2024-03-31-accounts - Citizens Advice Swansea Neath Port Talbot Limited

This text was generated using OCR and may contain errors. Check the original PDF to see the document submitted to the regulator.

ANNUAL REPORT ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST MARCH 2024

Charity Number: 518825 A company limited by guarantee number 01702827 Registered Address: City Gates, 50a Wind Street, Swansea SA1 1EE

Index

Chair’s Statement	2
Introduction	3
Our values	4
Impact report	5-10
Our funding	11-12
Research and Campaigns	13
Volunteering	14-15
Wellbeing	16
Partnerships	17
Future plans	18
Trustee’s Report	19-21
Financial review	22
Reserves policy	22
Statement of trustees responsibilities	23
Statutory auditor’s report	24-27
Statement of financial activities	28
Balance sheet	29
Statement of cash flows	30
Notes to the accounts	31-42

Chair’s Statement

In my first annual review as Chair of the Board of Trustees, I would like to express my pride, admiration and gratitude for the hard work and incredible outcomes delivered by all the team at Citizens Advice, Swansea Neath Port Talbot.

This past year has been marked by continuing economic challenges creating immense challenges for many individuals and families in our communities. We have seen an increased number of our clients having to live with a cost of living that is higher than the income they are currently receiving, and a significant increase in demand for charitable support and food banks. These challenges are reflected in this annual report, which identifies an overall increase in demand on our services compared to the previous two years, and financial pressures continuing to be the main reason that clients access our services.

Throughout 2023, we have made significant progress in raising awareness of these issues, including development of our report ‘Is this the new normal? The continued impact of the cost of living crisis on our clients’. Our campaigns are an important aspect of our preventive work, to inform the public and provide the evidence basis for policy change. We have also supported our clients in gaining nearly £4 million in income and another £500,000 in writing off debts. These positive outcomes are due to the hard work and tenacity of our team of staff and volunteers, who work tirelessly to respond to the trust placed in us by our clients. Their efforts, in often difficult circumstances, continue to be nothing short of inspirational.

To all of our partners and funders, I thank you for your commitment to working with us to improve the lives of people in our communities. Your support is critical to ensuring we can continue our work.

Looking ahead, we will continue our commitment to the Real Living Wage and to adapting our services to ensure we remain accessible. We hope that our future relocation to new premises can be a key driver in making it easier for clients to access the help they need, whenever they need it.

In the last year we have seen many changes within our Trustee Board. We had a number of trustees resign due to personal reasons, including our Chair, Dylan Williams and our Treasurer, Dr Richard Baylis. To Dylan, Richard, and trustees past and present, I extend my heartfelt gratitude for your service to Citizens Advice, Swansea Neath Port Talbot. Your work was instrumental in guiding us to the strong position we now find ourselves in. Thank You.

As a trustee since April 2021, I was honoured to accept the role of Chair in April 2023, where I hope to build on the effectiveness of the board and provide continuity in our governance. I am grateful to Nita Sparkes for accepting the position of Vice Chair and to Chris Mann for stepping in as Treasurer. I also offer a warm welcome to our three new trustees: Gemma Monk, Victoria Holland and Steve Jenkins.

I hope you agree that this annual report demonstrates our commitment to our values; we are responsible, we are generous and we are inventive. We are proud to be Citizens Advice, Swansea Neath Port Talbot.

SONYA DOUGHERTY

CHAIR OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES, CITIZENS ADVICE

Introduction

CASNPT has been assisting local people with their problems since 1939. It is a clientfocussed organisation; a client will be given as much time as they need, but it is recognised that this may not be as much time as they want.

This Annual Report shows that we have delivered against contractual commitments and have brought added value through operating flexibly whilst delivering over and above that which has been expected of us. The feedback from clients and their real-life stories behind the financial data and statistics and the hard work of staff and volunteers is what underpins this report.

It also acts to pay tribute to those that, against all the odds, have worked so hard with unprecedented demand to deliver support and advice throughout our communities.

We work closely with several other local statutory and voluntary organisations to whom we may refer or signpost clients, if necessary, in order to secure further specialist support that they might need. They in turn refer or signpost to us.

The principal activity of CASNPT remains the provision of free, confidential, independent and impartial advice and information for members of the public. This is provided through one central office location in Swansea city centre and through remote delivery across the counties of Neath Port Talbot and Swansea. In addition to generalist advice the following specialist advisory services are provided:

Specialist Welfare Benefit Advice through to support at tribunal Specialist Debt Provision through the undertaking of Debt Relief Order applications by Approved Intermediaries employed by CASNPT
Remote services funded by the Local Health Board and Welsh Government Advice to potential benefits' claimants through the Claim What's Yours service Energy Advice via the Warmer Wales project

As a member of the wider national Citizens Advice service we adhere to a common Performance and Quality Framework and our local services have consistently met Citizens Advice quality standards throughout the year. In all of our work, the broader aims of Citizens Advice at a national level are at the forefront of our thinking, ensuring that these aims inform our vision, mission and values.

Our continued ambition is to always provide a quality advice service for communities across Swansea, Neath & Port Talbot, providing accessible, high-quality advice, advocacy and information services which meet the changing needs of our geographically dispersed communities. To support this we operate within the principles of our values.

Our values

We’re Inventive.

We’re not afraid of trying new things and learn by getting things wrong. We question every idea to make it better and we change when things aren’t working.

We’re Responsible.

We do what we say we’ll do and keep our promises. We remember that we work for a charity and use our resources effectively.

We’re Generous. We work together, sharing knowledge and experience to solve problems. We tell it like it is and respect everyone.

male 45%

Impact Report

Clients by gender female 55%

Number of clients we’ve seen

4,704

Other Black 3% 3% Asian 5%

Diversity of our clients

Number of issues 16,904

----- Start of picture text -----
White
87%
200 300 400
----- End of picture text -----

----- Start of picture text -----
500
----- End of picture text -----

Channel clients used to contact us:

Between 1st April 2023 and 31st March 2024

----- Start of picture text -----
32,782
Call attempts
were made to
call us by
freephone
a
:
That’s up
from 27,000
in 21/22 and
31,000 in
22/23
----- End of picture text -----

404 2088 Referrals on Fixed Refernet were appointments accepted were checked in

That’s down from 550 in 21/22 and 611 in 22/23

That’s down from 2,573 in 22/23

----- Start of picture text -----
218
Quick contacts
were made
where
information was
provided
That’s down
from 469 in
22/23
----- End of picture text -----

Health of our clients

60% 11% 29% of our clients have a of our clients are of our clients have long-term health condition disabled no health problems

Most common reasons for contacting us

	Issues	Clients
Benefits & tax credits	6642	2337
Debt	3301	959
Universal Credit	1637	803
Housing	1142	532
Utilities & communications	978	467
Charitable support & food banks	549	421

Over 330 Food vouchers issued Over 680 Fuel vouchers issued

Outcomes

Income gained:

Debts written off:

£3,991,183

£494,167

Repayments rescheduled:

Other:

£21,378 £77,183 8 Vwy*<

What our clients say

“I feel they deserves so much more praise than they get, phenomenal service, kind people, swift, much needed assistance.”

I was happy with the information that I received, and it put my mind at ease before Christmas thank you.

“I felt that I was listened to and my problems were taken seriously.”

Citizens Advice took the stress out of my hands and gave me a chance to heal at a difficult time

Staff feedback

Here are some results from our People Survey:

Research and Campaigns

91%

of staff feel that CASNPT has done a good job on Research and Campaigns

Recommend work/volunteer

91%

of staff would recommend working or volunteering here to a friend/family member

Understand contribution

94%

of staff understand the contribution they are making to the local office

Skills & knowledge

97%

of staff feel they have had the opportunity to develop their skills and knowledge

Funding

Our Annual Report highlights the positive differences we have made to communities across Swansea Neath Port Talbot during the year 1st April 2023 to 31st March 2024.

We work with partner organisations within the public and voluntary sector to make a positive change in people’s lives. We contribute to Wales wide and National campaigns and undertake research on issues affecting residents of our region.

We liaise with a range of organisations and participate in local, regional, and national networks, with the aim of making a real difference to residents of Swansea Neath Port Talbot that need our help. We would not be able to do this without the support of our funders and partners to whom we would like to extend our gratitude.

Receipt of this funding enabled us to achieve significant financial value in the following categories.

Fiscal value

Financial savings to local, Welsh and the national Government due to fewer payments for out-ofwork benefits, costly evictions, re-housing evicted tenants and less demand on the NHS.

£1,812,241*

Public value

£13,625,242*

When helping people have fewer problems, they have higher levels of wellbeing, participation in society and productivity.

Value to the people we help

We helped individual clients to achieve financial outcomes like getting backdated benefits, writing-off debts and refunds for consumer issues.

£9,583,289*

For every £1 of funding received we returned:

£1.41 in Fiscal Value

£10.58 in Public Value

£7.44 in Value to the people we help

*Overall value 2023-2024

Research & Campaigns

Key achievements:

•Contributed to the cross-sector steering group aimed at making Mid and West Wales a real Living Wage region

•Actively involved in promoting Anti-racism and Black History 365

•Continued our long-term study into the impact of the cost of living crisis on our clients, publishing our second report, Is This The New Normal? in May 2024

•Participated in the Creating an Anti-Racist Wales Conference; the closing event of the Swansea Poverty Truth Commission; the Bevan Commission Conversation with the Public about the Future Of Health And Social Care In Wales; the launch of the regional Violence Against Women, Domestic Abuse & Sexual Violence strategies in Port Talbot; and the Human Rights & Social Justice Inaugural Annual Lecture with Jane Hutt MS at Swansea University

•Published Personal Independence Payments: The system and its impact on our clients in December 2023, which looked into a range of issues with PIP claims

•Signed a letter which was sent to the Prime Minister, organised by the NEA and signed by over 140 organisations and individuals, calling for a social tariff on energy and continued Cost of Living support

•Wrote to all our local MPs asking them to fight for benefits to be increased by inflation in the Autumn statement

Volunteering

The recruitment and involvement of volunteers continues to bring a range of benefits to the organisation and 2023-2024 has seen increased activity. Volunteers are an important part of resourcing our service and we remain grateful for the commitment of all concerned.

Engaging with volunteers:

Helps us reach a wider range and increased number of clients

Increases the diversity of our staffing resource helping us be more representative of our client groups

Creates opportunities for volunteers to connect with others, learn new skills and gain confidence

Brings new opinions, ideas and approaches to our work

Helps increase the social value of our activities

We currently engage 31 volunteers who conduct a range of roles, the longest serving having been with us for over 17 years.

Key volunteer statistics 2023-2024

•Oldest volunteer 82 – youngest 21

29% of volunteers are between 15-24 , 16% are between 65-75
• 17 new volunteers joined in 2023-2024 •Between them our volunteers contributed 6,396 hours to supporting service delivery • 658.5 hours of training were delivered to volunteers •Between them our volunteers supported 3,484 clients •Of those that left in 2023-2024 55% progressed into employment

----- Start of picture text -----
Ethnic origin of our volunteers
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
15
White - British White - WelshBlack or Black-British - AfricanAsian or Asian British - ChineseAsian or Asian-British – IndianAsian or Asian-British - Bangladeshi Canadian Ukrainian
----- End of picture text -----

Wellbeing

At CASNPT the overall mental, physical, emotional, and economic health of our employees is paramount and we aim to support these in any way possible. Investing in our teams ultimately leads to a better service for our clients.

What we’ve done in 2023/24

Aimed to create a work culture in which employees can develop supportive relationships with their colleagues

Ensured all roles are paid at least the Real Living Wage

Subscribed to an Employee Assistance programme providing 24/7, 365-day access to compassionate support whatever challenges are faced

Provided up to 6 sessions of structured counselling when needed

Delivered nine 2-hour online wellbeing sessions led by one of our Team Leaders providing a few tools for wellbeing

Held an online session with RCS looking at effects of sedentary behaviour on musculoskeletal health

Provided mental health awareness training for all employees within their first year of employment

Provided a wide range of aids, adaptations, equipment and changes to people’s working days to meet the needs of staff

Partnerships

Over the year we have worked hard to strengthen our reputation with key stakeholders and build a wider range of strong and effective partnerships, with existing and new partners to service client needs ensuring that CASNPT is a trusted voice for community-based service provision. During the year it has been our pleasure to develop new and current relationships with:

Future Plans

Looking forward to the next year it is important for us to focus upon funding and sustainability, collaboration, partnerships, people and infrastructure; this will all underpin CASNPT’s ambition to increase our capacity to help local clients, without compromising on the quality of our services.

We aim to:

model which best meets the needs of clients, whilst ensuring equality of access for all contact methods

viable partnering and collaboration activities

·Plan to ensure that we operate from premises that are modern and meet the needs of both clients and our workforce

·Champion Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and actively increase diversity within our teams

Trustees' report for the year ended 31 March 2024

Reference and administrative details of the charity, its trustees and advisors

The trustees during the financial year and up to and including the date the report was approved were:

Name Position Dates Sonya Dougherty Chair from April 2023 Geoffrey Lee Chris Mann Treasurer from April 2024 Nita Sparkes Steve Jenkins Appointed April 2024 Victoria Holland Appointed April 2024 Gemma Monk Appointed March 2024 Sandra Beveridge Resigned April 2023 Guy Wendon Resigned June 2023 David Jones Resigned July 2023 Dylan Williams Chair to April 2023 Resigned January 2024 Dr. Richard Baylis Treasurer to April 2024 Resigned April 2024 Chief Executive Officer Caroline Newman Charity number 518825 Registered in England and Wales Company number 01702827 Registered in England and Wales

Registered and principal address

Second Floor, City Gates, Wind Street, Swansea SA1 1EE

Statutory Auditors

Bevan Buckland LLP

Bankers

CAF Bank Charities Official Investment Fund (COIF)

Structure, governance and management

The charity is a company limited by guarantee and was formed on 25 February 1983. It is governed by its memorandum and articles of association, as amended on 6 September 2017. It was registered as a charity on 30 June 1987. The liability of the members in the event of the company being wound up is limited to a sum not exceeding £1. At 31 March 2024 the company had 15 individual members (2023 - 24 plus 1 organisational members).

Organisational Structure

Citizens Advice Swansea Neath Port Talbot (CASNPT) is governed by its trustee board which is responsible for setting the strategic direction of the organisation and for monitoring and scrutinising its progress and performance against agreed objectives. The trustees carry the ultimate responsibility for the conduct of CASNPT and for ensuring that the charity satisfies its legal and contractual obligations. Trustees meet at least quarterly and delegate the day-to-day operation of the organisation to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and a senior management team. The trustee board is independent from management.

Trustees' report (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2024

Structure, governance and management (continued)

Organisational Structure (continued)

A group of trustees, known as the 'Officers' Group', comprising the Chair, Vice Chair and Treasurer and another trustee on rotation, meets in between each board meeting and reports back recommendations for consideration on issues delegated to it by the trustee board on specific areas of the organisation's business. The Officers' Group has Terms of Reference which are regularly reviewed.

Recruitment and Appointment of Trustees

The trustees are elected from the local community and must either reside, work or have an interest in the areas covered by the service. A selection panel comprising trustees and the CEO, and chaired by the Chair of trustees, undertakes the interviewing of all potential new board members. A separate process agreed by the trustee board is followed for the election of Chair, which may include co-options from outside of the board itself. Each panel then reports its recommendations for co-option or election at the following trustee board/AGM for approval. No other persons or bodies external to the charity is entitled to appoint persons to the trustee board.

Induction of Trustees

Newly appointed trustees are provided with an induction to CASNPT through meetings with staff and the Chair, and mentoring by established trustees. All trustees have access to Citizens Advice online services and information, and are encouraged to attend national Citizens Advice meetings and conferences and to partake in training.

Related Parties

CASNPT is a member of Citizens Advice, the operating name of the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux, which provides a framework for standards of advice and casework management as well as monitoring progress against these standards. Operating policies are independently determined by the Trustee Board of CASNPT in order to fulfil its charitable objects and comply with the national membership requirements.

The charity also co-operates and liaises with a number of other advisory services, local charities and local authority departments on behalf of clients. Where one of the trustees holds the position of trustee/director of another charity, they may be involved in discussions regarding that other charity but not in the ultimate decision-making process.

Risk management

CASNPT operates a corporate risk management process, with a risk management strategy and risk register agreed and regularly reviewed by the trustee board. The trustees recognise that any major risks to which the charity is exposed need to be reviewed and systems put in place to mitigate those risks. To that end CASNPT continually monitors and manages its risk, reviewing the corporate risk register and ensuring action plans are in place to mitigate clearly defined risk areas.

A major external risk is that of the loss of funding. The effects of this are mitigated by the procedures in place, including diversification of funding streams. Internal risks are minimised by the implementation of procedures for authorisation of all transactions and projects and to ensure consistent quality of delivery for all operational aspects of the charitable company. These procedures are periodically reviewed to ensure that they still meet the needs of the charity.

Trustees' report (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2024

Objectives and activities

The charity's objectives

The Charity’s objectives are to promote any charitable purpose for the public benefit by the advancement of education, the protection and preservation of health and the relief of poverty, sickness and distress in particular, but without limitation, for the benefit of the community in the City and County of Swansea and Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council and surrounding areas (the ‘area of benefit’).

The charity's main activities

CASNPT provides free, confidential, impartial and independent advice and information as part of meeting the two service wide aims:

to provide the advice people need for the problems they face, and
to improve the policies and practices that affect people's lives.

While this involves providing advice and information to members of the public, an essential aspect of the role of Citizens Advice is to exercise a responsible influence on the development of policies and services and to ensure individuals do not suffer through a lack of knowledge or an inability to express their needs effectively, through research, media and campaigning work.

Public benefit statement

The trustees have paid due regard to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit in deciding the activities undertaken by the local Citizens Advice service during the year. The trustees are satisfied that the information provided in the report and accounts meets the public benefit reporting requirements.

i) Specialist Welfare Benefit throughout Wales through the medium of telephone; ii) Specialist Debt provision through the undertaking of Debt Relief Order applications by Approved Intermediaries employed by CASNPT;

iii) Remote services funded by the Local Health Board and Welsh Government;

iv) Advice to potential benefits' claimants through the Claim What's Yours service.

Advisory services are provided through telephone consultations, video calls and email throughout the area of benefit. Face-to-face consultations have been re-introduced gradually since June 2022, and we have worked steadily to reach communities by regular attendance at outreach venues.

Trustees' report (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2024

Financial Review

The net surplus for the year was £75,776, including a net surplus of £232,943 on unrestricted funds and a net deficit of £157,167 on restricted funds, after transfers.

At 31 March 2024, total reserves were £864,621, of which £126,416 represented balances on restricted funds (2022/23: £788,845 total of which £283,583 were restricted funds).

Reserves Policy

It is the charity's policy that funds not presently committed or invested in tangible fixed assets should be maintained at the equivalent of a minimum of four and a maximum of six months' expenditure in general unrestricted funds in order for CASNPT to continue to pursue its activities should there be a period of reduced income. This is also considered prudent in the light of funding which is received in arrears.

The charity's free reserves, excluding fixed assets, at the year-end were £735,567 (2022/23: £499,290). Trustees have previously resolved to designate £40,000 towards the future relocation of its Swansea premises. At 31 March 2024 therefore, free unrestricted reserves amounted to £695,567. This amounts to just over 6 months' budgeted expenditure, which trustees consider to be a reasonable position particularly in view of the ongoing uncertainties in relation to the planned office relocation.

Trustees' report (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2024

Statement of trustees' responsibilities

The trustees (who are also the directors for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Trustees report and the financial statements in accordance with the applicable law and UK Accounting Standards.

Company law requires the trustees to prepare financial accounts for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for the year. In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:

select suitable accounting policies and apply them consistently;

observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;
make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
state whether applicable UK accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements;
prepare the accounts on a going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charitable company will continue in operation.

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and to enable them to ensure that the financial accounts comply with the Companies Act 2006. 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.

In so far as the trustees are aware:

there is no relevant audit information of which the charitable company's auditors are unaware; and
the trustees have taken all steps that they ought to have taken to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the auditors are aware of that information.

This report has been prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities (Charities SORP (FRS102), and in accordance with the special provisions of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.

Signed on behalf of the board of trustees on 21 August 2024

Name: Sonya Dougherty (Chair)

Report of the Independent Auditors to the Trustees of Citizens Advice Swansea Neath Port Talbot Limited

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of Citizens Advice Swansea Neath Port Talbot Limited (the 'charitable company') for the year ended 31 March 2024 which comprise the Statement of Financial Activities, the Balance Sheet, the Cash Flow Statement and notes to the financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

In our opinion the financial statements:

give a true and fair view of the state of the charitable company's affairs as at 31 March 2024 and of its incoming resources and application of resources, for the year then ended;
have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice;
have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.

Basis for Opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditors' responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charitable company in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC's Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Conclusions relating to Going Concern

In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the trustees' use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charitable company's ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.

Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.

Other information

The trustees are responsible for the other information. The other information comprises the information included in the Annual Report, other than the financial statements and our Report of the Independent 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, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.

Report of the Independent Auditors to the Trustees of Citizens Advice Swansea Neath Port Talbot Limited

Other information (continued)

In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact. We have nothing to report in this regard.

Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006

In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit:

the information given in the Report of the Trustees for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and
the Report of the Trustees has been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the charitable company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the Report of the Trustees.

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters where the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:

adequate accounting records have not been kept or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or
the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or
certain disclosures of trustees' remuneration specified by law are not made; or
we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit.

Responsibilities of trustees

As explained more fully in the Statement of Trustees' Responsibilities, the trustees (who are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the charitable company's ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue a Report of the Independent Auditors that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

Report of the Independent Auditors to the Trustees of Citizens Advice Swansea Neath Port Talbot Limited

Our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements (continued)

Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below:

Extent to which the audit was considered capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud.

We identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the Financial Statements, whether due to fraud or error, and then design and perform audit procedures responsive to those risks, including obtaining audit evidence that is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

We discussed our audit independence complying with the Revised Ethical Standard 2019 with the engagement team members whilst planning the audit and continually monitored our independence throughout the process.

Identifying and assessing potential risks related to irregularities.

In identifying and assessing risks of material misstatement in respect of irregularities, including fraud and noncompliance with laws and regulations, our procedures included the following:

(i) enquiring of management, including obtaining and reviewing supporting documentation, concerning the Charity's policies and procedures relating to:

identifying, evaluating and complying with laws and regulations and whether they were aware of any instances of non-compliance;
detecting and responding to the risks of fraud and whether they have knowledge of any actual, suspected or alleged fraud;
the internal controls established to mitigate risks related to fraud or non-compliance with laws and regulations;

(ii) discussing among the engagement team how and where fraud might occur in the financial statements and any potential indicators of fraud.

(iii) obtaining an understanding of the legal and regulatory frameworks that the Charity operates in, focusing on those laws and regulations that had a direct effect on the financial statements or that had a fundamental effect on the operations of the Charity. The key laws and regulations we considered in this context included the UK Companies Act and relevant tax legislation.

Audit response to risks identified

In addition to the above, our procedures to respond to risks identified included the following:

reviewing the financial statement disclosures and testing to supporting documentation to assess compliance with relevant laws and regulations;
enquiring of management concerning actual and potential litigation and claims; performing analytical procedures to identify any unusual or unexpected relationships that may indicate risks of material misstatement due to fraud;
reading minutes of meetings of those charged with governance;
in addressing the risk of fraud through management override of controls, testing the appropriateness of journal entries and other adjustments;
assessing whether the judgements made in making accounting estimates are indicative of a potential bias; and
evaluating the operational rationale of any significant transactions that are unusual or outside the normal course of operations.

Report of the Independent Auditors to the Trustees of Citizens Advice Swansea Neath Port Talbot Limited

Audit response to risks identified (continued)

We also communicated relevant identified laws and regulations and potential fraud risks to all engagement team members and remained alert to any indications of fraud or non-compliance with laws and regulations throughout the audit.

A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council's website at www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our Report of the Independent Auditors.

Use of our report

This report is made solely to the charitable company's members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company's members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditors' report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company and the charitable company's members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

……………………………

Michael Jones (Senior Statutory Auditor)

for and on behalf of Bevan Buckland LLP Chartered Accountants and Statutory Auditors Ground Floor Cardigan House Castle Court Swansea Enterprise Park Swansea SA7 9LA

Date………9/9/2024………….

Statement of Financial Activities (including summary income and expenditure account) for the year ended 31 March 2024

Balance sheet as at 31 March 2024

The trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for:

(a) ensuring that the charitable company keeps accounting records that comply with Sections 386 and 387 of the Companies Act 2006, and

(b) preparing financial statements which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company as at the end of each financial year and of its surplus and deficit for each financial year in accordance with the requirements of Sections 394 and 395 and which otherwise comply with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 relating to financial statements, so far as applicable to the charitable company.

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance wit the special provisions of Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to charitable small companies.

The financial statements were approved by the board of trustees on 21 August 2024

Signed: ………………..…………. (Chair)

Name: Sonya Dougherty

Statement of cash flows for the year ended 31 March 2024

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024

1 Accounting policies

( a) Basis of accounting

These accounts have been prepared under the historical cost convention with items recognised at cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant note(s) to these accounts. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019) and with the Charities Act 2011.

The charity constitutes a public benefit entity as defined by FRS 102. There has been no change to the accounting policies since last year. No changes have been made to the accounts for previous years.

(b) Going concern

The trustees are satisfied that there are no material uncertainties about the charity's ability to continue.

( c) Incoming resources

All incoming resources are included in the Statement of Financial Activities (SOFA) when the charity becomes entitled to the resources, it is more likely than not that the trustees will receive the resources and the monetary value can be measured with sufficient reliability.

Grants receivable

Grants and donations are only included in the SOFA when the charity has unconditional entitlement to the resources. Grants received for a specific purpose and subject to conditions specified by the donor are treated as restricted funds. Revenue grants are credited directly to the Statement of Financial Activities (SoFA). Capital grants are released over the life of the assets in line with the depreciation policy. Where grants are related to performance and specific deliverables, they are accounted for as the charity earns the right to consideration by its performance.

Bank interest

Bank interest is include in the SoFA on a receivable basis.

Other income

Sales of services are included in the SoFA in the period to which they relate. Other income, including donations, gifts and covenants, is included as it is received.

Gifts and intangible income

In addition to the above, the charity also receives help and support in the form of voluntary assistance in advising the public. This help and support is not included in the financial statements, but its value to the charity is acknowledged and disclosed in the trustees' report.

Deferred income

Grants received in advance of the period to which the funder requires the expenditure to be applied are reflected in deferred income within the balance sheet. Income is released to the SoFA in the reporting period in which the conditions which limited recognition are met.

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024

1 Accounting policies (continued)

( d) Expenditure and liabilities

Expenditure is recognised on an accrual basis as a liability is incurred. Liabilities are recognised where it is more likely than not that there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to pay out the resources and the amount of the obligation can be measured with reasonable certainty

All expenditure related to the provision of advice services is included within charitable expenditure.

Costs allocated between expenditure categories are on a basis designed to reflect their resource usage. Some costs are allocated directly to activities; other costs are apportioned, for example by staff time spent on the activity, or another equitable usage measure.

(e) Taxation

As a charity the organisation benefits from rates relief and is generally exempt from corporation tax but not from VAT. Irrecoverable VAT is included in the cost of those items to which it relates.

(f) Tangible fixed assets

Tangible fixed assets costing more than £2,000 are capitalised and included at cost including any incidental expenses of acquisition. Gifted assets are shown at the value to the charity on receipt.

Depreciation is provided on such tangible fixed assets at rates calculated to write off the cost on a straight line basis over their expected useful economic lives as follows: Computer equipment: over 3 years Website: over 3 years

(g) Pensions

The charity operates a defined contribution scheme for the benefit of its employees, compliant with autoenrolment legislation. The costs of contributions are recognised in the year they are payable.

(h) Fund accounting

Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity.

Designated funds are unrestricted funds earmarked by the trustees for particular purposes. The use of such funds is at the trustees' discretion.

Restricted funds are subjected to restrictions on their expenditure imposed by the donor or through the terms of an appeal.

Further explanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is included in the notes to the accounts.

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024

1 Accounting policies (continued)

(i) Leases

Rental costs under operating leases are charged on a straight line basis over the lease term or to an earlier date if the lease can be determined without financial penalty.

(j) Debtors

Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount due after any trade discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid net of any trade discounts due.

(k) Cash at bank and in hand

Cash at bank and cash in hand includes cash and short term highly liquid investments with a short maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition or opening of the deposit or similar account.

(l) Creditors and provisions

Creditors and provisions are recognised where the charity has a present obligation resulting from a past event that will probably result in the transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably. Creditors and provisions are normally recognised at their settlement amount after allowing for any trade discounts due.

(m) Financial instruments

The charity has elected to apply the provisions of Section 11 'Basic Financial Instruments' and Section 12 'Other Financial Instruments Issues' of FRS 102 to all of its financial instruments.

Financial instruments are recognised in the charity's balance sheet when the charity becomes party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.

Financial assets and liabilities are offset, with the net amounts presented in the financial statements, when there is a legally enforceable right to set off the recognised amounts and there is an intention to settle on a net basis or to realise the asset and settle the liability simultaneously.

Notes to the accounts continued for the year ended 31 March 2024

The average number of employees during the year was 38 (2023: 38).

There were no employees with emoluments above £60,000.

The average number of employees during the year analysed by function was:

The charity contributes up to 6% of pensionable earnings as part of an auto-enrolment scheme to People's Pension which is open to all employees. There is no final salary scheme.

6 Trustee expenses

Travel expenses of £15 were paid to one trustee during the year (2023: £104; one trustee)

7 Key management personnel

The key management personnel of the charity comprises the trustees and the Chief Executive Officer only. All trustees give their time freely and no trustee remuneration was paid in this or the previous year. The total employee benefits of the key management personnel of the charity were £58,251 (2023: £56,167).

Notes to the accounts continued for the year ended 31 March 2024

Notes to the accounts continued for the year ended 31 March 2024