Overall GiG Score: 31 ?
Finance Score: 5
Governance Score: 9
Support Score: 17
  • Good reserves management: +3
  • Strong growth: +2
  • Good trustee age range: +3
  • Dynamic board: +3
  • Gender balanced board: +3
  • Grant maker support: +17

SOUTHWARK LAW CENTRE 

We give specialist advice, representation and training in Housing, Welfare Rights, Immigration and Employment Law. We are a referral agency.
Analysis by Giving is Great

Positives:

  • Reserves management has been consistently within official guidelines
  • There has been strong growth in spending over the last 5 years
  • There have been no material income shortfalls in recent years
  • 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 age and gender and dynamic in terms of composition
Established: 37 years
(44 years as a company)

www.southwarklawcentre.org.uk

enquiries@southwarklawcentre.org.uk

02077322008

Charity Commission for England and WalesCompanies HouseX
UN SDGs
?

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£1,842£1,874£-32£0£607£6013.83720
31/03/22£1,581£1,644£-63£0£639£6084.4332
31/03/21£1,515£1,409£105£0£702£6475.5180
31/03/20*£1,109£1,109£0£0£596£5696.2199
31/03/19£960£993£-33£0£544£5166.2239
31/03/18£880£880£-1£0£577£4966.8160
31/03/17£908£794£114£0£578£5448.2160
31/03/16£823£724£99£0£464£4637.7130
31/03/15£765£738£27£0£365£3645.9120
31/03/14£814£717£98£8£338£3285.5120
31/03/13£650£624£27£5£241£2334.5120
31/03/12£629£615£15£5£214£2134.2130
31/03/11£644£627£17£5£199£1993.8110
31/03/10£626£611£15£4£182£1813.5120
31/03/09£528£527£1£4£168£1663.890
31/03/08£532£518£15£4£166£1643.8110
31/03/07£524£496£27£4£152£1413.4120
31/03/06£487£486£1£0£0£0n/a00
31/03/05£515£469£45£0£0£0n/a00
31/03/04£454£474£-20£0£0£0n/a00

Financial Ratios
Fundraising Costs/Relevant Income: 0%
Fundraising Costs/Total Spending: 0%
Senior Staff Costs/Total Spending: 5%
Highest pay band: £70,000-£80,000
Liabilities/Assets: 40%
Liabilities/Income: 22%
Unrestricted Funds/Total Funds: 99%
Reserves/Spending: 3.8 months
Net Current Assets/Spending: 4 months
Quick Ratio: 0.9
Asset Split ?
What it does
  • Education/Training
  • The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty
Who works here?
  • 37 employees
  • 20 volunteers
Who it helps
  • The General Public/Mankind
How it operates
  • Provides advocacy/advice/information
Where it operates
  • Throughout London,

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
Indigo Trust£705,000
National Lottery Community Fund£488,786
Home Office£326,905
Paul Hamlyn Foundation£295,350
Guy's and St Thomas' Charity£208,175
London Borough of Southwark£199,360
Trust for London£187,104
City Bridge Trust£181,612
Specific Donations
Amount When
Months
To be used for
Indigo Trust - Uplift to funding for FY24-25 and 25-26
£100,000 07/02/2024
Funding uplift of £50,000 in each FY24-25 and 25-26 to Southwark Law Centre
Paul Hamlyn Foundation - Windrush Justice Clinic Coordination
£225,000 02/10/2023
Southwark Law Centre provides specialist legal advice for people who cannot afford to pay for services in the areas of discrimination, employment, housing, planning, welfare rights, and immigration ....more
Paul Hamlyn Foundation - Windrush Justice Clinic: Ensuring victims receive advice and fair compensation
£3,350 18/01/2023
Southwark Law Centre provides specialist legal advice for people who cannot afford to pay for services in the areas of discrimination, employment, housing, planning, welfare rights, and immigration ....more
National Lottery Community Fund - Planning Voice
£289,750 21/12/2022
Funding will help Southwark Law Centre empower inner city residents to have their say on local regeneration and environmental issues which impact their lives. Planning Voice provides free legal ....more
Access to Justice Foundation - Community Justice Fund Wave Three
£14,672 22/11/2022
Wave three of the Community Justice Fund aims to support organisations delivering social welfare advice services to people most impacted by the cost-of-living crisis.
Indigo Trust - Unrestricted 3 year grant
£165,000 25/10/2022
Three-year grant - core funding towards mitigating Cost of Living crisis
Trust for London - Southwark Law Centre
£10,750 29/09/2022
This is a cost of living uplift for grant reference 360G-trustforlondon-MAIN-S2-05.10.2021-9343
AB Charitable Trust - A grant to Southwark Law Centre
£25,000 23/08/2022
A restricted grant of £25,000 towards an Immigration Caseworker at the Windrush Justice Clinic (Year 2 of 2 years). The Windrush Justice Clinic offers free, independent, and community-based legal ....more
City Bridge Trust - Grant to Southwark Law Centre
£156,100 27/07/2022
36
£156,100 over three years (£43,800; £51,700; £60,600) for the salary costs of a full-time Paralegal up until and following qualification as a Solicitor, offering welfare benefits advice to low ....more
The Legal Education Foundation - Action for education rights
£104,100 15/06/2022
Working in partnership with Social Inclusion Recovery Group to recruit, train and support a team of community advocates to provide advice and information for parents of minoritised children who are ....more
Access to Justice Foundation - Improving Outcomes Through Legal Support (IOTLS) grant
£40,063 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
London Borough of Southwark - Grant to Southwark Law Centre
£15,834 31/03/2022
Renters' Union contract grant from the Environment & Leisure department
London Borough of Southwark - Grant to Southwark Law Centre
£68,526 31/03/2022
European Union Settlement Scheme grants grant from the Chief Executive department
London Borough of Southwark - Grant to Southwark Law Centre
£51,000 31/03/2022
Housing Solutions grant from the Housing & Modernisation department for Immigration advice for rough sleepers
Trust for London - Southwark Law Centre
£135,000 09/02/2022
The funding is for delivery of specialist housing casework for destitute migrants in South East London to reduce homelessness and poverty. It will cover the provision of second tier advice and ....more
London Legal Support Trust - Centres of Excellence 2021
£10,000 14/12/2021
Long term core funding for specialist free legal advice organisations, along with in-kind help and support with ongoing development. Aiming to support a sustainable and robust specialist advice ....more
Paul Hamlyn Foundation - Windrush Justice Clinic: Ensuring victims receive advice and fair compensation
£67,000 04/10/2021
24
Southwark Law Centre provides specialist legal advice for people who cannot afford to pay for services in the areas of discrimination, employment, housing, planning, welfare rights, and immigration ....more
Indigo Trust - Funding for Lewisham Law Centre
£100,000 27/09/2021
12
Lewisham Law Centre - housing and immigration casework and representation
Indigo Trust - Funding for Lewisham Law Centre
£100,000 27/09/2021
Lewisham Law Centre - housing and immigration casework and representation
Access to Justice Foundation - Joint Initiative Flexible COVID-19 Grant
£30,000 11/08/2021
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 COVID39
Guy's and St Thomas' Charity - SLC: Rent Support Plus
£128,175 20/07/2021
The Rent Support Plus Programme supports low-income households at risk of MLTCs in the private rented sector at risk of homelessness
AB Charitable Trust - A grant to Southwark Law Centre
£25,000 22/04/2021
A restricted grant of £25,000 for 2 years towards an Immigration Caseworker at the Windrush Justice Clinic(This grant is renewable - year 1 of up to 2 years). The Windrush Justice Clinic offers ....more
Home Office - EU Settlement Grant Scheme Funding
£205,698 01/04/2021
This grants scheme will enable organisations to provide practical support to vulnerable EU citizens to help them make their EU Settlement Scheme application by 30 June 2021 and continuing support ....more
AB Charitable Trust - A grant to Southwark Law Centre
£30,000 26/01/2021
An unrestricted grant of £30,000 (This grant is renewable - year 3 of 3 years). Southwark Law Centre provides free high quality specialist immigration advice, and training to protect the Human ....more
Access to Justice Foundation - Joint Initiative Flexible COVID-19 Grant
£5,400 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
Trust for London - Southwark Law Centre
£41,354 02/09/2020
6
The funding is to increase capacity within Southwark Day Centres for Asylum Seekers (SDCAS) to be in an improved position to support people with No recourse to public funds (NRPF). Specifically, it ....more
Guy's and St Thomas' Charity - Covid Private Sector Renters
£80,000 22/07/2020
COVID Private Sector Renters
BBC Children in Need - Grant to Southwark Law Centre
£3,100 17/06/2020
6
COVID19 - This grant will fund additional staff to support and represent migrant children and young people who are isolated due to Covid -19, this will support them to feel safe.
DCMS - VSCE CMC Fund
£3,100 19/05/2020
NET, Comic Relief and Children in Need will use this funding to provide: increased support to vulnerable people and hidden groups, thus reducing the burden on public services; reach local grassroots ....more
United Saviours Charity - COVID-19
£18,339 20/04/2020
11
The funding for 1 year would enable us to increase capacity in our housing and welfare rights casework teams in order to meet the increased demands that there will be for advice and representation ....more
Westminster Foundation - Covid 19 response Fund
£5,259 17/04/2020
3
espond to the changing legal advice needs of disadvantaged Londoners
Westminster Foundation - Covid 19 response Fund
£5,259 17/04/2020
3
respond to the changing legal advice needs of disadvantaged Londoners
London Borough of Southwark - Grant to Southwark Law Centre
£3,000 01/04/2020
COVID-19 community grants wave 1 grant from the Finance & Governance department
London Borough of Southwark - Grant to Southwark Law Centre
£5,000 01/04/2020
COVID-19 community grants wave 2 grant from the Finance & Governance department
London Borough of Southwark - Grant to Southwark Law Centre
£5,000 01/04/2020
COVID-19 community grants wave 3 grant from the Finance & Governance department
London Borough of Southwark - Grant to Southwark Law Centre
£51,000 01/04/2020
Housing Solutions grant from the Housing & Modernisation department for Immigration advice for rough sleepers
Home Office - EU Settlement Grant Scheme Funding 21/22
£121,207 01/04/2020
This grants scheme will enable organisations to provide practical support to vulnerable EU citizens to help them make their EU Settlement Scheme application by 30 June 2021 and continuing support ....more
AB Charitable Trust - A grant to Southwark Law Centre
£30,000 14/01/2020
An unrestricted grant of £30,000 (This grant is renewable - year 2 of up to 3 years, subject to annual trustee approval). Southwark Law Centre provides free high quality specialist immigration ....more
Indigo Trust - Funding for second office based in Lewisham
£120,000 04/11/2019
Core funding for the Lewisham Law Service.
Indigo Trust - Funding for second office based in Lewisham
£120,000 04/11/2019
Core funding for the Lewisham Law Service.
City Bridge Trust - Grant to Southwark Law Centre
£25,512 31/10/2019
£25,512 over one year towards the salary and related costs of two p/t Welfare Rights Workers to provide a service to Lambeth residents.
National Lottery Community Fund - Planning Voice
£199,036 24/10/2019
35
Planning Voice
United Saviours Charity - Planning Voice
£25,000 11/07/2019
11
This one year grant will continue the important work being carried out by the Law Centre, in partnership with the Southwark Planning Network, to enable local people and groups to influence the ....more
BBC Children in Need - Grant to Southwark Law Centre
£120,000 28/02/2019
36
This project will provide specialist support, legal advice and representation to migrant children and young people. The support will ensure improved life chances, increased access to financial ....more
Trust for London - Southwark Law Centre
£90,000 20/02/2019
36
The funding is for the salary of its Specialist Housing Solicitor who will provide casework and representation for destitute migrants, enabling them to access housing and financial support. It will ....more
AB Charitable Trust - A grant to Southwark Law Centre
£30,000 29/01/2019
An unrestricted grant of £30,000 (This grant is renewable - year 1 of up to 3 years). Southwark Law Centre provides free legal advice, casework & representation in housing, employment and ....more
AB Charitable Trust - Free social welfare law advice/representation - immigration work in Lewisham
£30,000 31/12/2018
An unrestricted grant of £30,000. This grant is renewable, subject to Trustee review at the end of each year, and the Trustees have indicated that the total time frame could be 3 years (£30,000 per ....more
City Bridge Trust - Grant to Southwark Law Centre
£101,000 14/11/2018
24
£101,000 over a further two years (£50,000; £51,000) towards the salary and associated running costs of a Senior Immigration Solicitor to provide legal advice to individuals and advice and support ....more
United Saviours Charity - Planning Voice
£33,660 06/07/2018
11
The project will support and empower local people from disadvantaged communities in north Southwark to influence physical developments affecting their local environment.  It will enable residents to ....more
United Saviours Charity - Universal Credit Mitigation Project
£48,631 08/12/2017
11
Universal Credit was introduced to some Southwark claimants in early 2017, with full roll-out starting in September.  Administration problems have resulted in financial and emotional stress for many ....more
AB Charitable Trust - A grant to Southwark Law Centre
£10,000 31/10/2017
£10,000 towards core costs of the immigration team. Southwark Law Centre provides free legal advice, casework & representation in housing, employment and asylum/immigration for people in ....more
United Saviours Charity - Planning Voice
£33,000 21/03/2017
11
The project will support and empower local people from disadvantaged communities in north Southwark to influence physical developments affecting their local environment.  It will enable residents to ....more
Comic Relief - Migrant Women’s Project
£104,598 16/03/2016
36
Southwark Law Centre (SLC) provides specialist immigration advice to female refugees and asylums seekers who have escaped or are in violent, abusive and/or exploitative situations. SLC have ....more
AB Charitable Trust - Specialist legal advice and representation
£15,000 26/01/2016
£15,000 towards core costs
City Bridge Trust - Grant to Southwark Law Centre
£158,000 09/07/2015
36
£158,000 over three years (£51,000, £53,000, £54,000) towards the full-time salary and associated running costs of Southwark Law Centre's Immigration Solicitor.
Show more rows

Data sourced from Donors via 360 Giving

How is it governed?

Trustees (9)
Current Trustees appointed
Gender Split

Age Range of Trustees: 31-75
Legal constitution
  • Charitable company registered in England & Wales on 09/07/1987, number: 277927
  • Registered at Companies House on 10/05/1979, number: 01418763
Gift Aid
  • Registered with HMRC for Gift Aid
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
  • Investment
  • Paying staff
  • Risk management
  • Safeguarding policy and procedures
  • Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
  • Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
  • Social media policy and procedures
  • Trustee expenses policy and procedures
  • Volunteer management
Filing Record
20 returns made; AR20: 1 days late,
Main office

GROUND FLOOR
HANOVER PARK HOUSE
14-16 HANOVER PARK
PECKHAM
LONDON
SE15 5HG

Objectives

THE CHARITY’S OBJECTS (‘OBJECTS’) ARE SPECIFICALLY RESTRICTED TO:(1) THE FOLLOWING ACTIVITIES: (I) THE PREVENTION OR RELIEF OF POVERTY, (II) THE RELIEF OF THOSE IN NEED BECAUSE OF YOUTH, AGE, ILL-HEALTH, DISABILITY, FINANCIAL HARDSHIP OR OTHER DISADVANTAGE, (III) THE ADVANCEMENT OF HEALTH OR THE SAVING OF LIVES, (IV) THE ADVANCEMENT OF CITIZENSHIP AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, AND (V) THE ADVANCEMENT OF HUMAN RIGHTS, EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY,(2) IN EACH CASE AMONG PERSONS LIVING, WORKING OR STUDYING IN THE CHARITY’S AREA, AND(3) IN EACH CASE BY PROVIDING LEGAL SERVICES, LEGAL REPRESENTATION AND EDUCATION WHICH THOSE PERSONS COULD NOT OTHERWISE AFFORD THROUGH LACK OF MEANS, AND BY UNDERTAKING AND PROMOTING RESEARCH INTO THE ADVANCEMENT OR PREVENTION AND RELIEF (AS APPLICABLE) OF THE MATTERS STATED ABOVE WITHIN THE CHARITY’S AREA.

Defined Area of Benefit:

LONDON BOROUGH OF SOUTHWARK

Data Sources

Charity Commission for England and Wales
360 Giving
CharityBase
Authorised officials of this charity can add information to this page (including a Donate Now button) for no cost

Tips for Selecting Charities

Which areas of philanthropy are most effective?
The text of this post is taken from an article on the Effective Altruism forum. It suggests that you can achieve the most impact by supporting causes that fight extreme poverty, improving animal welfare....more
Our Top Tips for Philanthropy
Here are some ideas to help you gain more satisfaction from your philanthropy and confidence that the causes you have selected are impactful. Engage your brain, as well as your heart You....more
How to become a Philanthropist
In this Blog we outline a strategy to help people who are new to philanthropy and for those who feel dissatisfied with the impact they are having. Effective philanthropy is immensely rewarding for donors,....more

Giving is Great