The trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025.
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 Memorandum and Articles of Association, 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).
East Surrey Rural Transport Partnership is a charity dedicated to provide transport facilities for people who have special need of such facilities because they are elderly, poor or disabled , people with young children or those living in isolated areas where there are no adequate public transport facilities.
The trustees have paid due regard to guidance issued by the Charity Commission in deciding what activities the charity should undertake.
Significant activities
East Surrey Rural Transport Partnership (ESRTP) seeks to provide community transport services for those inhabitants in the east of Surrey and the surrounding areas who are in need of such a service because of age, sickness, disability (mental or physical), poverty or due to lack of adequate and accessible public transport.
Our activities during 2024/25 have been focused on the following:
- A demand responsive bus service in Mole Valley
- Scheduled bus services in Mole Valley
- A demand responsive bus service in Tandridge on behalf of Surrey County Council (SCC)
- A demand responsive bus service in throughout East Sussex on behalf of East Sussex County Council (ESCC)
- A community transport information, advice and training service for residents of Tandridge district
- Contracts with SCC education dept to bring students into eight schools
- Contracts with East Sussex County Council (ESCC) education dept to bring students into four schools
- A timetabled bus service in the Cobham, Oxshott, Weybridge and Leatherhead areas on behalf of Cobham Chatterbus charity
- A Dial A Ride service in the north of Tandridge district
- A voluntary car scheme in the north of Tandridge district
- A shopping and excursion service for residents of Reigate and Banstead borough – not supported by any local government funding
- A contract with EMED to provide one minibus and driver to provide non-emergency patient transport in Surrey
We continue to deliver food boxes on an ad hoc basis for Oxted CAB for those residents who are in need of support.
From 1st April 2024 the National Minimum Wage rose to £11.44 an hour for most of our drivers and passenger assistants, this equated to a 9.79% pay increase. Due to the cost of living increases, a pay rise of 5% for office staff and senior managers was approved after bench marking with other Surrey and Sussex CT organisations as well as Tandridge District Council.
During the course of the 24-25 year we have worked closely with RPD on payroll and accounting matters. Our day to day accounts are done in house by Irene Leitner. For the annual audit, Irene was helped by Katie McDonald. This was the last time that Katie provided this assistance and we thank her for all her efforts in the transition from MFP Book Keeping in the autumn of 2022 to RPD.
The trustees decided to appoint RPD for another year as our accountants and auditors.
By September 2024, all the new Mercedes Sprinter minibuses from Enterprise had been delivered to ESRTP and the Ford Transits arrived during the first three months of 2025. Having a new fleet gave a huge boost to all our drivers and was much appreciated by our passengers and Surrey County Council.
Cobham Chatterbus came to an arrangement with SCC to lease two electric minibuses from March 2024. As we supply the drivers to this group and deal with all vehicle issues, this was an interesting time for us as it was our first steps into running electric vehicles. The two buses in question are of a high quality and required all drivers to undergo specific training to use them. They have gone down very well with passengers in the Cobham area.
Our CEO, Marcus Dodé required surgery at the beginning of August 2024 and was on convalescence leave until September. He was able to do some work from home but thanks go to all the ESRTP managers and office staff for taking on additional work and for all their support.
ESCC Flexibus Digital Demand Responsive Transport Service
After a very intense first year (May 2023 – April 2024) the ESCC funded Flexibus Digital Demand Responsive Transport Service settled down during the 24-25 year. Our East Sussex Area Manager, Ian Fitzgerald was tireless in keeping the service going ably helped by our two under managers Steve Holloway and Allan Bramham. The service was changed by ESCC during that year to just one zone (the whole of East Sussex). ESRTP operated 6 vehicles Monday to Saturday during that time. The hours of operation on some buses were changed by ESCC, with our agreement, to provide a service that better suited passengers. Therefore, some buses had shorter daily shifts than others and by the end of the year, only 4 buses were in use on a Saturday.
We were informed at the beginning of January 2025 that there was additional funding for one more year (the original contract was until April 2025). Our contracts were extended but we asked for a price increase to cover changes in employers’ National Insurance contributions and National Minimum Wage. The lead officer at ESCC said that he would address this by making change to the shift lengths. This matter was only resolved amicably in September 2025.
One of our long serving drivers, Bryan Denning, finally decided to call it a day at the end of March 2024 after working with us since 2007. Bryan moved down to Weymouth in Dorset to be closer to his daughter. We gave him a good send off and he was in no doubt that we will all miss him!
Our Information and Training Officer Peter Kefford (an employee of TDC, on secondment to ESRTP) made it known in early 2025 that we would be retiring at the end of March 2025. Peter has been with us since 2007 and has been invaluable in so many ways to ESRTP as well as being a much appreciated member of the team. We shall greatly miss him and his expertise in a number of different areas. Fortunately, he has agreed to come back and do a few days a month with us on a voluntary basis. He had already been passing on some of his knowledge to our Finance Officer, Irene Leitner, for some aspects of his job. We wished Peter all the best for the future at a lunch for all the office staff on a sunny afternoon in March!
Due to Peter’s retirement, the secondment agreement with TDC only now needed to be signed for the coming year for our CEO, Marcus Dodé.
During the 24-25 year, SCC gave us two electric minibuses to use on the Surrey Connect Service. They are currently only used occasionally for various operational reasons, mostly because we were still trying to find a suitable location to keep them and where they could be recharged overnight. The quest to find suitable new office accommodation and parking with the potential to instal electric vehicle charging points was a huge challenge during the year. Without the ability to charge the EV minibuses given to us by SCC puts in jeopardy the whole Surrey Connect DDRT contract. Ideally, we wanted to have some new premises for the latter part of 2025 but as of the end of the 24-25 year, no clear solution had been found.
In the November of 2024, Andrew Fotheringham started with us two days a week as our MiDAS trainer.
We needed Andy’s help as our two existing MiDAS trainers, Dave Elliott and Ian Fitzgerald, were inundated with other managerial responsibilities and we found that we were getting behind with some of the retraining of our staff.
There was a surplus for the year of £137,790 (2024: £193,635 ) after which there were unrestricted reserves carried forward of £860,557 (2024: £722,767).
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 of three 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.
The level of reserves are expected to be approximately 3 three months expenditure.
By its very nature our work is largely demand led and reactive. This said our plans for the coming year are:
To find at least two more trustees
To make sure that we are fully up to speed with the impending local government reorganisation in both Surrey and East Sussex
To find new office accommodation with sufficient parking and potential to charge electric minibuses for our Surrey operations.
To continue to bid for school and day centre work tendered by both Surrey County Council and East Sussex County Council
The charity is controlled by its governing document, Memorandum and Articles of Association incorporated 6 February 2006, and constitutes a limited company, limited by guarantee as defined by the Companies Act 2006.
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:
Trustees are recruited upon recommendation and by contact with the Local Volunteer Bureau. They are appointed following discussion at committee meetings and their appointment is ratified at the AGM. Trustees' induction is covered by supplying them with the previous year's minutes and Charity Commission leaflets for trustees. In addition, they have meetings with staff to familiarise them with the administration of the charity.
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.
The Trustees determine the general policy of the charity and the principles on which it operated, setting the charges for services and salaries.
The day to day management is delegated to the Chief Executive Officer who reports to the Board on a quarterly basis. Under the CEO, there is a General Manager. Under him there is a Fleet Manager and Operations Manager. Under the managers, there is a Rural Transport Information and Training Officer and a Community Transport Development Officer. Under them are section 22 and section 19 drivers and escorts and 3 administrative assistants.
Risk management
The trustees have a duty to identify and review the risks to which the charity is exposed and to ensure appropriate controls are in place to provide reasonable assurance against fraud and error.
In accordance with the company's articles, a resolution proposing that Richard Place Dobson Services Limited 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 East Surrey Rural Transport Partnership 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 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 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 charity 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 charity 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 charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
Opinion
We have audited the financial statements of East Surrey Rural Transport Partnership (the ‘charity’) for the year ended 31 March 2025 which comprise the statement of financial activities, the balance sheet, the statement of cash flows and 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 Financial Reporting Standard 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:
Basis for opinion
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 charity 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 charity’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 Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 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 charity 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 charity’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.
The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud, is detailed below.
Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. The objectives of our audit are to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence regarding compliance with laws and regulations that have a direct effect on the determination of material amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, to perform audit procedures to help identify instances of non-compliance with other laws and regulations that may have a material effect on the financial statements, and to respond appropriately to identified or suspected non-compliance with laws and regulations identified during the audit.
In relation to fraud, the objectives of our audit are to identify and assess the risk of material misstatement of the financial statements due to fraud, to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence regarding the assessed risks of material misstatements due to fraud through designing and implementing appropriate responses and to respond appropriately to fraud or suspected fraud identified during the audit.
However it is the primary responsibility of management, with the oversight of those charged with governance, to ensure that the entity’s operations are conducted in accordance with the provisions of laws and regulations and for the prevention and detection of fraud.
In identifying and assessing the risks of material misstatement in respect of irregularities, including fraud, the audit engagement team made enquiries of management, and those charged with governance, regarding the procedures relating to identifying, evaluating and complying with;
1. laws and regulations and whether they were aware of any instances of non-compliance;
2. detecting and responding to the risks of fraud and whether they have knowledge of any actual, suspected or alleged
fraud;
3. the internal controls established to mitigate risks related to fraud or non-compliance with laws and regulations;
As a result of these procedures we consider the most significant laws and regulations that have a direct impact on the financial statements are FRS 102, General Data Protection Regulations, Charities Act 2011, Charities Statement of Recommended Practice and employment law and regulations. We performed audit procedures to detect non-compliance, which may have a material impact on the financial statements. These included reviewing financial statement disclosures and evaluating advice received from external advisors. There were no significant laws and regulations we deemed as having an indirect impact on the financial statements.
The audit engagement team identified the risk of management override of controls as the area where the financial statements were most susceptible to material misstatement due to fraud. Audit procedures performed included but were not limited to testing manual journal entries and other adjustments and evaluating the rationale in relation to any significant, unusual transactions and transactions entered into outside of the normal course of business.
Revenue recognition – this was tested substantively for contract and grant income, we reviewed the contracts to ensure that these were included within the accounts accurately.
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.
Other matters
Your attention is drawn to the fact that the charity has prepared financial statements in accordance with "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)" (as amended) in preference to the Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice issued on 1 April 2005 which is referred to in the extant regulations but has now been withdrawn.
This has been done in order for the financial statements to provide a true and fair view in accordance with current Generally Accepted Accounting Practice.
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 auditor’s 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.
Richard Place Dobson Services Limited is eligible for appointment as auditor of the charity by virtue of its eligibility for appointment as auditor of a company under section 1212 of the Companies Act 2006.
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
The notes on pages 12 to 21 form part of these financial statements.
East Surrey Rural Transport Partnership is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is Tandridge District Council Offices, 8 Station Road East, Oxted, Surrey, RH8 0BT.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the charity's Memorandum and Articles of Association, the Companies Act 2006, FRS 102 “The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland” (“FRS 102”) 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)" (effective 1 January 2019). The charity is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.
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.
Donations and investment income are included in the year in which they are receivable which is when the charity becomes entitled to the resource.
Grants are included in the accounting period to which they relate.
Fundraising income is recognised when the charity becomes legally entitled to the income and the event to which it relates has taken place.
Income relating to the provision of community transportation services is included on the date when the transport activity takes place which is when the charity becomes entitled to the resource.
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.
ESRTP has a capitalisation policy of £1,000. Assets purchased costing less than this amount are not capitalised.
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.
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.
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.
The charity is considered to pass the tests set out in Paragraph 1 Schedule 6 Finance Act 2010 and therefore it meets the definition of a charitable company for UK Corporation Tax purposes. Accordingly the Charity is potentially exempt from taxation in respect of income or capital gains received within categories covered by Chapter 3 Part 11 Corporation Tax Act 2010 or Section 256 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992, to the extent that such income or gains are applied exclusively to charitable purposes.
The cost of any unused holiday entitlement is recognised in the period in which the employee’s services are received.
Termination benefits are recognised immediately as an expense when the charity is demonstrably committed to terminate the employment of an employee or to provide termination benefits.
Payments to defined contribution retirement benefit schemes are charged as an expense as they fall due.
Rentals payable under operating leases, including any lease incentives received, are charged to income on a straight line basis over the term of the relevant lease except where another more systematic basis is more representative of the time pattern in which economic benefits from the lease asset are consumed.
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.
Fares and other income
Contracts
Grants
Sale of goods
Grant
Fares and other income
Contracts
Grants
Sale of goods
Grant
Charitable Expenditure
Charitable Expenditure
Telephone
Postage and stationery
Sundries
Computer costs
Vehicle costs
Travel and subsistence
Bookkeeping, payroll and admin
Reimbursed staff mileage
Subcontract transportation and call centre costs
Bank charges
Hire purchase and loan interest
Premises costs
Consultancy fees
Bad debts
Subscriptions
The average monthly number of employees during the year was:
Key Management Personnel
The trustees consider four members of staff to be key management personnel. The total employment benefits of key management personnel were 2025: £169,759 (2024: £198,627).
The charity is exempt from taxation on its activities because all its income is applied for charitable purposes.
The charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme for all qualifying employees. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the charity in an independently administered fund.
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.
At the reporting end date the charity had outstanding commitments for future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases, which fall due as follows:
During the year salary of £18,583 was paid to Helen Dode (2024: £18,801) in respect of work carried out for the charity. She is a family member of Marcus Dode, the chief executive of the charity.
The charity had no material debt during the year.