2025-03-31-accounts

Annual Review nd I Statement 2025 BRIXTON ADVICE NT

• 2 Reference and administrative details

• 3 Chair’s Report

• 4 Impact numbers

• 6 Welfare benefits, Debt and cost of living

• 8 Working with others and outreach

• 10 Service profile

• 13 Report of the Trustees

• 16 Report of the Auditors

• 19

• 20 Balance sheet

• 21

Trustees

L Bertholdi-Saad, Chair GRJ Beaton, Company Secretary ND Wachman, Treasurer N Catto (to 27 Nov 2024) C Lynch (to 8 Jan 2025) K Moran (from 29 Jan 2025) J Senker (from 29 Jan 2025) V Srirangam WF Taggart MBE V Tilakapala (to 31 Jul 2024)

Personnel

P Torsney, Chief Executive S Samuel, Office Manager S Stara, Benefits Supervisor U Edokpolo, Debt Supervisor P Elliott, Community Advisor/Housing D Hassan, Outreach Benefits Adviser A Suudi, Cost of Living Adviser L Jackson, Cleaning Services L Flynn, Benefits Adviser (vol) G Basili, Benefits Adviser (vol)

Brixton Advice Centre Reference and Administrative Details for the year ended 31 March 2025

Registered Office

167 Railton Road London SE24 0LU

Registered Charity No

291484

Registered Company No

01893924 (England and Wales)

Auditors

Berringers LLP Lygon House, 50 London Road, Bromley, Kent BR1 3RA

Website

brixtonadvice.org.uk

2

Times have been getting tougher for people in Lambeth, and we've risen to the challenge, reaching more people across our diverse community, making services easier to access, and delivering impactful support with compassion and respect

I am proud to introduce this year’s Annual Review, which shows how Brixton Advice Centre has responded to rising need with action and care. In 2024–25, we supported over 2,100 new clients, opened nearly 3,000 cases, and helped with more than 3,600 issues. Our work secured over £1.4 million in confirmed and estimated gains for Lambeth residents, £625,000 in

backdated payments, £380,000 in new annual benefits, and £270,000 in resolved debt and cost of living impacts

These numbers represent massive changes for people - but only represent a part of what we achieve. The value of our work goes far beyond financial outcomes. We enable people to stay in their homes, respond to pressure without buckling, understand their rights, and stay in control of their lives

Responding to our community’s needs, we have made our services more accessible and delivered them in more places - not only our Railton Road centre and our partner organisation’s locations, but also foodbanks and the Health & Wellbeing Bus. Wherever people need us, we aim to be there

We have continued to manage resources carefully, knowing that we have to make every pound count, while investing in our people, and systems to support our work now and into the future. We are grateful to Lambeth Council for its ongoing partnership, as well as to Trust for London, Trussell Trust (via Lambeth & Croydon Foodbank), and the Garfield Weston Foundation, all of whose funding has made a real difference

On behalf of the Trustees, my thanks go to our Chief Executive, Patrick Torsney, our other incredible staff and volunteers, and to the people of Lambeth. We are proud to be a part of and serve our community - and proud of what we have achieved together

Lucas Bertholdi-Saad

3

2024-25 Annual Service Impact Report 2,187 2,959 New Clients Served Cases Opened Service Areas Breakdown 1,563 1,391 Welfare Benefits Matters Debt & Cost ol Living Matters 975 401 Complex Housing Problems Addressed Other Areas (Family, Crime, Domestic Vio5ence, Civil Litigation & Consumer Issues) Its never just about the money. Our work also helps people keep their home, understand their rights. and find essential support at a critical time. Sometimes simply sitting down with someone to sort through a daunting carrier bag full of unread letters is lrfe-changing. Where our work did lead to a financial outcome in 2024-5, the numbers opposite give a snapshot of the huge difference we make

CLIENT RATING OF OUR ADVICE SERVICES: OVER 95% EXCELLENT/ VERY GOOD

5

Beverly (not her real name) came to us in May 2024. Despite suffering from sarcoidosis (an autoimmune disease), rheumatoid arthritis, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and osteoarthritis, her Personal Independence Payment (PIP) application was denied with zero points. She was in constant pain, fatigued and breathless, and extremely upset

The impact of her conditions meant extra expenditure on a range of items including skyrocketing utility bills. She was not eating properly and relying on local foodbanks

Beverly had already tried to challenge the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) decision, but that had been turned down also. We lodged an appeal on her behalf, prepared an extensive submission and Luciann, a specialist volunteer on our benefits team supervised by Sekayi Stara, represented Beverly at tribunal. The DWP fought the case all the way up to and including tribunal, so the process took almost a whole year

The tribunal ruled in favour of Beverly, with her new PIP award running from Nov 2023 to Nov 2027 - a backdated lump sum of £9,955 plus £588 each month from then on (Enhanced Rate for Daily Living and Standard Rate for Mobility)

Beverly is now able to get on with her life and cover the basics as well as some of the additional expense that comes with her conditions. It hasn’t solved the challenges she faces - she tells us it’s still a struggle - but she now feels much more in control and better able to work through them

“Thank you for everything. I just don’t know what I would have done without you. I’m eternally grateful for what you did for me.” Written feedback from ‘Beverly’, April 2025

Luciann Flynn specialist adviser

6

Uzo Edokpolo debt supervisor

I joined the Centre as a debt supervisor in the Lambeth Council Cost of Living-funded project about a year ago, having worked within the debt advice sector for thirteen years before then. My work is helping people experiencing extreme financial pressure, many of who are disadvantaged and socially excluded and facing multiple and interlinked complex problems

Relationship breakdown, as well as mental and physical health problems, are very common and can further complicate money issues and debt

The most critical part of my work is sorting out priority debts, so dealing with things like rent arrears to avoid eviction and council tax and fuel arrears. The high cost of living means many clients rely on bank overdrafts and credit cards to pay essential bills, and these come with their own set of issues that need factoring in so that people leave with a strategy that works for them. It’s about involving those I help too, working through the advantages and disadvantages of options available and helping people make an informed choice, always ensuring the best possible result

A typical day involves picking up new referrals from Centre colleagues out and about delivering outreach around the borough, responding directly to debt enquiries coming in via the Centre website, negotiating with creditors, contacting clients to progress cases, making debt relief order and other insolvency and court applications, as well as keeping on top of all the admin including maintaining solid case records

“I really feel I can get on with my life now without this awful debt hanging over me. You’ve been so brilliant with all your advice and help and I really appreciate what you’ve done for me. Thank you so much”

Written feedback, Aug 24

7

The Centre partnered with the Lambeth Council Health & Wellbeing Bus in 2023 and the service has gone from strength to strength since, providing essential health and advice outreach services across Lambeth

Every Friday the bus heads across the borough, choosing a different spot each week. The Health & Wellbeing crew focus on arranging health check-ups, blood pressure tests, mental health and other health services Monday to Thursdays, and on Fridays we are there as well - it’s usually me, Pete - to provide

Pete Elliott housing and community outreach

comprehensive Housing, Welfare

Benefits and Debt Advice, as well as generalist advice across a wide range of other areas

I think it makes a critical difference in the borough as it’s accessible, relatively informal, and gets our services out and into locations that aren’t as necessarily well served as others. Effective advice can help improve health outcomes too, lifting some of the weight and pressures affecting people in their day-to-day lives

Residents can log on to the Lambeth Health & Wellbeing website to see where the bus will be each week, or pick up an information card with a QR code on the back from the bus that provides the current weekly details whenever it is scanned

The feedback we get from services users is always extremely positive. Funding permitting, we are looking at ways to expand the service to other days too

8

Simone Samuel general services manager

Hello, I’m Simone, and I’ve worked at the Centre for the last ten years. I am the Office and Services Manager

I am responsible for the smooth day-today running of the office, everything from ensuring our open-door drop-in and telephone advice service is working efficiently, to office supplies being well stocked and organised, to making sure that staffing levels are

We’ve seen big changes in how people access our service since the COVID-19 pandemic. People tend to favour our telephone service and the dedicated advice forms (on our website) as their

first means of contacting us now rather than coming and sitting in a busy waiting room. In response to user feedback, we spent the last 18-months increasing our outreach services, particularly at foodbanks and other crisis points. These changes, particularly coupled with the website referral forms we set up, have increased our reach across the borough as well as made us more easily accessible to referring agencies and partners too

And while we have good reach, we’re proud to be local too. In particular, we have many older users in the local area who tell me how much they’d struggle if they weren’t able to drop in when they needed help with a document or form, or a letter they don’t understand and want some help with. It’s important to be there for our local community too, particularly those who find it harder to access help

Working at the Centre has allowed me to grow professionally and has given me the opportunity to give a lot back to my much loved local community

9

The proportion of services users by Lambeth Ward as a percentage of the total number of service users over the 2024-25 year

10

Top five categories of service user responses in each listed demographic

11

You can find more information on how to access our advice services, including our community outreach, by scanning the QR code to the right, or by visiting: brixtonadvice.org.uk/for-advice

Right now the demand for our services is greater than ever. The ongoing cost of living crisis is having a massive impact on our community. We are seeing significant increases in demand and in the complexity of that demand. Thank you for supporting our work

12

REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES Th8 trustees, who aré also directors of th8 charity for th8 purposes of the Companies Act 20c￿, present their r8POrt with the financial stat8m6nts of th8 charity for the y8ar ended 31 March 2025. Trustees have adopted the provisions of Accounting and Reportirg by Charities: 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) (effective 1 January 20191 in this report. OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES Obl8Ctlves and Alms The principal objectives of the Brixton ALfvice Centre It￿ Centre) are lo wjmote ￿cesS to justice by providing good quality legal advice. assistance and representation to Feople who would otherwise unable to afford legal seNices. The full statement on the Centre's Vision, Mission and Values is publicly available on its W8bsite.' htt rvxtonadvice.or ervin -the-commun -since-19661 The Centre delivers S￿la1 welfare law services primarily in weffare tenefits. debt and housing. Services in the period continued to be available throughcKrt the working weeK Other trfxlies such as health professionals. Members of Parliament and othw advice providers in the borough r￿jU1￿Y referred clients to the Centre. The Centre continued to provide extenwve OLrtreach services around the b(x¢wgh, including at fot)dbank outlets and various community hubs. as w￿11 as mobile seNic8s deliv8r*J via the Lamb8th c(￿nCIl,S He￿th and Wellbeing Bus. Th8 Centr8 contlnu8d to b8n8fft trom the SUPPOrt of volunt88rs. Includlng many legal prof8sslonals. who assist8d with th8 day-towday administration of th8 charity arKI th8 ddiv8ry of advice s8Nic8s. ACHIEVEMENT AND PERFORMANCE Charltable activities You will find a brief summary i)n the perfonnance and achievwnents of the c￿tre rdating to the wod within the pages of this report. Trustees note the (￿gOIng demands on the Centre and the Challenging funding environm8nt. The additional funding from Lambèth Council under a debvcost of Irving project Ise8 bèlow) was particularly ￿lcOme, as it all0v￿d the Centre to expand its operation by emplowng additional staff focussed specifically on the impacts of cost of liwng increases on the local communty. The Cerrtre maintsins compliance with the Law Society's Lexcel practice Manageffl￿t standard, vthich is independently and eXtern￿lY audited each year. The Centre is also wulatwJ by the Financial Conduct Authority for the provision of debt advice to memb8rs of the public and adheres to the relevant rules and requirements. The Centrè maintains its certification in the Govemment-backed Cyber Essentials scheme and is also an accredited Living Wage employer. FINANCIAL REVIEW Principal funding sources The Centré was pleased to have been able to increase its fundiThJ by £44k compared to an increase of £76k in tha previous year. The grant from the London Borough of Lambeth continues to be a crucial source of core funding, which for the year ended 31 March 2025 increased to £275k of which £140k related to work on a new debt and cost of living response project. This latter grant is part of a £180k programme over 18 rTh)nths: £20k of this grant was deferTed to next year. Unfortunatety. it appears that this project was a one-off and will not be extended so will have a significarrt impact on our overall capacty in the followng year. Other notable funding that included essential contributions to the Core running costs of the Centre were: Trust for London (£25kl' Trussell Twst1£85kl and the Gwfield Weston Foundation (£25k). We record our gratitude to them all. Flnanclal position Details of the financial trartsactions of the Centre are set out in the accounts. The ￿tre noted a surplus of £29k in this rewrting period compared to the previous year surplus of £46k and reflects the increased income referTed to above tOget￿r wilh well-￿ntrOlled ￿$ts. The totsl unrestrict￿ Funds to be carried forward are 13

£466K vthich is Cor￿Idered SLrffi¢ient to allow the charity to meet its and future objectives. The Centr8 is exempt from taxation under th8 provisiorts relating to tharities. FiTniRE PLANS Thè Centra continues to profilè and develop our services in order to best reswnd to continuing increases In demand caused by incr8as8s in CC¥St of living and govemmental rafomis that impact on the financi￿ wellbèing of Lambeth residents. Trustees are. with the involverrEnt of the Chief EX￿Utive. investing considerable time and effort into reviewing and developing the Centre's strategic plan. The intention is to carefully monitor the Centre's financial position within a challenging economic environment with a view to potential expansion of seNices over the coming peric#Y where this is FK)ssible. Targeting of new seNices is both likely and desirable. with new and additional services reaching oul to groups y￿thin our communities facing particular challenges. partly so that the Centre better serves groups who may have particular unaddressed advice needs, but also so that the Centre takes the opportunity to leam as an organisation, arKI build deeper expwience and know18dg8 in certain areas of worf(. The C8ntr8 contlnuès to V￿rk wtlh arKI collaboratè with partnws across th8 b¢xwh and will contlnue to priorftIs8 and further d￿elop Its raroe of Ixrtreach seNic8s whèr8V8r possitA8. STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMEKr Govemlng document Brixton Advicé Centr8 was Inc¢xporated on 8 March 1985 as a company limitéd by guarant88 and was r8gist8r8d as a charity on 18 April 1985. ft is ther￿ore govèm•J by a memorandum and articles of association. Public benefft The Trustees consider that th8 objectiV8s arKI actNities of th8 Centr8 wovides public b8n8fft within the meaning and tenns of the Charity Commission. The Council of Management (trustees/directors} The Centr8 Is controlled by trUste￿direCtOrS who are dect&l to the Councll of Manag8m8nt (Com). The M8mb8rs of the Com act both as trustees and dIr￿tOrS. Please see detals of trust8es in th8 year 2024-25 on pag8 2 of thls rerM)rt. Recrultmgnt and appolntmerrt of new tru•tse• Trustees ar8 recruited through advertisements and by vrnd of mouth, with particular emphasis on the n8￿1 to rèfl6ct the local communty. New trustees are inductèd by the Chief Ex8cutive wth the assistance of th8 Officers following appointment. Al proSp￿tive trustees must agree to the Centre's Trustee Code of cOndL￿ before being accepted as a trustee of the Centre. All current trustees signed. or re-sign￿1. the Code of CorKluct either iMm￿lIale￿ aftw the AGM or follov*irvJ their appointmerrt. Organlsatlonal structurn The Com meets regularty to manage the ￿tre'S affairs. The ￿tre has a full-time Chief Executive who is accountable to the Council of manage￿nt and who manages the day-to-day administration of the charity. The Chief Executive reports directly to the Com and provides it with written and verbal r8POrts as appropriate at each meeting. Key management remuneration ement c￿n sation Risk management 14 The Com Jways seeks to er6ure it refiects a range of skills and experience sufficient to oversee the runnirwJ

of the organisation and regularfy reviews tre major risks the Centre faces. The Treasurer oversees detailed financial managemenl issues urKl8r the oversight of the Com. The Centre has a medium to loNJ4em oty'edive to build a reseprfe (net assets eXd￿*ng fixed assets) of £100-120k and over the period 2025-2028 to make signrficant progress towards that. In the absence of achieving the reserves target, the Centre will manage the risks associated with its cash posttion intensively in the short term. TRUSTEES, RESPONSIBILITY STATEMENT The trustees (who are also the directors of BrIX￿ Advice Centre for the pun)oses of company law) are responsible for prepaTing the Report of the tr￿SteeS and the financial statements in accordance with appli¢ab1e law and United Kingdom Accounting Stsndards (United Kirydom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice). Company law requlres trustees to prepare financial ststements for each flnanclal year whlch glve true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and of the incoming resource8 and application of resources, includirvJ the income and expendtture, of the charitable company for that period. In prepariro those financial statements. the tNStees are required to.. select suitable accounting policies and then appty them consistently: observe the methods and principles in the Charity SORP: make Judgements arKS estimates that are reasonat￿e and prudent; prepare the finandal statements on the going concem basls unless11 is Inappropriat6 to presume that the charrtable company will continue in lyjsiness. The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose wrf(h reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the tharitable company and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the chariiable company and for taklng reasonable $teP8 for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregulwities. In 80 far as the trustees are aware: there is no relevant audrt infonnati<Jn of which the charitable companvs auditors are unaw8re,' and the trustees have taken all steps that they ougm to have taken to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establk8h that the auditors are aw8re of that inforniation. AUDITORS The auditors, Berringers LLP, will be proposed for re-appotntment at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting. Approvad by order of the board of Irustom of Brlxton Advlc• Centre on .. slgned on Its bohalf by: GRJBeaton- rustee 15

REPORT OF THE INDEPENDENT AUDITORS TO THE MEMBERS OF BRIXTON ADVICE CENTRE Opinion W8 have audited the financial statements of Brixton Advice C8ntre (th8 'charitabl8 company,) for the y8ar ended 31 March 2025 which comprise the Statement of financial activities. the Balance sheet and notes to th8 financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies. Th8 financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards {United Kingdom Generdly A£¢epted A¢¢ounting Pra¢ti¢e). In our opinion th8 firkqncid statements: give a true and fair view of the state of the charTtable company's affairs as at 31 March 2025 and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure. for the year then have b*n propwly wepared in accordance V•ryth United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice., and hav8 b88n pr8pared in aCc￿danCe with the Wulrem￿ts of the C<)mpanies Act 2006. Basls for opinion W8 conducted our audit in accordance V￿th Intemational Standards on AuditirKJ (UK) OS4s ￿K)} and applicable law. Our responsibiliti8s und8r thos8 Standards are further d8scribed in the Auditors, responsibilities for th8 audtt of the financial ststements section of our rep)rt. We are independent of the Charitable company in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of th8 financial statements in the UK, includirKJ the FRC'S Ethical Standard. and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit 8VKlenc8 we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion. Conclusions relating to going concem In auditing the financial statements, we have conclUd￿j that the trustees, use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial ststemenls is appropriate. Based on the work Y￿ have performed. have not idenlrfied any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or ￿lleCtivelY, may ￿t significant doubt on the charitable company's ability to continue as a going concem for a period of at ￿ast twelve morrths from when the financial ststements are authorised for issue. Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the trLk%tees with respect to going concem are described in the relevant sections of this report. Other infonnation The trustees are responsible for the other informati(￿. The other infomiation compfises the information included in the Annual report, other than the financial statements and our Report of the irKlep8ndent auditors thereon. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and. except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report. Y￿ do r￿1 express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. In connection with our audit of the financial statements. our responsibilty is to read the other information and. in doing so. consider whether the other information is Matwi￿ty inconsistent wtth the financial statement5 or our knowledge obtained in the audtt or olheThvise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies cr apparent material misstatements. we are required to detemiine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements therTEelves. If, bas&J on the work we have performed. we conclude that there is a material rnisstatement of this other infomiation. we are required to r8POrt that fact. We have nothing to report in this regard. 16

In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in Ihe course of the audiL' the information given in the Rewrt of the trustees for the financial year for vthich the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financia statements. and . the RekX)rt of the trustees has been prepared in accordance with aFylicable legal rtt]uireffEnts. Matter8 on which we are required to repcKt by exception In the light ()f the knowledge and understanding of the chatitable company and its environment obtsined in the course of th8 audit, w8 havè not Identifi￿ materid mi&8tatements in th8 Re￿rt of the truste8S. We have nothing to report in res￿ of the ft￿lowIng matters where th8 C￿nPanieS Act 2(K)6 requires us to r8FKJrt to you if, in our opinion: adequate accounting records have not been kept or retums ad4uate for our audit have not begn received from branches not vigtal by us., or th8 financial statements are not in agreem8nt with acccmjnting r&ords and r8tums: or certain disclosures of trustees, remuneration specthed by law are not made., or W8 havè not r￿alVed all the infomation and explanatic￿S we require for our audit; or the trustees wére not entitled to take advantage of the smdl companies exemption from th8 wuirem8nt to prepare a Strategic reP￿t or in weparirvJ the Rep(Ki of the tnth. Responsibilities of trustees As explained more fully in the TNste8s' responsiknliti88 Statem•tt. the truste8s {vtho axe also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company lawl are responsible for the preparation of the financi statements and for being satisfied that tw give a true and fair view, and for such intml control as the trustees det8min8 is necessary to enable the KYepaatiM of financbd statements that are fr88 from material misstatèm8nt, wh8th8r du8 to fraud or arror. In preparing the financial statements, the twstees are responsible lor assessing the chwitable company's ability to continue as a going concem, disclosing, as applicable, matters rdated to going concem and using th8 going concem basis of accounting unless the truste8s either interKI to liquidate the charitable company or to cease operations, or have rK) re￿IStiC altwnative but to do so. Our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financlal statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, ar￿ to issue a Rewt of the independent auditors that includes our opini¢Jn. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarante8 that an audit conducted in accordance wilh ISAS (UK) will always delect a malerial misstatement when it exisls. Misstat8ments can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually C￿ in the aggr6gat8. they could reasonably b8 expected to influence ecorK)mic ￿l￿on$ of us8rs takèn ¢Jn the basis of these financial statements. The extent to which our ￿￿edureS are capable of detectiTr3 Irregularitles. Includlng fraud Is detailed b810w: In identifying and assessing risks of matW1￿ mis8tatsn￿t in respect of irregularityes, inclLNJing fraud and erTOr, we considered th8 following: the nature of the industry, control environment arvj business perforniance: results of our enquiries to management about thwr own assessment of the risks of fraud and error: the matters discussed among the aLKIit engagement team regardirvJ how and where fraud may occur in the financial stalemenls and any Wential indicators of fraud. Our pro¢￿JureS to r8sporMJ to risk include the following: reviewing the financial statemerrt disclosures arKJ testing to supporting iknumentation: perfomiing analytical procedures to identify any unusual or unexpected areas that may indicate risks of materid misstatement due to fraud or etror. addressiTrJ the risk of fraud and e￿or through management override of controls, testing the appropriateness of journ￿s, assessirrfJ vthether the judgements made in making accounting estimates are indicative of a wtential bias. and evaluating the business rationale of any ￿gnIffiCant transactio 17

that are unusual or ￿tsIde the rK)nnal course of I￿sinesS A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council's website at wNW.frc.org.ukJauditorsres￿nSibil1ties. This description fomis part of our Report of the Independent Auditors. Use of our report This report is made solety to the chwitable c(xnpany's rrembers, as a toty. in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 20(￿. Our audrt work has been undertaken so that might state to the charitable company's membws those matters we are required to stst8 to them in an auditors, report and for no other purpose. To the fullest exlent pemiitted by law, we do not a£cept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company and the charitable c(xnpany's m8mb8rs as a b(Kly, for our audit Y￿rk, for this report, or for the opinions we have fcxff￿. Paul Arian Bsc A (Sen or Ststutw knltry) for and on behalf ol ￿Ingern LLP Lygon HcMJ88 50 Lond(￿ Road PAomlgy BR13RA 18

STATEMEMf OF FINANCIAL ACTMTIES ONCORPORATING AN INCOME AND EXPENDrruRE ACCOUNT) for th8 year ended 31 March 2 2Y25 Totsl funds 2024 Total funds Unrestricted Restricted funds fu￿lS Notes" INCOME AND ENDOWMEMfs FROM Donations and18gaci8S 6,622 5,881 Charitsble activities Provision of legal advice 310N7T 109254 419,731 375,739 Investment income 3.171 Total 320.7WJ 384,791 E￿OEND1TURE ON Charltabla actlvftl•8 Provision of legal advice 291￿2 1￿1254 338,607 NET INCOME 29,258 46,184 RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS Total funds brought forward 437,041 437,041 3SYI,857 TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD 437,041 'The notes fonn part of these financial statements 19

31 March 2024 Total f￿￿9 fund• Taryible assets 870,797 CURRENT ASSETS 10 11368 19.1 31W8 18,877 295,635 Cth at bank and in hand 21. 1W144 312,512 CREDrroRS Amwnts falllng due ￿thin one y 11 P33,259) NEf CURREKf ASSErs 1(k 79,253 UABILMES 4W18 CREDITOAS Amounts falling due after more than ong 12 614) 814) {13,IJ09) NEf ASSEf8 437,041 FUNDS Unrestrlclad funds 14 437,041 TOTAL FIJYDS 437,041 These financial statern￿ts have been pr8rwed In wlth th• wovlsi(xis ￿pliCable to chwitsble mpanl&s P•ubJect to the small c(Th￿leS wime. . 3Af.Q.Y..201S............ GRJBe 20

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL sfATEMEMrs for the year ended 31 March 2(r25 1. ACCOUKllNG POLICIES Basis of preparing the financial slatements The financial statements of the charr(at￿e company, which is a public b￿efit enlity under FRS 102, have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP IFRS 102) 'kcounting and Reporting by Charities.. Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities weparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland IFRS 1021 (effective 1 January 2019}'. Financial Reporting Standard 102 'Th8 Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland, and the Companies Act 20(￿. The financid statements have been prepar&J under the historical cost convention. Crltic81 a￿o￿nting 1wlgen￿nts and key of 88tim8tion uncwtsinty In the application of the charity's accounting policies. the trustees are required to make judgements. estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets liabillties that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associattr￿ assUmptic￿S are bas&1 on historic￿ exptrjence and other factors that are considered to be rdevant. Actud results may differ from these estimates. Th8 estlmates and urKJerfylng assumptiorts are reviev￿d on an orwlng basls. R8vislons to accounting estlmates are rec(N3nised in the period in which the estimate is revised vthere the revision affects only that period, or in the period of revision and fLrture periods where the revision affects both CLyrent and futur8 perbods. In¢ome l income is recognised in the Stalement of Financial Activities once the charity has entitiement to the funds. it Is probable that the income will rwAived and the amunt can be measu￿￿ reliably. Expondltwe Liabililies are r8cognis8d as eXp￿diture as soon as thwe is a1•3d or constructive Obligatic￿ committing the charity to that expenditure, it is probable that a transfer of ￿onoMiC benefits will be required in settlement and the amount of the obligation can b8 measured reliabty. ExpeThJiture is account&g for on an accruals basis ar has been classified under headings that aggregate all cost related to the categw. Where costs cannot be directly attribLrted to particular headings they have t)e￿ alIc￿￿j to activities a basis cor￿1St￿￿ with the use of resources. Governance costg Govemance expenditure includes all eXp￿dIture r#Jt dir￿tty relat&1 to th8 charitable actiwty or fund raislng ventures. This includes costs of legal, wofessional and a￿lt fe88. Tangible fixed as8ets Deweciation is provided at the following annual rates in cKder to write off each asset over its estimated useful life. Freehold prt)pety Fixtures and fittings 0%. 2% and 4% on ￿)st 25% on ￿$t and 20% on cost The freehold properties are included in the financiJ stements at the original cost. No depr￿latIOn is provided in respect of the freehold prop6rties. This pcdicy of non-deweciation, is, in the opinion of the trustees, necessary for the financial statements to give a true and fair view in accordance with applicable accounting standards. The properties will M￿ntain a lorwj usefijl economic lrfe and high residual v￿ue through the Folicy of regular maintenance and repair {charges for which are recognised in the Statement of Financid Activities) such that the assets are kept to the previously assessed levels. Any improvements to the wopty made since the original purchase are being dekyeciated at the rate of 2% straight line. The matket vaEue of the F*op￿ty is greater than the net book value. Assets are reviewed regulaty for impamwnt and the residual value confimTrd and no adjustment deemed necessary. Taxation The charity is ex￿pt from corpcffation tax cn tts charitable activtbe& Fund accounting Unrestricted funds can be u￿1 in accorda￿ with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the trustees. 21

Restricted funds can onty be used for particular restricted wrposes wtthin the objects of the charity. Restrictions arise when sp8Ctfied by the donor or vthen funds are raised for particular restricted purposes. Further explanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is i￿luded in the notes to th8 financial statements. Hire purchase and leasing commitments Rentals paid under operating leases are charged to the stateM￿t of financial a¢tNities on a straight line basis over the period of the lease. Pension costs and oth8r post-retirement beneffts The Centre participates in a stske holdw pension sthme and contribLrtes 3.5% (3% up to and including October 2024} for 8ach participating em ￿0yea. DONATIONS AND LE￿ClEs 2025 2024 Donatlons 6,622 5.881 INVESTMENf INCOME 2025 2024 Deposit account interest 3.171 INCOME FROM CHARrfABLE ACTivmES 2024 Activty Provision of legal advlce Provision of legal advice Grants Legal Aid & advice 408,629 364,403 11.336 375.739 Grants r8C8iV8d. Induded in the above. are as follows: 2024 Lambeth Borough c(￿nCil City Bridge Trust The National Lottery Communty Fund Trust for London Walcot Foundatlon Lambeth Lvder Trussell Trust Garfield West¢)n Foundation 273,375 179,076 26,500 31,095 45,100 24,749 500 57.383 364,403 Brixton Adwce Centre Is In partnership wth Centre 70. the lead appli&wt until September 2023. they r￿e1Ved funds on behalf of Centre 70 and passed them on. At the request of City Bridge Trust. the amount received from them is accounted for by including the total receipt in income and the amount paid to Centre 70 as an 8xpense. From October 2023 the funder changed to Trussell Trust, Centre 70 b￿ame the lead aptAicant a￿1 the Brixton Adwce Centre's receipt is net. CHARITABLE ACTMTIES COSTS Direct Supwrt costs Totds 22 Provision of legal adwce 394076 5,700 4CKI,776

NEf INCOMEI(EXPENDrruRE) Net income/(expenditure) is stated after cFwgiW(crediting): 2024 Auditors. remuneratic Depreciation - owned assets Hire of plant and maChin￿Y 47 7,720 6.100 9,651 1,997 TRUSTEES, REMUNERATION AND BENEFITS There were no trustees, remunw*ion or other benefrts for the year er¥Jed 31 March 2025 Tr)r the y8ar 8nd8d 31 March 2024. TN8tees' expen808 There were no trustees, expenses paid for the year end￿ 31 March 2025 nor for the year endgd 31 March 2024. STAFF cosrs The averag8 monthly number of employ88s duriNJ the year was as follows: 2024 Advic8 Sèrvic8s Admlnistratlon No employees received emoluments in excess of £60.(XX). TANGIBLE FIXED ASSErs Fixtures and fittings Freehold Totsls COST At 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025 673 541,919 DEPRECIATION At 1 April 2024 Charge for year 1W751 31371 171.122 At 31 March 2025 144815 ￿027 178 NEf BOOK VALUE At 31 March 2025 219 363,On At 31 March 2024 369,922 875 370.797 The Freehold propety was pffjw(X5sly considered reslricted as per the temis of the Big Lottery Grant 23

(now known as The National LOtt￿Y Communty Fund) that W&8 granted to purchase and refurbish the propety. In 2019 The National Lottery Communty Fund approved a policy d￿ls{On to reduce the Asset Liability Peri￿S for historic grant agreements and the Asset ￿abilIty Period under the grant agreement for this property expired on 24 November 2(X)9. Tha Nationa Lottwy Communty Fund confimied th8 Centre is rdeased from the restriction. 10. DEBTORS: AMOUNTS FALUNG DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR 2024 Trade debtors Other debtors VAT Prepayments and accrued income 19,160 147 5,816 10,914 11,710 31,528 16,877 11. CREDITOR&. AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR 2024 Bank loans and ovwdrafts (see note 13) Trade creditors Social security and other taxes Other creditors Client monies Deferred income Accrued expenses 10,481 10.257 4,051 4,775 970 23.121 61,705 160,000 503 30.085 791 233,259 12. CREDITOR&. AMOUNTS FALLING DUE AFfEA MOAE THAN ONE YEAR 2024 Bank loans (see note 13) 614 13,009 13. LOANS An analysis of the matuiity of loans is given below: 2024 Amounts f￿ling due within ong year on demand: Bank loans 10.481 10.257 Amounts fdling between one and two years: Bank loans - 1-2 years 1614 13.009 24

14. MOVEMEKf IN FUNDS Net At 1.4.24 in funds 31.3.25 Unrestricted funds General fund 437.041 TOTAL FUNDS 487￿41 Net moveff*nt In funds. Included in the abov8 are as follows: Incoming Resources resources expanded Movement in funds Unrestricted fund8 General fund 320,7 1291W2) Restricted funds Trust for London Trussell Trust 24,6(X) P4,800) TOTAL FUNDS N8t At 31.3.24 At 1.4.23 In funds Unre8tr1ctsd fund8 GO￿ra1 fund 390,857 46.184 437,041 TOTAL FUNDS 390,857 46,184 437,041 Comparative net movement in funds, inclLxled in the atx)ve are a8 ft￿loW$. Incoming Resources Mov8m8nt in funds Unrestrlcted funds Gener￿ fund 208,874 1162.690) 46,184 R88tricted fund8 City Bridge Trust The National Lottery Communty FurKI Trust for London Walcot Foundation Trussell Trust 26,500 22,185 45,100 24,749 57,383 P6,5001 122,1851 145.1001 (24,7491 7.383 175.917 (175,91 TOTAL FUNDS 25

City Bridge Trust Originalty a Ihretryear contract to fund the costs of advic8 being d81iv8r8d in f(*￿bankS by a trained adviser, vthich was extended by a further two years. The final end date was Sept8mb8r 2023. Th8 service was provided by BAC and Centr8 70, with BAC being the lead partnw. Trust for London A three year contract which fur)Jed a Housing Solicitor. who coordinated a team of pro bono lawyers to provide onlin8 arKI digital housing advic8 services across Lambeth and Scxrth LOnth￿ to pers<ms livirKJ in the private rented sectcff. Walcot Foundatlon A three year contract that funded volunteer devdopm8nt at BAC in order to increas8 s8NiC8 deliv8ry capacity and provide a18amirKJ and development pathway for th8 volunteers involved. Trussoll TNst A three-year contract to provide speciJist advice services at outreach venues around the Lambeth borough. The contract funded a full-time member of BAC staff who works wedcrfninantly offsite at locat food bank venue5. The National Lottery The Communty organisati1￿S Cost of Living Fund funding came from the UK Communfrty Fund Govemment and was for organisations that supwt people and communities in their l¢)cal area under severe pressure because of the increased cost of living. It was time limited (October 2(Y23 - March 2024) and during this time it supported the salary and management costs of our outreach seNices as well as contributing towards the core costs of our face-tTrface work and Online Legal Clinic. 15. RELATED PARTY DISCLOSURES There were no related paty transa¢tiix)s for Ihe year 31 March 2025. 18. CLIENTS BANK ACCOUNTS 2024 Monies held in client bank accounts 42.655 26

I ,.the health￿-_ l andweyueii19 elpres VIc8el NHS 00s{rg Lambeth GQTrussell Ilglii Trust Garfield Weston • for London Legal Aid Agency FOUNDATION adviceuK IAMBETH IARDEII I J Accre&ited L CYBER ESSENTIALS LEXCEL LIVING WAGE / PWIACTICE trAANAGÈklENy': STANDARD EMPLOYER