The trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 December 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 governing document, 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 objects of the Charity shall be for public benefit to advance the education of apprentice painter and decorators in Scotland and to promote and encourage the training of apprentice decorators in Scotland: and in pursuance there of the Charity for the public benefit shall seek to expand the skills and capabilities of apprentice decorators and improve their career prospects and vocational skills. The Charity will establish and conduct a non-profit making school for the education of apprentice decorators to be situated in Scotland and assist in the provision of courses, lectures and demonstrations for apprentice decorators. The Charity will also register each apprentice decorator for life on payment of a fee by his/her employer, keep a record of the qualifications of each registered apprentice, advise the apprentice of his/her training requirements, liaise with the apprentice's employer and with educational establishments, training boards, qualification authorities and associations.
The Charity will provide a qualification structure and record the qualification structure to certify apprentice decorators. It will also modify the qualification requirements to ensure they are up to date, reflect best current practice and comply with legislation. The Charity will provide a source of information on qualifications of apprentice decorators and collate statistical information on apprentice decorators from both registration and qualification attainment and promulgate this work.
The Charity will provide each registered apprentice with a free toolkit.
The Council continue to ensure the provision and delivery of qualifications within the industry and works closely with relevant bodies to ensure future qualifications. We continue to provide free toolkits for all Council registered apprentices which we continue to endeavor to expand.
Due to the downturn in the economy the number of apprentices required in the industry is generally lower, however SPADAC continue to register, train and qualify a healthy number of apprentices.
Income for the year totalled £420 (2024: £564), expenditure totalled £2,538 (2024: £2,323) giving a total deficit for the year of £2,118 (2024: £1,759). At the balance sheet date, the charity had total reserves of £17,989 (2024: £20,107)
The directors have set a policy to retain reserves of between 3 and 6 months annual expenditure. This policy was achieved during the year and means that should there be a reduction in income the charity can continue to provide its services until new funding sources are confirmed.
The Charity is controlled by its memorandum and articles of association and constitutes a company limited by guarantee.
The trustees who served during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were:
Trustees are appointed by the Management Committee and Council membership at the Annual General Meeting.
A meeting is convened on a six monthly basis whereby administration and charitable decisions are discussed and passed at committee level.
The council is accommodated in Scottish Decorators' Federation headquarters currently at no cost.
They undertake the duty to ensure that proper safety rules are adhered to within the premises and grounds.
Policies and procedures are in place for the informative training of all trustees as and when required.
Policies and procedures are in place to monitor and mitigate any significant risks.
Continued review of the National Occupational Standards, amendments to the Scottish Vocational Qualifications and redesign of the training apprenticeship programme.
The trustees' report was approved by the Board of Trustees.
I report on the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 December 2025, which are set out on pages 4 to 11.
The charity’s trustees, who are also the directors of The Scottish Painting and Decorating Apprenticeship Council 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 Investments (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006. The trustees consider that the audit requirement of Regulation 10(1)(a) to (c) of the 2006 Accounts Regulations does not apply. It is my responsibility to examine the financial statements as required under section 44(1)(c) of the Act 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 connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:
to keep accounting records in accordance with section 44(1) (a) of the 2005 Act and Regulation 4 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations; and
to prepare financial statements which accord with the accounting records and comply with Regulation 8 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations;
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 statement of financial activities also complies with the requirements for an income and expenditure account under the Companies Act 2006.
The Scottish Painting and Decorating Apprenticeship Council is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in Scotland. The registered office is Castlecraig Business Park, Players Road, Stirling, FK7 7SH.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the charity's governing document, the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005, the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended), 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 charity has taken advantage of the provisions in the SORP for charities not to prepare a Statement of Cash Flows.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the charity. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.
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.
Cash donations are recognised on receipt. Other donations are recognised once the charity has been notified of the donation, unless performance conditions require deferral of the amount. Income tax recoverable in relation to donations received under Gift Aid or deeds of covenant is recognised at the time of the donation.
Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to transfer economic benefit to a third party, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement, and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably.
Expenditure is classified by activity. The costs of each activity are made up of the total of direct costs and shared costs, including support costs involved in undertaking each activity. Direct costs attributable to a single activity are allocated directly to that activity. Shared costs which contribute to more than one activity and support costs which are not attributable to a single activity are apportioned between those activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources. Central staff costs are allocated on the basis of time spent, and depreciation charges are allocated on the portion of the asset’s use.
Tangible fixed assets are initially measured at cost and subsequently measured at cost or valuation, net of depreciation and any impairment losses.
Depreciation is recognised so as to write off the cost or valuation of assets less their residual values over their useful lives on the following bases:
The gain or loss arising on the disposal of an asset is determined as the difference between the sale proceeds and the carrying value of the asset, and is recognised in the statement of financial activities.
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.
Basic financial assets, which include debtors and cash and bank balances, are initially measured at transaction price including transaction costs and are subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the transaction is measured at the present value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial assets classified as receivable within one year are not amortised.
Basic financial liabilities, including creditors and bank loans are initially recognised at transaction price unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the debt instrument is measured at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial liabilities classified as payable within one year are not amortised.
Debt instruments are subsequently carried at amortised cost, using the effective interest rate method.
Trade creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of operations from suppliers. Amounts payable are classified as current liabilities if payment is due within one year or less. If not, they are presented as non-current liabilities. Trade creditors are recognised initially at transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.
Financial liabilities are derecognised when the charity’s contractual obligations expire or are discharged or cancelled.
In the application of the charity’s accounting policies, the 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.
Registration costs
The average monthly number of employees during the year was:
The charity is exempt from taxation on its activities because all its income is applied for charitable purposes.
The unrestricted funds of the charity comprise the unexpended balances of donations and grants which are not subject to specific conditions by donors and grantors as to how they may be used. These include designated funds which have been set aside out of unrestricted funds by the trustees for specific purposes.