2020-12-31-accounts

Greater London North Scout County

Trustees’ Annual Report for the year ended 31 December 2020

Trustees

The trustees are deemed to be the members of the County Executive for the time being. Those who have served in this capacity during the last year and to the date of this report are as follows.

Andrew Wellbeloved (Chair) Brian Hosier (Treasurer) John Nelson (Secretary) (from 01.01.20)

Joshua Olins Alan Garner (to 17.6.2020) Andrew Rush (to 20.11.2020) Thomas Graham Deborah Rush (to 20.11.2020) Andrew Donn Rebecca Smith

The principal address of the charity for correspondence purposes is County Office, Scout Park, Gordon Road, London N11 2PB

Structure, governance and management

The County’s governing documents are those of The Scout Association. They consist of a Royal Charter, which in turn gives authority to the Bye Laws of the Association and The Policy, Organisation and Rules of the Scout Association.

The County is a trust established under rules which are common to all Scouts. It is also a Registered Charity in its own right number 272028.

The Trustees are appointed in accordance with the Policy, Organisation and Rules of The Scout Association.

The County is managed by the County Executive Committee, the members of which are the ‘Charity Trustees’ of the County which is an educational charity. As charity trustees they are responsible for complying with legislation applicable to charities. This includes the registration, keeping proper accounts and making returns to the Charity Commission as appropriate.

The Committee consists of the Chairman, Treasurer and Secretary together with the County Commissioner and up to 10 other members. Of the 10 other members half are appointed by the County Scout Council and the other half are nominated by the County Commissioner and approved by the County Scout Council both at the AGM.

The Executive Committee exists to support the County Commissioner in meeting the responsibilities of the appointment and is responsible for:

• The maintenance of County property;

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• The development of the County;

• The training of leaders and administrators;

• The raising of funds and the administration of County finance;

• The insurance of persons, property and equipment;

• County public occasions;

• Assisting in the recruitment of leaders and other adult support;

• Appointing any sub committees that may be required;

The Executive has two principal sub-committees to assist with these responsibilities; the Finance sub-committee and an Appointments Advisory Committee and both meet as required. The Executive itself meets quarterly.

Risk and internal Control

The County has in place systems of internal controls that are designed to provide reasonable assurance against material mismanagement or loss. These include two signatories for all payments and comprehensive insurance policies to ensure that insurable risks are covered.

Principal risks facing the County are as follows:

• Exposure to financial loss from events – mitigated by a robust Events Approval process

• • Reputational damage from adverse press coverage – mitigated by the use of a County Public Relations officer in contact with local Press and the Scout Association media team

• Reduced income from a fall in membership in our component Districts which provide the major part of our income – mitigated by the support and training of volunteer Scout Leaders to enable a challenging, vigorous and appealing programme for young people.

Objectives and activities

The objectives of the County are as a unit of The Scout Association.

The Aim of The Scout Association is to promote the development of young people in achieving their full physical, intellectual, social and spiritual potentials as individuals, as responsible citizens and as members of their local, national and international communities. The method of achieving the Aim of the Association is by providing an enjoyable and attractive scheme of progressive training, based on the Scout Promise and Law and guided by adult leadership. In the Scout County of Greater London North our objectives are currently as follows:

• To make quality Scouting available to every young person in the catchment area of the County, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, religion or disability.

• To ensure that every Scout Group offers the opportunity for young people aged 6 to 25 to progress through the Scout sections in a clearly identifiable way, either within their Group, or through formal arrangements with other Scout Groups and District and County led provisions.

• To continually ‘quality assure’ the quality of Scouting in every Scout Group.

• To continuously recruit and retain adult leaders and helpers.

• To maintain a quality programme of adult training and development.

• To build strong teams of adults who will deliver the County’s objectives.

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The County supports the work done in Groups and Districts in delivering the programme by:

• Delivering the national modular adult training scheme.

• Supporting and promoting participation in national and international events.

• Providing leadership and guidance both for District Managers and those who manage specific sections within districts.

• Providing County-wide events and competitions.

• Liaising with other Scout Counties to share resources and good practice.

Achievements and Performance

2020 was a year like no other in living memory. The COVID pandemic curtailed face to face scouting for at least 7 months of the year and into the start of 2021. At time or writing there is a glimmer of hope that the current second period of national lockdown will soon end.

In Q1 2020 we supported the Districts and Groups in various ways with a particular emphasis on ensuring that young people had access to a range of challenging and adventurous activities. Sadly many of those opportunities were cancelled or postponed. However supporting Groups with outdoor activities will be a key priority as and when face to face scouting resumes.

As we entered the first national lockdown we supported Leaders with ideas of programmes that could be run over the internet. The County “Zoom” video conferencing account was made available to anyone who wished to use it. The first wave of lockdown was eased and County were swift to implement the Face to Face Scouting Risk Assessment process. Prior to the second wave lockdown in Q4 2020 over two thirds of all sections and units had had a face to face risk assessment approved. Adding sections known to be only using online scouting – this figure rose to nearly 85% of all sections and units continuing to provide some kind of scouting for our young people.

Very few Scout Counties can boast that during lockdown a new Scout Group was launched. In North London District 21[st] Holborn was created, all via online meetings, with taster sessions running from the Summer of 2020. 10 cubs, 4 scouts and 6 leaders are already recorded members.

We aim to ensure that the achievements of the young people are properly recognised and celebrated through both the Jack Petchey Awards event and a County Youth Achievement Awards event. Jack Petchey winners are celebrated in February of the following year. Regrettably the event planned for February 2021 has been cancelled; last year’s winners will still receive a medallion from the Foundation. In addition the County Youth Achievement Awards event planned for Autumn 2020 also had to be cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions. The County Team together with the District Commissioners are looking at celebrating Scout Top Award winners in a different format in April 2022.

In 2020 the County had 7 Queen Scout Awards presented. Considering the lockdown conditions this is remarkable and we can expect this to be, once again, one of the highest numbers of any County in the UK. This included our first for an Explorer Scout from Dockland Scout Project. In

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the five years since January 2016 we have produced 54 new Queen Scouts. This high level of achievement is almost entirely down to the diligence of our Assistant County Commissioner (1425 yrs) Chris Fozzy Foster. An amazing and enviable record, a trend that we aim to continue to deliver in the coming years.

There was no national celebration event at Windsor Castle in 2020, nor will there be one for 2021 either. Despite that, the County has continued to ensure its adult volunteers have been suitably recognized for their exceptional service. In 2020 we presented 101 Adult Awards which included 3 Silver Wolfs (Frank Philip, Hazel Miall and Charles Rowell), 1 Bar to Silver Acorn (John Cronin) and 10 Silver Acorns, In addition Charles Rowell was awarded an OBE in the New Year Honours List 2021.

The County Training Team have been working diligently to try to continue to have adults work towards and complete their wood badge. From September 2020 all wood badge modules are now being presented via zoom, with several taking place every week. 4 of the mandatory training modules (Scouting Essentials, GDPR, Safety, Safeguarding) are now only available via an e-learning on the Scouts website. The remaining mandatory module, First Response First Aid, is by its very nature a practical learning experience. Even with that said, it too is being offered via 4 training sessions – 3 theoretical zoom sessions and 1 practical to be arranged when conditions allow.

In January 2021 the London Scout Region Conference was held for Scout Managers in London, with over 200 attendees from across the 6 Counties. GLN was well presented by members from all Districts. Matt Todd (CSL 1[st] Lyonsdown) ran a session titled Inclusivity in Action and James Hatts (SL 8[th] Holborn) ran a session on OSM. Both of which were well received. A video link to almost all sessions is available.

Public Benefit

In planning our activities for the year we kept in mind at our trustee meetings the Charity Commission guidance on public benefit.

Membership of the Scout Association, and therefore of the County, is open to all, no matter what background, faith, gender, or personal circumstances. Subscriptions payable to local groups are minimal and no young person would be prevented from joining if they were unable to pay this subscription. Grants are available at Group, District and County level to assist all young people to fully participate in all activities.

Plans for the Future

In May 2018 the Scouts “Skills for Life” strategic plan came into full effect. The objectives and goals of which are the key fundamentals that underpin the County and District Strategic Development Plans. The vision is that by 2023 we will have prepared more young people with skills for life, supported by amazing leaders delivering an inspiring programme. We will be growing, more inclusive, shaped by young people and making a bigger impact in our communities.

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We are still working towards the same four strategic objectives: Growth; Inclusivity; Youth Shaped; Community Impact.

2020 has set us back on our growth targets however the County Commissioner is now actively working with all Districts and the Regional Services Team at HQ to support development across the County. As mentioned above, in North London District an entire new Group was launched, 21st Holborn.

The information gleaned from the latest annual Census is vital in identifying where we can best put our efforts. In January 2021 the number of young people in Scouting in GLN has dropped by 25.1% (equivalent to c1,300 young people). This is still better than the London Region average - 30% drop. 450 of those lost members are in the Beaver section. This was expected in that many new members remain on a wait list until face to face scouting resumes. It is very difficult to engage with beavers via zoom only, and to build any sense of belonging to a Group. We expect this section to have the biggest and fastest bounce back.

In April and May 2021 the Scouts are launching a national recruitment campaign and the County team are focussing on supporting that with new resources and helping to prepare Districts to be ready.

In October 2020 Jackie Hartog was employed as our County Administrator and we have already seen improvements in the quality and speed of communications between County and Districts and adults alike.

Clear guidance and support for new leaders continues to be a priority and we are confident that this will lead to more exciting and challenging programmes for the young people whether that is online or face to face.

Funding – many members and many Groups are facing financial hardship. The County has set aside a considerable sum to offer grants and loans to Groups and individuals alike. The process of accessing those funds is soon to be rolled out across the County.

In addition the County will be making an extra push to ensure that the grants offered to us by the Jack Petchey Foundation are fully embraced and applied for. This campaign will ensure that all Leaders know the details of the scheme and how they go about nominating people.

Residential Events – camping and other events are the lifeblood of Scouts. Domestic residential events are looking to be possible soon but there are to be no international residential events permitted at any time in 2021.

Financial activities and results

Our General Fund receipts in the year exceeded expenditure by £42,258. A transfer of £14,661 has been made to a new Jamboree Designated Fund to support future Jamborees. The General Fund now stands at £202,144 and with a minimum of liabilities this Fund is considered satisfactory and sufficient for foreseeable needs.

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The total of Designated Funds has increased by £1,182 and, with the transfer mentioned above, now stands at £49,045.

Restricted Funds stand at £33,538 and include specific fundraising for the Jamboree with a balance of £10,521 at the year-end which is now expected to be the final amount to carry forward as an opening balance for the 2023 World Scout Jamboree. This sum does include a small balance from fund raising by Eurojam participants and Service Team members. As the Eurojam event was cancelled payments have been refunded and donations returned where the donors could be identified (or applied to an alternate event by agreement).

During the year we have continued to receive Achievement Award grants from the Jack Petchey Foundation and these have all been paid out to groups and leaders in the County to assist with further activities. We are most grateful to the Foundation for this continuing support and generosity to young people associated with our groups.

Investment Powers, Policy and Performance

It is a requirement of POR (Policy Organisation and Rules) that funds not immediately required by the County are transferred into a suitable investment vehicle permitted by POR. The County’s policy is to invest in bank deposit accounts including the Charities Official Investment Fund and CAF.

Reserves

Reserves have increased during the year as the proposed administrative support person was not in post until towards the end of the year. It is though acknowledged that reserves are higher than needed and trustees are working on a policy now taking into account the effects of a close down such as for Covid 19. In the interim a fund has been set up to provide grants and/or loans to groups and units and it has been agreed not to levy a subscription in 2021.

The budget for 2021 does provide more financial help for training, including specialist courses where a case can be made and a clear benefit to the whole County will result. These measures will gradually reduce the reserves available to us.

Voluntary Help

Many volunteers give of their time and talents to support Scouting in Greater London North at Group, District and County level. We are greatly indebted to these volunteers for their commitment and support.

Approved by the Trustees and signed on their behalf by:

Andrew Wellbeloved

Chairman 2021

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GREATER LONDON NORTH SCOUT COUNTY Receipts and Payments Account Forthe y￿r 1ST JANUARY 2020 31ST DECEMBER 2020 Receipts and payments 2020 2019 Trtal funds Total funds Recelpts DOl￿tIO1￿ 19gac19• •nd ¥lmll•r Incomg Mernbership SL5cripkns Less.. subxriFlyA c INaiion8YCountyiAmlDpotrKtI,. 183,263 190.W3 139.2•0 139.280 132.963 Net rn•rnbgrgtipwbKrfFthwBret•hMI 020 0thertsim￿•r ￿rA¥nO Sub tol•l Gran J•th P¢h•y 1•,600 29,ZS0 Sub totsl 20,2) Adlvltlg11gro••l Rover•¥ J8mtKre• 1,818 18 J1.188 EuroJamll$T Soulh•rn ￿ChI￿orn 20 18,082 24.gjg J.9)7 16.713 Cub C•mp R•thJhd dewait OolE Wdcom& pk Oiher PL￿￿1 Z.S70 A97r 190 4.216 Suty i•tsl Iniw•si COIF Ini•r•rt 109 Sub twi TotJl Gro¥¥ Incon 51,916 9.125 39.198 Tot•1 rec•lpts .17S 39.199 age Scouts T I LT70￿￿3

GREATER LONDON NORTH SCOUT COUNTY Recelpts and Payments Account Forthe year 1stJanuiry 2020 To 318t Oecwber 2020 Receipts and payments 2020 2019 G8rw•l fvrm T¢t•l funds Total funds Paym•nts c￿ritable paYTh￿ts y￿jth progrAmm• Eurr4amllST Aduyt 3upwt tr•ini S818ry costs Jambore• 470 27,326 7,511 16,7B2 1.525 7.705 SZ,004 ar￿￿Jack PetcTh8y prmnl expenw• f9,500 250 In¥uranco 476 78 T￿M ExwnaeJ RI9￿￿•1 Sub8 1,156 2,576 201 176 4,04$ Legal fe08 AGM and hirn County 0￿8 s￿rIes 600 ch t20 Subtotsl othol •xp•n¥ Donat￿nty Subtot•l Total Gross Exp•ndllurn 142 Prlor yMr •dlu•bii•nt ¢oTtht• off ¥tock Net Ofrnc￿pwpym0ntsJ Transler¥ b8hw•8n fur lo.￿1 14,661 14.661 Cash lund> l•stywr •nd C•sh funds Ihls y•*r•nd 174,547 23.247 204,288 201144 Pa9¢ 8 Scouts 2 LT700WJ3

Statement of assets and liabilities at the end ol the 31st DECEMBER 2020 ear 31-Doc.19 fuThJ5 Tctsl fvnd Total lunds Cash tund$ Bank current s[￿[¢ Bank dewsil aCc￿n1- gener COIF A£sx4nts 7,639 1,814 14,Ml 26 61.873 101,381 161833 7.672 67.742 Total cuh lundB 1r¢1144 33,53 230,996 Othvr monetsry auets DofE chequo$ In h•ThY Pmp•yrh $00 8,395 Subtot•l Non monetary a880ts for chrlty8 ¢)wn Lrfè DOE 61c¢k albL¥2k• 430 Sub lotal Ll&bllltl•s Amounts owin 1,210 Sub lotsl DE8IGNATED G•lleon S4S 1.720 8e•vw Fur 31S 31S Soulhlr 20 8.907 7,311 Jarnt￿M FuTrJ 14.681 14,881 F￿d 25.038 23.787 49.045 RE8TAIrn FUND$ J•dE 19.f•>) 19.500 825 eurr4•m 11.253 17.188 6.257 22,192 Jamtrfne 10.801 1.618 10.521 23.247 39.198 28.907 33.535 The above recelpts and p8yment8 accountand st•t•M•nt of••••ts 15wtAIlUoJ wern approved by the Trustett on 23 February 2021 and slgne¢l on ttlr tehaw Print Name WellbekNed. Cha ian Hos*r. Tr￿su￿ Page S Scouts 3 LT700003

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE TRVSTEES GREATER LONCKJN NoirrH SCOUT coupirf I report to the chtty trustees on my examinat￿ of tIE xcowls of the Charity for the year en¢Jed 31 December 2020 set OLrt on pages 1 to R6spon¥lbl1ltl￿ and bash of rnwrt As the Charty's Irl￿te8S you are r8sFMMit4e for the prep8rntion of the a(ttiLmts in accordance with the requiremenls of the Chitiey Act 201111ts Act'l. I rekK•rt in respect of my examinatK)n of the eharty's a(XOLmts car￿d out under Secti￿ 145 of the Act and in carying out my examination I have fc4h)wed all the 4)plicatde Dirtttéons given by the Chanty Commission under Section 14515llbl of thè Act. Indopond•nt Ex•mlnèrf8 Stat•rrnnt I have eomF4eted my examinalK)n. I confm Ihat rn malenal Matte￿ hgve Come to my attention in connecljon vAth the examinati￿ grvirg me w¥e to tdieve that in 8ry Mat￿81 respect.. acccMJntirKJ rewds ware Tr)t kept in re8Ert of the ct• as reqL￿red ty secon 130 01 thè Act., or 12) the aCcO￿ts do not ttcc*d with t1￿0 recoth. Slgmd Healhw Rayn¢r FCA............................ 31 Freston Gardens 8amel Herts EN4 9LX J IAJO 2021 Page 10

INDEPENDENT EXAfvINER'S REPORT TO THE TRLISTEES GREATER LONDON NORTH sco￿ COU14 I rep￿ lo the charty trustees on my eXam￿atIOn of the accoLrts of Ihe charity for the year eThJed 31 December 2020 vthich are set oth on pages 110 9. R•sponslbllltles and basls of As the Chty's Iruslees you are respw&it46 fc￿ preF￿rat￿ of ts accounts in accordan with the requirements of the Ch￿￿e$ Act 2011 Ilhe A¢X'I. I rwrt in respect of my examinatK¥n of the ehanty's ar£O￿ts car￿d out thder Se￿1￿ 145 of the Act and in carrying out my examinalicfi I have fc41oed all the ￿pI￿LIe ￿'r￿tionS gfven ty the Charity Commission under section 14515)Ib) of the A£t. Independont ExAmlnrfs Statemènt I have completed my examination. I confim that rKJ material matter8 have cc¥ne lo my att￿li0n In connection with the examinati¢n gNirYJ me cwse lo believe Ihal in any matw￿l ￿PeCt. acCA1￿11￿j recuds r¥X ke0 In resp￿ of ltr￿ charity as required by sectiw 130 of the Act,. or 121 the ac£ounl$ do rbx xc(Nd ttr¥)8e rw(ts. Slgnèd ..Healher Rayner Fck........................... 31 Freston Garden8 8amet Herts EN4 9LX J 2021 Page 10