2024-03-31-annual-return - Down District Accessible Transport

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Company Number: NI038399 Charity Number: 103843

Down District Accessible Transport

(A company limited by guarantee, not having a share capital)

Annual Report and Audited Financial Statements

for the financial year ended 31 March 2024

Daly Park & Company Ltd Chartered Accountants and Registered Auditors

4 Carnegie Street Lurgan Co. Armagh BT66 6AS Northern Ireland

Down District Accessible Transport (A company limited by guarantee, not having a share capital) CONTENTS

(A company limited by guarantee, not having a share capital)

	Page
Trustees' and Other Information	3
Trustees' Annual Report	4 - 8
Statement of Trustees' Responsibilities	9
Independent Auditor's Report	10 - 12
Statement of Financial Activities	13
Balance Sheet	14
Notes to the Financial Statements	15 - 21

Down District Accessible Transport (A company limited by guarantee, not having a share capital) TRUSTEES' AND OTHER INFORMATION

Trustees

Wesley David Burnside Francis Eugene Casement David Lawrence Cole-Baker Helen Coulter Nicholas John McCrickard William Samuel Alexander Megraw Richard Clive Wallington David Patterson (Appointed 12 February 2024)

Company Secretary Mrs. Helen Coulter Charity Number in Northern Ireland 103843 Company Number NI038399 Registered Office and Principal Address Innovation House Down Business Centre 46 Belfast Road Downpatrick Co. Down BT30 9UP Northern Ireland Auditors Daly Park & Company Ltd Chartered Accountants and Registered Auditors 4 Carnegie Street Lurgan Co. Armagh BT66 6AS Northern Ireland

Registered Office and Principal Address

Auditors

Down District Accessible Transport (A company limited by guarantee, not having a share capital) TRUSTEES' ANNUAL REPORT

for the financial year ended 31 March 2024

The trustees present their Trustees' Annual Report, combining the Directors' Report and Trustees' Report, and the audited financial statements for the financial year ended 31 March 2024.

The financial statements are prepared in accordance with the Companies Act 2006, FRS 102 "The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland" and Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their financial statements in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102).

The Trustees' Report contains the information required to be provided in the Trustees' Annual Report under the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) guidelines. The trustees of the company are also charity trustees for the purpose of charity law and under the company's constitution are known as members of the board of trustees.

In this report the trustees of Down District Accessible Transport present a summary of its purpose, governance, activities, achievements and finances for the financial year 31 March 2024.

The company is a registered charity and hence the report and results are presented in a form which complies with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 and, although not obliged to comply with the Statement of Recommended Practice applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland FRS 102, the organisation has implemented its recommendations where relevant in these financial statements.

Mission, Objectives & Strategy

Mission Statement

Down District Accessible Transport (Trading as Down Community Transport) works across County Down and is one of a number of rural community transport partnerships which are all charitable organisations that provide a range of services across Northern Ireland to individuals and groups affected by a lack of access to transport and rural isolation, on a not for profit basis. Community transport services are provided to those living in rural areas with the specific aim of reducing social exclusion and isolation and improving the independence and quality of life for members. Specifically Down Community Transport (DCT) benefits the rural population by improving access to essential services such as health care, education, employment and recreation. Working collaboratively with other agencies and community organisations DCT improves local communities by providing groups with transport and training. A significant pool of volunteers has been developed to compliment and add value to the partnerships range of services.

Structure and Governance

The organisation is a company limited by guarantee with a Company Number of NI038399 and is governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association. The company is also a registered charity with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland under the reference 103843.The company is under the control of the directors who are also acting trustees for the charity. The day to day management of the organisation is undertaken by the full time manager. Regular board meetings are held on a monthly basis.

Financial Review

The charity has had a satisfactory year from a financial perspective despite all the uncertainty surrounding grant income in the voluntary sector. The charity received income of £420,453 in the year which was prudently managed against costs excluding depreciation of £368,146 to produce a surplus before depreciation of £52,307 (2023 £16,583). However, the company still faces an overall shortfall in funding and is currently using reserves built in previous years to help fund total expenditure.

The trustees continue to monitor and update their reserves policy in order to establish the level of reserves that are required to continue to provide support and investment into all the projects for the next year. The charity aims to hold a separate designated reserve fund of £216,000, equivalent to six months running costs.

The trustees feel that these levels of reserves are essential to enable the Charity to continue to provide its activities for the foreseeable future. The Reserves Policy is an integral part of the charity’s planning, budget and forecasts.

Financial Results

At the end of the financial year the company has assets of £189,675 (2023 - £263,946) and liabilities of £40,704 (2023 - £92,331). The net assets of the company have decreased by £(22,644).

Down District Accessible Transport

(A company limited by guarantee, not having a share capital)

Trustees

The current trustees are as set out on page 3

The secretary who served during the financial year was:

Mrs. Helen Coulter

Achievements throughout the year

In 2023/2024 Down District Accessible Transport (DDAT), trading as Down Community Transport (DCT) delivered the following DFI supported activities:

Dial-a-lift, door-to-door transport service for individuals living in rural areas.
The Assisted Rural Travel Scheme.

Dial-a-lift is a door-to-door transport service for individuals living in rural areas who are unable to or find it difficult to use public transport. Dial a lift can be used to access local services such as: GP / clinic appointments/ Dentist or Opticians, Shopping, Visiting family and friends and many other recreational activities.

DDAT are passionately aware of the need for a service for rural communities which fits between Public Services by Translink and the Private sector (taxis and Coaches). For over 25 years, Community Transport has offered a variety of transport solutions in the South East of NI including Dial a Lift, Group Hire and a social car scheme (staffed by volunteers in their own vehicles). This effort is ongoing and the demand is as high as it ever was and DDAT cannot meet all the demand on its resources.

In 2023/24, uncertainty over sustainable funding created an air of pessimism among CT partnerships and members who have come to rely on the lifeline of community transport. While individual membership reduced to 497, the demand for trips remained strong. 57% of the individual trips were made by people with a disability. DDAT (DCT) has achieved 17,132 Dial-a-lift trips despite a bleak financial position.

Group Hire/Self Drive:

DDAT also provide affordable and accessible transport for our 58 member groups. In 2023/2024 we completed 1,309 group hire bookings which resulted in 10,073 group hire trips. 0.64% of these trips were provided by volunteer drivers. Our group membership has been most impacted by the detrimental impact that driver shortages is having across the sector, and the loss of casual drivers who were able to cover evening and weekend Group hire bookings.

Down District Accessible Transport

(A company limited by guarantee, not having a share capital)

Volunteer Social Car Scheme:

We operate a Social Car Scheme (SCS) whereby suitably recruited and trained volunteers use their own cars under the control of our staff, providing a safe, efficient, and affordable door-to-door service as an alternative for individuals that do not have access to their own transport or that of friends and family, and who have difficulty accessing public transport facilities. This form of transport provides a more flexible and accessible one-to-one alternative to the minibus in circumstances where time and specific destination are critical, as in such cases as Social Welfare and Health related journeys when the driver may be required to wait and provide a return journey.

In 2023/24 we provided a total of 1,014 trips through the social car scheme. 817 of these were Dial-a-lift trips and 197 were Out of Area trips.

The Management of the Charity:

The DDAT Trustees and Management Committee are responsible for overseeing the business of the Charity. There are currently 8 Trustees who meet on a monthly basis.

There is a full time Manager who is responsible for the day-to-day operational management of the charity. The 2 office staff are bookings officers who work 30 hours and 24.5 hours per week.

There are 8 contract drivers on a mixture of paid contract of 35 hours, 30 hours, & 15 hours. All drivers have full D1 or full D PCV category driver license and CPC. They also have Minibus Driver Awareness Scheme (MiDAS) training.

Partnership Working: DDAT is represented on the following voluntary sector networks: NMD Community and Voluntary Stakeholders Forum, Good Morning Down Management Committee, Safe & Well Caring Communities, Age Friendly Strategic Forum & Age Friendly Alliance.

This Year DDAT also attended the following events: Good Morning Down Members Events. Met with local MLAS.

Partners such as County Down Rural Community Network report an increased demand for hardship funds, foodbanks, social supermarket and other poverty related supports in 2023/2024. Transport is among the most important support the community sector can offer people living isolated and disadvantaged lives and highlighted factors include -

Access To hospital appointments;
Collection/delivery or prescriptions;
Transport to other community groups facilities;
Lack of shuttle buses to local halls/leisure centres;
Transport for day trips, shopping;
Compromised motability issues;
Older people would like more outings with groups with accessible transport;
Better access for adults with ADHD and Autism;
Social prescribing and MDTS at primary care centres setting up activities with no transport provided;
Community groups would like to access other community sector services but again transport is a limiting factor.

Down District Accessible Transport

(A company limited by guarantee, not having a share capital)

Fire extinguishers gifted by Dromara & Drumglooland Credit Union

The charities financial position at the end of the year.

2023/24 Financial year was a particularly difficult year for everyone the uncertainty around funding for all voluntary organisations. The charity is able to continue on the basis that we will be funded on an ongoing basis, but it is hoped that serious consideration is given to increasing the grant to allow for rising costs, and that the budget period can be stretched to longer than one year.

‐ The most serious financial challenges continue to be:

Replacing an aging fleet of minibuses with a reducing year-to-year grant.
Pressures of rising costs, specifically but not limited to, fuel and wages.

We are facing the challenge of sustained high demand for journeys. However, with costs rising we cannot deliver the same services without an increase in our grant.

At the same time, and as a result of the cost-of-living crisis, the demand for our service has increased.

In recent years, budget constraints have impacted negatively on the number of trips DDAT can offer each member, although our volunteers, through the social car scheme, continue to help to satisfy the needs of isolated members.

The positive outcomes of this project are enormous. DDAT drivers, staff and board members have countless conversations and many testimonials from users who describe their personal situation. They speak about how their lives are enhanced and in many cases made bearable by the journey with DDAT. Breaking down social isolation and loneliness is hard to measure but is written on the faces of the happy people DDAT meet every day.

Public Benefit

In setting our objectives and planning our activities for the year the trustees have given careful consideration to, the Charity Commission of Northern Ireland’s guidance on public benefit to ensure that the activities have helped achieve the charity purposes and provide a benefit to the beneficiaries.

Down District Accessible Transport exists to develop, deliver, and maintain non- for- profit accessible community transport options for the public benefit of our members.

Our public benefit provided through our transport services reduces social isolation and social exclusion by reaching the hard to reach and providing access to essential services and connections to the wider community. Our services improve the quality of life, health and well- being for our users by enabling access to health and medical facilities.

Down District Accessible Transport’s services also target social need by facilitating access to training and employment opportunities for our members.

Down District Accessible Transport

(A company limited by guarantee, not having a share capital)

Compliance with Sector-Wide Legislation and Standards

The company engages pro-actively with legislation, standards and codes which are developed for the sector. Down District Accessible Transport subscribes to and is compliant with the following:

The Companies Act 2006
The Charities SORP (FRS 102)

Auditors

Daly Park & Company Ltd were appointed auditors by the trustees and they have expressed their willingness to continue in office in accordance with the provisions of Section 485 of the Companies Act 2006.

Certification Statement

We confirm that the RTF and ARTS grant has been used solely for the purposes intended and in accordance with the terms and conditions of the grant.

Approved by the Board of Trustees on 14 May 2024 and signed on its behalf by:

William Megraw Trustee

Helen Coulter Trustee

Down District Accessible Transport

(A company limited by guarantee, not having a share capital) STATEMENT OF TRUSTEES' RESPONSIBILITIES

for the financial year ended 31 March 2024

The trustees, who are also directors of Down District Accessible Transport for the purposes of company law, are responsible for preparing the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and regulations.

Company law requires the trustees as the directors to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under that law the trustees have elected to prepare the financial statements in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (United Kingdom Accounting Standards and applicable law) including FRS102 "The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland". Under company law the trustees must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the company and of the net income or expenditure of the company for that period.

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 the financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the relevant financial reporting framework, identify those standards, and note the effect and the reasons for any material departure from those standards; and
prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the company will continue in operation.

The trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the company's transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006 and. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the company 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 (information needed by the company's auditor in connection with preparing the auditor's report) of which the company's auditor is unaware, and
the trustees have taken all the steps that they ought to have taken as trustees in order to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the company's auditor is aware of that information.

Approved by the Board of Trustees on 14 May 2024 and signed on its behalf by:

William Megraw Trustee

Helen Coulter Trustee

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT to the Members of Down District Accessible Transport

(A company limited by guarantee, not having a share capital)

Report on the audit of the financial statements

Opinion

We have audited the company financial statements of Down District Accessible Transport ('the company') for the financial year ended 31 March 2024 which comprise the Statement of Financial Activities (incorporating an Income and Expenditure Account), the Balance Sheet and notes to the financial statements, including the summary of significant accounting policies set out in note 2. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including FRS 102 "The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland" and Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with FRS 102.

In our opinion, when reporting in accordance with a fair presentation framework the financial statements:
give a true and fair view of the state of the company's affairs as at 31 March 2024 and of its deficit for the financial year then ended;
have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and
have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 and the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008.

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 Auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the company in accordance with 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 do not believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for an 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 company's ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from the date 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 other information comprises the information included in the annual report other than the financial statements and our Auditor's Report thereon. The trustees are responsible for the other information contained within the annual report. 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.

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 course of 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.

Opinion on other matter 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 Trustees' Annual Report for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and
the Trustees' Annual Report has been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT

to the Members of Down District Accessible Transport

(A company limited by guarantee, not having a share capital)

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

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

we have not obtained all the information and explanations that we considered necessary for the purpose of our audit; and
we were unable to determine whether adequate accounting records had been kept.

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
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
the trustees were not entitled to prepare the financial statements in accordance with the small companies regime and take advantage of the small companies' exemption in preparing the Trustees' Annual Report.

Responsibilities of trustees for the financial statements

As explained more fully in the Statement of Trustees' Responsibilities set out on page 5, the trustees 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 they 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 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 management either intends to liquidate the company or to cease operations, or has no realistic alternative but to do so.

Auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

Our responsibility is to conduct an audit of the company's financial statements in accordance with ISAs (UK) and to issue an auditor's report, however, because of the matters described in the Basis for disclaimer of opinion paragraph, we were not able to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence to provide a basis for an audit opinion on the financial statements.

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:

Further information regarding the scope of our responsibilities as auditor

As part of an audit in accordance with ISAs (UK), we exercise professional judgement and maintain professional scepticism throughout the audit. We also:
Identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the , whether due to fraud or error, design and perform audit procedures responsive to those risks, and obtain audit evidence that is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion. The risk of not detecting a material misstatement resulting from fraud is higher than for one resulting from error, as fraud may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal control.
Obtain an understanding of internal control relevant to the audit in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the company's internal control.
Evaluate the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates and related disclosures made by trustees.
Conclude on the appropriateness of the trustees' use of the going concern basis of accounting and, based on the audit evidence obtained, whether a material uncertainty exists related to events or conditions that may cast significant doubt on the company's ability to continue as a going concern. If we conclude that a material uncertainty exists, we are required to draw attention in our Auditor's Report to the related disclosures in the financial statements or, if such disclosures are inadequate, to modify our opinion. Our conclusions are based on the audit evidence obtained up to the date of our Auditor's Report. However, future events or conditions may cause the company to cease to continue as a going concern.
Evaluate the overall presentation, structure and content of the financial statements, including the disclosures, and whether the financial statements represent the underlying transactions and events in a manner that achieves fair presentation.

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT

to the Members of Down District Accessible Transport

(A company limited by guarantee, not having a share capital)

We communicate with those charged with governance regarding, among other matters, the planned scope and timing of the audit and significant audit findings, including any significant deficiencies in internal control that we identify during our audit.

Ruairi Maginn FCA (Senior Statutory Auditor)

for and on behalf of DALY PARK & COMPANY LTD Chartered Accountants and Registered Auditors 4 Carnegie Street Lurgan Co. Armagh BT66 6AS Northern Ireland

14 May 2024

Down District Accessible Transport (A company limited by guarantee, not having a share capital) STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES

(Incorporating an Income and Expenditure Account)

for the financial year ended 31 March 2024

		Unrestricted	Other	DFI	Total	Unrestricted	Other	DFI	Total
			Restricted	Restricted			Restricted	Restricted
		Funds	Funds	Funds		Funds	Funds	Funds
		2024	2024	2024	2024	2023	2023	2023	2023
	Notes	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£
Incoming Resources
Voluntary Income	3	1,500	446	352,057	354,003	-	5,039	362,231	367,270
Activities for generating funds	3	44,564	-	20,832	65,396	43,293	-	14,822	58,115
Investments	3	1,054	-	-	1,054	161	-	-	161
		───────	───────	───────	───────	───────	───────	───────	───────
Total incoming resources		47,118	446	372,889	420,453	43,454	5,039	377,053	425,546
		───────	───────	───────	───────	───────	───────	───────	───────
Resources Expended
Charitable activities	4	69,762	446	372,889	443,097	110,939	5,039	379,860	495,838
		───────	───────	───────	───────	───────	───────	───────	───────
Net incoming/outgoing resources before transfers		(22,644)	-	-	(22,664)	(67,485)	-	(2,807)	(70,292)
Gross transfers between funds		-	-	-	-	15,984	-	(15,984)	-
		───────	───────	───────	───────	───────	───────	───────	───────
Net movement in funds for the financial year		(22,644)	-	-	(22,664)	(51,501)	-	(18,791)	(70,292)
Reconciliation of funds Balances brought forward at 1 April 2023	15	171,615	-	-	171,615	223,116	-	18,791	241,907
		───────	───────	───────	───────	───────	───────	───────	───────
Balances carried forward at 31 March 2024		148,971	-	-	148,971	171,615	-	-	171,615
		═══════	═══════	═══════	═══════	═══════	═══════	═══════	═══════

The Statement of Financial Activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the financial year. All income and expenditure relate to continuing activities.

The notes on pages 15 to 21 form part of the financial statements

Down District Accessible Transport

(A company limited by guarantee, not having a share capital) Company Number: NI038399 BALANCE SHEET

as at 31 March 2024

		2024	2023
	Notes	£	£
Fixed Assets
Tangible assets	9	60,222	136,373
		───────	───────
Current Assets
Debtors	10	31,609	27,360
Cash at bank and in hand		97,844	104,593
		───────	───────
		129,453	131,953
		───────	───────
Creditors: Amounts falling due within one year	11	(40,704)	(72,608)
		───────	───────
Net Current Assets		88,749	59,345
		───────	───────
Total Assets less Current Liabilities		148,971	195,718
Creditors
Amounts falling due after more than one year	12	-	(24,103)
		───────	───────
Net Assets		148,971	171,615
		═══════	═══════
Funds
DFI Restricted		-	-
	14
General fund (unrestricted)		148,971	171,615
		───────	───────
Total funds		148,971	171,615
		═══════	═══════

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

Approved by the Board of Trustees and authorised for issue on 14 May 2024 and signed on its behalf by

William Megraw Trustee

Helen Coulter Trustee

The notes on pages 15 to 21 form part of the financial statements

continued

Down District Accessible Transport (A company limited by guarantee, not having a share capital) NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

for the financial year ended 31 March 2024

1. GENERAL INFORMATION

Down District Accessible Transport is a company limited by guarantee incorporated in Northern Ireland. The registered office of the company is Innovation House, Down Business Centre, 46 Belfast Road, Downpatrick, Co. Down, BT30 9UP, Northern Ireland which is also the principal place of business of the company. The financial statements have been presented in Pound Sterling (£) which is also the functional currency of the company.

GOING CONCERN

At the date of approval of these financial statements, the charity has yet to receive formal confirmation from the Department of Infrastructure in relation to the 2024/25 funding for the Rural Transport Fund and Assisted Rural Travel Scheme. This funding amounted to £352,057 in the 2023/24 financial year. In the interim period, the charity is currently receiving monthly grants on a similar level to the funding provided for 2023/24. The trustees are confident that a formal letter of offer and agreement of the 2024/25 funding package will be agreed shortly. In this interim period, the trustees are carefully managing cashflow and are in the process of looking at other sources of income. Delays in the confirmation of these grants has been the norm in recent years. The trustees continue to prepare the financial statements on a going concern basis.

2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The following accounting policies have been applied consistently in dealing with items which are considered material in relation to the charity’s financial statements.

Basis of preparation

The financial statements have been prepared on the going concern basis under the historical cost convention, modified to include certain items at fair value. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) "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".

As permitted by the Companies Act 2006, the company has varied the standard formats in that act for the Statement of Financial Activities and the Balance Sheet. Departures from the standard formats are to comply with the requirements of the Charities SORP and are in compliance with section 4.7, 10.6 and 15.2 of that SORP.

Statement of compliance

The financial statements of the company for the financial year ended 31 December 2017 have been prepared on the going concern basis and in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) "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".

Cash flow statement

The company has availed of the exemption in FRS 102 from the requirement to produce a cash flow statement because it is classified as a small company.

Incoming Resources

Voluntary income or capital is included in the Statement of Financial Activities when the company is legally entitled to it, its financial value can be quantified with reasonable certainty and there is reasonable certainty of its ultimate receipt. Entitlement to legacies is considered established when the company has been notified of a distribution to be made by the executors. Income received in advance of due performance under a contract is accounted for as deferred income until earned. Grants for activities are recognised as income when the related conditions for legal entitlement have been met. All other income is accounted for on an accruals basis.

Resources Expended

All resources expended are accounted for on an accruals basis. Charitable activities include costs of services and grants, support costs and depreciation on related assets. Costs of generating funds similarly include fundraising activities. Non-staff costs not attributed to one category of activity are allocated or apportioned pro-rata to the staffing of the relevant service. Finance, HR, IT and administrative staff costs are directly attributable to individual activities by objective. Governance costs are those associated with constitutional and statutory requirements.

Down District Accessible Transport (A company limited by guarantee, not having a share capital) NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

continued

for the financial year ended 31 March 2024

Tangible fixed assets and depreciation

Tangible fixed assets are stated at cost or at valuation, less accumulated depreciation. The charge to depreciation is calculated to write off the original cost or valuation of tangible fixed assets, less their estimated residual value, over their expected useful lives as follows:

Fixtures, fittings and equipment - 15% Straight line Motor vehicles - 25% Straight line

Leasing and Hire Purchases

Tangible fixed assets held under leasing arrangements which transfer substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership to the company are capitalised and included in the balance sheet at their cost or valuation, less depreciation. The corresponding commitments are recorded as liabilities. Payments in respect of these obligations are treated as consisting of capital and interest elements, with interest charged to the income and expenditure account.

Leasing

Rentals payable under operating leases are dealt with in the income and expenditure account as incurred over the period of the rental agreement.

Debtors

Debtors are recognised at the settlement amount due after any discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid net of any trade discounts due. Income recognised by the company from government agencies and other co-funders, but not yet received at year end, is included in debtors.

Cash at bank and in hand

Cash at bank and in hand comprises cash on deposit at banks requiring less than three months notice of withdrawal.

Taxation and deferred taxation

No current or deferred taxation arises as the company has been granted charitable exemption. Irrecoverable valued added tax is expensed as incurred.

Deferred tax is recognised in respect of all timing differences that have originated but not reversed at the balance sheet date where transactions or events have occurred at that date that will result in an obligation to pay more tax in the future, or a right to pay less tax in the future. Timing differences are temporary differences between the company's taxable income and its results as stated in the financial statements.

Deferred tax is measured on an undiscounted basis at the tax rates that are anticipated to apply in the periods in which the timing differences are expected to reverse, based on tax rates and laws that have been enacted or substantively enacted by the balance sheet date

continued

Down District Accessible Transport

(A company limited by guarantee, not having a share capital) NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS for the financial year ended 31 March 2024

3. INCOME

Down District Accessible Transport

(A company limited by guarantee, not having a share capital)

Down District Accessible Transport (A company limited by guarantee, not having a share capital)	Down District Accessible Transport (A company limited by guarantee, not having a share capital)	Down District Accessible Transport (A company limited by guarantee, not having a share capital)
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS					continued
for the	financial year ended 31 March 2024
4	EXPENDITURE	Direct	Other	2024	2023
4.1	CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES	Costs	Costs
		£	£	£	£
	Admin & Support	368,146	74,951	443,097	495,838
		═══════	═══════	═══════	═══════
5.	NET INCOMING RESOURCES			2024	2023
				£	£
	Net Incoming Resources are stated after charging/(crediting):
	Depreciation / profit on disposal assets			76,151	88,875
	Operating lease rentals
	- Office equipment			636	616
	Auditor's remuneration:
	- audit services			2,065	2,044
				═══════	═══════
6.	INVESTMENT AND OTHER INCOME			2024	2023
				£	£
	Bank interest			1,054	161
				───────	───────
				1,054	161
				═══════	═══════
7.	INTEREST PAYABLE AND SIMILAR CHARGES			2024	2023
				£	£
	Hire purchase interest			4,438	9,884
				═══════	═══════
8.	EMPLOYEES AND REMUNERATION
	The staff costs comprise:			2024	2023
				£	£
	Wages and salaries			215,597	240,040
	Social security costs			13,987	17,372
	Pension costs			3,894	4,374
				───────	───────
				233,478	261,786
				═══════	═══════

continued

Down District Accessible Transport

(A company limited by guarantee, not having a share capital) NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

for the financial year ended 31 March 2024

9. TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS

9.	TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS
			Fixtures,	Motor	Total
			fittings and	vehicles
			equipment
			£	£	£
	Cost
	At 1 April 2023		10,588	572,147	582,735
	Disposals		-	(25,020)	(25,020)
			───────	───────	───────
	At 31 March 2024		10,588	547,127	557,715
			───────	───────	───────
	Depreciation
	At 1 April 2023		8,886	437476	446,362
	Charge for the financial year		782	75,369	88,289
	On disposals		-	(25,020)	(35,952)
			───────	───────	───────
	At 31 March 2024		9,668	487,825	446,362
			───────	───────	───────
	Net book value
	At 31 March 2024		920	59,302	60,222
			═══════	═══════	═══════
	At 31 March 2023		1,702	134,671	136,373
			═══════	═══════	═══════
	Outstanding hire purchase agreements are secured against		the specific motor vehicles included		above and
	summarised as follows :
		2024		2023
		Net	Depreciation	Net	Depreciation
		book value	charge	book value	charge
		£	£	£	£
	Motor Vehicles	59,302	52,162	111,464	52,162
10.	DEBTORS			2024	2023
				£	£
	Trade debtors			7,802	5,575
	Taxation and social security costs			2,005	5,841
	Prepayments and accrued income			21,802	15,944
				───────	───────
				31,609	27,360
				═══════	═══════
11.	CREDITORS			2024	2023
	Amounts falling due within one year			£	£
	Net obligations under finance leases and hire purchase contracts			26,310	55,222
	Trade creditors			8,235	14,604
	Taxation and social security costs			3,377	-
	Accruals and deferred income			2,782	2,782
				───────	───────
				40,704	72,608
				═══════	═══════

Down District Accessible Transport

(A company limited by guarantee, not having a share capital) NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

continued

for the financial year ended 31 March 2024

12.	CREDITORS					2024	2024	2023
	Amounts falling due after more than one year						£	£
	Finance leases and hire purchase contracts						-	24,103
						═══════		═══════
	Repayable within one year					26,310		55,222
	Repayable between one and five years						-	24,103
						───────		───────
						26,310		79,325
						═══════		═══════
13.	FUNDS
13.1	RECONCILIATION OF MOVEMENT IN	FUNDS		Unrestricted		Restricted		Total
				Funds		Funds		Funds
					£		£	£
	At 1 April 2022			223,116		18,791		241,907
	Movement during the financial year			(51,501)		(18,791)		(70,292)
				───────		───────		───────
	At 31 March 2023			171,615			-	171,615
	Movement during the financial year			(22,644)			-	(22,644)
				───────		───────		───────
	At 31 March 2024			148,971			-	148,971
				═══════		═══════		═══════
14.	ANALYSIS OF FUNDS	Open Balance	Income	Expenses	Transfers		Closing Balance
		Re-stated
	DFI Restricted	£	£	£		£		£
	DFI Rural Transport Fund	-	287,216	287,216		-		-
	Assisted Rural Travel Scheme	-	64,841	64,841		-		-
	DAL Fare Income	-	10,806	10,806		-		-
	DAL Membership fees	-	10,026	10,026		-		-
		-	372,889	372,889		-		-
	Other Restricted
	Disability Action transport Scheme	-	446	446		-		-
		-	446	446		-		-
	Unrestricted
	Designated Reserve	84,567	-	-		-		84,567
	Designated Fixed Asset Reserve	57,048	-	-		3,176		60,222
	Unrestricted Free Reserves	30,000	47,118	69,762		(3,176)		4,180
		171,615	47,118	69,762		-		148,971
	Total Funds	171,615	420,453	443,097		-		148,971

15. ANALYSIS OF NET ASSETS BY FUND

	Fixed	Current	Current	Long-term	Total
	assets	assets	liabilities	liabilities
	- charity use
	£	£	£	£	£
Restricted trust funds	-	-	-	-	-
	───────	───────	───────	───────	───────
Unrestricted general funds	60,222	129,453	(40,704)	-	148,971
	───────	───────	───────	───────	───────
	60,222	129,453	(40,704)	-	148,971
	═══════	═══════	═══════	═══════	═══════

16. STATUS

The company is limited by guarantee not having a share capital.

The liability of the members is limited.

Every member of the company undertakes to contribute to the assets of the company in the event of its being wound up while they are members, or within one year thereafter, for the payment of the debts and liabilities of the company contracted before they ceased to be members, and the costs, charges and expenses of winding up, and for the adjustment of the rights of the contributors among themselves, such amount as may be required, not exceeding £ 1.

17. POST-BALANCE SHEET EVENTS

There have been no significant events affecting the Charity since the financial year-end.

18. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

The company has been invoiced £1,000 during the current financial year by BVM Business Services in respect of accounting and consultancy services provided. These services were provided in order to assist a period following changes in staffing when the finance officer and manager left their employment with Down District Accessible Transport. BVM Business Services is owned and managed by the wife of one of the Trustees. These invoices have not been paid yet and are included as part of the trade creditor figure in the financial statements.

19. TRUSTEE REMUNERATION

The Trustees did not receive nor did they waive the entitlement to remuneration for their services during the current or previous financial period.