# **Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 August 2023** 

presented at the 93rd Annual General Meeting on Saturday 23 March at 1pm at The South London Liberal Synagogue and online 

Registered Charity No 236711 



**The South London Liberal Synagogue (SLLS) Annual Report** Registered Charity No 236711 

**The Council of The South London Liberal Synagogue (the Synagogue) presents its annual report together with the statement of accounts of the Synagogue in respect of the financial year ended 31 August 2023.  The statement of accounts is not statutorily required to be audited and has been independently examined by Gareth Berney, whose report appears below.** 

## **Origin and objectives of the charity** 

The Synagogue was established in 1929 and is an unincorporated association. Under its current Constitution of 10 December 2022 (the Constitution)1 the Synagogue has the following purpose:  to advance Liberal Judaism by actions, teaching and practice, in particular (but not exclusively) by means of: 

- (a) providing religious education for children and adults and providing facilities and teaching leading to _Bar Mitzvah_ or _Bat Mitzvah_ and _Kabbalat Torah_ (Confirmation); 

- (b) providing and maintaining a place for public religious worship and providing, arranging and conducting religious services; 

- (c) providing facilities for the solemnisation of marriages and for burials and cremations. 

## **Review of the activities** 

A review of the main activities of the Synagogue in relation to the purpose described above is contained in the Chair’s Report and in the reports on Synagogue activities set out elsewhere in this report. 

## **Governance** 

The Synagogue and its property and assets are administered and managed by its Council, members of which are the charity trustees of the Synagogue. Decisions concerning day-to-day management of the Synagogue are made by the Chair together with the other officers. In accordance with the Constitution, members of Council are elected at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Synagogue (or, in the event of a casual vacancy, appointed by the Council to serve until the next AGM) and serve without compensation. 

The Council members who served during the past year were: Eve Samson (Chair), William Cohen (Vice Chair), Brian Jacobs (Hon. Secretary), Fabrizio Melis (Hon. Treasurer), Diego Giraldo Casas, Andy Hoffman, Maya Jaffe, Alison Watson, Rory Hutchings, Geoffrey Wolf, Hannah Blitz, Daniel Max, Georgina Harley Smith, Sam Infield 

In carrying out their responsibilities the members of Council, as trustees of the Synagogue, have had regard to the guidance on public benefit issued by the Charity Commission for England and Wales (the Charity Commission). 

Title to the property of the Synagogue was held during the past year by property trustees Paul Infield, Eve Samson and Shai Wade. 

1 A copy of the Constitution is available from the Synagogue office on request. 

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## **Membership – all categories** 

Total at 31 August 2023: 245 (2022: 249), which included 9 Honorary Members (2022: 9), and 26 Friends (2022: 33). 

_**Members**_ We welcomed 8 new Members; 6 Members left the community. 

_**Friends**_ We welcomed 0 new Friends of SLLS. 

_**Deaths**_ We record with sorrow the deaths of Michael Rich and Silvia Mash. May their memory be for a blessing. 

## **Reserves policy** 

The Charity’s principal activities are detailed above. 

1. The present reserve level is considered realistic in order to maintain liquid reserves to cover the Synagogue’s day to day activities. 

2. At each annual Budget meeting, a review of the current level of reserves will be undertaken against Budget predictions. 

## **Risk management** 

Council has decided not to prepare a formal risk review report. However, the Council has given consideration to the major risks to which the Synagogue is exposed and satisfied itself that systems or procedures are established in order to manage those risks. The Council will continue to review areas of potential risk. The principal financial risks identified in the short to medium term are as follows: 

- The possible loss of the nursery as a tenant and the resultant loss of income; 

- The viability of the businesses which rent space in the Synagogue building and the consequential loss of income; 

- Rising costs, including energy and staff costs; 

- The limitations on the Synagogue’s ability to meet its running costs while maintaining subscriptions at a level affordable to Members and Friends; 

- Loss of paying Members and Friends of the Synagogue and difficulties in attracting new paying Members and Friends; 

- Declining numbers of donors and ‘donor fatigue’ among existing donors; 

- The likely need for significant further repairs to the Synagogue building. 

## **Statement of Council’s responsibilities** 

The Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 (the Regulations) require the Council to prepare a statement of accounts for each financial year which include: 

- (a) a statement of financial activities showing the total incoming resources and application of the resources, together with any other movements in the total resources, of the Synagogue during the relevant financial year; and 

- (b) a balance sheet showing the state of affairs of the Synagogue as at the end of the relevant financial year. 

The statement of activities must give a true and fair view of the incoming resources and application of the resources of the charity in the relevant financial year. The balance sheet must give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity at the end of the relevant financial year. The statement of accounts must be prepared in accordance with the methods and principles set out in the “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)” issued by the Charity Commission (the Charities SORP). 

In preparing the statement of accounts, Council is required to: 

- (i) select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently; 

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- (ii) make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; 

- (iii) prepare the Financial Statements on a going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in business. 

Council is responsible for ensuring that accounting records are kept in respect of the Synagogue which are sufficient to show and explain all the charity's transactions, and which are such as to (a) disclose with reasonable accuracy at that time the financial position of the Synagogue and (b) enable the Council to ensure that the statements of accounts comply with the requirements of the Regulations. 

## _**Fabrizio Melis, Hon. Treasurer**_ 

**PLEASE REMEMBER US IN YOUR WILL** You have supported the SLLS during your lifetime; why not also in your Will for future generations? 

**LEGACIES MAKE THE DIFFERENCE** By leaving a bequest to SLLS you will support the future of Liberal Judaism in South London. 


_**For further information please contact**_ office@southlondon.org _or_ 020 8769 4787 

**PLEASE REMEMBER US IN YOUR WILL You have supported the SLLS during your lifetime; why not also in your Will for future generations? LEGACIES MAKE THE DIFFERENCE By leaving a bequest to SLLS you will support the future of Liberal Judaism in South London.** 

_**For further information please contact office@southlondon.org or 020 8769 4787**_ 


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**South London Liberal Synagogue Independent Examiner’s Report to the Synagogue Council** 

I report on the accounts of the South London Liberal Synagogue for the year ended 31 August 2023, which are set out herein. 

## **Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner** 

The charity’s trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act) and that an independent examination is needed. 

It is my responsibility to: 

- examine the accounts under section 145 of the 2011 Act; 

- to follow procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act; and 

- to state whether particular matters have come to my attention. 

## **Basis of independent examiner’s report** 

My examination was carried out in accordance with the general Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair view’ and the report is limited to those matters set out in the next statement. 

## **Independent examiner’s statement** 

In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention: 

- (1) Which gives me reasonable cause to believe that, in any material respect, requirements: 

   - to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act and 

   - to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the 2011 Act 

have not been met; or 

(2) to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. 

**Gareth Berney 2 Gibson Gardens Saffron Walden** 

[__] 2023 

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## **South London Liberal Synagogue - Statement of Financial Activities FY 2022-23** 

||**Unrestricted**<br>**Fund**<br>**£**|**Restricted**<br>**Funds**<br>**£**|**Total  2023**<br>**£**|**Total**<br>**2022**<br>**£**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|**Incoming Resources**|||||
|Subscrip)ons|69,080.37||69,080.37|66,060|
|Dona)ons/Legacies|9,321.34|652.91|9,974.25|20,478|
|Grants||1,252.00|1,252.00|4,858|
|Gi@  Aid  repayment|20,929.73||20,929.73|32,607|
|Appeals  income||5,299.00|5,299.00|23,575|
|Property  leHng|66,968.00||66,968.00|58,124|
|Fundraising  and  other  income|4,866.14||4,866.14|5,149|
|Burial  and  crema)on  fees|1,980.00||1,980.00|7,013|
|Bank  interest|693.03||693.03|47|
|U)li)es  reimbursement|2,544.80||||
|**Total  Incoming  Resources**|**176,383.41**|**7,203.91**|**181,042.52**|**217,911**|
||||||
|**Resources Expended**|||||
|Rabbinic  costs|£63,230.69|0||59,363|
|Staf  costs  (not  inc.  Rabbi  or  Gesher)|£19,583.09|0||17,839|
|Building  renewal,  maintenance  and  security|£73,408.22|£6,551.00|£79,959.22|127,174|
|Aflia)on  fees|£12,733.34|||14,400|
|Educa)on  (Gesher)|£4,374.90|||4,852|
|Insurance|£8,956.51|||8,559|
|U)li)es|£6,198.15|||3,967|
|Management  and  administra)on|£3,608.78|||3,826|
|Burial  and  crema)on  costs|£2,166.00|||999|
|Charitable  dona)ons||||1,070|
|Costs  related  to  property,  fundraising  and  other<br>synagogue  ac)vi)es|£1,892.33|||158|
|Deprecia)on|£2,493.66|||6,521|
|Deprecia)on  on  property  not  in  ledger|4,009||||
|Deprecia)on  overstated  in  ledger|-499||||
|Adjustment  to  the  cost  of  fxed  assets  (AV)|£529.00|||3,974|
|**Total  Resources  Expended**|**£202,684.67**|**£6,551.00**|**£209,235.67**|**252,702**|
||||||
|**Net  Movement  in  Funds**|-£26,301.26|652.91|-£28,193.15|-34,791|
||||||
|**Funds  brought  forward  at  1st  September  2022**|£215,981.00|£27,233.00|£243,214.00||
||||||
|**Funds  carried  forward  at  31st  August  2023**|**£189,679.74**|**£24,547.31**|**£214,227.05**||



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**South London Liberal Synagogue Balance Sheet as at 31 August 2023** 

|||**2023**|**2022**|
|---|---|---|---|
|||£<br>£|£<br>£|
||**Fixed Assets**|||
||Tangible  fxed  assets|£135,492.58|£139,003|
|||||
|||||
||**Current assets**|||
||Debtors|-|-|
||Undeposited  Funds  (GoCardless)|£    3,514.66|£801|
||Cash  at  bank  and  in  hand|£  90,394.11|<br>£125,471|
|||£  93,908.77|£126,272|
||**Total  assets**|**£229,401.35**|**£265,275**|
|||||
||Current  liabili)es|||
||Creditors:  amounts  falling  due  within<br>one  year|-£14,466.87|-£22,061|
|||||
||**Total  assets  less  current  liabiliOes**|**£214,934.48**|**£243,214**|
|||||
||Income  Funds|||
||Restricted  funds|£  24,547|£27,233|
||Unrestricted  funds|£189,680|£215,981|
||**Total  Funds**|**£214,227.05**|**£243,214**|
|||||
|||_diference_<br>_£0.00_||



## **Notes forming part of the statement of accounts for the year ended 31 August 2023** 

## **1.The principal accounting policies adopted by the charity are described below. They have been applied consistently throughout the period.** 

## BASIS OF ACCOUNTING 

The financial statements are prepared under the historical cost convention and in accordance with the 2011 Act, the Charities SORP and the applicable Financial Reporting Standard (FRS 102). 

## INCOMING RESOURCES 

All incoming resources are included in the Statement of Financial Activities when the monies are received. 

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RESOURCES EXPENDED Expenditure is recognised on an accrual basis when the liability is incurred. 

## **2. Tangible Fixed Assets and Depreciation** 

Depreciation is calculated to write down the cost of assets to their estimated residual values over their expected useful lives as follows: 

- ! Freehold building & improvements - 2% on cost 

- ! Furniture - 25% on net book value 

- ! A/V Equipment - 20% on cost 

|**Tangible fixed assets**|**Freehold property**<br>**& improvements**|**Organ**|**Furnitur**<br>**e**|**Equipmen**<br>**t**|**Total**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**£**|**£**|**£**||**£**|
|Cost at 31 August 2022|200,471|6,995|16,820|12,996|237,282|
|Additions in the year|0|0|0|-528|-528|
|**Total cost**|**200,471**|**6,995**|**16,820**|**12,468**|**236,754**|
|||||||
|Depreciation at 31 August 2022|-71,442|-6,995|-16,820|-2,494|-97,751|
|Charge for the year|0|0|0|0|0|
|**Total depreciation**|**-71,442**|**-6,995**|**-16,820**|**-2,494**|**-97,751**|
|||||||
|Depreciation is not in the<br>ledger|||||-4,009|
|Depreciation is wrong on the<br>ledger|||||499|
|||||||
|**Net book value at 31 August**<br>**2023**|**129,029**|**0**|**0**|**9,975**|**135,493**|
|||||||
|**Net book value at 31 August**<br>**2021**|**133,038**|**0**|**19**|**0**|**133,057**|
|||||||
|||||||
|On cost|2%|0%||20%||
|Reducing balance|||25%|||



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||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**As at 31 August 2022**||||||
||CAF Gold Account|||||36,812.78|
||CAF Gold BC Scheme|||||23,961.31|
||CAF Cash Account General|||||24,762.52|
||||||||
||**Total Cash at bank and in hand**|||||**£85,536.61**|
||**3.**<br>**Cash at bank and in hand**<br>**4.**<br>**Creditors:  amounts falling due within one year**||||||
||**Account**|||||**Amount**|
||Board of Deputies levy|||||1,635|
||Liberal Judaism Community Affiliation Fee|||||1,915|
||**_sub-total:  Accounts Payable_**|||||**_3,550_**|
||Open wage, pension, tax and NIC liabilities|||||521|
||Abraham’s Tent Project Fund|||||2,016.87|
||Rabbi Discretionary Fund|||||586|
||**_sub-total:  Other open liabilities_**|||||**_3,126.87_**|
||**Total current liabilities**|||||**£6,673.87**|
||||||||
|||**at  31.08.2023**||||**at  31.08.2022**|
||||||||
||Restricted Funds||||||
||**Rabbi’s discretionary fund**|£586||||£1,354|
||**Burial and cremation fund**|£23,961||||£25,879|
||_sub-total: restricted funds_|**£24,547**||||**£27,233**|
||||||||
||||||||
||Designated Funds||||||
||||||||
||**Abraham’s Tent Fund**|£2,017||||£1,613|
||**Building Fund**|£0||||£0|
||_sub-total: designated funds_|**£2,017**||||**£1,613**|
||**Total:  Restricted and Designated Funds**|**£26,564**||||**£28,846**|
||**5.**<br>**Restricted and designated funds**||||||



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**South London Liberal Synagogue Financial Projection FY 2023-24** 

|**Income**<br>**£**<br>Subscriptions<br>70,000<br>Donations/Legacies<br>7,000|**Income**<br>**£**<br>Subscriptions<br>70,000<br>Donations/Legacies<br>7,000|
|---|---|
|Gift Aid repayment<br>20,000||
|Appeals income<br>5,000||
|Grants<br>1,500||
|Property lettings<br>65,000||
|Fundraising income<br>1,000<br>**£**||
|Etz<br>Chayim<br>(Leaf<br>Sales)<br>100||
|Chevra<br>900||
|1,000||
|Burial & Cremation Fees<br>500||
|Bank Interest<br>20||
|**Total Income**<br>**170,020**||
|||
||**Expenses**|
|Rabbinic costs<br>66,000||
|Other staff costs<br>20,000<br>(Administrator & Cleaners'<br>Wages + NI)||
|Building maintenance<br>8,500||
|Building renewal<br>65,000||
|Affiliation fees<br>15,000<br>**£**||
|Board of<br>Deputies<br>1500||
|Liberal<br>Judaism<br>13,500||
|15,000||
|Education (Gesher)<br>3,500<br>(Teachers' Wages + NI + costs)||
|Charitable donations<br>1,000<br>(Pass-through of appeals<br>income)||
|Insurance<br>9,000||
|Utilities<br>8,000||
|Management & administration (excl. staff)<br>3,000||



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|||||
|---|---|---|---|
||Depreciation|6,500||
||Burial and cremation costs|1,000||
||Costs related to property, fundraising and other|||
||synagogue activities|1,000||
||**Total Expenditure**|**207,500**||
||**Net Surplus/Deficit**|**-37,480**||
|||||



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