The trustees present their 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 Charities Act 2011, 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 charity's objects are to provide transport facilities for those residents of The Bartons and surrounding villages who have difficulty in using public transport because of age, sickness, mental or physical disability, poverty, or lack of availability of adequate and safe public transport services.
Our Bus Bartons aims to provide:
Resilience and sustainability within our local community
Local groups with the capacity to meet local needs
Access to local services and minimises transport costs associated with rurality
Efficient, accessible, professional value for money services that meet residents', local businesses' and customers' expectations.
The trustees have paid due regard to guidance issued by the Charity Commission in deciding what activities the charity should undertake with regards to public benefit.
Our objects and our permit under the Transport Act limit the services we provide to those resident in Middle Barton and surrounding villages. Our Bus Bartons links our community with nearby transport hubs, shops and health centres in the main centres of population including: Woodstock, Deddington, Chipping Norton, Banbury, Bicester and Kidlington.
We maintain close contact with as many members of the local community, community groups, and Parish Councils as possible. We operate a website and Facebook and Twitter accounts, as well as communicating more traditionally through local newsletters, word of mouth, and telephone. Hire customers are asked for their feedback and our Passenger Liaison Manager reports at our monthly management meetings.
We have run a full timetable throughout the year, and the number of passenger journeys has been gradually increasing each month. The monthly average for 2024 is now at 83% of pre-covid (2019) figures.
We could not survive without the donations and support we receive from many sources. These include Local Authorities, Parish Councils and individuals, and our passengers contribute regularly through the ‘buckets’ in the bus. We are hugely grateful to everyone who supports us at whatever level, and hope that you will continue to do so. We would also like to mention the generous grant from the National Lottery Community Fund, which will be used to fund the purchase of the electric buses. We were helped considerably in the bid for this funding by the children and staff of Middle Barton School, who prepared and gave presentations and wrote to local and national bodies and politicians for support.
We are again also extremely grateful to everyone who support our services in many ways, including Chas and Nicki Taylor for our overnight parking and ‘depot’ facilities, and Diane in the village shop for key holding, and Alan and his team at the Sports and Social for use of the car park as a bus stop, and the room for the AGM and other meetings. And of course to Mike and Karen Scearce for their work in providing us with lovely clean buses, both inside and out.
The majority of our passengers use the bus to get to supermarkets, local markets, doctors surgeries, dentists, opticians and banks. We also have a small number of commuters who use the service to link to the S4 Oxford/Banbury service or the station at Lower Heyford.
For many if not most of these passengers it is the only means of independent travel available from Middle Barton and surrounding villages, and it is also a means of meeting up with friends and enjoying a chat with other passengers.
Sheila Tumman, the passenger representative on the management committee is a regular user of the bus, and is a staunch supporter of bus use, and she regularly consults with other passengers about possible additional services and changes to our existing services. The feedback Sheila receives shows a high level of satisfaction with our services, and a feeling that the passengers couldn’t do without the service.
For services to the community, we were very proud to have been the Bronze winner in the Bus and Community Section of the National UK Bus Awards for 2023.
The total number of passenger journeys over the year has increased over the previous year at 5,149 which represents 83% of the pre-Covid (2018/19) figure. This is also a increase over the 65% figure last year. We continue to try and increase passenger journey numbers and any suggestions for new routes or alterations to existing routes are always welcome.
Obviously we could not run the service at all without the support of all our drivers. Over the course of the year we have unfortunately lost one of our drivers as they moved at of the area, but two new drivers joined us in January 2024 and a further driver joined in June 2024. With the new drivers, we now have a pool of twelve drivers to cover the twenty six shifts a week, which makes scheduling sometimes difficult with holidays or other commitments.
We still need new drivers, as many of our drivers are getting to an age where they will not be able to continue driving. Please do contact us if you would like to help as a driver, or you know someone who would like to drive for us. You can decide how often to drive and for how long, and we can provide MIDAS training if necessary.
We currently use two 2014 Mercedes Treka buses, which are fully safety checked by a garage every 6 weeks, which helps to minimize the chances of failure, as well as the driver carrying out basic checks before each shift.
We applaud Middle Barton School pupils whose Green credentials greatly assisted us in our National Lottery Community Fund award (£175,000), and following protracted delays, we took delivery of our electric vehicles in July 2024.
We feel very privileged to have received this funding, and it will be fantastic to be able to provide our services with zero emissions in the future.
The operational and economic benefits of electric vehicles are slowly being established. However, with the set up of these electric vehicles came iincreased development costs, with costs to meet our specification entailing a further £5,000 from our own funds, and another £7,000 for the installation of the charger, switchgear shed and 3-phase electrical supply. We are very grateful to Taylors Farm for our rent-free use of land upon which the above resides.
In May 2024 at the request of OCC, we extended two of our regular services to include Banbury and Chesterton for which we receive an additional grant, and we are hopeful passenger footfall maximises tax-payers investment. Demand for our services has meant a current ‘stay of execution’ for our ageing and costly diesels to fulfil.
Our timetabled services run Monday to Friday between 07:00 and 18:40, and once a month on a Saturday. In consultation with Oxfordshire County Council, we have made a number of alterations to our timetables at the end of April 2024 to incorporate a revised Route 4a to serve Banbury, additional services on Route 2 serving Steeple Aston and Heyford Station, and a revised Route 8 to include Chesterton on the Friday Bicester service.
The trustees' role was to look at the overall strategy for the charity and to concentrate on ensuring that the charity meets its objectives, as far as possible, and continues to provide a service of the highest quality for the public benefit.
It is the policy of the charity that unrestricted funds which have not been designated for a specific use should be maintained at a level equivalent to between three and six month’s expenditure. The trustees consider that reserves at this level will ensure that, in the event of a significant drop in funding, they will be able to continue the charity’s current activities while consideration is given to ways in which additional funds may be raised. This level of reserves has decreased during the year being £68,558 (2023 - £59,445). The level of free reserves has increased during the year to £42,433 (2023 - £39,112).
The trustees has assessed the major risks to which the charity is exposed. The management committee regularly conducts a review of the major risks to which the charity is exposed. Where appropriate, systems or procedures have been established to mitigate the risks the charity faces.
There are three main focuses over the next twelve months:
Focus on the continuous operations and development of the new electric buses
Continue to try and recruit additional drivers – maybe the attraction of driving a new electric bus will help.
Continue to get the message out about our services, and to find ways of increasing passenger numbers.
So, it looks like another exciting year, and we look forward to continuing to provide our services to the people of Middle Barton and the surrounding villages.
The charity is a company limited by guarantee, incorporated on 16 June 2016 (company number 10235284) and registered as a charity on 5 August 2016 (charity number 1168643). The company was established under a Memorandum of Association which established the objects and powers of the charitable company and is governed under its Articles of Association.
The trustees, who are also the directors for the purpose of company law, and who served during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were:
The directors of the company are also charity trustees for the purposes of charity law. Under the requirements of the Memorandum and Articles of Association the members of the management committee are elected to serve for a period of three years after which they must be re-elected at the next Annual General Meeting.
The management committee meets monthly to discuss both strategic and operational issues and the notes from these meetings are available by request. All members of the management committee give their time voluntarily and receive no benefits from the charity.
The management committee regularly conducts a review of the major risks to which the charity is exposed. Where appropriate, systems or procedures have been established to mitigate the risks the charity faces.
None of the trustees have any beneficial interest in the company. All of the trustees are members of the company and guarantee to contribute an amount not exceeding £10 in the event of a winding up.
The company's current policy concerning the payment of trade creditors is to:
settle the terms of payment with suppliers when agreeing the terms of each transaction;
ensure that suppliers are made aware of the terms of payment by inclusion of the relevant terms in contracts; and
pay in accordance with the company's contractual and other legal obligations.
Throughout the year ended 30 June 2024, the management of the charity was the responsibility of the chair of trustees Mr R Brown and a management committee under the chairmanship of Mr K Caldwell. The committee also consists of Mr M Horwood-Smith, treasurer, Mr M Roberts, directors of operations, Ms S Tumman, passenger liaison, Mr J Umney, communications, and Mr P Sharman, driver rotas and co-ordinations.
The trustees' report was approved by the board of trustees.
I report to the trustees on my examination of the financial statements of Our Bus Bartons Limited (the charity) for the year ended 30 June 2024.
Having satisfied myself that the financial statements of the charity are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s financial statements carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act). In carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 386 of the 2006 Act; or
the financial statements do not accord with those records; or
the financial statements do not comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the 2006 Act other than any requirement that the accounts give a true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or
the financial statements have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102).
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the financial statements to be reached.
Hermione Hymers ACA
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
Our Bus Bartons Limited is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is Penrose House, 67 Hightown Road, Banbury, Oxfordshire, OX16 9BE.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the 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 charity is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.
The charity has taken advantage of the provisions in the SORP for charities applying FRS 102 Update Bulletin 1 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.
At the time of approving the financial statements, the trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus the trustees continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees 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.
As per SORP (FRS102) the performance model is used to identify when grant income is recognised in the financial statements. The performance of service is undertaken in the year however the application and approval by the Department for Transport is not received until after the year end. Therefore, income is recognised in the following accounting period when the claim has been approved and is successful. Included in these accounts is £3,486 which relates to expenditure incurred in 2023 (2023 - £2,309 relates to expenditure incurred in 2022).
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. Depreciation charges are allocated on the portion of the asset’s use.
Resources expended are included in the statement of financial activities on the accruals basis exclusive of any VAT as VAT is reclaimed.
Expenditure that is directly attributable to specific charitable activities is charged to those cost categories.
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.
At each reporting end date, the charity 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, 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.
The charity 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 charity's balance sheet when the charity 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.
In the application of the charity’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.
Grant income is comprised of unrestricted funds of £3,486 (2023 - £2,309) relating to a BSOG Grant. Restricted funds of £3,000 (2023 - £1,500) relate to a fund which reduces fares charged to Ukrainian refugees.
Office expenses
Income within charitable activities
Professional fees
Income within charitable activities
Printing postage and stationery
Income within charitable activities
Sundry expenses
Income within charitable activities
Telephone
Income within charitable activities
Subscriptions
Income within charitable activities
Governance costs includes payments to the independent examiner of £3,050 (2023 - £3,050) for the independent examination and accountancy fees.
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.
Trade creditors includes £205,878 for two new buses that were invoiced in June 2024, and delivered and paid for in July 2024.
The Buses restricted fund is funded by grants and donations and relates to the future purchase of an electric bus. The income within this fund for the year included £174,932 (2023 - £nil) from The National Lottery Community Funds, for two new buses. In the year, there was expenditure of £nil (2023 - £nil) against this restricted fund. The two new buses were delivered in July 2024. In the forthcoming year, the purchase of these buses will be recognised against the restricted fund.
The Ukraine fund relates to a community transport grant provided to allow for discounted travel to be provided to Ukrainian refugees. The income within this fund for the year included £3,000 (2023 - £1,500) from Community First Oxfordshire. In the year, there was expenditure of £nil (2023 - £291) for DBS checks and £nil (2023 - £343) on recruitment costs against this restricted fund.
The funds of the charity include the designated funds which have been set aside out of unrestricted funds by the trustees for the specific purpose of the purchase of buses.
During the year £538 (2023 - £969) was paid to 3 trustees and one management committee member, being reimbursed costs for vehicle, advertising and office expenses.