The trustees present their report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023.
The Accounts have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the accounts and comply with the Trust's Memorandum and Articles of Association, the Companies Act 2006 and the Charities Commission "Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice (FRS102)”, issued in March 2005 and revised January 2016.
For accounting periods commencing on or after 1 April 2008, there is also a requirement for the Trust to report on how it satisfies the Public Benefit test introduced by the Charities Act 2006. The Trust can report as follows:
a) The report of those activities undertaken by the Trust to further its charitable purposes for the public benefit can be found in this report under the headings 'Objectives and Activities’ and 'Achievements and Performance'.
b) Accordingly, the trustees hereby state that they have complied with the duty in Section 4 of the Charities Act 2006 to have due regard to public benefit guidance published by the Charity Commission.
Taken together with the accounts, the Report seeks to offer a fair and balanced picture of what the Trust has achieved (outcomes) through its strategy and the difference it has made (its impact) across the County during 2022-23. Finally, it provides an overview of its structure, governance and management, any professional services procured by the Trust, as well as its plans for the future.
The purpose of the Trust (hereinafter referred to as 'Active Sussex'), as set out in its governing document, is to promote increased community participation in sport and active recreation for the benefit of the inhabitants of Sussex.
We are part of the national Active Partnership Network, and work with stakeholders across the county to build strong relationships. Together, our goal is to address inequality and empower everyone to be active in a way that works for them.
We look to encourage everyone to be active and stay active in a way that suits them, but we understand certain groups of people face barriers to exercise. Therefore to make the most impact we focus on the following groups of people to tackle inactivity across Sussex:
children and young people
older people
disabled people and people living with a long term health condition
people from different cultural backgrounds and communities
We do this through the lens of equality, diversity and inclusion, which is front and centre of our refreshed Active Sussex Strategy 2023-28, which was launched in February 2023, and continues to inform all our work.
The Active Sussex Strategy 2023-28 has three key objectives, through which it seeks to achieve its aims:
Building Relationships (System Goals). We will work with partners to collectively address barriers to physical activity.
Projects and Resources (Delivery). We will invest resources into projects which target inactive audiences.
Responsive and Representative Leadership (Governance) We will be committed to being a representative organisation which listens to diverse lived experiences to inform decision-making.
2022-23 was the first year of delivery against a five year external funding package with Sport England, and a year in which Active Sussex was able to resume its full operations following the cessation of the Covid-19 pandemic. We have undertaken to use Sport England funds to achieve the following outcomes:
Active Sussex having increased reach and influence across multiple, but relevant sectors; regularly using insight to identify, challenge and break down systemic barriers that perpetuate inequality of access and provision of physical activity. Success will see resources in Sussex maximised to reach communities most at risk of physical inactivity, and that there is an obvious culture of improvement that is driven by collaborative learning relationships and environments.
Creation of a refreshed organisational strategy from 2023 - 2028, through which Active Sussex can influence its networks to ensure fair and welcoming access to physical activity opportunities that is relevant to all. Active Sussex will be an organisation where equality, diversity and inclusion is embedded internally (in its leadership and staff), and in turn drives cultural change externally with any new, emerging and existing stakeholders.
There is a clear understanding of the needs of children and young people and the provision of activity that is accessible, relevant and inclusive for them, particularly those at most risk of physical activity. Success will also be evident when delivery partners are regularly using lived experience to complement desk based insight to inform their provision; acknowledging that ‘one size does not fit’ and there is genuine collaboration in areas where inequalities are most evident
Finally, in Sussex, there will be a skilled, motivated and diverse workforce, representative of the communities that they serve, and equipped to engage and empower diverse audiences to be active.
Active Sussex has continued its reach into communities, helping organisations and through its partners, provided access to physical activity opportunities through the Tackling Inequalities Fund, Children and Young People Investment Fund and Opening Schools Facilities Funding.
As ever, planning and expenditure decisions for these programmes were undertaken by Active Sussex's Strategic Management Group and, where appropriate, in conjunction with community sport and physical activity providers. All activities were delivered within budget. Decisions on any new business and larger funding applications (as prepared by the Trust’s Strategic Management Group) were taken by the Board of Trustees.
Active Sussex now moves into 2023-24 and looks forward to building on the successes of the previous year and uniting the movement in Sussex. We have shared some key outcomes from 2022-23 below.
Project and Resources (Delivery)
The past year has been a resource-intensive period through the coordination and delivery of the Children and Young People Investment Fund, School Games, Opening Schools Facilities, Children and Young People Active Lives Survey and Creating Active Schools Framework. To support delivery implementation, the Active Sussex Children and Young People Forum has continued to develop and attract new partners from a diverse spectrum of organisations.
The Children and Young People Investment fund in 2022-23 targeted efforts to support and encourage applicants in areas of greatest need based on insight. This has continued to be driven through localised forums in Crawley, Rother and Arun. 36 projects were launched to support children and young people getting active, with £115,000 invested, and over 650 participant surveys collected to aid learning.
In respect of Opening Schools Facilities Funding, Active Sussex enabled 24 schools to claim a collective total of £210,000 to purchase equipment, training and improve access to facilities to enable children from schools and their surrounding communities to get active after school, in evenings, weekends and school holidays. A focus of 2022-23 has been connecting with delivery providers to ensure youth voice is part of the decision making process and that safeguarding practices are embedded. Partner organisations applying for funding have been challenged to first consult with young people before developing a project, to ensure that it meets their needs and motivations to get more active, and ensuring that they are speaking directly to their target audiences, not just the easy to speak to. This has been a positive step forward over this period and a mindset change for partners that Active Sussex has engaged with.
Working closely with School Games Organisers, Active Sussex shifted the focus of the Sussex School Games to target priority audiences and places. This supported children from areas of deprivation to be more active, primarily via Festival and Roadshow style events.
In Crawley, eight new schools received whole school training and are now using the Creating Active Schools Framework to support a cross curricular approach to PE and School Sport, building on from last year's pilot in Rother. Each school has completed the profiling of their current provision and has highlighted three high impact actions to take.
Through a bank of learning that has been collated and shared with partners, the range of organisations with an interest in getting young people active increased during the year. An example of this was the work with new partners Naturebites and Project Rewild in Hastings, both of whom are encouraging children to get outdoors to explore their surroundings while getting more active.
Active Sussex has also supported East Sussex County Council with targeted exercise referrals in schools in relation to mental health and wellbeing in the Wealden District.
Focused attention on recruiting, developing and retaining a diverse workforce has continued through the Coach Core Programme which has seen apprentices complete the programme and are now employed within their respective localities. The second year of Coach Core has enabled a new cohort of apprentices to be recruited and supported by employers.
Responsive & Representative Leadership (Governance)
Reflecting on the goals set for 2022/23, Active Sussex has made progress in the following areas:
Tackling Inequalities - Recruitment of a more diverse group of trustees in 2022, bringing in knowledge, understanding and lived experience of disability and ethnically diverse groups. The Board’s Equality Diversity & Inclusions (EDI) Lead Director and the Trust’s HR Lead have driven this agenda successfully, with consultation of relevant external partners and formation of an Equalities Steering Group to help scope and inform our draft Diversity Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP). Our new strategy launched in February 2023 with a clear focus on tackling inequalities ensured the Board had the correct context in which to seek assurance of impact. Our Business Development Sub-committee has evolved to become the Strategy Progress & Growth committee, with new terms of reference that can challenge us to demonstrate how our work is contributing to key local and national strategy outcomes, particularly the tackling inequalities agenda. This gives an added level of assurance to the Board.
Governance - Active Sussex has continued to operate in accordance with standards set out in the Code of Sports Governance Tier-3 funded organisations, with only minor updates required to its M&AA to ensure full compliance with existing standards. In terms of the seven new Code standards, we are confident that the main areas of work to progress during 2023/24 are policy statements in relation to Environmental Social Governance (ESG) and our People Plan
In respect of ESG, our Board has committed to undertaking training in order to develop an ESG policy statement which will help improve our knowledge in this area and in turn support our partners. Staff members attended the BASIS conference to start to better understand how Active Sussex can contribute to this agenda, and we are developing a dedicated environmental sustainability webpage (covering 4 key areas: Active Travel, Building & Facilities, Consumables and Information), and will share case studies linking to good practice currently happening in Sussex, such as Freedom Leisure and Green Transition Crowborough, who are trying to work with their local sports clubs to make them more sustainable.
The Board has in place a Welfare & Safeguarding Champion to support the implementation of the People Plan alongside our HR Lead and senior management group.
Building Relationships (System Outcomes)
During the reporting period of 2022-23, Active Sussex has built on the insight and learning from 2018-22 and is now starting to demonstrate progress with system partners in Sussex. Active Sussex has continued to connect with key stakeholders through the facilitation of forums, networks and conferences. As a result, key stakeholders understand the barriers to physical activity and have committed to collectively addressing these in some instances.
Active Sussex has continued to engage and support the Live Longer Better Community of Practice and Learning, contributing to the learning and evaluation process and exploring where there may be opportunities for better local engagement in the future. The sessions have also looked at various ways of approaching different areas of key stakeholders including the voluntary sector and the NHS.
The Stronger for Life project has now been completed, with Active Sussex investing £50,000 of funding towards activity focusing on strength and balance aimed at people aged 65 - 85 in West Sussex. The monitoring and evaluation which took place showed that participants recruited into the funded activities were the intended target group and saw an improvement on their strength and balance, while also obtaining greater knowledge of the importance of strength and balance activities.
Active Sussex has presented this work through sharing a learning session nationally and locally, including the Live Longer Better National Learning Event and local networks and forums and in one-to-one meetings with other Active Partnerships and local partners. As a result, opportunities have been advanced and Active Sussex has been funded £44,440 by NHS Sussex to target people on low income and support the NHS Digital Weight Management Programme. This funding has helped Active Sussex to deliver the project involving a range of stakeholders between April 2022 and March 2023.
In East Sussex, Active Sussex has worked in a slightly different way using the strength of partners and their relationships with the community. There has been a focus on areas such as Hastings and Rother where there are high levels of deprivation and people on low income. Active Sussex has worked collaboratively with the local district and borough councils whose physical activity team already have a large presence in the area.
In 2022-23, Active Sussex allocated over £277,000 through the Together Fund, having demonstrated additional need and a collaborative approach to the way priority groups are identified and funds are allocated. All funding has been used to address inequalities and has allowed Active Sussex to offer further resources beyond funding such as support with governance, safeguarding, insight, communication and equality, diversity, and inclusion. All additional support has helped to make projects sustainable.
Having listened to and understanding the needs of stakeholders in the health and wellbeing sector, Active Sussex has responded by creating the Sussex Health Instructor Network which is due to launch in June 2023. This will equip specialist health instructors with the tools and resources to improve the wellbeing and outcomes of people living with long term health conditions, and to connect with like-minded professionals to share good practice and challenges. This will also address some of the barriers to local health referral pathways.
The Statement of Financial Activities shows funds brought forward of £625,826 (2022: £562,827) and income received for the 2022-23 financial year of £991,352 (2022: £958,258). The total expenditure was £1,105,596 (2022: £1,113,259) and the net surplus on pension funds was £115,000 (2022: £218,000) giving net movement in funds of £756 (2022: £62,999) for the year ending 31 March 2023. The total funds at the end of the reporting period amounted to £626,582 (2022: £625,826 ). The principal financial management policies and procedures deployed during the year are stated earlier in this report.
Reserves Policy
Active Sussex’s reserves protocols ensure that sufficient unrestricted funds are held to cover a minimum of six months' employment and running costs and 100% end of contract costs (in the event of any significant delays or cessation of external core funding). The fund required to cover these costs is £154,000 (2022: £150,000), however at 31 March 2023 the fund stood at £249,518 (2022: £247,917), excluding designated funds and the pensions reserve. This figure is currently higher than the level expected due to an under-spend on designated funds allocated to drive charitable fundraising activities and project development - principally due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Principal Funding Sources
Active Sussex’s principal funding stream continues to come from Sport England. Of the £991,352 (2022: £958,258) income received, 49.6% of this (£491,617) came from Sport England (2022: 38.9%, £372,772). The remaining income has been generated from:
Active Sussex members (mainly local government)
Primary PE courses fees
Bank interest
Commissioned work
98.0% (2022: 98.8%) of income is restricted and is therefore spent on the specific sport and physical activity outcomes detailed as per conditions of the funding award. More importantly, the expenditure has directly supported the key objectives of the charity.
Senior Management Remuneration
All staff pay is reviewed annually by the Human Resources & Nominations Committee, and pay increments are subject to completion of an annual staff appraisal. Cost of living rises are awarded in line with RPI (Q4/Feb annually) and subject to affordability by Active Sussex. For 2022-23, a 3% pay increase was awarded and during the year key management personnel team remuneration totalled £270,882 (2022: £249,580) (see note 21 to the accounts). It should be noted that to support staff with the rising cost of living, a non-consolidated £1,000 lump sum was paid to all staff members in February 2023, pro-rated for part-time staff. The total amount paid was £9,700.
Related Parties
No trustee received any remuneration during the year. No trustee had an interest in companies that Active Sussex works with or is funded by.
Risk Management
Active Sussex maintains a comprehensive risk register which identifies the principal risks, together with the steps to be taken to manage them. The risk register is overseen by the Governance & Audit Committee and reviewed by the Board every quarter. Each risk is stated as either ‘strategic’ or ‘operational’.
The risk register was reviewed at every Governance & Audit Committee and Board meeting held during the year. The reducing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic was reflected in the lower risk register scores, as face-to-face events and meetings began to be reinstated. The key strategic risk remains non-compliance or breach of legal/statutory responsibilities leading to loss of stakeholder confidence and risk to investment.
Through its Governance & Audit Committee, Active Sussex discharged these statutory responsibilities and maintained a high level of assurance. It has continued to review and develop its corporate business policies, with any changes endorsed at Board level. The necessary business protection, human resources and financial policies continued to be in place, as did the Trust’s Equality and Safeguarding in Sport policies.
Plans for future periods
2023/24 will see the work of the Trust continue to focus on tackling the most inactive groups in the County, and working with delivery partners to reduce the barriers (and inequalities) to participation. We have published our Action Plan 2023/24, and the headline objectives, events and outcomes sought are provided in the table below.
Fig. 1 - Action Plan 2023/24
People | ||
Priority | Objective | Outcome |
Children and Young People | Facilitate innovative ways that enable children and young people to be active. | Children and their families have played a part in decision making and key learning has been shared with partners, helping children to be physically active. |
Older People | Increase the potential for older people to live a healthier and active life. | More shared learning that shifts mindsets towards health prevention through increased movement and activity for older people. |
Disabled People and those living with Long Term Conditions | Increase the opportunity for people living with long term health conditions and/or disabilities to take part in physical activity to meet their needs. | Increased opportunities for disabled people and those with long term health conditions through physical activity, with more emphasis on prevention within the health system. |
Diversity and Inclusion | Address barriers to physical activity for marginalised people to make sure everyone has equal opportunities regardless of background and can find ways to make moving more affordable and accessible. | A culture of learning with influential networks, partners and community groups, who understand and have lived experience of marginalised people, has enabled resources to be targeted to support people most at risk of physical inactivity.
|
Fig. 1 - Action Plan 2023/24 (continued)
Priority | Objective | Outcome |
Governance
| To be recognised and respected as a thought-leading, and well-run organisation in which investors have confidence. | Full compliance with the Code of Sports Governance, maintaining stakeholder confidence.
|
Equality | Championing an inclusive culture and advocating equal access to physical activity opportunities. | Through robust consultation an action plan has been agreed with Sport England and published on the Active Sussex website, with ongoing review provided by an external advisory panel.
|
Safeguarding
| Advocate the right for everyone to enjoy sport and physical activity in a safe and welcoming environment. | Completion of the CPSU and ACT Safeguarding frameworks and successful delivery of the Safeguarding Implementation Plan. |
Environmental Social Governance
| Ensure the impact on stakeholders, wider society and the environment is factored into the decision making process. | A robust Environmental Social Governance (ESG) impact assessment tool is in place, and referred to, in order to contribute to the Trust’s decision making processes, and a published ESG policy or statement is in place.
|
Communication and Measuring Impact | ||
Priority | Objective | Outcome |
Communication
| Raise the profile of movement and physical activity through events, networks and campaigns. | Communications have shared key messages on physical activity to support partners engaging with priority audiences and highlighted the great work of Active Sussex and that of its partners.
|
Measurement, Evaluation and Learning | Insight and business improvement focuses on people at greatest risk of physical inactivity. | Projects have been successful and delivered for priority communities using insight, local knowledge and lived experience of participants. Case studies are in place to evidence impact.
|
Workforce | ||
Priority | Objective | Outcome |
Diverse Workforce | Support the development of a diverse and representative workforce (paid and voluntary) that empower inactive people to be active.
| A more skilled, motivated, and diverse workforce, equipped to engage and empower diverse audiences to be active. |
Events 2023/24
May - June 2023 - Sussex Parallel Games & Sussex School Games
The Sussex Parallel Youth Games and Sussex School Games 2023 will be delivered as a combination of single day events, as well as roadshows in areas where Active Sussex seeks to encourage greater participation levels amongst children and young people. The main events will take place at the flagship leisure facility, K2 Crawley.
September 2023 - Active Sussex Network Conference
The Active Sussex Conference will take place as a virtual event on 19 September 2023 and will incorporate the Trust’s Annual General Meeting. The event will include keynote speakers, facilitated discussions and workshops that will focus on active ageing, and a local reducing physical inactivity within priority audiences. The Trust aims to deliver a high calibre virtual Conference in September and the Active Sussex Network in spring 2024. We will look to continue to grow the attendance and range of partners attending.
November 2023 - The Sussex Sports & Physical Activity Awards
Renamed to reflect the wider breadth of our partners work, the Sussex Sport & Physical Activity Awards remain a high-profile event of the annual calendar of community awards. Offering a showcase of business and community sport, it is envisaged that a smaller face-to-face event will be scheduled provisionally for 23 November 2023.
February 2024 - Active Sussex Network
This popular professional networking and workforce development event will be planned for delivery in Q4 of 2023/24. As with 2023, this will be a face-to-face networking opportunity for stakeholders across Sussex with an interest in sport and physical activity, with topical news and best practice workshops.
The Sussex County Sports Partnership Trust (t/a Active Sussex) is a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales, number 06166961. It is also a registered Charity number 1122082. It was incorporated on 19 March 2007 and was registered as a Charity on 19 December 2007. Active Sussex is governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association as reviewed on 16 March 2016. It became fully operational on 2 January 2008.
The trustees, who are also the directors for the purpose of company law, and who served during the year were:
Mr Darrell Gale served in the Board in an ex-officio capacity.
Active Sussex’s senior employees support the Board of Directors strategically. Three sub-committees are convened by deploying appropriately skilled members from the Board to deal with Human Resources, Business Development (and Marketing), and Governance (Finance and Legal) matters that arise.
Governance & Audit Committee: Mr A White, Mr I Da Cunha and Mrs D Whitney (chair)
Human Resources & Nominations Committee: Mrs S Briggs, Mrs C Gibbons and Mr T Howell (chair)
Business Development & Marketing Sub-Committee: Mr M Francis, Ms A Pendlington (chair), Ms S Rosso and Mr P Traynor
The current Board of Trustees consists of individuals from the public, private and voluntary sectors. They bring the necessary skills and experience to the Trust to ensure sound governance, probity and excellent advocacy of the charity's aims and objectives.
Active Sussex operates an open recruitment process including shortlisting and interview by the Chair, Chief Executive and representatives of the HR and Governance Committees and is in line with the provisions of Article 12 of the Articles of Association. None of the Trustees has any beneficial interest in the company. All of the Trustees are members of the company and guarantee to contribute £1 in the event of a winding up.
Active Sussex requires all officers and staff to undertake induction and continuing professional development to familiarise themselves with the political, funding and delivery environment in which the organisation operates; to set out their respective roles and responsibilities; and to ensure accountability and compliance with statutory Charity and Company law. All Trustees can access governance, equity and safeguarding training opportunities on an ongoing basis via Active Sussex’s professional advisers and through other recognised training providers.
Organisational Structure
Under the current governance arrangements, the day-to-day executive functions of Active Sussex are handled by its senior strategic and operational staff (or Strategic Management Group). This is made up of the Chief Executive and the four Strategic Relationship Managers. The Board oversees the work of the Strategic Management Group (via quarterly reporting process) and is responsible for setting and deciding strategic policy direction in pursuance of the charitable aims and business needs. It approves the recommendations of the Strategic Management Group.
Financial Management
Budgets are devolved to the Strategic Management Group and other individual officers as appropriate, with monthly management accounts provided to all budget holders to enable ongoing financial monitoring and control. The Board of Directors and Governance & Audit Committee receive financial monitoring figures on a quarterly basis. All payments are authorised in accordance with Active Sussex’s published financial regulations, procedures, and bank mandate.
Representation
At county level, Active Sussex had membership of, and/or provided support to, the following strategic groups and meetings:
Active Hastings Partnership Group
Active Partnerships National Network
Active Rother Communities Partnership Group
Brighton & Hove Active & Inclusive Travel Forum
Brighton & Hove Sport & Physical Activity Strategic Group
Children & Young People’s Investment Forum
Crawley Physical Activity Forum
East Sussex Healthy Weight Partnership
Live Longer Better Community of Learning & Practice
London & Southeast Active Partnership Directors Forum
NHS Sussex Prevention Steering Group
Sussex Disability Sports Network
Sussex School Games Organisers Network
Professional services
The following organisations provided services to the Trust during the reporting period:
Accountancy & Audit
Carpenter Box, Amelia House, Crescent Road, Worthing, West Sussex, BN11 1RL
Banking
Barclays Bank plc, Floor 27, Churchill Place, London, E14 5HP
Human Resources & Legal Services
Rix & Kay Gatekeeper Services,The Courtyard, River Way, Uckfield, East Sussex, TN22 1SL
Payroll
Plummer Parsons Accountants, 18 Hyde Gardens, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN21 4PT
In accordance with the company's articles, a resolution proposing that Carpenter Box be reappointed as auditor of the company will be put at a General Meeting.
The trustees' report was approved by the Board of Trustees.
The trustees, who are also the directors of Sussex County Sports Partnership Trust for the purpose of company law, are responsible for preparing 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 financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the trust and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that year.
In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:
- select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
- observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;
- make judgements 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; and
- prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the trust will continue in operation.
The trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the trust 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 trust and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
Opinion
We have audited the financial statements of Sussex County Sports Partnership Trust (Active Sussex) (the ‘trust’) for the year ended 31 March 2023 which comprise the statement of financial activities, the balance sheet, the statement of cash flows and the notes to the financial statements, including significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including FRS 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
In our opinion, the financial statements:
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the trust in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the trustees' use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.
Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the trust’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.
Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.
Other information
The other information comprises the information included in the annual report other than the financial statements and our auditor's report thereon. The trustees are responsible for the other information contained within the annual report. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.
We have nothing to report in this regard.
We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:
the information given in the financial statements is inconsistent in any material respect with the trustees' report; or
sufficient accounting records have not been kept; or
the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records; or
we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit.
As explained more fully in the statement of trustees' responsibilities, the trustees, who are also the directors of the trust for the purpose of company law, are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error. In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the trust’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.
We have been appointed as auditor under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 and report in accordance with the Act and relevant regulations made or having effect thereunder.
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor's report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.
In addition to the above, our procedures to respond to risks identified included the following:
Making enquiries of management, about any known or suspected instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations and fraud;
Reviewing minutes of meetings of the board and senior management;
Reading correspondence with regulators;
Challenging assumptions and judgements made by management in their significant accounting estimates, including defined benefit pension scheme valuations; and
Auditing the risk of management override of controls, including through testing journal entries and other adjustments for appropriateness.
Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud, is detailed below.
In identifying and assessing risks of material misstatement in respect of irregularities, including fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations, our procedures included the following:
Obtaining an understanding of the legal and regulatory framework that the trust operates in, focusing on those laws and regulations that had a direct effect on the financial statements and operations;
Obtaining an understanding of the trust’s policies and procedures on fraud risks, including knowledge of any actual, suspected or alleged fraud; and
Discussing among the engagement team how and where fraud might occur in the financial statements and any potential indicators of fraud through our knowledge and understanding of the company and our sector-specific experience.
As a result of these procedures, we considered the opportunities and incentives that may exist within the
trust for fraud. We are also required to perform specific procedures to respond to the risk of management override. As a result of performing the above, we identified the following areas as those most likely to have an impact on the financial statements: health & safety, employment law and compliance with the UK Companies Act and the Charities SORP (FRS 102).
Due to the inherent limitations of an audit, there is an unavoidable risk that some material misstatements in the financial statements may not be detected, even though the audit is properly planned and performed in accordance with the ISAs (UK). For instance, the further removed non-compliance is from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, the less likely the auditor is to become aware of it or to recognise the non-compliance.
A further description of our responsibilities is available on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: https://www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor's report.
Use of our report
This report is made solely to the charity’s trustees, as a body, in accordance with part 4 of the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charity's trustees those matters we are required to state to them in an auditors' report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charity and the charity’s trustees as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.
Designated
Activities for generating funds
The development of sport in Sussex
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year.
All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
Sussex County Sports Partnership Trust
The company is limited by guarantee, not having a share capital and consequently the liability of members is limited, subject to an undertaking by each member to contribute to the net assets or liabilities of the company on winding up such amounts as may be required not exceeding £1.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the trust's governance handbook, the Companies Act 2006 and "Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019)". The trust is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the trust. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £1.
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.
The financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis. The trustees have considered relevant information, including the annual budget, forecast future cash flows and the impact of subsequent events in making their assessment.
Based on these assessments and having regard to the resources available to the entity, the trustees have concluded that there is no material uncertainty in relation to the appropriateness of continuing to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the annual report and accounts.
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the objectives of the charity.
Designated funds comprise funds which have been set aside at the discretion of the trustees for specific purposes. The purposes and uses of the designated funds are set out in the notes to the financial statements. A pension reserve is shown separately within unrestricted funds.
Restricted funds are subject to specific conditions by donors as to how they may be used. The purposes and uses of the restricted funds are set out in the notes to the financial statements.
Income is recognised when the trust is legally entitled to it after any performance conditions have been met, the amounts can be measured reliably, and it is probable that income will be received.
Donations and legacies are recognised as incoming resources when there is evidence of entitlement, receipt is probable and its amount can be measured reliably.
Income from government and other grants is recognised when the trust has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the grants have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably.
Donated services and facilities are recognised on the basis of the value of the gift to the charity which is the amount the charity would have been willing to pay to obtain the services or facilities on the open market. In accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102), the services provided by volunteers are not recognised in the financial statements.
Investment income relates to interest receivable on bank deposits and is recognised in the financial statements when receivable.
Expenditure is recognised on an accruals basis when a liability is incurred. Expenditure includes any VAT which cannot be fully recovered and is included within the item of expenditure to which it relates.
Charitable expenditure comprises those costs incurred by the trust in pursuit of its charitable objectives. It includes both direct costs and support costs relating to such activities. Support costs, including salaries, are apportioned on the basis of the time involved on the activity.
Governance costs include those costs associated with meeting the statutory requirements of the trust and include its audit fees and costs linked to strategic management of the trust.
Tangible fixed assets are initially measured at cost and subsequently measured at cost or valuation, net of depreciation and any impairment losses.
Depreciation is recognised so as to write off the cost or valuation of assets less their residual values over their useful lives on the following bases:
The gain or loss arising on the disposal of an asset is determined as the difference between the sale proceeds and the carrying value of the asset, and is recognised in net income/(expenditure) for the year.
At each reporting end date, the trust reviews the carrying amounts of its tangible assets to determine whether there is any indication that those assets have suffered an impairment loss. If any such indication exists, the recoverable amount of the asset is estimated in order to determine the extent of the impairment loss (if any).
Cash and cash equivalents include cash in hand and deposits held at call with banks. The Trustees seek to use short and medium term deposits where possible to maximise the return on monies held at the bank and to manage cash flow.
The trust has elected to apply the provisions of Section 11 ‘Basic Financial Instruments’ and Section 12 ‘Other Financial Instruments Issues’ of FRS 102 to all of its financial instruments.
Financial instruments are recognised in the trust's balance sheet when the trust becomes party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.
Financial assets and liabilities are offset, with the net amounts presented in the financial statements, when there is a legally enforceable right to set off the recognised amounts and there is an intention to settle on a net basis or to realise the asset and settle the liability simultaneously.
The trust enters into basic financial instruments transactions that result in recognition of financial assets and liabilities like trade and other accounts receivable and payable.
The cost of any unused holiday entitlement is recognised in the period in which the employee’s services are received.
One employee is an active member, and nine former employees are deferred members, of the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) administered by East Sussex County Council. Under the definition of the LGPS is a defined benefit pension scheme and is able to identify the charity's share of assets and liabilities and the requirements of FRS 102, section 28 Employee Benefits, have been followed.
The trust's share of the LGPS assets are measured at fair value at each balance sheet date. Liabilities are measured on an actuarial basis using the projected unit method. The net of these two figures is recognised as an asset or liability on the balance sheet. The recognition of a surplus as an asset is recognised only to the extent that it is recoverable by the trust. Any movements in the asset or liability between balance sheet dates is reflected in the statement of financial activities.
Rentals payable under operating leases, including any lease incentives received, are charged as an expense on a straight line basis over the term of the relevant lease.
In the application of the trust’s accounting policies, the trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised where the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods where the revision affects both current and future periods.
The present value of the Local Government Pension Scheme defined benefit liability depends upon a number of factors that are determined on an actuarial basis using a variety of assumptions, including the discount rate. Any changes in these assumptions, which are disclosed in note 16, will impact the carrying amount of the pension liability. Furthermore a roll forward approach which projects results from the latest full actuarial valuation performed at 31 March 2019 has been used by the actuary in valuing the pensions liability at 31 March 2023. Any differences between the figures derived from the roll forward approach and a full actuarial valuation would impact on the carrying amount of the pension liability.
Designated
Grants receivable for core activities
Grants receivable of £491,617 (2022: £372,772) were restricted and £8,000 (2022: £nil) were designated. There was no unrestricted donations and gifts in the current or comparative period.
Grants received from Sport England that were unspent at the reporting date have not been deferred as Sport England have not requested repayment of these funds.
Designated
Activities for generating funds
Sponsorships
Event tickets
Workshop Fees
Other fundraising activites
Income from sponsorships of £500 (2022: £500) was designated and £2,000 (2022: £nil) was restricted. There was no unrestricted income in the current or comparative period.
Income from events tickets of £2,391 (2022: £nil) was unrestricted and £752 (2022: £269) was designated. There was no restricted income from the sale of event tickets in the current or comparative period.
Income from shop of £77 (2022: £340) was designated. There was no restricted or unrestricted shop income in the current or comparative period.
Income from workshop fees of £13 (2022: £nil) was designated. There was no restricted or unrestricted income from workshop fees in the current or comparative period.
Income from other fundraising activities of £2,193 (2022: £4,642) wasunrestricted and £4,848 (2022: £5,650) was designated. There was no restricted income from other fundraising activities in the current or comparative period.
Included within income relating to the development of sport in Sussex are restricted grants of £478,297 (2022: £568,038) from Sport England and £nil (2022: £6,000) from English Schools Football Association.
Designated
Interest receivable of £664 (2022: £47) was unrestricted. There was no designated or restricted interest receivable in the current or comparative period.
Other costs
The development of sport in Sussex
The development of sport in Sussex
The institutions that grants have been provided to consist of registered charities, community and amateur sports clubs, leisure centres and other sporting institutions. There were no grants made to individuals in the current or comparative period.
Rent: University of Brighton
Insurance
Accountancy services
Legal fees
Advertising
The expenditure for support and governance costs basis of allocation are all direct, except staff costs which are based on time spent.
Governance costs includes amounts payable to the auditors of £8,495 (2022: £6,975) for audit and preparation of the financial statements.
None of the trustees (or any persons connected with them) received any remuneration or benefits from the trust during the year. During the year trustee travel expenses of £29 (2022: £Nil) were expensed to 2 trustees (2022: 0 trustees).
The average monthly number of employees during the year was:
Government grants are made up of £44,400 of deferred income from the NHS. There was no deferred income in the comparative year.
The trust operates a defined contribution pension scheme for all qualifying employees. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the trust in an independently administered fund.
The charge to profit or loss in respect of defined contribution schemes was £33,599 (2022 - £35,318). These costs have been allocated to restricted funds.
The Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) is a funded defined benefit pension scheme, with the assets held in separate trustee-administered funds. One employee is an active member of the LGPS and nine former employees are deferred members of the LGPS administered by East Sussex County Council.
The agreed contribution rates for future years are 17.2% for employers and between 5.5% and 12.5% for employees.
The most recent actuarial valuations of plan assets and the present value of the defined benefit obligation were carried out at 31 March 2022. This has been used by the actuary in valuing the pensions liability at 31 March 2023. The present value of the defined benefit obligation, the related current service cost and past service cost were measured using the projected unit credit method.
As disclosed in the trustees report, the University of Brighton has provided a guarantee for the liabilities that existed prior to the transfer of business to the trust as at 1 January 2008. The Subsumption Agreement was executed in January 2021.
The assumed life expectations on retirement at age 65 are:
Amounts recognised in the profit and loss account:
Amounts taken to other comprehensive income:
The amounts included in the balance sheet arising from the trust's obligations in respect of defined benefit plans are as follows:
Movements in the present value of defined benefit obligations:
The defined benefit obligations arise from plans which are wholly or partly funded.
Movements in the fair value of plan assets:
The fair value of plan assets at the reporting period end was as follows:
The criteria for the recognition of the surplus as an asset as described in note 1.11 was not met. The actuarial gains on the plan liabilities have been restricted by £423,000 so as to not recognise the surplus.
Restricted funds are all from Sport England and the split in the table above is for Sport England reporting purposes. All funds are for the development of sports, to promote sport and active recreation across Sussex. Transfers represent internal transfers where a grant-funded programme has ceased, and the funds are transferred to a budget code to use for a similar purpose for which funds were originally granted. All transfers are within the terms and conditions of each grant.
The designated funds held above are all held in furtherance of the trust's objects to promote sport and active recreation.
Active Schools is a designated fund formed from the amalgamation of residual Sport England PE Delivery funds and the Trusts' Primary PE Business Income budgets. The fund will be used to promote and improve the delivery of physical activity in Primary schools, as well as training and education in the same setting.
Stronger for Life is a designated fund to pilot the delivery of physical activity opportunities specifically targeted at older adults tailored in older community members, strength and balance support the delivery of activity for older people in the district of Arun, and this programme was funded from the Charity's Operational reserves.
End of Contract Provision is funding set aside as a provision for payment of statutory redundancy payments due as a result of fixed term contracts.
Sussex Sports Awards is income which is generated in order to support the delivery of the annual Sussex Sports Awards event. This will now be known as Sussex Sports and Physical Activity Awards.
Club Coach Volunteer (CCV) Workshops was a designated budget which provides for the income and expenditure related to the club development workshop program. Income was mainly from workshop delegate fees and expenditure relates to hire of facilities, training materials and tutor costs. The balance of this budget was transferred to Workforce Development and is no longer being used for 2023 – 2024.
Parallel Youth Games is funding generated by the trust in order to conduct the Youth Games for children with disabilities.
ESWY Fund (East Sussex Women of the Year Fund): This funding from the East Sussex Women’s Lunch Committee will be distributed to organisations in East Sussex, including Brighton & Hove to benefit women by supporting their mental and physical wellbeing through physical activity.
At the reporting end date the trust had outstanding commitments for future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases, which fall due as follows:
During the year, the Trust made payments under operating leases totalling £17,963 (2022: £13,643).
There were no disclosable related party transactions during the current or comparative period, other than those included within trustees note 10.
The key management personnel of the charity compromise the Chief Executive, Head of Operations, Head of Finance and three Strategic Relationship Managers. The total employee benefits of the key management personnel of the charity were:
Sussex Country Sports Partnership Trust is a company limited by guarantee and has no share capital. No one member has overall control of the charity.
The trust had no debt during the current or comparative period.