Broxbourne Citizens Advice Bureau

Trustees' Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) Year ended 31 March 2025 The trustees, who are also the directors for the purposes of company law, present their report and the unaudited financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2025. Reference and administrative details Registered charity name BROXBOURNE CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU Charity registration number 1121196 Company registration number 06317053 Principal office and registered Nigel Sanville Gardens office Stanstead Abbotts Ware England SG12 8GA England The trustees David Smith Annie Clarke Shazia Carr Matthew Wallace Rachael Speirs Independent examiner Kwame Agyepong Jack Dash House 2 Lawn House Close London United Kingdom E14 9YQ 2 BROXBOURNE CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU Company Limited by Guarantee Trustees' Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) (continued) Year ended 31 March 2025 Structure, governance and management Governing document The charity is governed by its articles of association, adopted on 21/09/2023. The document sets out the charitable objectives and the powers of the trustees. Trustee responsibilities The trustees are responsible for the overall governance and strategic direction of the charity. They are also responsible for ensuring that the charity complies with charity law, manages its resources responsibly, and delivers public benefit. The Chair is responsible for line management of the CEO. In 2024-2025, this role was split between two co-chairs. Trustee recruitment and appointment Trustees are recruited through open advertisement. We have existing advertisements on LinkedIn, GoVo, and other recruitment websites. Trustees are appointed for a term of 3 years, which may be renewed in accordance with the governing document. New trustees receive an induction covering: -The governing document and charitable objectives. -Trustee roles and responsibilities. -Key policies and procedures. -Current activities and financial position of the charity. -Alignment of their skills with working groups or activities to be completed. Management arrangements The trustees meet quarterly to review progress, finances, and risks. Day-to-day operations are managed by CEO and Deputy CEO/ Advice Service Manager, who report to the trustees. Sub-committees have been established to deal with finance & fundraising. 3 BROXBOURNE CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU Company Limited by Guarantee Trustees' Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) (continued) Year ended 31 March 2025 Objectives and activities Charitable objectives The charity's objectives are specifically: 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 Broxbourne and surrounding areas. Activities during the year During the year, the charity undertook the following main activities to further its charitable purposes: Advice delivered through a hybrid service, with email, phone, or in-person advice by bookable appointments or walk-ins. A small number of clients were also seen via video-call. The multi-channel approach ensures services remain accessible to all residents, with digital channels complementing traditional face-to-face and telephone support. Advice delivered to 2062 unique clients, with 9433 distinct issues addressed. The total financial value of £861,297.00 represents direct economic benefit to the community, helping residents manage cost of living pressures. Strategic report The following sections for achievements and performance and financial review form the strategic report of the charity. 4 BROXBOURNE CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU Company Limited by Guarantee Trustees' Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) (continued) Year ended 31 March 2025 Achievements and performance Key achievements The trustees confirm that the charity's activities were carried out for the public benefit. Charity achievements and benefits provided include: Benefits Maximisation: A core service area involves ensuring residents receive all entitled benefits: - 2,857 benefits and tax credit issues addressed for 917 clients - Personal Independence Payment (975 instances) was the most common benefit issue - General Benefit Entitlement checks (539 instances) helped identify unclaimed benefits - Attendance Allowance support (275 instances) assisted older residents with care needs Debt Management: Debt support services have been crucial as households struggle with rising costs: - 873 debt issues addressed for 353 clients - Council tax arrears (143 instances) were the most common debt issue - Fuel debts (82 instances) reflected the impact of energy price increases - Credit, store, and charge card debts (35 instances) indicated financial strain Financial Capability: Building financial resilience has been a key focus: - 581 financial capability issues addressed for 408 clients - Services included budgeting support, banking access, and financial education - Preventative work helped clients avoid crisis situations Who benefited: - 62% of clients are female, reflecting both demographic patterns and the disproportionate impact of the cost-of-living crisis on women - 55% of clients report disabilities or long-term health conditions, highlighting the additional pressures faced by these households - The age distribution shows peaks in the 35-44 and 50-54 age brackets, representing working-age adults often supporting both children and aging parents. 5 BROXBOURNE CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU Company Limited by Guarantee Trustees' Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) (continued) Year ended 31 March 2025 Financial review The charity's financial position at the end of the year was: - Total income: £241,622 - Total expenditure: £314,519 - Net movement in funds: £ (106,370) Reserves policy The trustees have determined to retain a minimum level of reserves to meet unexpected events (such as a significant loss of funding). The amount of reserves has been calculated as a proportion to cover restructure and redundancy costs and the remaining amount to maintain the service as a going concern while applying for replacement funding. The trustees consider that a level of between 4 and 6 months of operating costs, based on the average monthly expenditure in the 2024-25 accounts, should be held in reserve. Debts and liabilities At the year end, the charity had: - Outstanding liabilities of £amount, relating to e.g. creditors, accruals, loans The trustees consider the level of debt to be manageable / appropriate. Risk Management The trustees have assessed the major risks to which the charity is exposed and have implemented procedures to mitigate these risks. Key risks include: - Governance risk due to lack of succession planning - appointment of co-chair to mitigate risks. Trustee recruitment ongoing. - Governance - a full governance review has been undertaken in 2025 to ensure strict adherence to all governance and reporting requirements. - Financial risks for budgetary control and reporting - risk mitigated by onboarding of new finance partner. Monthly management accounts requested, project budgets reconciled, and clean audit for Q4. 6 BROXBOURNE CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU Company Limited by Guarantee Trustees' Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) (continued) Year ended 31 March 2025 - Bank collapse/Third party risk: To spread risk of loss of bank deposits upon major bank collapse, new bank account with Unity Bank has been opened. Distribution of funds ensures adequate funds areavailable for business continuity. - Cuts to local voluntary sector funding and reduced commissioning or grant opportunities for local groups as public spending reductions take hold: We continually look for external funding opportunities, particularly with CA Broxbourne as lead body for a consortia of local organisations who might struggle to secure funding alone. We are working closely with the public sector to identify external funding opportunities and to develop joint bids. We are also working closely with the VCS to ensure that partner organisations are supported to get evidence, have the necessary processes and procedures in place and meet quality thresholds. Funds Held as Custodian Trustee The charity does not hold funds as a custodian trustee on behalf of other organisations or individuals. The charity's financial position at the end of the year was: - Total income: £241,622 - Total expenditure: £314,519 - Net movement in funds: £(106,370) Reserves policy The trustees have considered the level of reserves needed to ensure the charity can continue its activities. The charity's reserves policy is to: - Hold reserves equivalent to 6-9 months of operating costs - Use reserves only for ... - At the year end, free reserves amounted to £amount. This is in line with / below / above the reserves policy. Debts and liabilities At the year end, the charity had: - Outstanding liabilities of £117,501, relating to e.g. creditors, accruals, loans The trustees consider the level of debt to be manageable / appropriate. Risk Management 7 BROXBOURNE CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU Company Limited by Guarantee Trustees' Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) (continued) Year ended 31 March 2025 The trustees have assessed the major risks to which the charity is exposed and have implemented procedures to mitigate these risks. Key risks include: - Governance risk due to lack of succession planning - appointment of co-chair to mitigate risks. Trustee recruitment ongoing. - Governance - a full governance review has been undertaken in 2025 to ensure strict adherence to all governance and reporting requirements. - Financial risks for budgetary control and reporting - risk mitigated by onboarding of new finance partner. Monthly management accounts requested, project budgets reconciled, and clean audit for Q4. - Bank collapse/Third party risk: To spread risk of loss of bank deposits upon major bank collapse, new bank account with Unity Bank has been opened. Distribution of funds ensures adequate funds are available for business continuity. - Cuts to local voluntary sector funding and reduced commissioning or grant opportunities for local groups as public spending reductions take hold: We continually look for external funding opportunities, particularly with CA Broxbourne as lead body for a consortia of local organisations who might struggle to secure funding alone. We are working closely with the public sector to identify external funding opportunities and to develop joint bids. We are also working closely with the VCS to ensure that partner organisations are supported to get evidence, have the necessary processes and procedures in place and meet quality thresholds. Funds Held as Custodian Trustee The charity does not hold funds as a custodian trustee on behalf of other organisations or individuals. The trustees' annual report and the strategic report were approved on 17 December 2025 and signed on behalf of the board of trustees by: David Smith Trustee