| REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: |
| REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: |
| REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES AND |
| UNAUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS |
| FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JANUARY 2025 |
| FOR |
| THE COMMON GOOD FOUNDATION |
| REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: |
| REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: |
| REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES AND |
| UNAUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS |
| FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JANUARY 2025 |
| FOR |
| THE COMMON GOOD FOUNDATION |
| THE COMMON GOOD FOUNDATION |
| CONTENTS OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS |
| for the Year Ended 31 January 2025 |
| Page |
| Report of the Trustees | 1 | to | 3 |
| Independent Examiner's Report | 4 |
| Statement of Financial Activities | 5 |
| Statement of Financial Position | 6 |
| Notes to the Financial Statements | 7 | to | 11 |
| THE COMMON GOOD FOUNDATION (REGISTERED NUMBER: 08835602) |
| REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES |
| for the Year Ended 31 January 2025 |
| The trustees who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006, present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 January 2025. The trustees have adopted the provisions of 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). |
| OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES |
| Objectives and aims |
| To deepen the general public's understanding of citizenship, encourage leadership and participation of those who are disadvantaged and excluded, and emphasise both the importance of civic and religious harmony to improve the lives of people in the UK and beyond and the necessity of poor people in citizenship for the reduction of poverty. |
| The last year has been a hard one for this country. The idea of the common good - not an idealistic notion of universal harmony but instead the hard and endless task of reconciling estranged interests so that together all can participate in mutual flourishing and a shared peace - continues to guide our work and feels as vital as ever. We draw, as ever, from Catholic Social Thought in our understanding of the common good, but its uses extend far beyond religious matters. |
| 2023-2024 saw the pretensions that globalisation meant the end of global conflict thoroughly exposed. Conflict is back. It is back internationally, with conflict in the Middle East, the Horn of Africa and Ukraine playing out domestically. And it is back within Britain itself, as political, economic, cultural and geographical fissures open up further. These are fissures that no one politician or General Election can resolve. No matter how much technological progress we make as a species, human anthropology remains the same as it ever was - we are social, political beings who are embodied and who are embedded in relationships and institutions, capable of both vice and vertu; the common good therefore remains a constructive alternative to utopian rights-based attempts at resolving conflict and to the pursuit of mere utility. |
| We have continued to build this alternative at three levels: internationally, nationally, and locally. |
| Significant activities |
| The provision of lectures, the running of leadership training courses, meetings and events which includes marginalised and disadvantaged communities. |
| We have worked locally, in Grimsby, one of England's poorest towns. Here we are building a community organisation that reconciles estranged interests within the town, advocates for, and, exercises power in the collective interest of the town, and restores Grimsby - and, in time, towns like it - to its rightful place within the British body politic. Our local organisers, deeply rooted in town, have met with hundreds of local people and trained dozens of local leaders. The building blocks of an enduring force are in place, and this summer the organisation will be formally constituted at a public meeting with hundreds of participants. |
| We have worked nationally, through writing reports, organising seminars, meeting with political and business leaders, and articulating a politics and a political economy that responds to the new era we are in. We have continued to develop a popular environmentalism with the capacity to appeal to those who might feel alienated from mainstream climate politics. We are working to clarify the meaning of the common good, and define how it differs from more woolly exhortations for us to 'all get along'. And we are exploring what an approach to immigration policy informed by the common good would look like. |
| And finally, we have extended our work internationally. Our director Lord Glasman has spent time in Ukraine, visiting Kiev and Odessa multiple times, working with political and religious leaders in reconciling denominational and political conflicts emerging in a country town apart by war and nationalism. In the year to come, leaders from Odessa will visit Grimsby. |
| Public benefit |
| The goal is to promote religious harmony by seeking a meeting and conversation between people who are not talking to each other, or do not know each other. It seeks good citizenship by encouraging peaceful co-operation of matters of common concern for the public benefit and the promotion of capacity building by pooling resources and expertise to peruse mutual benefits. |
| THE COMMON GOOD FOUNDATION (REGISTERED NUMBER: 08835602) |
| REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES |
| for the Year Ended 31 January 2025 |
| ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE |
| Charitable activities |
| During the year the incorporated charity made grant donations as follows: |
| £Nil (2024: £71,694) to Vine & Fig. |
| FINANCIAL REVIEW |
| Financial position |
| Incoming resources decreased from £345,699 in 2024 to £253,447 this year. |
| Total expenditure decreased from £368,286 in 2024 to £345,503 for the current year. |
| The above factors resulted in a surplus of £51,908 for the current year against a surplus of £146,891 for the year ending 31 January 2024. |
| Principal funding sources |
| Donations have been used to assist with the company's charitable aims. |
| Reserves policy |
| It is the policy of the charity to maintain unrestricted funds, which are free reserves of the charity, at a level which the trustees think appropriate after considering the future commitments of the charity and the likely administrative costs of the charity for the next year. |
| FUTURE PLANS |
| This is both a time of great change and prolonged stagnation for our country. Everyone knows things must change yet very few feel much hope when they look at those who lead, or aspire to lead, our country. Economically, politically, and culturally, we feel stuck. In 2016, The Common Good Foundation diagnosed this as an interregnum; but as of yet, no clear way out has emerged. |
| We continue to build a constructive alternative to the present dispensation, and we are always looking for new partners who share our vision. |
| STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT |
| Governing document |
| The charity is controlled by its governing document, a deed of trust, and constitutes a limited company, limited by guarantee, as defined by the Companies Act 2006. The Common Good Foundation does not have share capital governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association dated 7th January 2014. It is registered as a charity with the Charity Commission. |
| The company received charitable status on 21 September 2015 |
| Recruitment and appointment of new trustees |
| The trustees are elected by the members of the organisation at the Annual General meeting. The trustees have the power to co-opt persons with a particular skill to contribute to the company. It is not currently the intention of the trustees of the charity to appoint new trustees. Should this situation change in the future, the trustees will apply suitable recruitment and training procedures. |
| Risk management |
| The trustees have a duty to identify and review the risks to which the company is exposed and to ensure appropriate controls are in place to provide reasonable assurance against fraud and error. |
| REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS |
| Registered Company number |
| Registered Charity number |
| THE COMMON GOOD FOUNDATION (REGISTERED NUMBER: 08835602) |
| REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES |
| for the Year Ended 31 January 2025 |
| Registered office |
| Trustees |
| Independent Examiner |
| Accura Accountants Ltd |
| Langley House |
| Park Road |
| East Finchley |
| London |
| N2 8EY |
| Approved by order of the board of trustees on |
| INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF |
| THE COMMON GOOD FOUNDATION |
| Independent examiner's report to the trustees of The Common Good Foundation ('the Company') |
| I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Company for the year ended 31 January 2025. |
| Responsibilities and basis of report |
| As the charity's trustees of the Company (and also its directors for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 ('the 2006 Act'). |
| Having satisfied myself that the accounts of the Company 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 your charity's accounts as carried out under Section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 ('the 2011 Act'). In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under Section 145(5) (b) of the 2011 Act. |
| Independent examiner's statement - matters of concern identified |
| Since your charity's gross income exceeded £250,000 your examiner must be a member of a listed body. I can confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, which is one of the listed bodies. |
| I have completed my examination. |
| During my examination, I noted that certain expense items were presented in the summaries provided by the trustees in a format that made it difficult to trace individual transactions to the underlying accounting records. While these items appear reasonable and no discrepancies have been identified, I was unable to independently verify every transaction in detail. Attention is drawn to this matter to assist in understanding the accounts. |
| I confirm that no other matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect: |
| 1. | except for the matter of concern noted above accounting records were not kept in respect of the Company as required by Section 386 of the 2006 Act; or |
| 2. | the accounts do not accord with those records; or |
| 3. | the accounts 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; and |
| 4. | the accounts 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 confirm that there are no other matters to which your attention should be drawn to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. |
| B Leighton FCCA |
| The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants |
| Accura Accountants Ltd |
| Langley House |
| Park Road |
| East Finchley |
| London |
| N2 8EY |
| 6 October 2025 |
| THE COMMON GOOD FOUNDATION |
| STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES |
| for the Year Ended 31 January 2025 |
| 31.1.25 | 31.1.24 |
| Unrestricted | Total |
| fund | funds |
| Notes | £ | £ |
| INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM |
| Donations and legacies |
| Investment income | 2 |
| Total |
| EXPENDITURE ON |
| Charitable activities |
| NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE) | ( |
) | ( |
) |
| RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS |
| Total funds brought forward |
| TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD | 146,891 |
| THE COMMON GOOD FOUNDATION (REGISTERED NUMBER: 08835602) |
| STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION |
| 31 January 2025 |
| 31.1.25 | 31.1.24 |
| Unrestricted | Total |
| fund | funds |
| Notes | £ | £ |
| FIXED ASSETS |
| Tangible assets | 7 |
| CURRENT ASSETS |
| Cash at bank and in hand |
| CREDITORS |
| Amounts falling due within one year | 8 | ( |
) | ( |
) |
| NET CURRENT ASSETS |
| TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES |
| NET ASSETS |
| FUNDS | 9 |
| Unrestricted funds | 146,891 |
| TOTAL FUNDS | 146,891 |
| The charitable company is entitled to exemption from audit under Section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 for the year ended 31 January 2025. |
| The members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its financial statements for the year ended 31 January 2025 in accordance with Section 476 of the Companies Act 2006. |
| The trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for |
| (a) | ensuring that the charitable company keeps accounting records that comply with Sections 386 and 387 of the Companies Act 2006 and |
| (b) | preparing financial statements which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company as at the end of each financial year and of its surplus or deficit for each financial year in accordance with the requirements of Sections 394 and 395 and which otherwise comply with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 relating to financial statements, so far as applicable to the charitable company. |
| These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to charitable companies subject to the small companies regime. |
| The financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees and authorised for issue on |
| THE COMMON GOOD FOUNDATION |
| NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS |
| for the Year Ended 31 January 2025 |
| 1. | ACCOUNTING POLICIES |
| Basis of preparing the financial statements |
| The financial statements of the charitable company, which is a public benefit entity under FRS 102, have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) '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)', Financial Reporting Standard 102 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland' and the Companies Act 2006. The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention. |
| The trustees are of the opinion that the charity will receive incoming funds and structure it costs over the next 12 month. They are therefore of the opinion that the charity is a going concern. |
| Income |
| All income is recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities once the charity has entitlement to the funds, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably. |
| Expenditure |
| Liabilities are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to that expenditure, 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 accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all cost related to the category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings they have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources. |
| Tangible fixed assets |
| Depreciation is provided at the following annual rates in order to write off each asset over its estimated useful life. |
| Motor vehicles - 25% on reducing balance |
| Computer equipment - 25% on reducing balance |
| Fixture and fittings - 25% on reducing balance |
| Taxation |
| The charity is exempt from corporation tax on its charitable activities. |
| Fund accounting |
| Unrestricted funds can be used in accordance with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the trustees. |
| Restricted funds can only be used for particular restricted purposes within the objects of the charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes. |
| Further explanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is included in the notes to the financial statements. |
| Pension costs and other post-retirement benefits |
| The charitable company operates a defined contribution pension scheme. Contributions payable to the charitable company's pension scheme are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities in the period to which they relate. |
| Cash and cash equivalents |
| Cash and cash equivalents are basic financial assets and 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 COMMON GOOD FOUNDATION |
| NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - continued |
| for the Year Ended 31 January 2025 |
| 1. | ACCOUNTING POLICIES - continued |
| Cash and cash equivalents |
| Financial instruments |
| The company only enters into basic financial instruments transactions that result in the recognition of financial assets and liabilities like trade and other debtors and creditors, loans from banks and other third parties, loans to related parties and investments in non-puttable ordinary shares. |
| Debt instruments (other than those wholly repayable or receivable within one year), including loans and other accounts receivable and payable, are initially measured at present value of the future cash flows and subsequently amortised cost using the effective interest method. Debt instruments that are payable or receivable within one year, typically trade debtors and creditors, are measured initially and subsequently, at the undiscounted amount of the cash or other consideration expected to be paid or received. |
| Financial assets that are measured at cost and amortised cost are assessed at the end of each reporting period for objective evidence of impairment. If objective evidence of impairment is found, an impairment loss is recognised in the Statement of Comprehensive Income. |
| 2. | INVESTMENT INCOME |
| 31.1.25 | 31.1.24 |
| £ | £ |
| Deposit account interest |
| 3. | NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE) |
| Net income/(expenditure) is stated after charging/(crediting): |
| 31.1.25 | 31.1.24 |
| £ | £ |
| Depreciation - owned assets |
| 4. | TRUSTEES' REMUNERATION AND BENEFITS |
| Trustees' expenses |
| There were no trustees' expenses paid for the year ended 31 January 2025 nor for the year ended 31 January 2024. |
| 5. | STAFF COSTS |
| The average monthly number of employees during the year was as follows: |
| 31.1.25 | 31.1.24 |
| Staff |
| The number of employees whose employee benefits (excluding employer pension costs) exceeded £60,000 was: |
| 31.1.25 | 31.1.24 |
| £70,001 - £80,000 |
| £80,001 - £90,000 |
| 1 | 1 |
| THE COMMON GOOD FOUNDATION |
| NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - continued |
| for the Year Ended 31 January 2025 |
| 6. | COMPARATIVES FOR THE STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES |
| Unrestricted |
| fund |
| £ |
| INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM |
| Donations and legacies |
| Investment income |
| Total |
| EXPENDITURE ON |
| Charitable activities |
| NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE) | ( |
) |
| RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS |
| Total funds brought forward |
| TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD | 146,891 |
| 7. | TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS |
| Fixtures |
| and | Motor | Computer |
| fittings | vehicles | equipment | Totals |
| £ | £ | £ | £ |
| COST |
| At 1 February 2024 |
| Additions |
| At 31 January 2025 |
| DEPRECIATION |
| At 1 February 2024 |
| Charge for year |
| At 31 January 2025 |
| NET BOOK VALUE |
| At 31 January 2025 |
| At 31 January 2024 |
| THE COMMON GOOD FOUNDATION |
| NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - continued |
| for the Year Ended 31 January 2025 |
| 8. | CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR |
| 31.1.25 | 31.1.24 |
| £ | £ |
| Trade creditors |
| Social security and other taxes |
| Net wages | - | 629 |
| Accrued expenses |
| 9. | MOVEMENT IN FUNDS |
| Net |
| movement | At |
| At 1.2.24 | in funds | 31.1.25 |
| £ | £ | £ |
| Unrestricted funds |
| General fund | 146,891 | (91,981 | ) | 54,910 |
| TOTAL FUNDS | (91,981 | ) | 54,910 |
| Net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows: |
| Incoming | Resources | Movement |
| resources | expended | in funds |
| £ | £ | £ |
| Unrestricted funds |
| General fund | 253,592 | (345,573 | ) | (91,981 | ) |
| TOTAL FUNDS | ( |
) | (91,981 | ) |
| Comparatives for movement in funds |
| Net |
| movement | At |
| At 1.2.23 | in funds | 31.1.24 |
| £ | £ | £ |
| Unrestricted funds |
| General fund | 169,351 | (22,460 | ) | 146,891 |
| TOTAL FUNDS | 169,351 | (22,460 | ) | 146,891 |
| THE COMMON GOOD FOUNDATION |
| NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - continued |
| for the Year Ended 31 January 2025 |
| 9. | MOVEMENT IN FUNDS - continued |
| Comparative net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows: |
| Incoming | Resources | Movement |
| resources | expended | in funds |
| £ | £ | £ |
| Unrestricted funds |
| General fund | 345,826 | (368,286 | ) | (22,460 | ) |
| TOTAL FUNDS | 345,826 | (368,286 | ) | (22,460 | ) |
| A current year 12 months and prior year 12 months combined position is as follows: |
| Net |
| movement | At |
| At 1.2.23 | in funds | 31.1.25 |
| £ | £ | £ |
| Unrestricted funds |
| General fund | 169,351 | (114,441 | ) | 54,910 |
| TOTAL FUNDS | 169,351 | (114,441 | ) | 54,910 |
| A current year 12 months and prior year 12 months combined net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows: |
| Incoming | Resources | Movement |
| resources | expended | in funds |
| £ | £ | £ |
| Unrestricted funds |
| General fund | 599,418 | (713,859 | ) | (114,441 | ) |
| TOTAL FUNDS | 599,418 | (713,859 | ) | (114,441 | ) |
| 10. | RELATED PARTY DISCLOSURES |