## **Trustees’ annual report for the period** ## **from 01 January 2020 to 31 December 2020** ## **Reference and administrative details** Charity name Peak and Northern Footpaths Society Other names charity is known by PNFS Registered charity number 212219 Charity principal address Taylor House 23 Turncroft Lane Stockport SK1 4AB ## **Names of the charity trustees who manage the society** **Trustee name Office (if any)** David Hurrell Chairman (died September 18th) Gavin Miller Vice Chair (retired October 17th) David Gosling Acting Chair October 17[th] to December 31st Paul Easthope Treasurer David Brown Secretary David Morton Mel Bale Jenny Allen ## **Names and addresses of advisors** Bank Cooperative Bank, PO Box 250, Delf House, Southway, Skelmersdale WN8 6WT CAF Bank, 25 Kings Hill, Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent, ME19 4TA Direct debits Financial advisor Our broker is now employed on execution only basis and we have formed a sub committee, including two retired people with investment experience, to decide on our investment strategy. We will make no changes to our investments until that committee has reported ## Structure, governance and management ## **Description of the charity’s trusts** Type of governing document Constitution adopted 04 April 2018 How the charity is constituted Unincorporated association Trustee selection method Trustees are elected or reappointed at the AGM in April ## **Additional governance issues** The Society is a statutory consultee on all proposed changes to public rights of way in our area, which comprises the ceremonial counties of Lancashire (south of the River Kent), Cheshire, West Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Staffordshire. ## Objectives and activities ## **Summary of the objects of the charity as set out in its governing document** - a) Creating, preserving and improving open spaces, public access rights and rights of way (other than for mechanically propelled vehicles); particularly in Cheshire, Derbyshire, Lancashire and Staffordshire, the former Metropolitan Counties of Greater Manchester, Merseyside, South and West Yorkshire and in Blackburn & Darwen, Blackpool, Derby, Halton, Stoke-on-Trent and Warrington - b) Preventing the abuse of such rights - c) Monitoring, supporting and opposing proposals and orders for the creation, closure, diversion and regrading of public rights of way - d) Erecting and maintaining direction posts, signs, footbridges and commemorative and other structures which improve access ## **Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public benefit in relation to these objects** - Scrutinising proposals to modify the public right of way network in our area - Arranging a programme of inspection for that network - Taking legal action to deal with faults on that network - Funding improvements to that network - Erecting signposts - Funding footbridges ## **Additional details of objectives and activities** We are grateful for the many hours volunteers have spent working, both inside and outside. Without these volunteers the Society would be unable to function. ## Achievements and performance ## **Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the year** Our membership has increased from 1146 to 1284, an increase of12% As statutory consultees we have examined 95 public paths orders and dealt with 170 consultations, 8 public space protection orders, 4 objections and 279 other matters. Despite problems caused by the pandemic this is broadly similar to last year. We have increased our Inspector numbers from 121 to 152 covering 646 parishes (up from 583 in 2019). They inspect the footpaths in their parishes under the guidance of 8 Area Officers and have discovered 7500 faults. Only 35% of these have been resolved, largely because financial cutbacks mean that local authorities rarely have the manpower to deal with them all. But we do not hesitate to be robust about dangerous or persistent faults and our 6 Courts and Inquiries Officers (C&IOs) have been authorised on several occasions to serve notice (under s56 or s130A of the Highways Act) on highway authorities. We always precede serving the notice with sending a letter before action. This often prompts them to repair the fault without our needing recourse to serving the order. The Society has been involved in a number of cases to claim paths on behalf of the walking public where the route is not recorded on the definitive map (DMMOs). This involves extensive work in collecting both verbal and historic evidence and in one case we have instructed counsel to present our case 14 new signposts have been erected throughout our area, but four have been stolen making a total of 536 The programme of inspecting and maintaining each signpost every three years remains on track, helped by the addition of a further 8 people to the signpost team. . A few vandalised signposts have been repaired or replaced. Total expenditure £7775 Seven footbridge were funded by the Society at a cost of £29,528 We hand these over to the appropriate highway authority as we are unable to guarantee to maintain them in perpetuity. Highway authorities seem to be increasingly reluctant to take ownership of bridges. We are continuing to fund improvements to the public rights of way network despite the reluctance of many Highway Authorities to take on addition commitments. We are now approaching other organisations such as Wildlife Trusts, Walking Groups and Park Authorities but the travel restrictions preclude site visits so little has been done this year ## Financial review ## **Brief statement of the Society’s policy on reserves** Our balance sheet at year end 2020 was £476,458 held in a combination of cash, investments and fixed assets (our office building, computer equipment, furniture and fittings). Within this figure we have restricted funds of £61,010 and fixed assets of £60,654. We maintain a contingency fund of £10,000 for repairs to the aging office building and have ring-fenced legacy funds of £142,927 This leaves a reserve of £201,867 We look to maintain our reserves at between £169,000 and £224,500. These figures are reviewed annually and increased in line with RPI. ## **Details of any funds materially in deficit** ## None ## **Further financial review details** Our main sources of income are subscriptions (gift aided where possible); dividends from investments; donations; and legacies. Since donations and legacies are sporadic and not guaranteed, we strive, successfully, to meet our day-to-day running costs from subscriptions and dividends and use other income to fund our programmes. Since we are an unincorporated charity, we have vested title to our office building with the Official Custodian for Charities. The building is valued in the accounts at its purchase price rather than its current market value. . ## Other optional information ## **Future plans** Future planning is inhibited by the current lock down We are attempting to widen the demographic of the Society, which is currently dominated by retired people. We are attempting to reach out to universities, Duke of Edinburgh award groups and other younger people. We continue to recruit Path Checkers who are encouraged to use modern smart-phones to report faults when they see them, but who are not, unlike Inspectors, actively encouraged to seek out faults We will continue instigating DMMOs and anticipate taking some of the current applications to public inquiry. ## Declaration ~~ee~~ **The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above. Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees.** Name David C Brown Position Honorary Secretary Date 09 March 2021 ~~—~~ doinny |**Footpaths Society**
**No 212219**
**Peak & Northern**
**Receipts and payments accounts**
**For the period**
**from**
**CC16a**
01/01/2020 to
31/12/2020
Ss ~~|~~| |---| |**Section A Receipts and payments**| |**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**Total funds**
**Last year**| |**to the nearest £**
**to the nearest £**
**to the nearest £**
**to the nearest £**| |**A1 Receipts**| |Subscriptions
**14,482**
**14,482**
**13,422**
Affiliations
**1,637**
**1,637**
**2,115**
Legacies,bequests
**30,000**
**30,000**
**20,808**
Donationsgeneral
**8,685**
**8,685**
**7,647**
Donations signposts & footbridges
**5,354**
**5,354**
**4,539**
Gift Aid tax
**5,210**
**5,210**
**4,097**
Interest/Dividends
**10,570**
**10,570**
**11,232**
Miscellaneous
**64**
**64**
**183**
**_Sub total_**_(Gross income for AR)_
**70,648**
**5,354**
**76,002**
**64,043**
~~ai~~| |**A2 Asset and investment sales**
Government stock redemption
**0**
**19,000**
**0**
**0**
**_Sub total_**
**0**
**0**
**0**
**19,000**
**_Total receipts_**
**70,648**
**5,354**
**76,002**
**83,043**
~~————~~| |**A3 Payments**| |Taylor House runningcosts
**7,497**
**7,497**
**6,027**
Signpost & Footbridges
**31,949**
**5,354**
**37,303**
**11,060**
Travel & Subsistence
**3,937**
**3,937**
**5,761**
Printing,Copying,newsletter
**5,892**
**5,892**
**6,465**
Postage Telephone Stationary
**3,891**
**3,891**
**2,989**
Computer,Software & maintenance
**3,117**
**3,117**
**2,870**
Functions / Fundraisingcosts
**55**
**55**
**1,020**
Insurance
**1,303**
**1,303**
**1,424**
Subscriptions,Donations,Training
**425**
**425**
**244**
Improvements,Commemorative
**0**
**0**
**4,512**
Legal Professional & Secretarial
**999**
**999**
**2,383**
Sundries
**91**
**91**
**212**
**_Sub total_**
**59,156**
**5,354**
**64,510**
**44,967**
~~—~~| |**P & L SURPLUS**
**11,492**
**19,076**
**A4 Asset and investment purchases**
Investment Trusts
**0**
**30,039**
**0**
**_Sub total_**
**0**
**0**
**0**
**30,039**
**_Total payments_**
**59,156**
**5,354**
**64,510**
**75,006**
~~=e~~| |**_Net of receipts/(payments)_**
**11,492**
**0**
**11,492**
**8,037**
**A5 Transfers between funds**
**0**
**0**
**0**
**0**
**A6 Cash funds last year end**
**175,720**
**61,010**
**236,730**
**228,693**
**_Cash funds this year end_**
**187,212**
**61,010**
**248,222**
**236,730**
~~==~~| CCXX R1 accounts (SS) 18/03/2021 1 ## **Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period** |**Categories**
Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of
all the trustees
**B3 Investment assets**
**B1 Cash funds**
**B4 Assets retained for the**
**charity’s own use**|
Furniture fittings & other
~~i~~
~~t~~
P A sound system
Taylor House building
Computer Equipment
**Details**
Government stocks
Corporate bonds
**Details**
Inv.trusts,pref shares,ETF funds
TOTAL
Equities
Savings accounts
Current accounts & petty cash
**Details**
**_Total cash funds_**
(agree balances with receipts and payments
account(s))
Signature|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**to nearest £**
**179,545**
**7,667**
**187,212**
OK
**Cost (optional)**
0
**Cost (optional)**
**60,153**
**13,458**
**4,351**
**1,509**
Print name
P Easthope
D C Brown|**Restricted**
**funds**
**to nearest £**| |---|---|---|---| ||||**61,010**| ||||| ||||**0**| ||||**61,010**| ||||OK| ||||**Current value**
**(optional)**| ||||| ||||**70,248**| ||||**29,323**| ||||**68,012**| ||||**167,583**| ||||**Current value**
**(optional)**| ||||| ||||| ||||| ||||| ||||| ||||| ||||| ||||| ||||| ||||Date of
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