COMMUNITY LAW SERVICE(NORTHAMPTON AND COUNTY)

Registered charity 1128718 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

We provide independent and confidential specialist legal advice to residents of Northamptonshire .We provide a comprehensive casework service from the beginning to the conclusion of the case, including representation at court / tribunal if necessary, in the areas of Welfare Benefits, Immigration, Debt, Fuel Poverty and Housing.

Causes: The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty · website · Get email alerts

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that total income increased by 14.5% to £1,358,837, while expenditure rose by 13.5% to £1,255,222, resulting in a net income of £103,615. The charity holds unrestricted reserves of £300,401, which the trustees describe as a contingency to accommodate changing circumstances and provide flexibility for short-term funding fluctuations. Staff costs remain the highest single expenditure item at £880,437, with no employees receiving emoluments in excess of £60,000.

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

What the accounts disclose

Accounts audited by Harris & Co (Accountants) Ltd. Discloses 4 of 6 completeness components.

Corporate structure

• Registered company of the charity Companies House 06830503

Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — Community Law Service (Northampton and County) (matched by registered charity number).

Leadership, per the charity’s website

• Sarah Hayle — CEO (source)

Listed on the charity’s own website when we last crawled it; roles may have changed. Pay-band disclosures above are anonymous statutory disclosures and are not attributed to any named individual.

Funders the charity credits

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

• West Northamptonshire Council — “Funding from West Northamptonshire council contributes to our core running costs and funds specialist advice and casework in relation to deb…” (source page)
• North Northamptonshire Council — “North Northamptonshire Council fund advisors to deliver specialist benefit, debt and energy advice and casework across North Northamptonshir…” (source page)
• The Money and Pensions Service — “As part of the East Midlands Money Advice partnership, CLS utilises MaPS funding to deliver specialist debt advice and casework across North…” (source page)
• Legal Aid Agency — “Our contract with the Legal Aid Agency funds us to deliver Housing Advice and court representation to people facing eviction or repossession…” (source page)
• British Gas Energy Trust — “BGET fund Community Law Service advisors working across Northamptonshire advising individuals who are experiencing financial difficulties.” (source page)
• Northamptonshire Carers Association — “Funding from them allows us to send an adviser to their Northampton Carers Support Group each month.” (source page)
• The Henry Smith Charity — “The Henry Smith Charity is an independent grant making trust which aims to use their resources to help people and communities at a time of n…” (source page)
• Justice Together Initiative — “Funding from the Justice Together Initiative has helped to form a network of immigration advice providers across the East Midlands to delive…” (source page)
• A B Charitable Trust — “A B Charitable Trust promotes human dignity and defends the human rights of marginalised and excluded people. A core costs grant supports th…” (source page)
• ATJF — “The ATJF’s Improving Outcomes Through Legal Advice funds work being done in Food Larders across West Northamptonshire, allowing Community La…” (source page)

Company officers (Companies House)

Current officers of the charity’s own company per the Companies House register, cross-checked against the Charity Commission trustee list by name. A director not on the trustee list is usually a timing or naming difference between the two registers — check both records before drawing conclusions.

• AISBETT, Alan — director, appointed 18/09/2025on trustee list
• WOODHOUSE, Pauline Elaine — director, appointed 17/09/2024on trustee list
• REAY, Helen — director, appointed 07/12/2021on trustee list
• HIBBERT, Stephen John — director, appointed 07/12/2021on trustee list
• MOFFITT, Keith — director, appointed 29/04/2019on trustee list
• PEARS, Ian — director, appointed 26/02/2009on trustee list
• BEARDSWORTH, Sally — director, appointed 26/02/2009on trustee list
• HAYLE, Sarah — secretary, appointed 14/06/2022

Official officers record.

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

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

Reported reserves equal ~3.7 months of spending — below the median for charities its size (median 4.8 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Charitable activities (99% 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: 1.2% of total income — below the median for charities its size (5.2%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

• IAN PEARSchair
• Alan Aisbett
• Helen Reay
• Keith Moffitt
• Pauline Woodhouse
• SALLY BEARDSWORTH · trustee of 5 other charities
• Stephen Hibbert · trustee of 1 other charity
• morcea walker · trustee of 4 other charities

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

Operates in: Northamptonshire

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 COMMUNITY ADVICE AND LAW SERVICE LTD.

• COMMUNITY ADVICE AND LAW SERVICE LTD income £4.2m
• NORFOLK COMMUNITY LAW SERVICE LIMITED income £1.4m
• Citizens Advice North Staffordshire LTD income £6.4m
• NORTHAMPTONSHIRE CARERS income £4.4m
• NOTTINGHAM AND DISTRICT CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU income £1.8m
• Citizens Advice West Northamptonshire and Cherwell income £2.1m

Side by side with its peers

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