2024-12-31-accounts - East Sussex County Scout Council

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Annual Report 2024 Scouts East Sussex www.eastsussexscouts.org.uk

EAST SUSSEX COUNTY SCOUT COUNCIL

Registered Charity 291136 Bushy Wood Activity Centre Main Road, Hailsham BN27 3LZ

Telephone 07907 119054 www.eastsussexscouts.org.uk

SCOUT ASSOCIATION REGISTRATION

Charity Number 00170; 1 April 1974

PRESIDENT

Andrew Blackman, Lord Lieutenant of East Sussex

TRUSTEE BOARD

Ex-officio

Kathryn Frost Elaine Gausden Sharon Bishop Tony Richardson Ray Tennant Stephen Dawson Mark Lloyd Andrew Smith

County Chair County Lead County Secretary County Treasurer

BANKERS Barclays Bank plc High Street Lewes East Sussex BN7 2DF

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER

MR M CLARK

Report from the County Lead Volunteer

I continue to lead scouting across East Sussex, it has been a challenging year but rewarding all the same. Scouting is going through some changes, with the end goal to make is easier to attract adults to join the teams, to enable more young people to enjoy scouting.

Transformation has had 2 purposes, one is to change the structure, Commissioners are now lead volunteers, leaders are now team leaders or team members. In East Sussex we were already working well as a team, so I personally feel confident in the changes, as in essence we were already doing them.

The second part of transformation was to bring in the new membership system, which has been more of a challenge. I am confident that eventually this will be a useful tool to enable safe scouting. I would like to thank the transformation lead, Ash Jones and his team for their hard work and dedication in preparing the county for this.

Across the county we have had some successful events, Beaver sleepover at Knockhatch, Overland and Goldbitz to name a few. Thank you to all the volunteers that make these events possible. The safety team have been busy, supporting events both in county and districts, working closely with HQ, ensuring we as a county are delivering safe scouting. Hopefully, once volunteers are more confident with the new structure, we will look at building on county events.

Kim, our Local Growth Officer (LGO) has been working hard in the 1st year, new squirrels are popping up all over the county. She is a trusted member of the county team and is doing a great job in supporting all who need her, enabling scouting to be delivered to the poorest part of the county where children most need the skills scouting can offer.

I'm sure the next year will continue to be a challenge, navigating through factors that are beyond our control, however, East Sussex Scouts will be the stability we all need.

Each District has continued to provide excellent scouting opportunities for the young people and also worked hard to ensure every member carries out their mandatory training, this is supported by Christine and Frances from county, thank to them both for their commitment and dedication to the cause.

Thank you for the hard work the district leads and group lead volunteers have put in over the past year.

Report from the County Chair

I am pleased to present the Annual report for the East Sussex Scout Council.

We are pleased to report that the Scout Board maintained a stable financial position throughout the year. Our revenue sources remained consistent, and we successfully managed our expenses within the allocated budget. The prudent financial management ensured that we continued to support and invest in our core scouting programs and initiatives.

Growth and Development: The County has continued to part fund the role of our Local Growth officer. Kim Hall has focused on membership growth initiatives and the targets set earlier in the year are well on track to be reached with the potential to exceed. The strong moves made to encourage growth in areas of the county that needed direct and detailed support from our Officers expertise has proved successful for both young people and adult recruitment. There is however work that still needs to be done, and Kim maintains a focused approach on working with District Lead Volunteers.

Our Youth team also continues to grow with a Youth lead either in role or identified as being suitable in all Districts; and plans for youth engagement and shaping the youth focus in our County continues to be a priority.

Leadership Development: The County has focused efforts on supporting Districts with Health and safety after the introduction of our Health and safety Team in 2024, the team have worked to equip our leaders with the necessary tools and knowledge to effectively guide and mentor our young people through exciting programs and ensure meeting places, events and activities are consistent across the County with a supportive approach from the team.

Similarly, the training team have worked tirelessly to ensure that adult volunteers have completed all their necessary training and helped navigate our teams through the transition period.

Transformation: With the introduction of new systems and ways to volunteer in scouting, our County Transformation team has supported and guided our adult volunteers through the process. Often facing challenges and changes to the processes that they had to quickly navigate and communicate to the County, it has not been an easy journey. However, despite the uncertainties that were felt, the team continue to support our volunteers through the process.

Diversity and Inclusion: Recognising the importance of inclusivity, we aim to enhance diversity within our organisation. We will continue to implement initiatives that create a welcoming and supportive environment for members of the global community, ensuring everyone feels valued and represented within East Sussex.

Partnerships and Collaborations: We will continue to actively seek partnerships and collaborations with other counties, local businesses, educational institutions, and governmental bodies. These partnerships will provide our scouts with valuable learning experiences, resources, and opportunities to contribute to the community.

Community Outreach: Across the County, our young people actively participated in community service projects and environmental initiatives, fostering a sense of social responsibility among our members, and leaving a positive impact on the community.

Events: The Board has remained committed to ensuring that every young person has access to activities and challenge events that broaden their experience of scouting and the opportunities that come with being a member. We continue to support international events, but this year has seen an increase in the part funding of local initiatives that include challenge hikes, activity days and the start of plans for our own County Jamboree in 2026.

In conclusion, the past year has not been without its challenges, especially as we stepped into transformation, but it has been successful and rewarding. We have navigated through some uncertainty, adapted to changing circumstances, and continued to provide an excellent and meaningful scouting experience for all our members. We extend our gratitude to all the dedicated volunteers, leaders, and supporters who have contributed to our success. We look forward to the year ahead and remain committed to fulfilling our mission of giving every young person skills for life

Kathryn Frost

Chair Board of Trustees

CENSUS OF MEMBERSHIP AS AT 31 JANUARY 2025

	Squirell Scouts	Beaver Scouts	Cub Scouts	Scouts	Explorer Scouts	Network Scouts	Adults	Total 2025	Total 2024
Ashdown	42	213	223	208	85	6	206	983	1,059
Brighton & Hove	-	231	312	306	79	20	193	1,141	1,151
Eastbourne	45	218	253	245	107	19	270	1,157	1,218
Hailsham & Heathfield	7	107	164	122	59	-	131	590	593
Hastings & Rye	76	220	258	254	72	-	253	1,133	1,105
Lewes	7	87	103	122	38		119	476	474
Seahaven	15	79	82	81	18	21	97	393	389
Senlac	16	143	165	168	93	5	186	776	774
County							12	12	65
Total 2025	208	1,298	1,560	1,506	551	71	1,467	6,661
Total 2024	163	1,246	1,699	1,505	530	72	1,613		6,828

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

The East Sussex County Scout Council is the electoral body which supports and encourages the development of Scouting within the County. The Scout County consists of eight autonomous Districts: Ashdown; Brighton & Hove; Eastbourne; Hailsham and Heathfield; Hastings and Rye; Lewes; Seahaven; and Senlac. The constitution of the Scout County is set out in the Policy, Organisation and Rules of the Scout Association.

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 its rules which are common to all Scouts.

The function of the Trustee Board Committee is to:

support the County Lead in meeting the responsibilities of the appointment.
provide support for the Scout Districts and Scout Network within the County.

Members of the Trustee Board are appointed in accordance with Policy, Organisation and Rules (P.O.R.) of The Scout Association. The County Chair, County Lead, County Treasurer, County Secretary and the County Youth Lead are ex-officio members of the Executive Committee. Other members are elected or appointed at the Annual General Meeting of the County Scout Council. The Trustee Board may co-opt members to fill casual vacancies.

Trustees already have, from the appointments they have held, basic understanding of both Scouting generally and of how the County is organised and run. With effect from 1 January 2016 all new Trustees were required to become members of The Scout Association and undertake the Association’s training for Trustees.

It is a duty of the Trustee Board to identify, review, and mitigate the major risks to which it believes the County is exposed. The main areas of concern remain the need to recruit sufficient volunteers to provide the requisite management and support of Scouting within the County; and the requirement to set and maintain high standards of health, safety, and protection of the environment.

Risk Assessments are undertaken for all major County Activities in accordance with the recommendations and requirements of the Scout Association’s published document entitled “Policy, Organisation and Rules”. Regular risk assessments of the County’s activity centre are carried out and reported to its Management Committee.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of the Scout County, as part of the national Scout Association, is to help young people achieve their full physical, intellectual, social and spiritual potential as individuals, as responsible citizens, and as members of their local, national, and international communities. The method of achieving this aim is by providing an enjoyable and attractive scheme of progressive training, based on the Scout Promise and Law, and guided by adult leadership.

The Scout County's overall objective is to encourage the development of Scouting in East Sussex. It does this by supporting the County Lead and their team in ensuring that appropriate administrative and financial arrangements are in place to promote good practice in the Scout Districts and Groups. In particular, it provides all adult leader training free of charge at the point of delivery and organises certain activities which are not provided at a more local level. It publishes internal newsletters to keep adults informed of developments. Promoting good health and safety practices also remains a key activity.

PUBLIC BENEFIT STATEMENT

The trustees confirm that they have complied with the duty in the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit (Charities and Public Benefit). The trustees believe that the benefits enjoyed by young people participating in Scouting activities, supported by East Sussex County Scout Council, meet the public benefit criteria of the Charities Act 2011, without distinction by reason of age, diversity or disability.

STATEMENT OF TRUSTEES’ RESPONSIBILITIES

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 charity's financial activities during the year and of its financial position at the end of the year. In preparing those financial statements, the Trustees are required to:

select suitable accounting policies and apply them consistently.
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 charitable organisation will continue in business.

The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and to enable it to ensure that the financial statements comply with applicable laws and regulations.

They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

Financial Review

The consolidated accounts for all County activities shows Income of £66,498 (2023 £60,752) with expenditure of £43,694 (2023 £51,846). This has left a surplus of £22,804 as compared with a surplus in 2023 of £8,906.

£10,321 has been transferred from the general reserve to the International Fund to support international Scouting events and £20,615 to the Development Fund. The balance on the ESCC support grant of £8,240 has also beentranssferred to the development fund

The trustees have a policy of retaining monies in the general fund to meet 9 months expenditure and to allow for any emergency assistance required by Scout Districts or Groups within the County. The reserves policy is reviewed annually. The general fund balance as of 31 December 2023 is £175,191 (2023 £174,075).

Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of East Sussex County Scout Council

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of East Sussex County Scout Council (the Trust) for the year ended 31 December 2024.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity trustees of the Trust, 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 Trust’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 Act.

Independent examiner’s statement

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:

accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act; or
the accounts do not accord with those records; or
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 to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Mr M Clark 5 Kingsdown Avenue Bexhill on Sea East Sussex TN39 4EJ

12 March 2025

East Sussex County Scout Council

Financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024

Unrestricted funds Designated funds Total £ £ £ 37,284 2,000 39,284 12,359 - 12,359 14,705 150 14,855 - - - 64,348 2,150 66,498 32,303 11,398 43,701 32,303 11,398 43,701 32,045 (9,248) 22,797 (30,936) 30,936 0 1,109 21,688 22,797 1,109 21,688 22,797 174,075 109,552 283,627 175,184 131,240 306,424 2024	Unrestricted funds Designated funds Total £ £ £ 37,284 2,000 39,284 12,359 - 12,359 14,705 150 14,855 - - - 64,348 2,150 66,498 32,303 11,398 43,701 32,303 11,398 43,701 32,045 (9,248) 22,797 (30,936) 30,936 0 1,109 21,688 22,797 1,109 21,688 22,797 174,075 109,552 283,627 175,184 131,240 306,424 2024	Unrestricted funds Designated funds Total £ £ £ 37,284 2,000 39,284 12,359 - 12,359 14,705 150 14,855 - - - 64,348 2,150 66,498 32,303 11,398 43,701 32,303 11,398 43,701 32,045 (9,248) 22,797 (30,936) 30,936 0 1,109 21,688 22,797 1,109 21,688 22,797 174,075 109,552 283,627 175,184 131,240 306,424 2024	2023 Total £
			31,901
			9,171
			19,680
			0
			60,752

32,303	11,398	43,701	51,846
32,303	11,398	43,701	51,846
32,045	(9,248)	22,797	8,906
(30,936)	30,936	0	0
1,109	21,688	22,797	8,906
1,109	21,688	22,797	8,906
174,075	109,552	283,627	274,721
175,184	131,240	306,424	283,627

Balance Sheet as at 31 December 2024

	31-Dec-24	31-Dec-24	31-Dec-24	31-Dec-23
Note Current assets Stocks 7 Debtors 8 (Short term) investments 9 Cash at bank and in hand 9 *Total current assets* Creditors: amounts falling due within one year 10 *Net current assets/(liabilities)* *Total assets less current liabilities* Creditors: amounts falling due after one year Provisions for liabilities and charges *Net assets* Funds of the Charity Unrestricted funds 12 Designated Funds 12 *Total funds*	Unrestricted funds Designated funds Total £ £ £ 2,704 - 2,704 10,659 - 10,659 150,000 108,187 258,187 22,249 23,053 45,302 185,612 131,240 316,852 10,428 - 10,428 175,184 131,240 306,424 175,184 131,240 306,424 - - - - - - 175,184 131,240 306,424 175,184 - 175,184 - 131,240 131,240 175,184 131,240 306,424			Total £ 818 11,017 255,000 25,849 292,684 9,057 283,627 283,627 - - 283,627 174,075 109,552 283,627
	175,184	131,240	306,424	283,627

The financial statements were approved by the Trustees on 22 May 2025 and signed on their behalf by

K Frost Chair

A M Richardson, FCCA Treasurer

Notes to the accounts

Note 1 Basis of preparation

1.1 Basis of accounting

These accounts have been prepared on the basis of historic cost (except that investments are shown at market value) in accordance with:

Accounting and Reporting by Charities – Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP 2015);
and with Accounting Standards
and with the Charities Act 2011.

Note 2 Accounting policies

INCOMING RESOURCES

Recognition of incoming	These are included in the Statement of Financial Activities (SoFA) when:
resources	· the charity becomes entitled to the resources;
	· the trustees are virtually certain they will receive the resources; and
	· the monetary value can be measured with sufficient reliability.
Membership subscriptions	Membership subscriptions collected on behalf of other parts of the Scout Movement are reported in
	the SoFA net of any amount paid out. This is because these subscriptions are in effect held as agents
	before being paid out.
Incoming resources with related	Where incoming resources have related expenditure (as with fundraising or contract income) the
expenditure	incoming resources and related expenditure are reported gross in the SoFA.
Grants and donations	Grants and donations are only included in the SoFA when the charity has unconditional entitlement to
	the resources.
Tax reclaims on donations and	Incoming resources from tax reclaims are included in the SoFA at the same time as the gift to which
gifts	they relate.
Contractual income and	This is only included in the SoFA once the related goods or services have been delivered.
performance related grants
Gifts in kind	Gifts in kind are accounted for at a reasonable estimate of their value to the charity or the amount
	actually realised.
	Gifts in kind for sale or distribution are included in the accounts as gifts only when sold or distributed
	by the charity.
	Gifts in kind for use by the charity are included in the SoFA as incoming resources when receivable.
Donated services and facilities	These are only included in incoming resources (with an equivalent amount in resources expended)
	where the benefit to the charity is reasonably quantifiable, measurable and material_._The value
	placed on these resources is the estimated value to the charity of the service or facility received.
Volunteer help	The value of any voluntary help received is not included although the reliance placed on this vital
	resource is referred to in the annual report.
Investment income	This is included in the accounts when receivable.
Investment gains and losses	This includes any gain or loss on the sale of investments and any gain or loss resulting from revaluing
	investments to market value at the end of the year.
EXPENDITURE AND LIABILITIES
Liability recognition	Liabilities are recognised as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity
	to pay out resources.
Grants with performance	Where the charity gives a grant with conditions for its payment being a specific level of service or
conditions	output to be provided, such grants are only recognised in the SoFA once the recipient of the grant has
	provided the specified service or output.
Grants payable without	These are only recognised in the accounts when a commitment has been made and there are no
performance conditions	conditions to be met relating to the grant which remain in the control of the charity.
ASSETS
Tangible fixed assets for use by	These are capitalised if they can be used for more than one year, and cost at least £1000. They are
charity	valued at cost or a reasonable value on receipt.
Investments	Investments quoted on a recognised stock exchange are valued at market value at the year end.
	Other investment assets are included at trustees' best estimate of market value.
Stocks	These are valued at the lower of cost or market value.

Notes to the accounts (continued)

Note 3 Analysis of incoming resources

Analysis	2024 2023 £ £	2024 2023 £ £
Membershipsubscriptions	230,147	211,906
Less: Membership subscriptions paid to National Scout Headquarters	(192,863)	(182,505)
Net membershipsubscriptions retained	37,284	29,401
Grants & Donations	2,000	2,500
	39,284	31,901

Bank & Short term Investment Interest	12,359	9,171
Total	12,359	9,171

Youth Programme and activities	14,855	19,680
Total	14,855	19,680
Analysis	2024 2023 £ £
Youth Programme and activities	23,206	31,242
Governance	648	239
Adult Training	3,584	5,794
Development of Scouting	7,160	5,605
CountyOffice	9,103	8,966
Total	43,701	51,846

Note 5 Expenses

5.1 Trustee expenses

Nature of the expenses Total amount paid 5.2 External Examiner Fees The total amount of payments or reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses made to Number of trustees who were paid expenses The following fees were paid for the statutory external scrutiny of accounts and other	2024	2023
	0	0
	Travel	Travel
	£0	£0

	~~2024~~ £	~~2023~~ £
	0	0

Notes to the accounts (continued)

Note 6 Paid employees

6.1 Staff Costs

6.1 Staff Costs
Gross wages, salaries and benefits in kind Total staff costs 6.2 Average number of full-time equivalent employees in the year	2024 £	2023 £
	7,291	6,671
	7,291	6,671

	2024 Number	2023 Number
	1	1

No employee emoluments exceeded £60,000 during the year

Note 7 Stocks

Activity Books & Badges Total	2024 £	2023 £
	2,704	818
	2,704	818

Note 8 Debtors and prepayments

Analysis of debtors Trade debtors Prepayments and accrued income Total			16/07/2676 £ - - - Amounts
	2024 £	2023 £
	700	9,894
	9,959	1,123
	10,659	11,017

Note 9 Cash at bank and in hand

Analysis of deposits

Bank Accounts Investment Accounts Cash in hand Total	2024 £	2023 £
	45,287	25,824
	258,187	255,000
	15	25
	303,489	280,849

Notes to the accounts (continued)

Note 10

Creditors and accruals

Note 10 Creditors and accruals
	Amounts falling due within one year
	31/12/2024 £	31/12/2023 £
Trade creditors Receipts in advance Accruals and deferred income Total	142	79
	10,286	8,502
	-	476
	10,428	9,057

14.2 Security over assets

Note 11. Analysis of County Activities County Office & General Stationery Beaver Scouts Events Development Costs International Events Overland Hike Adult Training Other Costs Badges & D of E awards Scout Events ACC Youth Involvement Governance Nwtwork Scouts LEA Grant Membership Fees Investment Interest Totals
	Income Expenditure
	-	9,103
	7,110	7,944
	150	7,160
	-	4,238
	3,394	3,881
	-	3,584
	-	2,846
	2,080	1,780
	2,121	1,620
		877
	-	648
		20
	2,000	-
	37,284	-
	12,359	-
	66,498	43,701

Notes to the accounts (continued)

Note 12 Designated and restricted funds

12.1 Funds held

The charity held the following funds at the year end

General Fund (GE); Designated Funds (D)

Fund Name	Type GE, D	Purpose and Restrictions
International Reserve	D	To support Scouts taking part in international activities.
LEA membership grants	D	Represents the value of grants received to support Scouting within the East Sussex County Council area.
Development Fund	D	To support future Development of Scoutingwithin East Sussex

12.2 Movements of major funds

Fund names	Type GE, D	Fund balances brought forward £	Incoming resources £	Outgoing resources £	Transfers £	Fund balances carried forward £
General Fund	GE	174,075	64,348	(32,303)	(30,936)	175,184

International Reserve	D	56,917	-	(4,238)	10,321	63,000
Development Fund	D	46,395	150	(7,160)	28,855	68,240
LEA membership grants	D	6,240	2,000	-	(8,240)	-
*sub total designated funds*		*109,552*	*2,150*	*(11,398)*	*30,936*	*131,240*

Total Funds		283,627	66,498	(43,701)	-	306,424