annual_report_201314_mu

Blackburn with Darwen Citizens Advice Bureau Annual report and accounts

years of advice to the community

2013 14

Blackburn with Darwen Citizens Advice Bureau Contents

Foreword 1

Chief Officers Report 2

Chairs Report 3

Our Service 4-5

6-7 Helping People

8-9

Making it easy to get the right advice 10

Blackburn with Darwen Citizens Advice service helps people to find a way forward, whoever they are. We help people solve their problems, develop the skills and confidence they need to help themselves and use our clients’ experiences to campaign for policy changes that benefit everyone.

BlackburnCAB.org.uk Twitter.com/BlackburnCAB Facebook.com/BlackburnCAB LinkedIn/BlackburnCAB

Helping people to help themselves 11

A good employer 12

Financial Review 13-14

How we are governed 15

Financial accounts 16-25

Supporters 26

The trustees who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006, present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2014. The trustees have adopted the provisions of the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) ‘Accounting and Reporting by Charities’ issued in March 2005.

Blackburn with Darwen Citizens Advice Bureau is a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee and is governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association.

Company number: 03343623 Registered charity number: 1063817

Registered office: Blackburn Central Library | Town Hall Street, | Blackburn | Lancashire | BB2 1AG

Bureau Statistics

Advisers 27

Blackburn with Darwen Citizens Advice Annual report and accounts 2013/14

Foreword Over 3900 people contacted Blackburn with Darwen Citizens Advice Bureau in 2013/14 to help them find a way forward. In very challenging circumstances, volunteers and staff across in our bureau have worked with enormous invention, responsibility and generosity to find solutions wherever they can. The work of our

50+ volunteers has a market rate value of £208,926.28 *1

For many of our clients and advisers the year was dominated by continuing economic challenges. Problems with debt, money, employment, housing and getting the support to which people were entitled remained high on our agendas. At the same time, shrinking public spending has meant our service has had to find new ways to be even more efficient, work in partnership and often take tough choices about how best to focus our efforts.

We set ourselves some ambitious challenges for 2013/14. Although our service is much loved across Blackburn and Darwen and achieves extraordinary satisfaction levels for our work, we want to keep improving.

Easier to get the right advice

Although we help thousands of people every year, it is still too hard for too many people to get our help. So we have focused our effort this year on improving our phone services. Over the past year we have made real gains, in terms of our generalist Adviceline.

1. Based on number of hours per volunteer role multiplied by the hourly rate for equivalent roles from the Office of National Statistics.

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Chief Officer’s report I took over as Chief Officer in September 2013 and I could not have come into the role during a more exciting year for the bureau as we have seen huge changes from Trust Board level through to front line service delivery.

We moved premises from St John’s Centre, relocating our offices within Blackburn Central Library which was a huge undertaking in itself. As predicted, there were the inevitable challenges and I would like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the CAB staff in working together to make all this possible. I would also like to thank the Library Staff for the continued support. We now share our downstairs working area with Age UK Blackburn with Darwen and we work in the same office upstairs as the Local Authority employees.

On the 11th June 2013 we began working in partnership with Age UK BwD & the Local Authority a partnership funded by the ASTF Big Lottery funding. This is working well and has enabled us to provide a better client journey for those who are accessing the services of both the partnership and other partners – my thanks to my partners in making this happen and facilitating working together.

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In the spirit of providing the best possible service for our clients we changed the way our service was delivered in January – I’m particularly proud of this development as it was the culmination of collaboration with all staff, CAB and Local Authority and has proven to be a great success. I would like to extend my particular thanks to Catherine for managing downstairs in such an efficient manner and embracing all the challenges that have been thrown at her.

In September 2013 we introduced Adviceline which was one of the biggest projects the bureau has ever undertaken – I would like to acknowledge the hard work put in by Mohsin and Allison for making this happen. The importance of Adviceline cannot be overestimated. It increases the opportunity for clients to access our service and we are working in partnership with Bolton Bureau to ensure that no call goes unanswered. Going forward we are taking part in a national Citizens Advice Pilot to monitor the effectiveness of telephone advice delivery called proof of concept – I’m particularly proud of this project as there are only 11 proof of concept bureaux in the country and I’d like to thank all the volunteers and staff who have worked so hard to get this off the ground. As with any new project it is not without its challenges but together we have faced them.

Going forward into the next year, the Bureau would like to develop its training services. Thanks to the good work of Mohsin, we have developed good links with Blackburn College and Training 2000 and I’m proud to say that in November we were awarded the Training 2000 work experience placement of the year. We are also a gold accredited member of Fair Train In closing I would like to thanks Citizens Advice for all their support during a very difficult year – in particular Jan Mellor whose unfailing support to me, my staff and my board will not be forgotten.

Liz Potts

Chief Officer

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Chairs report This year is a significant year for Blackburn with Darwen Citizens Advice service as we celebrate our 35th Anniversary.

As a bureau, the year to 31 March 2014 has also been a good year in many ways. We have faced many challenges including a change of premises, a staff re-structure which saw a change of Chief Officer from September 2013 and a commitment to partnership working which resulted in the implementation of new working practices and allowed us to extend our specialist service in Housing Welfare Benefits and debt.

In spite of all this, I am pleased to report that we continued to provide a quality and reliable service to an increased number of people who required help and assistance.

As part of our strategic plan for the year, we identified that easier access to advice over the telephone was vital for many people who are unable to visit the bureau in person and the implementation of our Adviceline service in September has enabled us to do that. I am delighted that the Bureau has become increasingly proficient in looking forward in terms of service delivery and is not afraid to accept new challenges and try out new ways of working.

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Given these uncertain times, with debt, homelessness, and benefit reforms the importants of good timely advice has never been more crucial and whilst it’s important that the Bureau remains committed to service development, it must not be forgotten that it is the skills, knowledge and commitment of our volunteers which makes the CAB the service that it is as our volunteers remain our greatest strength,.

The bureau is committed to meeting all the needs of the local community. I am very pleased that links with local organisations have enabled us to identify the value of work experience and training and the idea that through the Bureau offering training and work experience can somehow contribute towards getting a job is a wonderful opportunity.

On behalf of the Board, I wish to extend to all the staff and volunteers our very sincere thanks and in particular Liz, Allison, Jan and my fellow Trustees Peter, Yunus, Garry, Johanne, Jennifer and Hugh who have brought a fresh air and focus to help steer our good ship through stormy waters.

Gordon Taylor OBE

Chair


One service, working together

The diversity of our service is one of its

greatest strengths.

The diversity of our service is one of its greatest strengths. It means we can respond flexibly and locally to what is needed most. But without careful attention, it can mean we don’t learn from what works brilliantly or ensure the sum of our activities is greater than the parts. So an unrelenting focus of our effort over the past year has been to bring our service together as a more cohesive service, working together in partnership to develop better ways of helping our clients. We’ve achieved a real change in this, and will continue to build on it over the coming months and years.

A strong financial basis

While this has been a challenging year, our c u r r e n t financial position is:

• We have increased the amount of funding we received in 2013/14 compared to 2012/13.

• We have delivered efficiency savings by working in partnership with other providers.

Our unrestricted reserves are £82,751.00.

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An exciting future

In 2013/14 the Citizens Advice Service will be celebrating its 75th anniversary, and Blackburn with Darwen Citizens Advice is happy to be a part of this. As we look back at the proud work of the bureau, we are confident that the future of our service is in good shape. The work we have been doing to build our service by working together to focus on what our current and future clients need has laid strong foundations.

Our direction is clear and we plan by working with Citizens Advice in their new strategy to improve our service and effectiveness in the year to come. We are optimistic about what we can achieve as we continue to modernise our service.

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Our Service

We provide free, independent, confidential and impartial advice to everyone on their rights and responsibilities. We value diversity, promote equality and challenge discrimination.

Our Aims

To provide the advice people need for the problems they face.

To improve the policies and practices that affect people’s lives.

Blackburn with Darwen Citizens Advice helps people resolve their legal, money and other problems by providing information and advice and by influencing policy makers. We use evidence of our clients problems to campaign for improvements in laws and services that affect everyone.

Every Citizens Advice Bureau is an independent registered charity. Without core cost funding and contribution by our volunteers, Blackburn with Darwen Citizens Advice could not continue to provide its services in times of great difficulties.

Charitable objects

As stated in the memorandum of association, the objects for which Blackburn with Darwen Citizens Advice is established for the public benefit are:

Strategic priorities

Our business plan set out three clear strategic priorities for our work:

1. Developing the bureau by increasing access to our services.

Improving partnership working.

Developing Social policy work of the bureau.

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the advancement of education

the protection and preservation of health

the relief of poverty, sickness and

distress.

2.

3.

In each of these areas we made significant progress over the year, but still have much to achieve to realise our long term ambitions.

We work with people to find a way forward, by giving them the support they need.

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How we turn individual problems into solutions for society

We help people who are in financial crisis...

Via our

education

received education

lending. 6

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What we did...

Debt advice

bureau we saw:

Over 400 people with £1.2 million worth of debt.

We provided crisis debt management, ensuring clients understand income and expenditure, and prioritise rent and council tax bills.

Financial capability

At least 603 clients

We also trained 2 front line workers who provided over 400 advice sessions.

We help people like James with their problems Being in debt, and having poor finances, can be a difficult cycle to break:

• People go further into debt to repay creditors.

• Reduce other expenditures below acceptable levels to try to make repayments.

Approximately 65 per cent of UK adults require some level of financial capability support. (National Statistics)

Experiencing financial trouble has wide-reaching impact on individuals’ lives, including their:

• mental wellbeing

• ability to maintain relationships, housing, and their employment.

Debt issues also impact on us all, with an estimated cost to society of £1,000 per typical problem.

An estimated 5.3 million households would have benefitted from free debt advice in 2011, but not everyone seeks or accesses help.

And look at tackling what’s causing it… We know that the prevalence of high cost credit and lack of consumer awareness of its impact, is leaving people unable to manage their debt.

Our evidence showed that payday loan companies were:

• not treating their customers fairly

• breaking regulations and guidance regarding responsible

James’s story

Mr Hargreaves, is 69 years of age, had an overpayment of Pension credit for the sum of £2760. His private works pension had not been taken into account for the Pension Credit guarantee Credit assessment for over a substantial 4 years period, causing a large overpayment of benefit. The caseworker advised the client on the guidance on the application of Secretary of State’s discretion not to recover. Case worker wrote to the Pension service on his behalf and requested that a waiver on recoverability and discretion be applied. The DWP granted a waiver on the recovery of the overpayment. This meant the family could meet their regular expenditure and alleviated exceptional pressure of the debt of £2760.


cost of debt

consequences of debt:

employment and homeless.

of future debt

financial capability, they are

from not having to resolve

instead can invest in their

are better and fairer

be capped by 2015.

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… Benefiting

Reduces societal

Stopping debt problems from escalating means local and national government do not incur the cost of resolving the potential

poor mental health, loss of

Reduce chance

crisis

By building people’s

less likely to fall into debt in the future. Society benefits

these debts, and individuals

local economy.

Financial services

… Improving

Getting debt under control is like removing a weight

hanging over people’s lives.

9 in 10 debt clients felt less stressed, depressed or anxious.

Our advice and education also means that people are less likely to have the same problem again:

9 in 10 have a better understanding of their rights and responsibilities.

And helps all the people that will take out an estimated 10 million payday loans this year…

Consumers are more aware of the implications of taking out payday loans, thanks to our resources.

Fewer people will be misled about payday loans thanks to complaints made by our campaigners about irresponsible adverts.

The cost of credit will

… Achieving

2 in 3 debt clients had their problem partly

or completely solved.

4 in 5 could not have resolved problem

without CAB.

2 in 3 reported a positive impact on their finances.

on average better off a week following financial

capability education.

New stricter rules for payday lenders.

50% increase in complaints to Financial Ombudsman.

Trusted relationship with regulators, providing our

insight and evidence.

Ensuring creditors act reasonably, and that people can access financial services not only makes society fairer, but also reduces financial exclusion and further debt.

By being part of the Citizens Advice Service, we contributed towards..


Our client profile for 2013/14

Our bureau helped

Gender

52% women and 48% men. This reflects the Blackburn population; 51% female and 49% male (Census 2011)

Disability & Health Problems

• Of those clients whose disability and health status was recorded, 16.7% were recorded as disabled, and 27% were disabled and or had long term health problems.

Of the disabled clients where the type of disability was recorded:

• The two most commonly types of disability were non-sensory physical impairment and a mental health condition.

Ethnicity & Nationality

• 34% of clients were from Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds.

• 62% were made up of White British clients, and 4% other whiter backgrounds.

This accurately reflects that Blackburn population where 69% is White and 31% BAME.

Household Type

• 41% of all enquiries came from single people in the borough.

• 17% of single people with dependant children.

• 20% of couples with dependant children.

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48% 52% Male

Female

44%

56%

All long termhealth and /or disability

Not disabled

66%

34% White

BAME

52%

22%

26%

Single nodependants

Single withdependants

Couples withchildren


Advice Issues

Our bureau helped with 8636 Advice Issues

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Problems by category 2013-14 % of total problems

Benefits & tax credits 3,131 36%

Debt 2,161 25%

Consumer (non-financial) 687 8%

Employment 527 6%

Financial products/ services 492 6%

Health & community care 38 0%

Housing 509 6%

Immigration & asylum 123 1%

Legal 252 3%

Other 432 5%

Relationships & family 284 3%

TOTAL 8,636 100%

37%

25%

8% 6%

6% 0%

6%

1% 3% 5% 3%

Advice issues by category

Benefits and tax credits

Debt

Consumer (non-financial)

Employment

Financial products and service

Health and community care

Housing

Immigration and asylum

Legal

Other

Relationships and family


Making it easy to get the right advice

We want to make it as easy as possible for people to find the advice they need to move forward. While we are still best known for our high street presence and face-to-face advice, millions of people use other ways of getting our help, and demand for our digital and phone services is growing rapidly.

Our major successes in 2013/14 included:

• maintaining and extending our availability to access the much needed advice services despite tight funding pressures.

working in partnership with the Money Advice Service to deliver our debt advice service.

conducting in-depth reviews of our digital and phone services and identifying more effective ways to deliver these in future.

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Our plans for the future include:

• transferring our Adviceline number to an 03 number reducing the cost to clients of getting advice by phone

testing a faster and more immediate advice process across phone and face-to-face services that should make it easier and quicker for clients to access the service

developing new digital tools for our volunteers and clients

developing quality work experience placements to people of all ages and backgrounds. being part of a Citizens Advice performance quality pilot to ensure that we are delivering high quality advice to our clients.

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The right advice Tanya’s story

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Mrs Davies suffers from a number of health problems. Her mobility is severe restricted. She was

a migration case from Incapacity Benefit to Employment Support Allowance, following a

medical she was found fit for work by the DWP and her ESA was stopped in March 2014. Her other benefits also stopped, including help with her

mortgage interest payments and her council tax support. She was left without any money.

The specialist welfare Rights team helped her to

lodge an appeal to the Independent Tribunal Service, advised her on the process, time limits,

pursued interim benefits pending her appeal. The caseworker helped her gather relevant medical

evidence and prepared a submission to put forward her case on her behalf. She was successful at the Tribunal hearing and awarded ESA with support

component. As a result she was awarded backdated payment of £758.24 and is better off by

£6432.40 per year.

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Helping people to help themselves

We secured funding to assist us in running a number of education programmes designed to give people the skills, knowledge and confidence to avoid getting into the same difficulties by empowering them to deal with any future problems.


• Our Energy Best Deal campaign was delivered to almost 40 clients through a number of sessions. Its aim was to provide clients with information and assistance in switching their energy supplier to help save money and encourage to take up of the warm front discount.

United Utilities Trust Fund – Financial well-being project. Through financial education which included budgeting, energy savings and borrowing money, we have offered practical solutions to our diverse range of clients. Workshops and one to one training have been delivered via over 400 advice sessions.

As part of our 2 year agreement, this year the project reached 603 clients, 63 budget plans were setup and over 40 Trust Fund applications were submitted to help clients pay off their water arrears.

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Our future plans:

• Santander Foundations Project Offering comprehensive support to maximise income and financial literacy by assisting those clients who are unable to complete benefits claims forms thus providing a quick positive impact for clients and their well being. Self Help Work Stations Located in Bureau, clients will be able to access free advice and information.

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Helping themselves Sue’s story

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Client was a recovering alcoholic. After suffering an addiction for 25 years addiction and with severe

mental health problems, client had been clean for 6 years. She lived in social housing and was in

receipt of ESA, housing benefit and council tax support. She was trying to rebuild her life. She

moved from her previous address with £1921.00 of fuel arrears and various other arrears. She received a

grant of £1921 to clear her fuel bills.

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A good employer

Our People strategy is straightforward – and that’s just how it should be. We want to have empowered people working in an inventive, responsible and generous culture. Our people’s talent is key to the Blackburn with Darwen Citizens Advice service being able to deliver its strategic aims.


• continuing to develop an inventive and responsible culture across the bureau

maintained our representation of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) across our bureau network.

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Our plans for the future include:

• developing of a new educational programme which will provide valuable work experience to CAB volunteers and students

continuing our commitment to a responsible, inventive and generous culture and being a place that people want to work and volunteer

establishing a mentoring programme to ensure knowledge and learning is shared throughout the bureau.

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We understand that everyone has a unique

contribution to make.

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A champion for equality and against discrimination At Blackburn with Darwen Citizens Advice we are committed to valuing diversity, promoting equality and challenging discrimination as we campaign for a fairer society.


Financial review

Our strategic approach

Our financial objectives of 2013/14 were:

• Identifying and applying for appropriate funding sources.

Maintaining a funding base to ensure we can continue to deliver our services.

Using our money well and delivering value for money.

Working in partnerships to deliver efficiency savings.

Reducing expenditure to maintaining a self sustainable bureau.

We would have liked to have increased our fundraising income further but this has proved very hard in the current climate. We will continue to develop our fundraising strategy in 2014/15 to address this.

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Income

14% ASTF (Big Lottery) – 35%

£72,177.00 (2013/14)

Money Advice Service – 25%

£51,925.00 (2013/14)

Local Authority – 17%

£25,000.00 + £9,000 B.I.K (2013/14)

United Utilities Trust Fund – 14%

£28,750.00 (2013/14)

Lloyds TSB Foundation – 3%

£6,064.00 (2013/14)

Citizens Advice Grants – 3%

£5,042.00 (2013/14)

Santander – 2%

£3,390.00 (2013/14)

Other – 1%

£2,940.00 (2013/14)

35%

25%

17%

14%

3% 3% 2% 1%


The overall financial health and sustainability of the bureau.

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Ensuring we protect the data held across the service.

Risk management and internal control

As required under the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP), the Trustee Board has approved the risk management strategy and regularly reviews the risk register.

Risks are identified and evaluated in the following ways:

Much work was undertaken during the year to address and mitigate these risks:

• We continued development of our programme and project management capability to help underpin the successful delivery of projects.

Tight budget setting and budget management processes with a continued focus on efficiency savings and controlling costs.

Exploring new ways of generating sustainable sources of income.

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• Regular review by the Trustee Board.

Periodic reviews are performed by each risk owner in order to assess the likelihood and impact, relevance of risks, current strategies applied and the strength of the strategies. The residual risk is identified and action plans are created to further mitigate risk.

External audit functions.

Comprehensive budgeting systems and financial reporting which indicate financial performance against the budget and forecast are reviewed and agreed by the Trustee Board.

The work of the external reviewers, Ainsworths, is informed by an analysis of the risks to which the organisation is exposed and annual audit plans are based on this analysis. These are reviewed and agreed by the Board Trustees.

A database of all audit recommendations is held and progress is monitored by the Trustees which meet a minimum of six times a year.

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• The service’s ability to transform itself and respond flexibly to demands.

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The significant risk faced by Blackburn with Darwen Citizens Advice Bureau have been identified and relate to the following:

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How we are governed

The trustees who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006, present their annual report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2014. The trustees have adopted the provisions of the Statement of |Recommended Practice (SORP) ‘Accounting and Reporting by Charities’ issued in March 2005.

Our Trustee Board

Gordon Taylor, Chair.

Peter Hobkirk Trustee

Yunus Mangera Trustee

Jennifer Kenyon Trustee

Garry Leaver Trustee

Johanne Tomlinson Trustee

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Our Staff

David Dickinson Bureau Manager until 31st Aug 13

Elizabeth Potts Chief Officer from 01st Sept 13

Allison O’Shea Finance & Admin Manager

Mohsin Umerji Telephone Development Officer

Malcolm Armstrong Gateway Assessor & Receptionist

Jennifer Hull Money Advice Admin

Tina Santus Money Advice Caseworker

Salim Ibrahim Money Advice Caseworker

Julie Noble Employment Caseworker

Jackie Dibley Volunteer Transformation Officer

Farzana Doctor Volunteer Transformation Officer

Zulekha Mayet Financial Capability

Mick Pickup Telephone Adviser

Alan Dean Sally Hamill Margaret Higson Michael Walmsley Ifthikar Ahmad Junaid Ahmed Sadie Critchley Zara Mujib Toni Carter Sammaya Yaqoob Doreen O’Grady Stephanie Powell Dominic Lawson

Karen Middlehurst Nadia Younis Zhenab Akhtar Amrit Bansall Bhaskar Guha Marilyn Crompton Jeni Clarke Tahzeem Hussain Erum Piracha Zayna Ibrahim Uzma Kauser Safiya Sidat Andrew Saczek

Nirosa Mussa Jennifer Iveson Keiron Devine Misbah Shah Rakia Hameed Danielle Ridgway Susan McGuigan Sophia Ashraf Najma Ahmed Noorbibi Kazi Doreen Wicks Salim Chopdat Tina Kiss

Birjees Kausar Naima Valli Bilal Sameja Nick Blysniuk Kayleigh Croasdale Syed Ali Anisah Nosheen Claire Flood Callum Morey Ameera Lunat Rujina Ali Joyce Frost Uzma Hamid

Our Volunteers


Report of the Trustees

The board of Blackburn with Darwen Citizens Advice are the charity’s trustees under charity law and the directors of the charitable company are responsible for preparing the strategic report, the trustees’ report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

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

• he/she has taken all steps that they ought to have taken to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the auditor is aware of that information

• he/she has referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit when reviewing the Charity’s aims and objectives and in planning future activities and setting appropriate policies for the year.

The trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charitable company’s website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

Employee involvement

Non-confidential Trustee Board papers, including agendas and minutes, are available to all employees.

Responsibility towards the environment

Blackburn with Darwen Citizens Advice aims to minimise its impact on the environment. It has improved its system of paper recycling and encourages electronic communication where possible. We are promoting a more sustainable working environment and have an environmental strategy with key deliverables.

Authorisation

This annual report of the trustees, under the Charities Act 2011 and the Companies Act 2006, was approved by the Trustee Board on 22 October 2014 including approving in their capacity as company directors the strategic report contained therein.

• select suitable accounting policies and apply them consistently

observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP

make judgments 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 financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charitable company will continue in business.

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The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose, with reasonable accuracy at any time, the financial position of the charitable company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and the group and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

Each trustee confirms that:

• in so far as the trustee is aware, there is no relevant audit information of which Blackburn with Darwen Citizens Advice’s auditors are unaware

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Independent review report to the members of Blackburn with Darwen Citizens Advice Bureau Year ended 31 March 2014

I report on the accounts of the company for the year ended 31 March 2014.

Basis of Independent Examiner’s Report My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commission. 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 the seeking of explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and consequently, no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair view’ and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.

Independent Examiner’s Report In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention: • which gives me reasonable cause to

believe that, in any material respect, the requirements:

a) to keep accounting records in accordance with section 386 of the Companies Act 2006; and

b) to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records, comply with the accounting requirements of the Companies Act 2006 and with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities (revised 2005) have not been met; or

• to which, in my opinion, attention

should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Respective responsibilities of trustees and auditor

The trustees (who are also the directors of the company for the purposes of company law), are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act) and that an independent examination is needed.

Having satisfied myself that the charity is not subject to audit under Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006 and is eligible for independent examination, it is my responsibility to:- • examine the accounts under section 145 of the

2011 Act; • to follow the procedures laid down in the General

Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act; and

• to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.

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Michael Heys FCCA For and on behalf of Ainsworths Limited Chartered Accountants The Globe Centre St James Square Accrington Lancashire BB5 0RE Date: 22 October 2014


Statement of Financial Activities Year ended 31 March 2014 Statement of Financial Activities (incorporating the income & expenditure account)

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Unrestricted Restricted Total Total

Funds Funds Funds Funds

31.03.14 31.03.13

Notes £ £ £ £

INCOMING RESOURCES

Incoming resources from charitable activities

Donations, legacies and similar incoming

resources 136 - 136 508

Activities in furtherance of the Charity’s

objectives 2 38,622 167,348 205,970 127,556

__________ ___________ ___________ ____________

__

TOTAL INCOMING RESOURCES 38,758 167,348 206,106 128,064

========= ========== ========== ===========

RESOURCES EXPENDED

Charitable activities

Resources expended on managing the charity

3 49,668 166,178 215,846 167,932

Governance costs 4 950 500 1,450 1,180

__________ __________ __________ ____________

__

TOTAL RESOURCES EXPENDED 50,618 166,678 217,296 169,112

========= ========= ========== ===========

NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE) FOR

THE YEAR 5 (11,860) 670 (11,190) (41,048)

Total funds brought forward 93,941 - 93,941 134,989

__________ __________ __________ ___________

TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD 82,081 670 82,751 93,941

========= ========= ========= ==========

Continuing operations

None of the company’s activities were acquired or discontinued during the year, within the definition in FRS 3. The notes part of these financial statements.


At 31 March 2014

Balance sheet (Registered number 03343623)

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Notes 31.03.14 31.03.13 £ £ £ £ FIXED ASSETS Tangible assets 8 2,849 3,002 CURRENT ASSETS Debtors amounts falling due within one year 9 14,887 4,840 Cash at bank 90,817 100,543 __________ ___________ 105,704 105,383 CREDITORS Amounts falling due within one year 10 25,802 14,444 __________ ___________ NET CURRENT ASSETS 79,902 90,939 __________ __________ NET ASSETS 82,751 93,941 ========= ========= FUNDS Unrestricted funds 11 82,081 93,941 Restricted funds 11 670 - __________ _________ 82,751 93,941 ========= ========

The charitable company is entitled to exemption from audit under Section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 for the year ended 31 March 2014. The members have not required the charitable company to obtain an audit of its financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2014 in accordance with Section 476 of the Companies Act 2006. The trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for: Ensuring that the charitable company keeps accounting records which comply with Section 386 and 387 of the Companies Act 2006 and 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 net income or expenditure 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 of the charitable company. These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the special provisions for small companies, Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small charitable companies and with the Financial Reporting Standard for Smaller Entities (effect April 2008). These financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees on 22 October 2014 and were signed on its behalf by : H S McGinn FCA Treasurer Director


Notes to the financial Year ended 31 March 2014

1. Accounting policies Accounting convention The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention, and in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standards for Smaller Entities (effective April 2008) and the requirements of the Statement of Recommended Practice, Accounting and Reporting by Charities. The Trustees have taken advantage of the provisions of section 474(1) of the Companies Act 2006 and has prepared an income and expenditure account instead of a profit and loss account. As a small company, the Trustees have taken advantage of the exemption from preparing a cash flow statement. Incoming resources All incoming resources are included on the Statement of Financial Activities when the charity is legally entitled to the income and the amount can be quantified with reasonable accuracy. Material sources of income are: Voluntary income is received by way of grants, donations and gifts and is included in full in the Statement of Financial Activities when receivable Grants, where entitlement is not conditional on the delivery of a specific performance by the charity, are recognised when the charity becomes unconditionally entitled to the grant. The value of services provided by volunteers has not been included in these accounts. Incoming resources from grants, where related to performance and specific deliverables, are accounted for as the charity earns the right to consideration by its performance. All of the above income is accounted for when it is due. Grants received are deferred when the grant is received in advance of the period for which it relates.

statements

Resources expended Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all cost related to the category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings they have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources. Tangible fixed assets Depreciation is provided at the following annual rates in order to write off each asset over its useful economic life. Office equipment – 25% on WDV Depreciation on assets which were acquired out of restricted funds is treated as restricted expenditure. Taxation The charity is exempt from corporation tax on its charitable activities. Fund accounting Unrestricted funds can be used in accordance with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the trustees. Restricted funds can only be used for particular restricted purposes within the objects of the charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes. Further explanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is included in the notes to the financial statements.

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statements (continued)

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Unrestricted Restricted Total Funds Total Funds

Funds Funds 2014 2013

£ £ £ £ Grants Blackburn with Darwen Council 35,682 - 35,682 40,000 Twin Valley Homes Outreach Project - - - 4,035 Money Advice Service Face to Face Debt Advice Project

-

51,925

51,925

51,960

Lloyds TSB Foundation - 6,064 6,064 - Big lottery ASTF fund - 72,177 72,177 - Santander foundation - 3,390 3,390 - United Utilities trust fund - 28,750 28,750 28,748 Citizens advice–re consultancy work - 1,000 1,000 - Citizens advice–EBD project - 4,042 4,042 - Citizens advice- sundry income - - - 2,813 LSC 1,740 - 1,740 - LSAS–Bootstrap 1,200 - 1,200 - __________ __________ __________ ___________ 38,622 167,348 205,970 127,556 ========= ========= ========= ==========

Unrestricted Funds

Restricted Funds

Total Funds 2014

Total Funds 2013

£ £ £ £ Staff salaries etc. 32,890 137,701 170,591 130,787 Office and related costs 16,028 28,477 44,505 36,144 Depreciation 750 - 750 1,001 _______________ ______________ ___________ ___________ 49,668 166,178 215,846 167,932 ============= ============ ========== ==========

Unrestricted Funds Restricted Funds 2014 2013

£ £ £ £ Accountancy 950 - 950 - Independent examination - 500 500 - Auditors’ remuneration - - - 1,180 __________ _________ ________ ________ 950 500 1,450 1,180 ========= ======== ======= =======

1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued) Pension The company operates a defined contribution pension scheme. Contributions payable to the company’s pension scheme are charged to the income and expenditure account in the period to which they relate. 2. GRANTS RECEIVED

3. CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES COSTS

4. GOVERNANCE COSTS


Notes to the financial statements (continued) Year ended 31 March 2014

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2014 2013 £ £ Auditor’s remuneration - 1,180 Depreciation – owned assets 750 1,001 Pension costs 9,195 11,296 _______ ________ Trustees’ remuneration and other benefits etc

- -

====== =======

Total Total 2014 2013 £ £ Wages and salaries 151,725 112,309 Social security costs 9,671 7,182 Pension costs 9,195 11,296 __________ __________ 170,591 130,787 ========= =========

5. NET INCOMING/(OUTGOING) RESOURCES

Net income/(outgoing) resources are stated after charging:

6. TRUSTEES REMUNERATION AND BENEFITS

There were no trustees' remuneration or other benefits for the year ended 31 March 2014 nor for the year ended 31 March 2013. Trustees' Expenses There were no trustees' expenses paid for the year ended 31 March 2014 nor for the year ended 31 March 2013.

7. STAFF COSTS

During the year there were no individual employees with emoluments exceeding £60,000



statements (continued)

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Office Equipment £ COST At 1 April 2013 45,431 Additions 597 _________ At 31 March 2014 46,028 _________ DEPRECIATION At 1 April 2013 42,429 Charge for year 750 _________ At 31 March 2014 43,179 _________ NET BOOK VALUE At 31 March 2014 2,849 _________ At 31 March 2013 3,002 ========

2014 2013 £ £ Trade debtors 4,194 - Prepayments and accrued income 10,693 4,840 _________ ________ 14,887 4,840 ======== =======

2014 2013 £ £ Other creditors 1,193 8,609 Big Lottery ASTF pension contributions 1,379 688 Accruals 5,614 2,750 Deferred income 17,616 2,397 _________ ________ 25,802 14,444 ======== =======

8. TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS

9. DEBTORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR

10. CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR


Notes to the financial statements (continued) Year ended 31 March 2014

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Net Movement At 01.04.13 in funds Transfers At 31.03.14 £ £ £ £ Unrestricted funds General fund 93,941 (11,860) - 82,081 Restricted funds Restricted funds - 670 - 670 __________ __________ _________ _________ TOTAL FUNDS 93,941 (11,190) - 82,751 ========= ========= ======== ========

Incoming Resources Movement in

Resources expended funds £ £ £ Unrestricted funds General fund 38,758 50,618 (11,860) Restricted funds Restricted funds 167,348 166,678 670 ___________ __________ __________ TOTAL FUNDS 206,106 217,296 (11,190) ========== ========= =========

Unrestricted Funds

Restricted Funds Total funds 2014

Total funds 2013

£ £ £ £ Tangible fixed assets 2,252 597 2,849 3,002 Current assets 88,015 17,689 105,704 105,383 Current liabilities (8,186) (17,616) (25,802) (14,444) __________ _________ __________ ___________ TOTAL FUNDS 82,081 670 82,751 93,941 ========= ======== ========= ==========

11. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS

Net movements in funds, included in the above are as follows:-

12. ANALYSIS OF NET ASSETS BETWEEN FUNDS

13. ULTIMATE CONTROLLING PARTY In the opinion of the board, the ultimate controlling party of the charitable company is all the trustee directors acting together as no individual has majority control.


Detailed statement of financial activities Year ended 31 March 2014

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INCOMING RESOURCES 2014 2013 Incoming resources from charitable activities £ £ Grants Blackburn with Darwen Council 35,682 40,000 Twin Valley Homes Outreach Project - 4,035 Money Advice Service Face to Face Debt Advice Project

51,925

51,960

Lloyds TSB Foundation 6,064 - Big lottery ASTF fund 72,177 - Santander foundation 3,390 - United Utilities trust fund 28,750 28,748 Citizens advice–re consultancy work 1,000 - Citizens advice–EBD project 4,042 - Citizens advice-sundry income - 2,813 LSC 1,740 - LSAS-Bootstrap 1,200 - Donations, legacies and similar income resources 136 508 __________ ___________ 206,106 128,064 __________ ___________ Charitable activities

Wages 151,725 112,309 Social security costs 9,671 7,182 Pensions 9,195 11,296 Recruitment expenses 3,493 - Travelling expenses 6,135 4,747 Telephone and fax 4,109 3,800 Postage and stationery 4,943 4,206 Office machine maintenance and rental 2,578 2,065 Photocopying costs 1,972 1,529 Replacements and repairs 389 287 Advertising and publicity - 1,412 Information and training 6,904 4,978 Cleaning 1,206 3,873 Insurance 2,185 2,621 Subscriptions and journals 1,952 987 Sundry expenses 184 151 Professional fees 3,060 4,852 Subsistence and welfare 905 574 Bank charges and interest 101 62 Depreciation 750 1,001 Premises rent 4,000 - Room hire 389 - __________ __________ 215,846 167,932 __________ __________ Governance costs Accountancy and independent examination 1,450 - Auditors’ remuneration - 1,180

__________ __________ 1,450 1,180 __________ __________ Total resources expended 217,296 169,112 ___________ ____________ Net income/(expenditure) (11,190) (41,048) ========= =========

RESOURCES EXPENDED


Thank you to our supporters Blackburn with Darwen Citizens Advice is a charity and relies on funding from government bodies, companies, charities and many others to make a difference to the lives of individuals, families and communities.

We thank the following for their support during 2013/14:

Other

United Utilities Trust Fund

The Big Lottery – ASTF Fund

Citizens Advice / Money Advice Service

Citizens Advice

Lloyds TSB Foundation

Santander Foundation

Fair Train

Training 2000

Blackburn University

Department of Work & Pensions

Solutions 24/7

Tatlow Signs

Public bodies

Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council

A number of donations were also made by Mohsin Umerji, for which we express our thanks.

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Advisers

Auditor: Solicitors: Watson Ramsbottom Partnership

25-29 Victoria Street

Blackburn

BB1 6DN

Forbes & Partners 73 Northgate Blackburn BB2 1AA

AMT Lawyers 26 Wellington Street Blackburn BB1 8AF

Bankers: Yorkshire Bank Blackburn

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Ainsworths Limited Chartered Accountants The Globe Centre St James Square Accrington BB5 0RE

Our legal status

Blackburn with Darwen Citizens Advice Bureau is a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee. Company number: 03343623 Registered charity number: 1063817 Registered office: Blackburn Central Library | Town Hall Street, | Blackburn | Lancashire | BB2 1AG

Our aims

• To provide the advice people need for the problems they face.

• To improve the policies and practices that affect people’s lives.

Our principles

Blackburn with Darwen Citizens Advice service provides free, independent, confidential and impartial advice to everyone on their rights and responsibilities. We value diversity, promote equality and challenge discrimination.

blackburncab.org.uk

Produced by Blackburn with Darwen Citizens Advice Bureau October 2014

Blackburn with Darwen Citizens Advice Bureau is a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee and is governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association.

Company number: 03343623 Registered charity number: 1063817

Registered office: Blackburn Central Library | Town Hall Street, | Blackburn | Lancashire | BB2 1AG

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