review the main risks facing the charity on a regular basis. The current risk register highlights the reliance on a narrow range of funders mentioned above and the related need to better demonstrate the impact of Neighbourhood Watch activities, particularly in respect of crime prevention. NWN also recognises the need to extend its reach and develop a stronger offer that is relevant to all parts of society and that builds engagement among younger people, those from ethnic minority backgrounds and those most at risk from crime. All of these issues are addressed in NWN’s 2020-2025 strategy and being implemented in our future plans. The charity has also insured against risks where practical to do so.

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Neighbourhood Watch Network Trustees’ Report

Structure, governance and management

Legal structure

Neighbourhood Watch Network was registered as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) on 9th June 2017. It replaced Neighbourhood & Home Watch Network, a registered charity and company which was then dissolved. The voting membership of the CIO is explained below; trustees are also voting members.

Governance

Our governing document is its Constitution, dated 10 April 2017 which is available on our website www.ourwatch.org.uk. The overall governance, finance and operations of NWN are controlled by the Trustees, within the regulatory framework set by the Charity Commission.

The Constitution, resolutions and complementary procedures set by the Board, are the rules that we operate by, and by which decisions are made. The Trustees are ultimately responsible for NWN.

Members

NWN’s membership structure aligns with the 43 Police Force areas across England and Wales and each of these can form a “Force Level Association” and become voting members of NWN by signing a Memorandum of Understanding covering joint working arrangements and providing a common framework of ethics and standards. There are currently 30 of these Force Level Associations. The exception to the national structure is the Metropolitan Police Force Area which is organized around the 32 London Boroughs and which collectively account for 4 votes within the membership.

Individual membership of local Neighbourhood Watch Associations does not confer membership of the CIO.

Trustees

The governing document states that there must be between 4 and 12 trustees in post at any time. Trustees who serve at the date of this report, and those who served during the year under review are set out on page 16.

The trustees delegate much of the day-to-day management of NWN to the CEO, but remain ultimately responsible. Their responsibilities are active, not passive, and include:

• regular evaluation of the strategic direction of NWN and its management policies

• evaluation of outcomes and the effectiveness with which the CEO and management implement them

• monitoring legal compliance

• management of risks related to NWN’s activities

The trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on our website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

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Neighbourhood Watch Network Trustees’ Report

Structure, governance, management (continued)

The trustees are members of the Charity but this entitles them only to voting rights. The trustees have no beneficial interest in the Charity.

All trustees give their time voluntarily and receive no benefits from the Charity. Any expenses reclaimed are set out in note 5 to the financial statements.

The Board’s operations

The Board of Trustees meets at least four times a year to conduct its business and oversee progress against strategic and operational plans. Trustees are also involved in various working groups that support strategic workstreams. The Board is supported by a Finance and Audit Committee, which oversees the Charity’s finances (including reserves), income generation and risk management, and reports regularly to the Board on these matters.

Appointment and retirement of trustees

The Trustees are elected by the Members at NWN’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) and others may be co-opted by the Board between Annual General Meetings, provided that the total number of trustees does not exceed twelve. Members are entitled to nominate candidates for election as trustees at the AGM and other trustees are recruited through advertising and evidence-based recruitment processes against the trustees’ role description.

Board recruitment and induction

The Board is responsible for ensuring that it is made up of trustees who are collectively able to fulfil the governance function of the Board and therefore needs to have a mix of skills, both those which relate to the objectives of NWN and more generic skills and experience such as legal and financial.

The Board regularly undertakes a self-assessed skills audit against the set of skills it has identified as being essential for the governance of the Charity; this enables the Board to identify skills gaps, which informs the recruitment process and training needs. Trustees are able to access learning and development opportunities relevant to their trustee position.

Management

The Trustees delegate day-to-day running of the charity to the CEO who reports directly to the Board. The CEO leads a staff team of 8 salaried staff (7.8 full-time equivalents) at the time of signing the report. The Chair and Treasurer hold a meeting with the CEO each month. The Board receives regular reports on operational performance and provides oversight and scrutiny of results, using a set of key performance indicators.

Remuneration

The remuneration of the CEO is set by the Board and the remuneration of other staff is set by the CEO. In all cases, this is informed by formal and informal benchmarking information from comparable organisations in the voluntary sector, the responsibilities of each individual role and the requirements of the person specification.

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Neighbourhood Watch Network Trustees’ Report

Reference and administrative details

Charity name: Neighbourhood Watch Network Charity number: 1173349 Country of registration: England & Wales Principal office: Room WG07, Vox Studios, 1-45 Durham Street, London SE11 5JH

Trustees who served during the year and up to the date of this report were: Ian Bretman Chair Kardaya Singh Rooprai Treasurer Rebecca Bryant OBE Mohamed Hammeda Sue Pillar Hugh Ind appointed 17 August 2022 Andrew Whyte appointed 22 August 2022 Tayo Oguntonade appointed 22 August 222 and resigned 8 July 2023 Key management personnel: John Hayward-Cripps, Chief Executive Officer Bankers: HSBC, 41 Market Place, Loughborough, LE11 3EJ Independent Examiner: Joanna Pittman, Sayer Vincent LLP, Invicta House, 108-114 Golden Lane, London, EC1Y 0TL

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Neighbourhood Watch Network Trustees’ Report

Trustees responsibilities

The Trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees' Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

The law applicable to charities in England & Wales requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources of the charity for that year. In preparing these financial statements, the Trustees are required to:

• select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;

• observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP 2015 (FRS 102);

• make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;

• state whether applicable 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 operation.

The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that 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 Charities Act 2011, the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 and the provisions of the governing document. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

The Trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of NWN and financial information included on our website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Ian Bretman

Chair

Date: 15 November 2023

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Neighbourhood Watch Network Financial Statements

Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of Neighbourhood Watch Network

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Neighbourhood Watch Network for the year ended 31 March 2023.

This report is made solely to the trustees as a body, in accordance with the Charities Act 2011. My examination has been undertaken so that I might state to the trustees those matters I am required to state to them in an independent examiner's report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, I do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charity and the trustees as a body, for my examination, for this report, or for the opinions I have formed.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity trustees of the CIO you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).

I report in respect of my examination of the CIO’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.

Independent examiner’s statement

Since the CIO’s gross income exceeded £250,000 your examiner must be a member of a body listed in section 145 of the 2011 Act. I confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, which is one of the listed bodies.

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:

• 1 Accounting records were not kept in respect of the CIO as required by section 130 of the Act; or

• 2 The accounts do not accord with those records; or

• 3 The accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair view’ which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Signed:

Name: Joanna Pittman FCA

The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales

Address: Sayer Vincent LLP, Invicta House, 108-114 Golden Lane, London, EC1Y 0TL Date: 31 January 2024

18

Neighbourhood Watch Network Financial Statements

Financial Statements

Statement of financial activities for the year ended 31 March 2023

				31 March 23	31 March 22
	Notes	Unrestricted	Restricted	Total	Total
		funds	funds
		£	£	£	£
Income from:
Donations		5,154	8,000	13,154	26,982
Charitable activities	2	281,306	25,000	306,306	320,341
Other trading activities	3	231,449	-	231,449	179,722
Investments	-	283	-	283	16
Total income		518,192	33,000	551,192	527,061
Expenditure on:
Charitable activities	4	455,195	31,994	487,189	519,178
Raising funds	4	81,956	-	81,956	44,603
Total expenditure		537,151	31,994	569,145	563,781
Net (expenditure)/income		(18,959)	1,006	(17,953)	(36,720)
Transfers between funds		-	-	-	-
Net movement in funds		(18,959)	1,006	(17,953)	(36,720)
Reconciliation of funds:
Total funds brought forward		173,584	9,778	183,362	220,082
Total funds carried forward	10	154,625	10,784	165,409	183,362

All income and expenditure relate to continuing activities.

There are no other gains or losses other than those stated above.

Notes 1 – 14 form part of the financial statements.

19

Neighbourhood Watch Network Financial Statements

Balance sheet

at 31 March 2023

	Notes	31 March 2023	31 March 2022
		£	£
Fixed assets
Intangible fixed assets	7	-	5,657
Tangible fixed assets	7	4,326	4,075
Total fixed assets		4,326	9,732
Current assets
Stock		10,016	840
Debtors	8	74,792	62,625
Cash at bank and in hand		114,006	166,333
Total current assets		198,814	229,798
Creditors:amounts due within one year	9	(37,731)	(56,168)
Net current assets		161,083	173,630
Total net assets		165,409	183,362
Funds of the charity	10
Unrestricted funds
Designated funds		8,962	26,847
General funds		145,663	146,737
Total unrestricted funds		154,625	173,584
Restricted funds		10,784	9,778
Total funds		165,409	183,362

The financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees and signed on their behalf:

Ian Bretman Chair

Kardaya Rooprai Treasurer

Date: 15 November 2023

Date: 15 November 2023

20

Neighbourhood Watch Network Financial Statements

Statement of cash flows

For the year ended 31 March 2023

	Notes	31 March 2023	31 March 2022
		£	£
Reconciliation of net expenditure to net cash flow
from operating activities
Net expenditure as per the statement of financial		(17,953)	(36,720)
activities
Investment income		(283)	(16)
Depreciation of fixed assets	7	7,409	6,522
Movements in working capital
Change in stock		(9,176)	-
Change in debtors	8	(12,167)	15,739
Change in creditors	9	(18,437)	(565)
Cash flow from operating activities		(50,607)	(15,040)
Cash flow statement
Cash flow from operating activities		(50,607)	(15,040)
Cash flow from investment activities	8
Purchase of fixed assets	7	(2,003)	(2,797)
Disposal of fixed assets	7	-	318
Investment income		283	16
Net cash used in investment activities		1,720	(2,463)
Change in cash in the year		(52,327)	(17,503)
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year		166,333	183,836
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year		114,006	166,333
Analysis of cash and cash equivalents
Current account		31,244	3,855
Deposit account		82,762	162,478
Total cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year		114,006	166,333

21

Neighbourhood Watch Network Notes to the financial Statements

Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023

1. Accounting policies

• a. Statutory information Neighbourhood Watch Network is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation registered in England and Wales. The address of the registered office is Room WG07, Vox Studios, 1-45 Durham Street, London SE11 5JH.

• b. Statement of compliance and basis of preparation

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with:

• Charities SORP (FRS 102) – Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019) )

• FRS 102 – The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland

• The Charities Act 2011.

The charity meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102.

c. Critical accounting judgements and estimates

When preparing the financial statements in line with FRS 102, the trustees are required to make judgements and estimates. The estimates and judgements are based on historical experiences and other factors that are considered relevant including expectations of future events. The estimates and judgements include:

• Accruals: costs not yet invoiced (see Expenditure policy below)

• Allocation of support costs (see Expenditure policy below); and

• Depreciation and impairment (see Fixed Assets policy below).

In the view of the trustees, no assumptions concerning the future have a significant risk of causing a material adjustment to the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities within the next financial year.

d. Going concern

When considering going concern, the trustees consider all available information about the future at the date they approve the accounts, which includes information from budgets and forecasts about income, expenditure and cash flows. Attention is also given to reserves.

The charity has not been adversely affected by the cost of living crisis as it does not rely on donations from the general public as a result of fundraising events.

Given the Home Office grant agreed for the year ending 31 March 2024 and the reserves currently held, the trustees believe that the current economic situation, including the cost of living crisis, does not pose a material uncertainty that would cast doubt on the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern. The trustees therefore consider it appropriate for the financial statements to be prepared on a going concern basis.

22

Neighbourhood Watch Network Notes to the financial Statements

1. Accounting policies (continued)

e. Income

Income is recognised once the charity has entitlement to the income, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount of income can be measured reliably.

Income from the online shop is recognised when orders are placed and funds are paid into the charity’s Paypal account.

f. Expenditure

Expenditure is 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.

Expenditure is attributed to the following areas:

• raising funds

• charitable activities

Where expenditure cannot be directly attributed to these areas, it is allocated to them on a usage or head count basis. Support costs, such as general management, finance, office rent and governance costs are allocated in this way. Governance costs are costs associated with the general running of the charity and include audit, strategic management and trustees’ meetings and reimbursed expenses.

• Direct costs relating to the operation of the online shop are allocated on the following basis:

• written campaign material: 100% charitable activities

• signs, stickers and branded goods: 25% fundraising; 75% charitable activities

Raising funds relate to the costs in carrying out activities that are intended to generate income, such as staff time managing grant applications and developing commercial sponsorship agreements. It also includes costs relating to operating the online shop, such as the cost of items sold and fees for fulfilling orders.

Charitable activities are costs incurred in delivering activities and services for the charity’s beneficiaries. These include providing information and resources to Neighbourhood Watch members and the general public on the Ourwatch.org.uk website, staff costs for delivering campaigns and project and paying grants. Grants are recognised as expenditure when they are approved and this has been communicated to the recipient.

The charity is unable to recover the majority of VAT charged. This irrecoverable VAT is included in the costs of those items to which it relates.

23

Neighbourhood Watch Network Notes to the financial Statements

1. Accounting policies (continued)

g. Fund accounting

Restricted funds are funds which arose when donors gave them for particular restricted purposes which are narrower than the general purposes of the charity. The costs of raising and administering such funds are charged against the specific fund. The aim and use of each restricted fund is set out in note 10 to the financial statements.

Unrestricted funds are donations and other income received or generated for the general objectives of the charity without further specified purposes and are available as for use at the discretion of the trustees.

Designated funds comprise unrestricted funds that have been set aside by the trustees for particular purposes. The aim and use of each designated fund is set out in the note 10 to the financial statements.

h. Operating leases

Payments made under operating leases are charged to the SOFA when incurred. The charity does not acquire assets under finance leases.

i. Fixed assets

Tangible fixed assets costing more than £350 are capitalised and are held on the balance sheet at cost less accumulated depreciation and impairment losses.

Depreciation is provided at rates calculated to write off the cost less estimated residual value of each asset evenly over its estimated useful life as follows:

• Office equipment: 25% reducing balance

• Furniture and fittings: 20% reducing balance

Intangible fixed assets are held on the balance sheet at cost less accumulated amortisation and impairment losses.

The Ourwatch.org.uk website for the national Neighbourhood Watch Network is capitalised as an intangible asset and amortised on a straight line basis over its expected useful life of 3 years.

Impairment reviews are conducted when events and changes in circumstances indicate that an impairment may have occurred. If any asset is found to have a carrying value materially higher than its recoverable amount, it is written down accordingly.

j. Cash at bank and in hand

Cash at bank and in hand includes cash and short term highly liquid investments.

k. Stock

Stock consists of online shop branded items, such as road signs, mugs and pens and is valued at cost or written-down value. Stock is reviewed at least annually and its carrying value is reduced to the lower of cost or estimated net realisable value. If any items are given away at events, the cost is expensed at that time.

24

Neighbourhood Watch Network Notes to the financial Statements

1. Accounting policies (continued)

l. Debtors

Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amounts due for the provision of services delivered. Prepayments are recognised at the amount prepaid or the amount paid in advance.

m. Creditors

Creditors are recognised where the charity has a present obligation resulting from a past event that will probably result in the transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably. Creditors are normally recognised at their settlement amount after allowing for any trade discounts due.

n. Financial instruments

The charity 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.

o. Pensions

Pension costs comprise the costs of the charity’s contribution to its employee’s pension schemes. The charity provides a money purchase scheme which is available to all employees.

2. Income from charitable activities

	31	March 2023		31	March 2022
	Unrestricted	Restricted	Total	Unrestricted	Restricted	Total
	funds	funds		funds	funds
	£	£	£	£	£	£
Grants
Home Office	280,000	-	280,000	280,000	-	280,000
Partners		25,000	25,000	-	40,122	40,122
Others	1,306	-	1,306	219	-	219
Total	281,306	25,000	306,306	280,219	40,122	320,341

3. Income from other trading activities

	31	March 2023		31	March 2022
	Unrestricted	Restricted	Total	Unrestricted	Restricted	Total
	funds	funds		funds	funds
	£	£	£	£	£	£
Sponsorship
ERA	50,000	-	50,000	50,000	-	50,000
AVAST	38,300	-	38,300	62,833	-	62,833
Co-op	25,000	-	25,000	25,000	-	25,000
Airbnb	20,000	-	20,000	20,833	-	20,833
Other	17,800	-	17,800	10,000	-	10,000
Commission	13,757	-	13,757	5,393	-	5,393
Online shop sales	25,682	-	25,682	-	-	-
Lottery income	33,760	-	33,760	-	-	-
Other income	7,150	-	7,150	5,663	-	5,663
Total	231,449	-	231,449	179,722	-	179,722

Other trading income includes lottery income, licence fees and advertising fees.

25

Neighbourhood Watch Network Notes to the financial Statements

4. Expenditure

Year ended 31 March 2023

	Raising	Charitable	Governance	Support	Total
	funds	activities	costs	costs
	£	£	£	£	£
Direct costs
Staff costs	52,518	238,879	30,123	62,830	384,350
Other direct costs	5,601	131,630	9,204	30,104	176,539
Grants paid	-	8,256	-	-	8,256
Total	58,119	378,765	39,327	92,934	569,145
Support costs	16,749	76,185	-	(92,934)	-
Governance costs	7,088	32,239	(39,327)	-	-
Total	81,956	487,189	-	-	569,145
Split between
Unrestricted funds	81,956	455,195			537,151
Restricted funds	-	31,994			31,994
Total	81,956	487,189			569,145
Prior year, year ended 31	March 2022
	Raising	Charitable	Governance	Support	Total
	funds	activities	costs	costs
	£	£	£	£	£
Direct costs
Staff costs	28,797	228,323	29,163	73,043	359,326
Other direct costs	349	163,424	5,535	30,271	199,579
Grants paid	-	4,876	-	-	4,876
Total	29,146	396,623	34,698	103,314	563,781
Support costs	11,571	91,743	-	(103,314)	-
Governance costs	3,886	30,812	(34,698)	-	-
Total	44,603	519,178	-	-	563,781
Split between
Unrestricted funds	44,603	426,697			471,300
Restricted funds	-	92,481			92,481
Total	44,603	519,178			563,781

Staff costs are allocated to raising funds, charitable expenditure, governance costs and support costs using an activities-based time split. Non-staff costs are allocated directly to the category to which they relate.

Governance costs and support costs are allocated to raising funds and charitable activities on a percentage basis based on expenditure, as an approximation of usage.

26

Neighbourhood Watch Network Notes to the financial Statements

5. Governance costs

The Independent Examiner’s fee is included within governance costs. The amount payable in the year to the Independent examiner was £3,465 + VAT (2021/22: £3,150 + VAT).

Trustees give their time and expertise without charge and do not receive any other benefit from the charity. They are reimbursed for travel and subsistence costs incurred when fulfilling their duties as trustees. During the year one trustee (2021/22: one) was reimbursed a total of £76 (2021/22: £51).

There were no related party donations or other transactions during the year (2021/22: none).

6. Staff costs and remuneration of key management personnel

	31 March 2023	31 March 2022
	£	£
Wages and salaries	330,675	307,622
Social security costs	30,166	28,601
Pension costs	14,112	13,623
Total employment costs	374,953	349,846
Other staff related costs	9,397	9,480
Total staff related costs	384,350	359,326

Other staff related costs include staff travel and other expenses, recruitment and training costs.

The average head count of staff employed throughout the period was 9.5 (2021/22: 8.5).

There was 1 member of staff (2021/22: 1) whose total employee benefits (excluding employer pension costs) were between £70,001-£80,000.

Key management personnel

The total cost of employee benefits (salary and employer’s National Insurance and pension contributions) for key management personnel in the year was £91,940 (2021/22: £89,655).

7. Fixed assets

Intangible assets – Ourwatch.org.uk website

Cost	£
At 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2023	16,971
Amortisation
At 1 April 2022	11,314
Charge for the year	5,657
At 31 March 2023	16,971
Net book value at 31 March 2023	-
Net book value at 31 March 2022	5,657

27

Neighbourhood Watch Network Notes to the financial Statements

7. Fixed assets (continued) Tangible assets

	Fixtures	Office	Total
	and fittings	equipment
	£	£	£
Cost
1 April 2022	1,128	4,644	5,772
Additions	-	2,003	2,003
At 31 March 2023	1,128	6,647	7,775
Depreciation
At 1 April 2022	418	1,279	1,697
Charge for the year	259	1,493	1,752
At 31 March 2023	677	2,772	3,449
Net book value at 31 March 2023	451	3,875	4,326
Net book value at 31 March 2022	710	3,365	4,075

8. Debtors

	31 March 2023	31 March 2022
	£	£
Trade debtors	45,160	14,602
Other debtors	6,838	6,078
Prepayments and accrued income	22,794	41,945
Total	74,792	62,625
Creditors
	31 March 2023	31 March 2022
	£	£
Trade creditors	5,936	7,687
Other taxes and social security	20,697	12,624
Other creditors	3,390	13,410
Accruals and deferred income	7,708	22,447
Total	37,731	56,168

9. Creditors

28

Neighbourhood Watch Network Notes to the financial Statements

10. Movement in funds

Current year	At 1 April	Income	Expenditure	At 31 March
	2022			2023
	£	£	£	£
Unrestricted funds
Designated funds
Advancement fund	2,783	-	(2,783)	-
Project funds	21,418	-	(19,751)	1,667
Community fund	2,646	12,905	(8,256)	7,295
Total designated funds	26,847	12,905	(30,790)	8,962
General fund	146,737	505,287	(506,361)	145,663
Total unrestricted funds	173,584	518,192	(537,151)	154,625
Restricted funds
NESTA	609	-	(148)	461
Devon and Cornwall	8,519	25,000	(23,196)	10,323
Volunteer Programme	650	-	(650)	-
Other restricted funds	-	8,000	(8,000)	-
Total restricted funds	9,778	33,000	(31,994)	10,784
Total funds	183,362	551,192	(569,145)	165,409
Prior year	At 1 April	Income	Expenditure	At 31 March
	2021			2022
	£	£	£	£
Unrestricted funds
Designated funds
Advancement fund	10,820	-	(8,037)	2,783
Project funds	46,951	-	(25,533)	21,418
Community fund	-	4,218	(1,572)	2,646
Total designated funds	57,771	4,218	(35,142)	26,847
General fund	126,115	456,780	(436,158)	146,737
Total unrestricted funds	183,886	460,998	(471,300)	173,584
Restricted funds
NESTA	5,131	-	(4,522)	609
Devon and Cornwall	423	40,122	(32,026)	8,519
Volunteer Programme	30,107	-	(29,457)	650
Co-op funded projects	535	25,941	(26,476)	-
Total restricted funds	36,196	66,063	(92,481)	9,778
Total funds	220,082	527,061	(563,781)	183,362

Designated funds

Advancement fund is money received from the Home Office and designated by the trustees for the ‘Advancement Areas’ programme, which aims to deliver a framework for Neighbourhood Watch development in areas of high crime areas, underrepresented communities and in areas of social disadvantage. The fund has paid for a full-time young people’s engagement and development manager for part of the year.

29

Neighbourhood Watch Network Notes to the financial Statements

10. Movement in funds (continued)

Project fund is money received from the Home Office and designated by the trustees for the charity to deliver a series of intervention projects to support the trustees’ 10-point strategy. In the year, funds were used for crime prevention campaigns on social media.

Community fund is money set aside for making small grants to local neighbourhood watch community projects across England and Wales. Money used for this fund comes from Patlock commission, where Patlock donates £7 from each lock it sells to Neighbourhood Watch members.

Restricted funds

NESTA grant fund is funding received from NESTA (a national grant-making charity, www.nesta.org.uk) for the ‘Communities that Care’ project. This fund continues to be spent.

Devon and Cornwall grant is money received to fund a part time post based and working in the Devon and Cornwall Force area. During the year, further funding was received for additional ‘Safer Streets’ projects.

Volunteer Programme is restricted money from the National Lottery Community Fund, which was secured to support the volunteer programme – a project to invest in Neighbourhood Watch volunteers. The vast majority of this fund was spent in prior years.

Co-op funds projects is money received from the Co-op Group for specific projects, including purchase of window stickers for households and development of the Ourwatch website.

Other restricted funds includes donations or sponsorship received for specific projects or events.

11. Analysis of net assets between funds

Current year	General	Designated	Restricted	Total funds
	fund	funds	funds
	£	£	£	£
Fixed assets	4,326	-	-	4,326
Net current assets	141,337	8,962	10,784	161,083
Total funds	145,663	8,962	10,784	165,409
Prior year	General	Designated	Restricted	Total funds
	fund	funds	funds
Fixed assets	9,732	-	-	9,732
Net current assets	137,005	26,847	9,778	173,630
Total funds	146,737	26,847	9,778	183,362

30

Neighbourhood Watch Network Notes to the financial Statements

12. Operating leases

The charity had one operating lease at the balance sheet date, for rented office space. The minimum non-cancellable lease payments are:

	31 March 2023	31 March 2022
	£	£
Not later than one year	9,724	9,261
Later than one year and not later than 5 years	-	-

13. Prior year comparatives

Statement of Financial Activities for year ended 31 March	Statement of Financial Activities for year ended 31 March	Statement of Financial Activities for year ended 31 March	2022
	Notes	Unrestricted	Restricted	Total
		funds	funds
		£	£	£
Income from:
Donations		1,041	25,941	26,982
Charitable activities	2	280,219	40,122	320,341
Other trading activities	3	179,722	-	179,722
Investments	-	16	-	16
Total income		460,998	66,063	527,061
Expenditure on:
Charitable activities	4	426,697	92,481	519,178
Raising funds	4	44,603	-	44,603
Total expenditure		471,300	92,481	563,781
Net (expenditure)/income		(10,302)	(26,418)	(36,720)
Transfers between funds		-	-	-
Net movement in funds		(10,302)	(26,418)	(36,720)
Reconciliation of funds:
Total funds brought forward		183,886	36,196	220,082
Total funds carried forward	10	173,584	9,778	183,362

31