Finance Score: 2
Governance Score: 4
Support Score: 11
  • Poor Liquidity: -1
  • Fundraising costs low: +3
  • Narrow trustee age band: -2
  • Dynamic board: +3
  • Gender balanced board: +3
  • Overall weighted support: +11
Overall GiG Score: 17 ?

COMMUNITY LAW SERVICE(NORTHAMPTON AND COUNTY)

We provide independent and confidential specialist legal advice to residents of Northamptonshire .We provide a comprehensive casework service from the beginning to the conclusion of the case, including representation at court / tribunal if necessary, in the areas of Welfare Benefits, Immigration, Debt, Fuel Poverty and Housing.
Analysis by Giving is Great

Positives:

  • There have been no material income shortfalls in recent years
  • Fundraising costs are unusually low relative to funds raised
  • A significant proportion of recent income was derived from major grant makers including the Government
  • The Board appears to be well diversified in terms of gender and dynamic in terms of composition

Regulatory & Governance issues to consider:

  • The Board has little diversity in terms of age

Financial issues to consider:

  • Liquidity appears to have been slender at the latest year end

Financial Data ?

Income & Spending ?
Sources of Income ?
Y/E Income
£k
Spending
£k
Surplus/
Deficit £k
Fundraising
Cost £k
Total
Funds £k
Unrestricted
Funds £k
Mths
Rsrvs
Staff Volun-
teers
31/03/23£1,100£1,132£-32£13£208£1892313
31/03/22£1,171£1,121£49£0£240£2042.2331
31/03/21£1,213£1,133£80£0£191£1381.5341
31/03/20£1,239£1,281£-42£0£111£460.4382
31/03/19£1,273£1,271£3£0£153£1161.1383
31/03/18£1,029£1,060£-32£0£150£1491.7380
31/03/17£1,196£1,201£-6£0£182£1771.8380
31/03/16£1,259£1,267£-8£0£187£1801.7380
31/03/15£1,295£1,293£3£4£195£1761.6370
31/03/14£1,306£1,313£-7£4£193£1931.8330
31/03/13£1,438£1,401£37£6£199£1991.7370
31/03/12£1,549£1,616£-67£6£162£1621.2320
31/03/11£1,485£1,430£55£3£229£2291.9430
31/03/10£1,588£1,412£176£5£175£1751.5400

Financial Ratios
Fundraising Costs/Relevant Income: 1.2%
Fundraising Costs/Total Spending: 1.2%
Highest pay band: Less than £60,000
Liabilities/Assets: 24%
Liabilities/Income: 6%
Unrestricted Funds/Total Funds: 91%
Reserves/Spending: 2 months
Net Current Assets/Spending: 2 months
Quick Ratio: 3.3
Asset Split ?
Balance Sheet History
Established: 16 years

www.communitylawservice.org.uk

enquiries@communitylawservice.org.uk

01604621038

Charity Commission for England and WalesCompanies HouseX
UN SDGs
?
Listed activities
  • The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty
GiG Classification
  • Legal & financial advice
How it operates
  • Provides advocacy/advice/information
Where it operates
  • Northamptonshire,
Who it helps
  • Children/Young People
  • Elderly/Old People
  • Other Charities Or Voluntary Bodies
  • People Of A Particular Ethnic Or Racial Origin
  • People With Disabilities
  • The General Public/Mankind

Who supports them? ?

Donations from Grant Makers ?

We have details on the following donations. Multi-year donations are allocated to the years for which they are earmarked.

Major supporters in last 5 years
Access to Justice Foundation£179,128
The Legal Education Foundation£95,735
AB Charitable Trust£20,000
National Lottery Community Fund£10,000
Specific Donations
Amount When
Months
To be used for
The Legal Education Foundation - JFF Host 2024
£95,735 23/05/2024
A grant to Community Law Service to fund one fellow trainee placement as part of cohort 11.
Northamptonshire Community Foundation - Grant to COMMUNITY LAW SERVICE (NORTHAMPTON & COUNTY)
£4,286 07/12/2023
Ongoing wraparound support service to continue the delivery of HSF vouchers.
AB Charitable Trust - A grant to Community Law Service (Northampton and County)
£20,000 04/07/2023
An unrestricted grant of £20,000. Community Law Service provides specialist legal advice and representation on housing, immigration and welfare benefits to people living in Northamptonshire.
Northamptonshire Community Foundation - Telephone Triage Worker
£2,958 12/06/2023
Telephone Triage Worker
Access to Justice Foundation - Improving Outcomes Through Legal Support (IOTLS) grant
£30,628 23/05/2022
The funding programme aims to support organisations working to sustain and improve access to early social welfare and family legal support and advice, to enable users to resolve these problems as ....more
Access to Justice Foundation - Joint Initiative Flexible COVID-19 Grant
£48,500 09/08/2021
A flexible grant as part of wave 2 of the Community Justice Fund. A pooled fund to support the specialist legal welfare advice sector in its response to COVID64
National Lottery Community Fund - Advice Centre East Northamptonshire
£10,000 11/06/2021
The funding will be used to support the organisations overheads so it can continue to provide a range of intervention and support to the local rural community. Offering a range of support services ....more
Access to Justice Foundation - Joint Initiative Flexible COVID-19 Grant
£100,000 16/07/2020
A flexible grant as part of wave 1 of the Community Justice Fund. A pooled fund to support the specialist legal welfare advice sector in its response to COVID19
National Lottery Community Fund - Northampton Advice Services Development Project
£349,992 19/04/2013
24
The aim of this new project will see Community Law Service (Northampton and County) become the lead of a seven organisation partnership to deliver a new integrated advice service, provided by an ....more
Show more rows

Data sourced from Donors via 360 Giving

How is it governed?

Trustees (7)
Current Trustees appointed
Gender Split
Based on 6/7 persons

Age Range of Trustees: 59-77
  • HELEN REAY Appointed: 2021, Occupation: Retired
  • IAN PEARS (Chair) Appointed: 2009, Occupation: Solicitor
  • KEITH MOFFITT Appointed: 2019, Occupation: Marketing Director
  • PAULINE WOODHOUSE Appointed: 2024, Occupation: Restorative Justice Practice Delivery Manager
  • SALLY BEARDSWORTH Appointed: 2009, Occupation: Solicitor
  • STEPHEN HIBBERT Appointed: 2021, Occupation: Retired
  • MORCEA WALKER Appointed: 2014, Occupation: Retired
Legal constitution
  • Charitable company registered in England & Wales on 20/03/2009, number: 1128718
  • Registered at Companies House on 26/02/2009, number: 06830503
Gift Aid
  • NOT registered with HMRC for Gift Aid
Other Regulators
  • Financial Conduct Authority
Policies in force
  • Bullying and harassment policy and procedures
  • Complaints handling
  • Complaints policy and procedures
  • Conflicting interests
  • Financial reserves policy and procedures
  • Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
  • Internal risk management policy and procedures
  • Investing charity funds policy and procedures
  • Paying staff
  • Risk management
  • Safeguarding policy and procedures
  • Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
  • Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
  • Social media policy and procedures
  • Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
  • Trustee expenses policy and procedures
  • Volunteer management
Filing Record
14 returns made; all on time
Main office

Community Law Service
Hazelwood Business House
49-53 Hazelwood Road
Northampton
NN1 1LG

Objectives

THE OBJECTS OF THE CHARITY ARE TO PROMOTE ANY CHARITABLE PURPOSE FOR THEBENEFIT OF THE PUBLIC, INCLUDING, THE ADVANCEMENT OF EDUCATION, THE PROTECTIONOF HEALTH, THE RELIEF OF POVERTY, SICKNESS AND DISTRESS' BY THE PROVISION OF SOCIALWELFARE LAW ADVICE, INFORMATION, REPRESENTATION AND TRAINING AND CONSULTANCYSERVICES

Defined Area of Benefit:

UNDEFINED. IN PRACTICE, LOCAL

Data Sources

Charity Commission for England and Wales
360 Giving

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