2021-02-28-accounts - South Leicestershire District Scout Council

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South Leicestershire District Scout Council

– – Charity Commission Report March 2020 February 2021

It goes without saying that the last 12 months have ben unlike any other, however our complete admiration goes out to everyone who has continued with scouting activities whether on-line or face to face; the past and continuing restrictions have meant everyone has been forced to think differently to deliver engaging activity programmes, committee and leader meetings too. The combined adaptability of everyone means that although we saw a membership reduction, we retained a greater proportion of members than all the other districts in Leicestershire. We are also thrilled to see so many more members, both young and older, who are enquiring about how they too can get involved.

Very sadly we have lost 2 long serving and brilliant individuals to Cancer. Mo Black died in late December and Rik Lewis died in late February. They were both very well known and respected not only in our District but much further afield too. They are both missed and it is humbling to see how much money was donated to Cancer Research during this year’s St. George’s weekend in their memories.

Within the District there has been really good developments many areas, some of which are more visible than in others;

 In the summer 5 young adults agreed to become the District Youth Commissioner team and have since been getting involved with many section meetings and events to run youth forums and provide constructive support to the section leaders. Thanks to James, Emily, Jamie, Ollie and Caitlin.

Having these young adults involved in the district and campsite meetings has not only significantly lowered the average age but more importantly given a fresh view of the subjects being discussed.

 OSM is now used by all sections in all groups and units, really helping with communications whilst improving GDPR related issues too. OSM is also used by the campsite, which whilst still early is helping with the evening section bookings. Many thanks to Lisa.

 The campsite website has been redeveloped by Ceri and John, so it now much clearer properly branded.

 Along with Craig Barton, Ceri has also been instrumental in getting the District a charity Microsoft exchange account, so we all now have the option of scouting specific email addresses rather than relying on personal ones, which again improves our GDPR compliance, file storage and sharing too.

 The Network unit has been getting stronger over the past few years and we are delighted that Ellena agreed to become the unit commissioner earlier this year with great support from the other members.

 Peter Betts had kindly stayed on as our appointments chair although having said for some time he would like to retire. Janine Ford had also said she would step down as appointments secretary. We were so pleased when Sam Chimley and Kev Peacocke agreed to become the new appointments secretary and chair. Although only in position now for a few months, they have already made a difference to getting new volunteers engaged rapidly and have produced a new joining pack too!

 The need to keep up to date with mandatory training, getting started training and attainment of wood beads has been getting significantly more attention and we were very happy to accept Elizabeth’s offer to become our local training manager at the beginning of the year, since then she has engaged with the training adviser team and really improved our compliance figures.

 The campsite maintenance has never really stopped, from repairing fences to leaking pipes, the team have kept it all going within the restrictions which have affected us all. Thank you to Nic and the growing team.

 The Explorer unit has maintained really good membership throughout the pandemic and have been relieve to be able to meet face to face for activities and friendship. We believe the Young Leader unit is now larger than ever before as more wish to develop their leadership skills and start to give back to the groups where they were once young members. Many thanks again to Elizabeth and to the leaders for the success in these sections.

 The Duke of Edinburgh awards have certainly slowed but not stopped thanks to Nicky working closely with the Explorer leaders for route planning activities and more.

 All of the 9 Scout groups across the district have continued, although it’s fair to say that some have struggled more than others throughout the pandemic.

Amazingly Countesthorpe managed to grow its youth membership to 100, making it the largest group in the district – thanks to Jack and the team. All other groups saw a membership reduction, but all have since been receiving joining enquiries. Thank you to all the leaders, GSL’s and executive committees for all they have done to make scouting safe and enjoyable.

 The Assistant District Commissioners have been great too; Many thanks to Sharon Wells for the Beavers who has worked closely with a number of Beaver leaders from across the district to create some

fantastic events for the whole section – a zoom event with over 130 members is an amazing thing, especially when everyone is so engaged and stays to the end! Thank you too to the Cub team of Sharon CharlesCockerill, Jenny and Emma who have managed to maintain contact with all the Pack leaders, but as active leaders themselves have had more than enough to do with their own sections.

 A group of people who must be mentioned are those who have formed the Covid Risk Assessment Approvers, Elizabeth, Nic and Karl, previously also Sharon Wells and Rik. Without their assistance, trawling through the latest guidance from The Scouts and working with GSL’s and section leaders to ensure all covid risk assessments are appropriate and in place to allow the sections to return safely. Clearly it’s not over but face to face meetings are only possible because of your continued support.

 Thank you to Claire our District Chair, Secretary Victoria and Treasurer Karl. Your support for the District really is appreciated. This year has certainly been disjointed and strange but your enthusiasm for Scouting in South Leicestershire has meant we have kept everything going as steadily as possible including providing support to those who have needed it.

We’re optimistic that the year ahead will allow us to get back to more of our face-to-face teamwork and residential activities, however we will continue to be guided by the information coming from The Scouts whilst keeping a close eye on the local situation particularly from the schools in our communities.

Amendments to constitution

Through our risk assessment, we determined that there was need to recognise that volunteering runs in families, and that this may leave individuals open to risk or perception of risk. With the aim of protecting those individuals and to aid the District in managing any real or perceived conflicts of interest, we approved, at our AGM, amends to our constitution. Amends were made to paragraphs 5.7, 11.5, 19.2.3 and 19.3.4.

Annex A, at the end of this report, provides the full revised constitution; amended in paragraphs are in red text.

Financial position

The full scrutinised accounts for this period are provided in the additional file. In summary, the following charts provide an overview of our income and expenditure and specific areas of investment in the District in 2020-2021.

----- Start of picture text -----
2020-2021 Income £31,794.45
2020-2021 Expenditure £30,772.81
Excess income over £ 1,021.64
expenditure
How did we support OSM Licence fees 2020 = OSM Licence fees 2021 =
groups? £1,161 £1,161
How did we support Virtual Events for Beavers Explorer Scouting= £2,123
Young People? =£603.10
Investment at Covid-19 Grant = £10,000 Project expenditure = £1,364
Ullesthorpe Campsite?
----- End of picture text -----

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Annex A

SOUTH LEICESTERSHIRE DISTRICT SCOUTS

CONSTITUTION

Revisions receiving Council approval –AGM 18 June 2021

The following represents the Constitution for South Leicestershire Scout District and is drawn up under the guidelines of Rule 4.25 of Policy, Organisation & Rules.

I. The Constitution of the Scout District

The District Scout Council is the electoral body, which supports Scouting in the District. It is the body to which the District Executive Committee is accountable.

Membership and responsibilities of the South Leicestershire District Scout Council

Membership of the District Scout Council is open to:
Commissioners;
Scouters;
Administrators;
Section Assistants;
Skills Instructors;
Advisers;
all Explorer Scouts;
all members of the District Scout Network;
Chairs of Troop Leadership Forums in the District;

10.Members and Associate Members of the Movement registered in the Scout District and including Members of District Scout Fellowships;

11.all parents of Explorer Scouts;

12.persons elected or reselected annually by the District Scout Council on the recommendation of the District Commissioner and the District Executive Committee;

13.The County Commissioner and County Chair are ex officio members of the District Scout Council.

Membership of the District Scout Council ceases upon:
the resignation of the member;
the dissolution of the Council;
the termination of membership by Headquarters following a recommendation by the County Executive Committee.
The District Scout Council must hold an Annual General Meeting within six months of the financial year end to:
receive and consider the Annual Report of the District Executive Committee, including the annual statement of accounts;
approve the District Commissioner’s nomination of the District Chair and nominated members of the District Executive Committee;
elect a District Secretary;
elect a District Treasurer;
elect identified and agreed members of the District Executive Committee;
elect Group Scouters to represent the District on the County Scout Council;
appoint an auditor or independent examiner or scrutineer as required.

II. The District Executive Committee

Role and responsibilities of South Leicestershire District Executive Committee

The Executive Committee exists to support the District Commissioner in meeting the responsibilities of their appointment.
Members of the Executive Committee must act collectively as charity Trustees of the Scout District, and in the best interests of its members to:
Comply with the Policy, Organisation and Rules of The Scout Association;
Protect and maintain any property and equipment owned by and/or used by the District, including the Ullesthorpe Campsite, providing insurance for people, property and equipment;
Manage the District finances, including,
the raising of funds and the administration of the District’s finance and property
the funds held for Explorer Scout Units and the District Scout Network;
Provide sufficient resources for Scouting to operate, including but not being limited to, supporting recruitment, other adult support, and fundraising activities;
Promote and support the development of Scouting in the local area, ensuring that a positive image of Scouting exists in South Leicestershire and the local community and developing harmonious cooperation with other appropriate organisations;
Manage and implement the Safety Policy locally;
Manage any potential conflicts of interest among Committee members to ensure that the Committee is always acting in the best interests of the District and its Young People;
Establish and oversee the operation of any sub-Committees, including appointing the Chair to lead the sub-Committees, including the Ullesthorpe Campsite Management Committee and the District Appointments Committee.
In line with the Scout Association’s commitment to youth voice, ensure that Young People are meaningfully and appropriately involved in decision making at all levels within the District;

10.Support the Executive Committees, administration and operations of Groups within South Leicestershire, particularly in relation to finance and the trusteeship of property;

11.Approve the opening, closure and amalgamation of Groups, Explorer Scout Units, Scout Network and Scout Active Support Units in the District as necessary;

12.Appoint and manage the operation of an Appointments Advisory Committee, including appointing an Appointments Committee Chair and Appointments Secretary;

13.Supervising the administration of Groups, particularly in relation to finance and the trusteeship of property.

The Executive Committee must also:
Appoint Administrators, Advisers, and Co-opted members of the Executive Committee
Approve the Annual Report and Annual Accounts after their examination by an appropriate auditor, independent examiner or scrutineer.
Present the Annual Report and Annual Accounts to the Scout Council at the Annual General Meeting; file a copy with the County Executive Committee; and if a registered charity, to submit them to the appropriate charity regulator. (See Rule 13.3)
Maintain confidentiality with regard to appropriate Executive Committee business.
Where staff are employed, act as a responsible employer in accordance with Scouting’s values and relevant legislation.
Ensure line management responsibilities for employed staff are clearly established and communicated.

Membership of the District Executive Committee

The District Executive Committee consists of:
Ex ofcio members
1. The District Chair;
2. The District Commissioner;
3. The District Secretary;
4. The District Treasurer;
5. The District Explorer Scout Commissioner;
District Scout Network Commissioner;
District Youth Commissioner;
Chair of the Management Committee for South Leicestershire (Ullesthorpe) Campsite
Chair of the Appointments Committee for South Leicestershire

2. Elected members

persons elected at the District Annual General Meeting – maximum of 3 in number
the actual number must be the subject of a resolution by the District Scout Council

3. Nominated members

Persons nominated by the District Commissioner – maximum of 3 in number
The nominations must be approved at the District Annual General Meeting
Persons nominated need not be members of the District Scout Council and their number must not exceed that of the elected members.

4. Co-opted members

Persons co-opted annually by the District Executive Committee
The number of co-opted members must not exceed the number of members who may be elected.

5. Right of Attendance

The County Commissioner and the County Chair have the right of attendance at meetings of the District Executive Committee.

District sub-committees

The District Executive Committee may establish any sub-Committees that it deems necessary.
Sub-Committees consist of members nominated by the Committee.
The District Commissioner and the District Chair will be ex officio members of any sub-Committee of the District Executive Committee.
Any fund-raising committee must include at least two members of the District Executive Committee, in addition to the ex officio members. No Section Leader or Assistant Leader should serve on such a fund raising sub-Committee.
South Leicestershire District Executive has established a Management Committee for South Leicestershire (Ullesthorpe) Campsite . This operates as a sub-committee of the District Executive, reporting to the District Executive.
The membership of the Management Committee for South Leicestershire (Ullesthorpe) Campsite should represent of the District and its Groups, and this is reflected in its quorum para 19.3 below.
The Management Committee for South Leicestershire (Ullesthorpe) Campsite is responsible for:
Presenting recommendations and seeking District Executive approval for i) changes to policy, procedure and administration, ii) decisions and actions relating to the development and future operations of the campsite, including its annual forward plan and charges;
The day-to-day management and operational arrangements of the campsite;
The management of the finances, including updating the District Executive on its financial position, and presenting Accounts to the District Executive;
The safety of the campsite, enabling its users to enjoy its facilities safely and in line with their own health and safety policies;
`In undertaking these duties and responsibilities, the Management Committee of South Leicestershire (Ullesthorpe) Campsite enables the Executive to undertake effectively its duties as per paragraphs 5 and 6 of this Constitution.
South Leicestershire District Executive has established a District Appointments Committee this operates as a sub-committee of the District Executive, reporting to the District Executive.
The membership of the Appointments Committee must be representative of the District and its Groups, and this is reflected in its quorum para 20 below.
The Appointments Committee is responsible for carrying out the appointment of Adults to South Leicestershire District in line with ‘POR: The Appointment Process’ and associated specific POR rules and in

doing so enables the Executive to undertake effectively its duties as per paragraphs 5 and 6 of this Constitution.

The Chair of the Appointments Committee is responsible for presenting reports on progress and decisions taken by the committee, that are within their scope, and for presenting recommendations and seeking District Executive approval for i) changes to policy, procedure and administration, and ii) decisions and actions that it deems are of significance to the operations and future development of the District, as guided by ‘POR: The Appointment Process’ and associated specific POR rules.

Charity status and trustees

A Scout District is an educational charity.
Members of the District Executive Committee are the charity trustees of the Scout District.
Due to their status as charity trustees, only members aged 18 and over may be full voting members of the District Executive Committee.
Certain people are disqualified from being charity trustees by virtue of the Charities Acts.
Charity trustees are responsible for complying with all the legislation applicable to charities.
It is recognised that members of the Executive Committee may originate from the same family and/or household and this is permitted. It is the duty of the whole Committee as responsible Trustees, to ensure that any potential conflicts of interest that may arise, in the conduct of all Executive matters, including those outside of formal meetings, are managed in accordance with the charitable objectives.

III. The District Team Meeting

District Team membership and meetings

The District Team, comprises the Explorer Scout Commissioner, Deputy and all Assistant District Commissioners, District Scout Network Commissioner, District Scouters, Local Training Manager, Active Support Unit Managers, and Group Scout Leaders.
The District Team meet as frequently as necessary under the chair of the District Commissioner.
The District Commissioner, or their nominated representative, updates the Executive Committee of their activities and progress, seeks Executive advice and support as and when required, and keeps the Executive advised of any financial,

training or other requirements, in accordance with their roles and responsibilities (sections 4 and 5 above).

Role and responsibilities of the District Team

The purpose of the District Team Meeting is to:
Review the progress, standards and effectiveness of programmes of Groups, Active Support Units, Explorer Scout Units and any District Scout Network in the District
Plan a programme of visits to Scout Groups, Explorer Scout Units, Active Support Units and any District Scout Network;
Give support and encouragement to leaders;
Plan the support of adults undertaking Adult Training;
Plan any programme of District events deemed to be necessary to supplement Scouting in the Groups, Explorer Scout Units and any District Scout Network;
Secure the support of the Scout Active Support in the work of the District;
Keep the District Executive Committee advised of the financial requirements of the training programme in the District, including Explorer Scout Units, Active Support Units and any District Scout Network;
Ensure that there is at least one of each of the sections catering for mixed membership within its boundaries.

IV. Conduct of Meetings in the Scout District

In meetings of the District Scout Council and the District Executive Committee only the members specified may vote.
Decisions are made by a majority of votes of those present at the meeting.
In the event of an equal number of votes being cast, on either side in any issue, the Chair does not have a casting vote and the matter is taken not to have been carried.
The District Scout Council must make a resolution defining a quorum for meetings of the Council and the District Executive Committee and its subCommittees.
For the South Leicestershire District Council, a quorum is defined as:
District Commissioner
Two out of the three of: District Chair, District Secretary, District Treasurer
Representatives from at least 3 District Groups.
For the South Leicestershire District Executive, a quorum is defined as:
The District Commissioner or their nominated Executive member representative
Two out of the three of: District Chair, District Secretary, District Treasurer
Members at any meeting originating from a minimum of 4 different households.
For the Ullesthorpe Campsite Management Committee a quorum is defined as:
Chair
Head warden
Representation from at least one of the South Leicestershire Groups
Members at any meeting originating from a minimum of 3 different households.
For the South Leicestershire Appointments Committee, a quorum is defined (as per 3b of ‘POR: The Appointment Process’) the Chair, Secretary plus 2 other approved Appointments Committee members.
Any sub-committee of the Executive is required to present its budget to the Executive at the start of its operation, and then at the beginning of each financial year.
Meetings of the District Scout Council, the District Executive and its subcommittees, may be conducted physically (all attendees in one location) virtually (using online platforms) or a combination of these means (with some of the attendees being in one location and others joining the meeting through phone or online). In all circumstances the conduct arrangements outlined at points 16 to 20 inclusive of this document shall apply.
Any sub-committee may spend either up to £500 or up to 10% of its total projected income, whichever is the greater, on one single transaction or area of spend. Approval for allocation of expenditure over and above this amount, must be sought from the District Executive in advance of need.
District Team members may spend up to £150 on nominal expenses, which may be reclaimed from the District when supported by appropriate receipts. Expenditure over and above £150 must be approved in advance by the District Executive.
Expenditure specifically related to District events must be approved in advance, by presentation of an event budget to the District Executive and done so in a timely fashion so as not to impede planning or delivery.

V. Review of the Scout District Constitution

The constitution of the South Leicestershire Scout District will be reviewed annually.
If any amendments are required, in line with POR these will be agreed by the District Executive and approval will then be sought from the District Council.

Charity No. 1174231

SOUTH LEICS DISTRICT SCOUT COUNCIL Statement of Assets & Liabilities

Cash Funds	As at 28/02/2021		2019-20
	£		£
Cash in Hand	33.30		687.95
Barclays Current Account	3,904.66		6,195.43
Nottingham Building Society Account	-		13,298.52
Barclays Business Premium Account	27,568.01		12,558.32
Campsite General Fund	4,299.11		3,797.93
Campsite Project Fund	26,360.89		24,724.46
Campsite Reserve	5,000.00		5,000.00
Campsite Providore	118.50		-
Total Cash Funds	67,284.47		66,262.61
		Initial Balance
	Current Balance	at	YS 01/03/20
Allocations
Beavers	464.28		567.38
Cubs	1,193.38		1,336.69
Scouts	500.00		-
Funds
International Fund	5,233.36		5,233.36
Explorers	4,889.91		7,746.22
D of E	1,667.04		1,668.04
Young Leaders	258.79	-	0.10
Network	259.30		9.30
Loan	4,000.00		5,000.00
			-
District operation Provision	13,039.91		11,179.33
Total Allocated Funds held (Exc. Campsite)	31,505.97		32,740.22

South Leicestershire District Scout Council Receipts & Payment account 2020-2021

charity No.1174231

For the period 1st March 2020 - 28th februry 2021

SLDSC Beavers Cubs Scouts Explorer Scouts Explorer Scouts - Young Leader Explorer Scouts - Dof E Network Ullesthorpe Campsite Trustees	Totals	2019-2020
GBP GBP GBP GBP GBP GBP GBP GBP GBP GBP 26,230.00 23,554.50	GBP 26,230.00 23,554.50	GBP 25,937.00 23,685.50
2,675.50 - - - - - - - - -	2,675.50	2,251.50
54.45 10,000.00 28.38	54.45 10,000.00 28.38 -	273.03 - 802.50
82.83 - - - - - - - 10,000.00 -	10,082.83	1,075.53
242.00 - 1,072.45 - 1,373.50 36.00 - - - - 1,000.00 13,298.52 9.69 28.72	2,723.95 1,000.00 13,298.52 38.41	22,287.06 - - 44.75
1,251.69 - 1,072.45 - 1,373.50 36.00 - - - 13,327.24	17,060.88	22,331.81
1,975.24	1,975.24 -	23,791.52
- - - - - - - - 1,975.24 -	1,975.24	23,791.52

4,010.02 - 1,072.45 - 1,373.50 36.00 - - 11,975.24 13,327.24	31,794.45	49,450.36

SLDSC Beavers Cubs Scouts Explorer Scouts Explorer Scouts - Young Leader Explorer Scouts - Dof E Network Ullesthorpe Campsite Trustee	Totals	2019-2020
GBP GBP GBP GBP GBP GBP GBP GBP GBP GBP 76.00 13,327.24 59.99 603.10 975.31 - 2,572.19 27.11 1.00 - 84.94 2,322.00 25.00 - 924.57 55.23	GBP 76.00 13,327.24 - 4,238.70 - 84.94 2,322.00 25.00 - 924.57 - 55.23	GBP 106.40 - 19,750.01 5,000.00 873.29 198.75 2,396.23 1,500.00 177.93
2,437.22 603.10 975.31 - 3,496.76 27.11 1.00 - - 109.94	7,650.44	29,896.21
8355.56 1363.57	8,355.56 1,363.57	13617.14 28642.73
- - - - - - - - 9,719.13 -	9,719.13	42,259.87

2,513.22 603.10 975.31 - 3,496.76 27.11 1.00 - 9,719.13 13,437.18	30,772.81	72,262.48
	1,021.64 67284.25	(22,812.12) 66262.61

The above receipts and payments account and statement of assets and liabilities were approved by the trustees on ?th June 2021 and signed on their behalf by

Claire Gill - District Chair

Karl Collins - District Treasurer

Scrutineers Report to the trustees of the

South Leicestershire District Scout Council

I report on the accounts of the District for the financial year ending 28[th] February 2021.

Respective responsibilities of Trustees and Scrutineer, as the District’s trustees you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts; you consider that neither the audit nor independent examination requirements of the Charities Act 2011 apply.

It is my responsibility without carrying out an audit or independent examination to scrutinise the accounts and to report my findings to you.

Basis of Scrutineers statement in accordance with the direction given in the District’s constitution. I have scrutinised the records and the accounts set out in Fin 1 and Fin 2.

Scrutineers Statement.

In my opinion the accounts are in accordance with the records presented to me and comply with the Constitution.

Richard Baker

10 Sandpiper Close, Stourbridge, West Midlands, DY9 8TD

Dated: 16[th] June 2021