Finance Score: 5

Governance Score: 3

Support Score: 12

Strong growth: +2
Deficit latest year: -2
Future income +5
No PartB

Gender balanced board: +3

Overall weighted support: +12

Overall GiG Score: 20

WELFARE BENEFITS UNIT

The Welfare Benefits Unit offers specialist welfare benefits advice to those who work with members of the public. We provide independent support through our advice line (North Yorkshire and York), publications, training, consultancy, campaigns and projects.

Analysis by Giving is Great

Positives:

There has been strong growth in spending over the last 5 years
A significant proportion of recent income was derived from major grant makers including the Government and there are significant future grants due to be received
The Board appears to be well diversified in terms of gender

Financial issues to consider:

A PartB annual return has not been required and so detailed financial information is not available from the online data
Income was lower than spending in the latest year

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
31/03/24	£191	£218	£-28	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
31/03/23	£201	£191	£10	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
31/03/22	£182	£189	£-7	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
31/03/21	£177	£195	£-18	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
31/03/20?	£172	£180	£-8	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
31/03/18	£178	£177	£1	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
31/03/17	£361	£195	£166	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a

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Highest pay bracket: less than £60,000

Established: 9 years

www.welfare-benefits-unit.org.uk

admin@welfare-benefits-unit.org.uk

01904646058

Charity Commission for England and Wales

Tweets

Listed activities

Disability
Education/Training
General Charitable Purposes
The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty

GiG Classification

Legal & financial advice

How it operates

Provides advocacy/advice/information
Provides services

Where it operates

Throughout England,

Who it helps

Children/Young People
Elderly/Old People
Other Charities Or Voluntary Bodies
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

The Legal Education Foundation	£181,643
Lloyds Bank Foundation	£100,000
Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust	£5,250

Specific Donations

Amount	When Months	To be used for
The Legal Education Foundation - Making DWP 'Targeted Case Review' process fairer for benefit claimants across the UK
£181,643	23/05/2024	Undertaking a national level scrutiny of 'Targeted Case Reviews': a process due to impact 2 million Universal Credit claimants in the next five years.
Lloyds Bank Foundation - Grant to Welfare Benefits Unit
£100,000	23/02/2024 24	Grant over 2 years to support local collaborations
Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust - Welfare Benefits Unit – core costs
£5,250	15/02/2022	Funding towards core costs, in particular for adviser salaries and IT upgrades
Joseph Rowntree Foundation - Raising Awareness - Welfare Benefits
£3,870	31/01/2019	To improve access to welfare benefits training and help organisations to support their service users in terms of benefits advice
Joseph Rowntree Foundation - Welfare Benefits Unit Development Project
£5,465	05/09/2017	To support the effective running of the Welfare Benefits Unit’s advice line

Data sourced from Donors via 360 Giving

How is it governed?

Trustees (7)

Current Trustees appointed

Gender Split

DR CHARLOTTE O'BRIEN Appointed: 2016

DR KATIE PYBUS Appointed: 2023

HELEN MARIE EDWARDS Appointed: 2016

MARK TAYLOR Appointed: 2020

NICOLA WELCH Appointed: 2016

PAUL MURPHY (Chair) Appointed: 2016

RICHARD BRIDGE Appointed: 2017

Legal constitution

Charity registered in England & Wales on 02/11/2015, number: 1164225

Gift Aid

NOT registered with HMRC for Gift Aid

Policies in force

Bullying and harassment policy and procedures
Campaigns and political activity policy and procedures
Complaints handling
Complaints policy and procedures
Financial reserves policy and procedures
Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
Internal risk management policy and procedures
Risk management
Safeguarding policy and procedures
Social media policy and procedures
Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
Trustee expenses policy and procedures

Filing Record

7 returns made; all on time

Main office

Welfare Benefits Unit
17 Priory Street
YORK
YO1 6ET

Objectives

FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFIT, THE PREVENTION OR RELIEF OF POVERTY AND FINANCIAL HARDSHIP, THE ADVANCEMENT OF EDUCATION AND THE PROTECTION OF HEALTH IN PARTICULAR, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE PEOPLE OF YORK AND NORTH YORKSHIRE.THESE PURPOSES WILL BE ADVANCED IN PARTICULAR BUT NOT EXCLUSIVELY BY: THE PROVISION OF ADVICE AND ASSISTANCE ON WELFARE BENEFITS, AND OTHER SOCIAL WELFARE MATTERS. THE PROVISION OF TRAINING, MEETINGS, LECTURES AND EVENTS IN PARTICULAR BUT NOT EXCLUSIVELY FOR PERSONS WORKING OR ENGAGED IN THE PROVISION OF SOCIAL WELFARE. RAISING PUBLIC AWARENESS OF WELFARE BENEFITS AND SOCIAL WELFARE PROVISION. PROVIDING WRITTEN INFORMATION, IN PRINT, ONLINE OR OTHERWISE. PROMOTING, CONTRIBUTING TO OR UNDERTAKING ORGANISED RESEARCH AND EXPERIMENTAL WORK, AND DISSEMINATING THE RESULTS THEREOF. PROVIDING CONSULTANCY FOR PERSONS INTERESTED IN WELFARE BENEFIT PROVISION, AND RELATED MATTERS.

Data Sources

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