2025-03-31-accounts

Walsall Wood Allotments Charity

Annual Report 01/04/2024 - 31/03/2025

Charity Registration Number: 510627

• Address: Walsall Council House, Lichfield Street, Walsall, WS1 1TW

Trustees: Councillor Keith Sears (Chair of the Trustees) Mr Alan Paul (Vice-Chair) Councillor Mike Bird Councillor Ken Ferguson Councillor Amanda Parkes Councillor Vera Waters

1 Summary of Report

• 1.1 This report presents the work of the Charity during 2024-2025 financial reporting year. The Committee met on four occasions and ensured the Charity acted in accordance with its purpose of relieving beneficiaries who are in conditions of need, hardship or distress by making grants of money or providing or paying for items, services or facilities.

• 1.2 This report will be submitted to the Charity Commission as part of the Charity’s Annual Return (2024-25), if required by the Charity Commission.

2 Recommendations

• 2.1 That the work of the Charity be noted.

3 Governance and Trustees

• 3.1 The Charity’s Committee of Management consists of five co-opted Trustees serving five-year terms of office and one Trustee nominated by Walsall Council serving a four-year term of office. This is in accordance with the Charity’s governing Trust Scheme (September 1993, as amended 2006 and 2023). New co-opted Trustees are recruited when vacancies become available and are appointed by the existing Trustees at special meetings.

• 3.2 The Chair and Vice-Chair are appointed by Trustees at the first meeting of the Trustees in each municipal year and the Chair is always eligible for reelection.

• 3.3 At their meeting on 4 June 2024, the Trustees re-appointed Councillor K. Sears as Chair and Mr A. Paul as Vice-Chair of the Charity for the 2024-25 municipal year.

• 3.4 At their ordinary meetings, Trustees consider and determine applications received for financial assistance, after which the day-to-day administration of grants and the processing and handling of new applications, is delegated to the Clerk to the Trustees in co-operation with the Treasurer and Chair. The Clerk is provided by Walsall Council’s Democratic Services team. Risks revolving around the spending of charity resources by successful applicants are managed closely by the Clerk, in consultation with the Chair, outside of Charity Meetings.

4 Charity Priorities and Activities

• 4.1 The Charity’s governing document explains that its income should be used for the purpose of relieving beneficiaries who are in conditions of need, hardship or distress by making grants of money or providing or paying for items, services or facilities. The governing document also states that charity income cannot be used to relieve ‘rates, taxes or other public funds’. Further to this, Trustees have further developed the Charity’s purpose with the following local conventions:

• The Charity will not use its income for the relief of the following: o Rent arrears and deposits;

  • Bankruptcy fees;

  • Applications for assistance from applicants living outside of the borough of Walsall Council.

• Due to the substantial number of applications received and limited charitable resources, those applicants from residents in the Walsall Wood area (denoted by WS8 and WS9 postcodes) will be considered first.

• 4.2 At their ordinary meetings, Trustees consider and determine applications received for financial assistance based on their own merit and the resources available to the Charity. Trustees have a legal and moral obligation to ensure that when considering applications, they are fair and even-handed, and that the age, disability, gender, race, religion or belief, and sexual orientation of applicants do not prejudice or influence decision making. Requirements are in place for applications to be supported by minimum standards of evidence to help ensure Trustees make awards to those who most require assistance and therefore best meet their objectives of relieving beneficiaries who are in conditions of need, hardship or distress.

• 4.3 The Charity held four meetings in 2024-25 financial reporting year. Grants were made to 76 applicants. Awards were made for assistance including white goods, flooring, furniture, school uniform and clothing. Applications from residents in WS8 and WS9 postcodes were considered first, however most awards were made to residents in the rest of Walsall Borough. The total value of awards granted was £19,451.00 (including those not claimed). This was an increase of £3042.00 from the previous year.

5 Financial Review

• 5.1 Details of the Charity’s financial review can be found in the appended financial report. Trustees have a duty to manage the Charity on a sound financial footing and should seek to spend within its income levels.

6 Risk management

• 6.1 The associated risks to this report revolve around the financial security of the Charity and statutory reporting requirements.

Serious incidents

• 6.2 There have been no serious incidents requiring reporting.

Policy Statements

• 6.3 The Charity Commission recommends that Charities should have policies in place to ensure that it carries out its aims lawfully and to safeguard its funds and assets. Whilst there is no specific legal requirement to have in place formal policies for some matters referred to by the charity Commission, it would be good practice to provide positive statements in areas where there is an identifiable need.

• 6.4 The Charity currently has in place the following policies and procedures:

• Safeguarding (adopted March 2017)

• Trustee conflicts of interest (adopted December 2016)

7 Legal implications

• 7.1 Charities with an income exceeding £25,000 are required to provide a copy of the trustees’ annual report, the Charity’s accounts and Independent Examiner’s Report as part of their annual return to the Charity Commission.

• 7.2 The 2022-23 Annual Return was submitted on time.

8 Equality implications

• 8.1 Trustees have a legal and moral obligation to ensure that, when considering applications, they are fair and even handed and that the age, disability, gender, race, religion or belief, and sexual orientation of applicants does not prejudice or influence decision making.

9 Consultation

• 9.1 The Treasurer to the Trustees and finance officers from Walsall Council have provided the financial review and presented the report to Trustees at their meeting of 21 August 2025.

Author

Edward Cook Democratic Services Officer  01922 653204

 [e-mail]

Walsall Wood Allotment Charity

Receipts and Payments Statement For the year ended 31 March 2025

		2023/24				2024/25
	Restricted				Restricted
Unrestricted	funds (inc			Unrestricted	funds (inc
Funds	endowments)	Total		Funds	endowments)	Total
£	£	£		£	£	£
			Receipts from:
2,480	26,168	28,648	Investments	2,529	26,691	29,221
0	0	0	Donations	0	0	0
1,143	0	1,143	Bank Interest	1,439	0	1,439
0	0	0	Other receipts	0	0	0
0	0	0	Sale/redemption of investments	0	0	0
3,623	26,168	**29,791 **	Total Income	3,968	26,691	30,660
			Payments on:
0	5,993	5,993	Charitable expenses	0	0	0
349	0	349	Insurance	0	0	0
0	0	0	Administrative expenses	0	0	0
349	5,993	**6,342 **	Total Payments	0	0	0
3,274	20,175	**23,449 **	Surplus/(Deficit) for Year	3,968	26,691	30,660
32,749	76,983	109,732	Total Cash Funds Brought Forward	36,023	97,158	133,181
36,023	97,158	**133,181 **	Total Cash Funds Carried Forward	39,991	123,850	163,841

on behalf of Shaun Darcy Treasurer to the Trust

Walsall Wood Allotment Charity

Statement of Balances as at 31 March 2025

Cash Funds

Cash Funds
		Restricted
Details	Unrestricted Funds	Funds	Total
	£	£	£
Deposit Account	36,867	111,963	148,830
Current Account	3,124	11,887	15,011
Total Cash Funds	39,991	123,850	163,841

Investment balances

Details	Fund to which investment belongs to	No of units held	Market valuation as at 31 March 2025 £	Market valuation as at 31 March 2024 £	Market valuation as at 31 March 2024 £
COIF Charities Investment Fund	Unrestricted Fund	4,552.40	88,683		93,017
COIF Charities Investment Fund	Restricted Fund	48,031.82	935,689		981,415
Total Investments			1,024,372		1,074,432

on behalf of Shaun Darcy Treasurer to the Trust

• INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT TO THE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE OF WALSALL WOOD ALLOTMENT CHARITY

• ~~Ce~~

I report on the accounts of the Trust for the year ended 31 March 2025.

Respective Responsibilities of the Trustees and Examiner

As the charity’s trustees you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts; you consider that the audit requirement of section 43 (2) of the Charities Act 1993 (the Act) does not apply. It is my responsibility to state, on the basis of procedures specified in the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners under section 43 (7) (b) of the Act, 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 Commissioners. 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 I do not express an audit opinion on the view of the accounts.

Independent Examiner’s Statement

In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements set out below have not been met.

• To keep accounting records in accordance with section 41 of the Act; and

• • To prepare accounts which accord the accounting records and to comply with the accounting requirements of the Act

Signed a

Mr Robert Page MSc BSc (Hons) CPFA Walsall MBC, Civic Centre 3[rd] Floor, Darwall Street, Walsall, WS1 1TP

10 November 2025