The directors present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 30 June 2024.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the financial statements and comply with the charity's governing document, the Companies Act 2006 the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005, the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006, FRS 102 "The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland" and the Charities SORP "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)".
The purpose of the charity is to advance, promote, maintain, improve and encourage the education of the public in the appreciation of Scotland’s history and in particular its documentary heritage by providing public access to Scotland’s archives.
Expenditure was incurred on supporting the development of a new portal called Your Scottish Archives to replace the existing Scottish Archive Network site. Good progress was made on the new portal, which will be a significant enhancement of the resources offered by SCAN. Despite delays caused by the Covid19 pandemic and security testing by the infrastructure partner, JISC, it is anticipated that the first phase of the portal will be launched in late 2024. The portal will improve access to online catalogues held by local authorities, universities, businesses, charities and community groups. The directors continued to review the future direction of the charity and the use of its charitable funds.
Total income in the year was £577 (2023: £488) and total expenditure £34,889 (2023: £50,664), resulting in a deficit of £34,312 (2023: £50,176). There were no significant events in the period which affected the charity’s financial position. Total funds at 30th June 2024 amounted to £2,653 (2023: £36,965), all of which were unrestricted.
The Directors have reviewed the reserves policy and have agreed to a phased reduction in order to promote the charity’s aims and objectives.
The directors are committed to furthering the objectives of the charity through the Your Scottish Archives project.
The charity is a company limited by guarantee and is governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association dated 23 April 2001 and 16 March 2012. It is a registered charity with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR).
The directors who served during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were:
At each Annual General Meeting one-third of the Directors who are subject to retirement by rotation shall retire. New directors are briefed on their legal obligations under charity law, the content of the Memorandum and Articles of Association, the committee and decision-making processes and the recent financial performance of the charity. Directors are given extensive training as required.
None of the directors has any beneficial interest in the company. All of the directors are members of the company and guarantee to contribute £1 in the event of a winding up.
Under the Memorandum of Association adopted on 16 March 2012, there shall be a minimum of seven Directors which shall comprise inter alios:
Three persons nominated by the Scottish Council on Archives
The Keeper of the Records of Scotland ex officio or his and her nominee,
Two persons representing the interests of users of archives, nominated by the Board of Directors of the Company,
Other persons nominated by the Board of Directors of the Company, the number to be determined from time to time by the Directors.
The directors are considered the only parties to be related to the charity throughout the year.
The directors are satisfied that the major risks to which the charity is exposed have been reviewed and procedures have been established to manage these risks.
The directors' report was approved by the Board of Directors.
The directors, who also act as trustees for the charitable activities of Scottish Archive Network Limited, are responsible for preparing the Directors' 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 directors to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity 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 directors 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; and
- prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation.
The directors are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006, the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
I report on the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 30 June 2024, which are set out on pages 5 to 11.
It is my responsibility to examine the financial statements as required under section 44(1)(c) of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
My examination is carried out in accordance with Regulation 11 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the financial statements presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the financial statements, and seeking explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the financial statements.
In the course of my examination, no matter has come to my attention
1. which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements:
to keep accounting records in accordance with Section 44(1)(a) of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and Regulation 4 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006, and
to prepare financial statements which accord with the accounting records and comply with Regulation 8 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006
have not been met, or
2. to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the financial statements to be reached.
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
Scottish Archive Network Limited is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in Scotland. The registered office is 51 Atholl Road, Pitlochry, Perthshire, PH16 5BU.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the charity's governing document, the Companies Act 2006 the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005, the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006, FRS 102 "The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland" and the Charities SORP "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)". The charity is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.
The charity has taken advantage of the provisions in the SORP for charities not to prepare a statement of cash flows.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the charity. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.
The financial statements have not been prepared on a going concern basis, as the directors intend to cease operations and wind up the charity. The remaining funds will be transferred to Scottish Council on Archives (Charity number: SC044553) in accordance with the charity’s objectives.
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the directors in furtherance of their charitable objectives.
Restricted funds are subject to specific conditions by donors or grantors 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.
Cash donations are recognised on receipt. Other donations are recognised once the charity has been notified of the donation, unless performance conditions require deferral of the amount. Income tax recoverable in relation to donations received under Gift Aid or deeds of covenant is recognised at the time of the donation.
Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to transfer economic benefit to a third party, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement, and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably.
Expenditure is classified by activity. The costs of each activity are made up of the total of direct costs and shared costs, including support costs involved in undertaking each activity. Direct costs attributable to a single activity are allocated directly to that activity. Shared costs which contribute to more than one activity and support costs which are not attributable to a single activity are apportioned between those activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources. Central staff costs are allocated on the basis of time spent, and depreciation charges are allocated on the portion of the asset’s use.
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 the statement of financial activities.
Cash and cash equivalents include cash in hand, deposits held at call with banks, other short-term liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less, and bank overdrafts. Bank overdrafts are shown within borrowings in current liabilities.
Basic financial assets, which include debtors and cash and bank balances, are initially measured at transaction price including transaction costs and are subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the transaction is measured at the present value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial assets classified as receivable within one year are not amortised.
Basic financial liabilities, including creditors and bank loans are initially recognised at transaction price unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the debt instrument is measured at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial liabilities classified as payable within one year are not amortised.
Debt instruments are subsequently carried at amortised cost, using the effective interest rate method.
Trade creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of operations from suppliers. Amounts payable are classified as current liabilities if payment is due within one year or less. If not, they are presented as non-current liabilities. Trade creditors are recognised initially at transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.
Financial liabilities are derecognised when the charity’s contractual obligations expire or are discharged or cancelled.
In the application of the charity’s accounting policies, the directors 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.
None of the directors (or any persons connected with them) received any remuneration or benefits from the charity during the year.
During the financial year, no trustee expenses were incurred or reimbursed.
The average monthly number of employees during the year was:
The charity is exempt from taxation on its activities because all its income is applied for charitable purposes.
The unrestricted funds of the charity comprise the unexpended balances of donations and grants which are not subject to specific conditions by donors and grantors as to how they may be used. These include designated funds which have been set aside out of unrestricted funds by the trustees for specific purposes.
The Designated funds represents funds set aside for the Your Scottish Archives project.
The General funds represents funds on which no restrictions have been placed.
There were no disclosable related party transactions during the year (2023 - none).