THE BEDFORD AND DISTRICT CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU

Registered charity 1106738 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

Our service is open to anyone: it is free, independent, confidential and impartial. Citizens Advice Bedford (CAB) primarily exists to help those who live or work in the Borough of Bedford - 175,000 people. In addition CAB delivers services in Central Bedfordshire and throughout England. This service is available to all citizens, regardless of situation, background or social status.

Objects

TO PROMOTE ANY CHARITABLE PURPOSE FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFIT BY THE ADVANCEMENT OF EDUCATION, THE PROTECTION AND PRESERVATION OF HEALTH AND THE RELIEF OF POVERTY, SICKNESS AND DISTRESS IN PARTICULAR, BUT WITHOUT LIMITATION, FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE COMMUNITY IN THE BOROUGH OF BEDFORD AND SURROUNDING AREAS.

Area of benefit: THE BOROUGH OF BEDFORD

The charity’s charitable objects and area of benefit, quoted from its governing document as held on the Charity Commission register.

Causes: General Charitable Purposes · Education/training · The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty · Accommodation/housing · Economic/community Development/employment · Human Rights/religious Or Racial Harmony/equality Or Diversity · website · Get email alerts

Registered contact address: Bedford, East of England, England (from the postcode on the register)

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity reported a financial deficit of £49,018 for the year ended 31 March 2025, primarily due to increased staff costs. The trustees maintain that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the next twelve months, citing reserves and expenditure controls.

Automated summary of the FY2025 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.

What the accounts disclose

Accounts independently examined (not a full audit). Discloses 5 of 6 completeness components.

In its annual return the charity told the Commission it is also regulated by: Financial Conduct Authority. This is the charity’s own declaration; it is not a rating and has not been verified by the Commission or by this site.

Policies the charity declares

In its annual return the charity told the Commission that it has the policies listed below. This is self-declared: it is not verified by the Commission or by this site, and it is not evidence of how a policy works in practice.

• Bullying and harassment policy and procedures
• Campaigns and political activity policy and procedures
• Complaints handling
• Complaints policy and procedures
• Conflicting interests
• Financial reserves policy and procedures
• Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
• Internal risk management policy and procedures
• Investing charity funds policy and procedures
• Investment
• Paying staff
• Risk management
• Safeguarding policy and procedures
• Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
• Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
• Social media policy and procedures
• Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
• Trustee expenses policy and procedures
• Volunteer management

From the charity’s annual return (Part A, self-declared)

Answers and figures the charity gave in Part A of its annual return to the Charity Commission. They are self-declared: not verified by the Commission or by this site. Only positive answers and figures are listed; items not listed are simply not shown.

Source: this charity’s annual returns on the Charity Commission register.

Funders the charity credits

Named as funders/supporters on the charity’s own website (the charity’s claim, distinct from accounts-verified grants).

• The Harpur Trust — “The Harpur Trust provides a grant to Citizens. Advice Bedford for the provision of complex benefit advice.” (source page)
• The Money & Pension service (MaPS) — “The Money & Pension service (MaPS) provides funding for contractual services delivered in Bedford Borough and Central Bedfordshire.” (source page)
• The House of Industry — “The House of Industry charity is run by the Borough which provides additional resources for housing and debt services.” (source page)

Property (HM Land Registry)

1 registered title in England and Wales held by the charity’s company or corporate body (0 freehold). All charity-held property. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright, OGL v3.0.

Public profiles (found on the charity’s own website): facebook · instagram

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/03/2025)

Reported reserves equal ~1.8 months of spending — in the bottom quarter for charities its size (median 5.2 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Charitable activities (87% of income) — components as reported reconcile to the return’s total income; not from the accounts narrative.

Per its annual return, cost of raising funds: 0.0% of total income — below the median for charities its size (4.9%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

• Neil Edward Paul McGowanchair
• Clifford Mark Carter
• David Hodgson
• Dr Thomas Greville Inskip
• Elizabeth Borland
• Iain Clark
• Mark Andrew Smith
• Mark Smith
• Roger Henry Sanbrook

Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).

Operates in: Throughout England

Income and spending

Common questions

Known funders

Grants to this charity found in funders’ own accounts filings.

Government & lottery funding

Grants to this charity published as open data by government and lottery funders (360Giving).

Funders of similar charities

Funders whose accounts show grants to charities similar to this one (and no recorded grant to this charity) — a starting list for fundraisers.

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with LEEDS CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU.

• LEEDS CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU income £3.1m
• CAMBRIDGE AND DISTRICT CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU income £1.4m
• BRIDPORT AND DISTRICT CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU income £292k
• MEDWAY DISTRICT CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU SERVICE income £513k
• BRIGHTON AND HOVE CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU income £831k
• LEWES DISTRICT CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU income £521k

Side by side with its peers

Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.