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 Articles and Memorandum of Association, the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005, the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended) 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 Bureau's objective to promote any charitable purposes for the benefit of the community of Argyll and Bute, through the provision of education, the protection of health and the relief of poverty, sickness & distress is met through the delivery of advice via face to face, telephone, video-conference and e-mail advice services.

The offices in Lochgilphead and Helensburgh have been maintained for administrative and face to face support to vulnerable clients.

Advice and support is available 5 days per week during the hours of 10am to 4pm. Our Outreach provision continues with the partnership of stakeholders in Dunoon, Campbeltown and Oban in addition to our island partnerships on Mull and Tiree.

The trustees have paid due regard to guidance issued by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) in deciding what activities the charity should undertake.

2024/25 saw the Bureau building its strong relations with key stakeholders and partners within the Local Authority and Health & Social Care Partnership with the introduction of new collaborative projects in supporting vulnerable clients in addressing Council Tax Debt or who are experiencing financial difficulties in their roles as Unpaid Carers. Additionally the loss of National Funding from the Royal British Legion forced our hand in terms of reviewing services and submitting a successful application to the Veterans Foundation to continue this important work.

The work of the Bureau was underpinned by the efforts of 30 volunteers and 15 members of staff across 2024/25. The delivery of our Adviser Training Programme on a remote basis has been extremely successful allowing new volunteers to learn the rudiments of Bureau advice via MS Teams.

1962 clients were presented to the Bureau over the course of last year which is a slight decrease of 3% on the previous year’s data. Of this number 64% had not used the service of the Bureau before. The increased awareness raising of the Bureau’s services and projects as a result of increased social policy and research work has contributed to the increase of client requiring support. However, as with almost all previous years, the largest area of advice sits within Welfare Rights provision, and with a 37% increase on pieces of advice to 15,232 demonstrates the complexity of issues that clients face in the economic flux and everchanging social security systems across Scotland the UK.

The Bureau is dependent on grant funding to continue to provide free, impartial and confidential advice services to the people across Argyll & Bute and was delighted to have been awarded the Local Authority’s contract for Welfare Rights and Debt Advice provision this year. And while this income is utilized to support staff and volunteer costs, the client financial gain created as a result of our work (£2m) demonstrates that every pound of local authority funding received is very well spent and worth approximately £37 to the circular economy.

Additional funding continues from a number of sources including the Scottish Government through SLAB for the Housing/Debt project, from NHS for the PASS project (Patient Advice and Support Service), from the Scottish Government for Money Talk Plus and Council Tax Debt Engagement, from DWP for Universal Credit Help to Claim, Money and Pensions Service (UK Government) for Pension wise and Citizens Advice Scotland for various smaller projects. The Bureau has also secured continued funding from the Robertson Trust to support its outreach activity.

The company is funded on a zero based budget and will not therefore accumulate significant reserves. Funds donated for a specific purpose (restricted funds) will be fully expended for that purpose such that any balances held at the year-end will be due to timing differences only. In the year in question, total income received was £467,438 against total costs of £452,902, resulting in an overall surplus for the year of £14,356. Reserves at the balance sheet date totaled £189,488, with the unrestricted reserve balance being £136,238. The Board of Trustees has implemented a robust Reserves Policy that provides cover within OSCR guidance of 3 months min running costs, residual salaries and redundancy liability as well as liable lease breakage responsibility. This will ensure that any short term loss of funding or delayed payments are fully covered and to ensure sufficient funding is in place to meet commitments entered into for the lease of equipment, premises and other commitments as outlined on the business plan.

The Board has assessed the major risks to which the charity is exposed.

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:

Each new member elected to the board is given a pro forma induction pack which includes such items as the annual report, the current business plan, the organisational chart, details of the powers and duties of the directors, the Citizens Advice Scotland handbook and the minutes of the last three board meetings.

The main partners who financed the work of the organisation during 2024/25 were:

•    Argyll and Bute Council (Debt & Benefits Advice)

•    NHS Highland (PASS project)

•    Scottish Government SLAB (Housing Debt project)

•    Scottish Government (Money Talk Plus)

•    Poppy Scotland (Armed Services Advice project)

•    DWP (UC Help to Claim)

The trustees' report was approved by the Board of Trustees.

I report on the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2025, which are set out on pages 5 to 20.

The charity trustees (who are also the directors of Argyll and Bute Citizens Advice Bureau for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the terms of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006.The charity trustees consider that the audit requirement of Regulation 10(1)(a)-(c) of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 does not apply.

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.

The company is entitled to the exemption from the audit requirement contained in section 477 of the Companies Act 2006, for the year ended 31 March 2025.

The directors acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 with respect to accounting records and the preparation of financial statements.

The members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its financial statements for the year in question in accordance with section 476.

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies regime.

Argyll and Bute Citizens Advice Bureau is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in Scotland. The registered office is Argyll & Bute Citizens Advice Bureau, 18 Argyll Street, Lochgilphead, ARGYLL, PA31 8NE.

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the charity's Articles and Memorandum of Association, the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005, the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended) 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 31 March 2025, the charity has reserves of £189,307 (2024: £174,952) of which £133,921 (2024: £141,163) represent unrestricted reserves. This falls within the level of 12 - 18 months reserves the Trustees aim to hold in line with their reserves policy for the charity. The Board have conducted a review of the next 12 months and concluded that the charity has sufficient grant income to continue to meet costs and continue operating as a going concern in the next 15 months.

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.

Expenditure other than that which has been capitalised is charged to the Income and Expenditure Account on an accruals basis, inclusive of Value Added Tax. "Direct Charitable Expenditure" comprises all costs and expenses considered to relate directly to achieving and maintaining the objectives of Argyll and Bute Citizens Advice Bureau.

Tangible fixed assets are initially measured at cost and subsequently measured at cost, net of depreciation and any impairment losses.

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’ 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.

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.

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.

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.

Other grants consist of £241,784 received from the following:

The Trust is dependent on the services of several volunteers who willingly give of their time towards the provision of the Trusts' services. For the year in question, a total of 6,864 hours of volunteering time was provided by 30 volunteers (equivalent to a cost of £308,880 that was not borne by the charity) for which the Trust is greatly indebted to those volunteers who give so freely of their valuable time.

Grants totalling £1,000 was paid to the above organisation who ultimately was responsible for the management of the grants (including onward payment of grants to individuals).

Management and administration costs includes payments to the accountants of £1,356 (2024- £1,248) for independent examination fees and £3,794 (2024 - £3.560) for other services.

None of the trustees (or any persons connected with them) received any remuneration during the year and no trustees were reimbursed for costs (2024- one trustee was reimbursed £98 for travel costs).

The average monthly number of employees during the year was:

The net transfer of £8,641 comprises:

• £10,778 transferred to restricted funds to meet project shortfalls.

• £2,133 transferred from restricted funds representing Fixed Assets that no longer are financed from specific restricted grants.

• £4 transferred from restricted funds representing historical rounding.

Deferred income is included in the financial statements with respect to the Council Tax Debt Engagement Pilot which represent costs yet to be expensed for the month of April 2025.

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 restricted funds of the charity comprise the unexpended balances of donations and grants held on trust subject to specific conditions by donors as to how they may be used.

The Campaigns fund income (£20,414) consist of various grant funding received from Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) for campaigns which has been run as a joint project with grant support received from Argyll & Bute Council.

The Energy Project is a continuation of last year's project with grant funding received this year being from Foundation Scotland (£12,000 - restricted) which has been run as a joint project for tackling issues surrounding fuel poverty. This includes the onward payment of grant funding to CHARIS (£12,000) who distribute grant funding as necessary to assist individuals experiencing fuel poverty.

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.

Argyll & Bute Citizens Advice Bureau participates in The Pensions Trust Growth Plan (the Plan). The Plan is funded and is not contracted-out of the State Pension scheme. The plan is a multi-employer pension plan.

It is not possible in the normal course of events to identify the share of underlying assets and liabilities belonging to an individual participating employer as the Scheme is a multi-employer arrangement where the assets are co-mingled for investment purposes, benefits are paid from the total Scheme assets, and the contribution rate for all employers is set by reference to the overall financial position of the Scheme rather than by reference to individual employer experience. Accordingly, due to the nature of the Scheme, the accounting charge for the period under FRS102 (1A) represents the employer contribution payable.

The Trustees commission an actuarial valuation of the Scheme every five years. The main purpose of the valuation is to determine the financial position of the Scheme in order to determine the level of future contributions required, so that the Scheme can meet its pension obligations as they fall due.

The last formal valuation of the Plan was performed as at 30 September 2020 by a professionally qualified Actuary using the Projected Unit Credit method. The market value of the Scheme's assets at the valuation date was £799 million. The valuation revealed a shortfall of assets compared with the value of liabilities of £131.5 million, equivalent to a past service funding level of 96%.

Following a change in legislation in September 2005 there is a potential debt on the employer that could be levied by the Trustee of the Scheme. The debt is due in the event of the employer ceasing to participate in the Scheme or the Scheme winding up.

The debt for the Scheme as a whole is calculated by comparing the liabilities for the Scheme (calculated on a buy-out basis, i.e. the cost of securing benefits by purchasing annuity policies from an insurer, plus an allowance for expenses) with the assets of the Scheme. If the liabilities exceed assets there is a buy-out debt.

The leaving employer's share of the buy-out debt is the proportion of the Scheme's liability attributable to employment with the leaving employer compared to the total amount of the Scheme's liabilities (relating to employment with all the employers). The leaving employer's debt therefore includes a share of any 'orphan' liabilities in respect of previously participating employers. The amount of the debt therefore depends on many factors including total Scheme liabilities, Scheme investment performance, the liabilities in respect of current and former employees of the employer, financial conditions at the time of the cessation event and the insurance buy-out market. The amounts of debt can therefore be volatile over time.

Argyll & Bute Citizens Advice Bureau has been notified by The Pensions Trust of the estimated employer debt on withdrawal from The Pensions Trust Growth Plan based on the financial position of the Scheme as at 30 September 2024. As of this date the estimated employer debt for Argyll & Bute Citizens Advice Bureau was £5,465.

The operating leases represent leases (on annual equivalent) of £2,419 to third parties per annum. The leases are negotiated over terms of 6 years and rentals are fixed for 6 years.

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:

The operating leases represent leases to third parties. The leases are negotiated over terms of five years and rentals are fixed for five years.

There were no disclosable related party transactions during the year (2024 - none).