2025-09-30-accounts - British Combinatorial Committee

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Scottish Charity Number SC019723

BRITISH COMBINATORIAL COMMITTEE

Report and financial statements for the year ending

30 September 2025

BRITISH COMBINATORIAL COMMITTEE REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

Trustees

Prof J Wolf (University of Cambridge), Chair Prof A Treglown (University of Birmingham), Secretary Prof S Blackburn (Royal Holloway, University of London), Treasurer Prof P Allen (London School of Economics) Dr C Bowtell (University of Birmingham) Dr J Enright (University of Glasgow) Dr F Fischer (Queen Mary, University of London) Dr A Gagarin (Cardiff University) Dr S Huczynska (University of St Andrews) Dr J Hyde (University of Birmingham) Dr J R Johnson (Queen Mary, University of London), Mr J Le´on (University of Warwick) Prof A Nixon (Lancaster University) Dr D B Penman (University of Essex) Dr K Staden (The Open University)

Principal address

Prof Andrew Treglown School of Mathematics University of Birmingham Edgbaston Birmingham B15 2TT

Independent examiner of accounts

Prof B Nucinkis Department of Mathematics Royal Holloway, University of London Egham TW20 0EX

Bankers

Bank of Scotland 2 West Marketgait Dundee DD1 1QN Scottish Widows Bank Plc PO Box 12757 67 Morrison Street Edinburgh EH3 8YJ

Charity registration number

SC019723

Website

https://www.britishcombinatorics.org.uk/

BRITISH COMBINATORIAL COMMITTEE TRUSTEES’ REPORT

The Trustees present their report and financial statements for the year ended 30 September 2025.

Structure, governance and management

For the purpose of charity legislation, the Trustees are precisely the members of the British Combinatorial Committee. The Committee governs in accordance with the Constitution, which is available on the Committee’s website, or from the Secretary on request. The Chair, Secretary and Treasurer and up to eight members of the Committee are elected biennially. The local organiser of the next British Combinatorial Conference is an ex officio member. Also co-opted is the organiser of the Postgraduate Conference. The Committee has chosen to additionally co-opt the local organiser of the previous British Combinatorial Conference, and the previous Secretary of the British Combinatorial Committee.

Objectives and activities

The British Combinatorial Committee was founded in 1977 with the general aim of encouraging the study of Combinatorial Mathematics, and with the particular purpose of organising every two years a conference in Great Britain devoted to this field of research. Previously, five such meetings had been organised on an informal basis. The British Combinatorial Conference has since become one of the leading international conferences in this expanding area of mathematics. The Committee’s activities have widened to include support for postgraduate conferences and various shorter meetings.

The Committee also publishes the British Combinatorial Bulletin , which has appeared annually since 1975. The latest issue, dated May 2026, is edited by Dr D B Penman at the University of Essex, and is available at:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Hz6qxf8k78xsdqtyAPIxbvrkaH5rCcon/view .

In 2022 the Committee instigated a thesis prize to recognise outstanding UK PhD research. Combinatorics is a strong mathematical field in the UK, with work at PhD level regularly influencing international developments in the area. The prize is awarded biennially, in a prize ceremony at the British Combinatorial Conference. The prize winner is invited to give a prize lecture at this meeting. The prize is generously sponsored by the Heilbronn Institute, the Institute of Combinatorics and its Applications, and Cambridge University Press.

Financial support

The following is a list of the activities in 2024–25 for which the Committee provided partial financial support.

1. 15–17 April 2024

Postgraduate Combinatorics Conference 2024 London School of Economics Attendance: 47 Subsidy: £302.51

2. 8–9 May 2024

Colloquia in Combinatorics 2024

University College London and London School of Economics Attendance: 91

Subsidy: £500

3. 12–13 November 2024

Liverpool Discrete Mathematics Colloquium University of Liverpool Attendance: 49 Subsidy: £625

4. 30 April – 2 May 2025

Postgraduate Combinatorics Conference 2025 University of Glasgow Attendance: 51 Subsidy: £368.33

5. 27 May 2025

One-Day Meeting in Combinatorics University of Oxford Attendance: 88 Subsidy: £549.68

We agreed to support the London Combinatorics Colloquia held in May 2025, however, in the end funding was not needed.

We also agreed to support the 23rd International Conference on Permutation Patterns held in July 2025, but because of the timing of the claim this will appear in next year’s accounts.

Voluntary work

The Society’s officers and Committee members undertake all their work for the Committee on a voluntary basis. They therefore receive no payment beyond reimbursement of some of their expenses.

Financial review

The Committee’s finances typically follow a 2-year cycle, since the British Combinatorial Conference is held in alternate, even-numbered years. The net surplus from previous conferences, including royalties from invited lectures published by Cambridge University Press, provides the funds used to underwrite future conferences and to support secondary activities.

Income for 2024–25 was £1962 . 79 mainly from CUP Royalties and sponsorship of the PhD Prize. (Note that there was no surplus from the 2024 edition of the British Combinatorial Conference.) Expenditure was £2345 . 52. This leaves a balance of £34243 . 03, the bulk of which is held in interest-bearing bank accounts.

The Trustees consider that the Charity is exempt from audit.

Plans for the Year 2025–2026

The Committee agreed to support the following Combinatorics meetings scheduled to take place in 2025–2026.

(1) Postgraduate Combinatorial Conference 2026, University of Warwick (15–17 April 2026)
(2) London Combinatorics Colloquia, Queen Mary University of London and London School of Economics (13–14 May 2026)
(3) One-Day Meeting in Combinatorics, University of Oxford (2nd June 2026)

The 31st British Combinatorial Conference will be held at Cardiff University on 6–10 July 2026.

Statement of Trustees’ responsibilities

The Committee’s General Policy and Rules require accounts to be prepared annually on 30 September. It is the responsibility of the Trustees to ensure that the annual financial statements give a true and fair view of the state of the Charity, and of its surplus or deficit for the year. The Trustees are responsible for the maintenance of proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Committee. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Committee and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention of fraud and other irregularities.

On behalf of the Trustees

This report was approved at a meeting of the trustees on 18 May 2026.

(signed) Prof J Wolf (Chair)

Date: 1st June 2026

(signed)

Prof A Treglown (Secretary) Date: 1st June 2026

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT ON THE ACCOUNTS

Report to the trustees of the British Combinatorial Committee, registered charity number SC019723

I report on the accounts of the charity for the year ended 30 September 2025 which are set out on page 6.

Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner

The charity’s trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the terms of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006. The charity trustees consider that the audit requirement of Regulation 10(1)(d) of the Accounts Regulations does not apply. It is my responsibility to examine the accounts as required under section 44(1)(c) of the Act and to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.

Basis of independent examiner’s statement

My examination is carried out in accordance with Regulation 11 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeks explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the accounts.

Independent examiner’s statement

In the course of my examination, no matter has come to my attention

(1) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements:
(a) to keep accounting records in accordance with Section 44(1)(a) of the 2005 Act and Regulation 4 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations, and
(b) to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with Regulation 9 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations

have not been met, or

(2) to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Signed: Date: 18 May 2026

Name: Brita Nucinkis Relevant Professional qualification/professional body (if any): Member of the London Mathematical Society Address: Department of Mathematics Royal Holloway University of London Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX

BRITISH COMBINATORIAL COMMITTEE

Receipts and Payments Account for the period 1 October 2024 to 30 September 2025

Receipts Interest Royalties from Cambridge University Press Sponsorship for BCC PhD Prize Total receipts Payments Grants for one-day conferences (1 event) Grants for two-day conferences (2 events) Postgraduate Combinatorics Conferences Domain name registration (10 years) BCC PhD Prize 2024 Total payments Surplus / (defcit) for year All funds are unrestricted Statement of Balances as at 30 September Bank accounts: Opening balances Surplus (defcit) for year Closing balances Made up of: Bank of Scotland Treasurer’s Account Scottish Widows Bank Charity Deposit Account Signed: Date:	Year to 30/9/2025 £ 465.71 997.08 500.00 1962.79 549.68 1125.00 670.84 2345.52 (382.73) 2025 £ 34625.76 (382.73) 34243.03 1065.33 33177.70 34243.03	Year to 30/9/2024 £ 475.20 1132.45 993.00
		2600.65
		651.47 1529.17 66.00 1015.00
		3261.64
		(660.99) 2024 £ 35286.75 (660.99)
		34625.76
		1913.77 32711.99
		34625.76

Prof S.R. Blackburn (Treasurer)