Finance Score: 7

Governance Score: 6

Support Score: 10

Liabilities <10%: +3
Positive trading contribution: +2;Strong growth: +2

Good trustee age range: +3
Dynamic board: +3

Grant maker support: +10

Overall GiG Score: 23

WILTSHIRE LAW CENTRE

Provides free legal advice in housing, debt, and welfare benefits

Analysis by Giving is Great

Positives:

The charity has received backing from multiple prominent grant makers recently
This charity has a robust balance sheet
More than half of total income was derived from trading and fees in the latest year
There has been strong growth in spending over the last 5 years
There have been no material income shortfalls in recent years
The Board appears to be well diversified in terms of age and dynamic in terms of composition

Regulatory & Governance issues to consider:

Over half the Board have joined recently

Established: 33 years
(40 years as a company)

www.wiltslawcentre.org.uk

info@wiltslawcentre.co.uk

01793486926

Charity Commission for England and Wales

Financial Data ?

Income & Spending ?

Sources of Income ?

Y/E		Income £k	Spending £k	Surplus/ Deficit	Fundraising Cost £k	Total Funds £k	Unrestricted Funds £k	Mths Rsrvs	Staff	Volun- teers
31/03/23		£635	£467	£168	£0	£449	£349	8.9	11	0
31/03/22		£291	£315	£-24	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	3
31/03/21		£213	£146	£67	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	1
31/03/20		£119	£130	£-11	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	3
31/03/19		£139	£126	£14	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	3
31/03/18		£172	£157	£15	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/17		£139	£147	£-8	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/16		£200	£166	£34	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/15		£158	£175	£-17	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/14		£159	£175	£-16	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/13		£306	£272	£34	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/12		£317	£293	£24	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/11		£303	£337	£-34	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/10		£309	£318	£-9	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/09		£289	£285	£5	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/08	*	£241	£261	£-20	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/07		£240	£231	£9	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/06		£250	£221	£29	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/05		£210	£212	£-2	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/04	*	£212	£198	£14	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0

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Financial Ratios

Fundraising Costs/Relevant Income: 0%
Fundraising Costs/Total Spending: 0%
Highest pay band: Less than £60,000
Liabilities/Assets: 7%
Liabilities/Income: 5%
Unrestricted Funds/Total Funds: 78%
Reserves/Spending: 8.9 months
Net Current Assets/Spending: 12 months
Quick Ratio: 7.3

Asset Split ?

Listed activities

Accommodation/Housing
Economic/Community Development/Employment
General Charitable Purposes
The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty

How it operates

Provides advocacy/advice/information

Where it operates

Swindon, Wiltshire,

Who it helps

Other Charities Or Voluntary Bodies
People With Disabilities
The General Public/Mankind

Who works here?

11 employees

Who's supporting them? ?

Donations from Grant Makers ?

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

Major supporters in last 5 years

Access to Justice Foundation	£118,500
The Legal Education Foundation	£80,000
DCMS	£33,910
AB Charitable Trust	£20,000
Wiltshire Community Foundation	£15,000

Specific Donations

Amount	When Months	To be used for
Access to Justice Foundation - Help Accessing Legal Support (HALS)
£112,500	13/09/2022	Help Accessing Legal Support (HALS) is a programme of The Access to Justice Foundation with the Ministry of Justice. We are working with organisations to sustain and improve access to early social ....more Help Accessing Legal Support (HALS) is a programme of The Access to Justice Foundation with the Ministry of Justice. We are working with organisations to sustain and improve access to early social welfare and family legal advice, to enable users to resolve these problems as early as possible and avoid the need for court or tribunal proceedings where possible. Where court or tribunal proceedings are needed, we expect the grant will provide the support needed to help people manage their way through the process effectively. A key feature of this programme is expected to focus on helping us all understand what works better in terms of service delivery and also to help make the case for future investment in this work.
The Legal Education Foundation - Strategic expansion in housing law
£80,000	15/06/2022	Supporting development of the Law Centre through expanding its advice and representation to expand housing and develop welfare benefits legal services.
AB Charitable Trust - A grant to Wiltshire Law Centre
£20,000	20/01/2022	A restricted grant of £20,000 towards the salary and related costs of the expansion of Wiltshire Law Centre's housing work into Hampshire. Wiltshire Law Centre delivers specialist housing advice and ....more A restricted grant of £20,000 towards the salary and related costs of the expansion of Wiltshire Law Centre's housing work into Hampshire. Wiltshire Law Centre delivers specialist housing advice and this grant is towards the costs of taking on a housing legal aid contract in Portsmouth.
Wiltshire Community Foundation - Grant to Wiltshire Law Centre
£15,000	25/08/2021	Wiltshire Law Centre provides low cost legal services. The grant will help meet the cost of expanding their services to provide advice on Discrimination & Equalities and Family Law
Access to Justice Foundation - Joint Initiative Flexible COVID-19 Grant
£6,000	19/10/2020	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
DCMS - Coronavirus Community Support Fund
£33,910	05/08/2020	"The fund aims to:1) To reduce closures of essential charities that provide essential services to vulnerable groups during the COVID-19 crisis by ensuring they have the financial resources to ....more "The fund aims to:1) To reduce closures of essential charities that provide essential services to vulnerable groups during the COVID-19 crisis by ensuring they have the financial resources to operate, thereby reducing the burden on public services.2) To ensure essential services are provided to vulnerable people, both in the short and long term through increased community support through the work of charitable organisations."
Wiltshire Community Foundation - Grant to Wiltshire Law Centre
£6,953	13/07/2016 36	Wiltshire Law Centre offers free legal advice to the disadvantaged people of Swindon and Wiltshire most of whom are in poverty and are reliant either completely on benefit income or on low pay, ....more Wiltshire Law Centre offers free legal advice to the disadvantaged people of Swindon and Wiltshire most of whom are in poverty and are reliant either completely on benefit income or on low pay, struggle to access the legal help they need. Funding was to support ongoing training for solicitors and advisors and to enable trainee solicitor to qualify.
Nationwide Foundation - Grant to Wiltshire Law Centre
£5,000	14/06/2012	Provision of advice on housing and finance to survivors of domestic abuse

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Data sourced from Donors via 360 Giving

How is it governed?

Trustees (7)

Current Trustees appointed

Gender Split

Age Range of Trustees: 31-71

ANDREW JOHN ANGUS ALLAN Appointed: 2022, Occupation: Company Director

GORDON FORBES ROBERTSON Appointed: 2021, Occupation: Retired

HEATHER EDWARDS Appointed: 2018, Occupation: Solicitor

MICHELLE LOUISE FERRIS Appointed: 2022, Occupation: Admin

NICHOLAS CHARLES EDWARD ST JOHN MELLIS Appointed: 2017, Occupation: Lawyer

RICHARD PETER COMPLIN HAZELL Appointed: 2023, Occupation: Retired

WILLIAM ADAM JOHNSON Appointed: 2022, Occupation: Solicitor

Legal constitution

Charitable company registered in England & Wales on 13/11/1990, number: 1000950
Registered at Companies House on 01/03/1984, number: 01796532

Gift Aid

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
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

20 returns made; AR08: 28 days late, AR04: 1 days late,

Main office

SANFORD HOUSE
SANFORD STREET
SWINDON
SN1 1HE

Objectives

The Charity?s objects (?Objects?) are the relief of poverty, suffering, and distress among persons resident, studying, or working in England and Wales, in particular, Wiltshire, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, and the surrounding areas by:? The provision of legal services that could not otherwise be obtained because of a lack of means.? The education of beneficiaries on their legal rights and responsibilities and on the operation of the law and legal system.The Advancement of other such charitable purposes as are beneficial, including the support and assistance to community groups for persons resident or working in the designated area.The undertaking of legal research for the benefit of persons resident, studying or working in the designated area, and publishing the useful results of that research.

Defined Area of Benefit:

SWINDON AND ITS ENVIRONS

Data Sources