LANCASTER UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION

Registered charity 1172269 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

The activities include (not exhaustive):* Education & Support : promoting the interests and welfare of students at LU and representing, supporting and advising students* Provides social , cultural, sporting and recreational activities e.g. clubs & societies, volunteering, campus events* Provides forums for discussions and debates for personal development of students

Causes: Education/training · Other Charitable Purposes · website · Get email alerts

Latest income

£4.9m

Latest spending

£5.0m

Registered

2017

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the group reported a net deficit of £103,743 for the year, primarily due to losses in its trading subsidiary, LUSU Services Co. Despite this deficit, the group maintains free reserves of £975,686, which the trustees consider sufficient to meet their stated policy target range of £1.2 million for group free reserves.

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

What the accounts disclose

Highest-paid employee band: £70,001 - £80,000 — above the median for charities its size (£70k)

“Three employees had employee benefits falling between £70,000 - £80,000 [2024 : 2 falling within £70,000 - £80,000].” — page 44

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Employees paid over £60,000: 3

“Three employees had employee benefits falling between £70,000 - £80,000 [2024 : 2 falling within £70,000 - £80,000].” — page 44

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Reserves policy: Group free reserves in the range of £1.2million (held: £976k)

“The target level of Union free reserves is to be within the range of £800k-£850k and the target level of Group free reserves is to be in the range of £1.2million.”

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Payments to trustees: Officer Trustees are remunerated for their role as Officers. The Trustees did not receive any remuneration in their role as Trustees, although reasonable expenses are reimbursed.

“The Trustees did not receive any remuneration in their role as Trustees, although reasonable expenses are reimbursed. Officer Trustees as identified on pg. 4 are remunerated for their role as Officers of the Union.” — page 44

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Trading subsidiary: LUSU Services Company Limited, LUSU Housing Limited

“It owns two trading subsidiaries: LUSU Services Company Limited and LUSU Housing Limited, which help to provide services for our members and raise income.” — page 4

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by Crowe U.K. LLP. Discloses 6 of 6 completeness components.

Year-over-year changes

Employees paid over £60,000: 2 (FY2024) → 3 (FY2025).

Comparing this charity’s FY2024 and FY2025 accounts as analysed by this site.

Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — Lancaster University Students' Union (matched by registered charity number).

Property (HM Land Registry)

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

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/07/2025)

Total income

£4.9m

Total spending

£5.0m

Cost of raising funds

£2.9m

Reserves (reported)

£976k

Employees

34

Reported reserves equal ~2.3 months of spending — below the median for charities its size (median 4.8 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Other trading activities (58% 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: 59.1% of total income — above the 90th percentile for charities its size (median 5.2%) (benchmarks).

Register events

Received assets from another charity (19/06/2026) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.
Received assets from another charity (22/03/2018) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.

Trustees · trustee networks

Amanda Chetwynd · trustee of 1 other charity
David Philip Morris
David Seulgi Joseph Grice
Emily Houston -Woods
Henry Carter
Kate Isobel Bracewell
Melody Jane Saynor
Michael Charles Leckie
Niamh Josephine McAuley
Richard Michael Soper
Ruby Brown
Shalvi Dogra

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

Operates in: Lancashire

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/07/2025	£4.9m	£5.0m
31/07/2024	£4.8m	£5.0m
31/07/2023	£6.5m	£6.3m
31/07/2022	£6.4m	£6.6m
31/07/2021	£6.0m	£6.2m

Common questions

Is LANCASTER UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the group reported a net deficit of £103,743 for the year, primarily due to losses in its trading subsidiary, LUSU Services Co. Despite this deficit, the group maintains free reserves of £975,686, which the trustees consider sufficient to meet their stated policy target range of £1.2 million for group free reserves. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Crowe U.K. LLP.

What does the highest-paid employee of LANCASTER UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION earn?

Per its FY2025 accounts, the highest-paid employee was in the £70,001 - £80,000 band, and 3 employees earned over £60,000.

Government & lottery funding

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

Funder	Date	Amount	Purpose
Sport England	24/07/2014	£240k	Lancaster University Recreational Sport Programme

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.

Funder	Similar charities funded	Amount to them
QUINTIN HOGG TRUST	1	£540k
BRITISH UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES SPORT LIMITED	1	£92

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with UNION OF UEA STUDENTS LIMITED.

UNION OF UEA STUDENTS LIMITED income £6.9m
UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER STUDENTS' UNION income £3.0m
LEEDS UNIVERSITY UNION income £15.3m
CARDIFF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION income £14.0m
UNIVERSITY OF WESTMINSTER STUDENTS' UNION income £4.8m
UNIVERSITY OF HUDDERSFIELD STUDENTS' UNION income £2.4m

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
LANCASTER UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION	£4.9m	£70,001 - £80,000	3	unclear	—	no doubt
UNION OF UEA STUDENTS LIMITED FY2025	£6.9m	—	—	unclear	—	no doubt
UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER STUDENTS' UNION FY2025	£3.0m	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
LEEDS UNIVERSITY UNION FY2025	£15.3m	—	5	above	—	no doubt
CARDIFF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION FY2025	£14.0m	£80,001 - £90,000	—	unclear	—	no doubt
UNIVERSITY OF WESTMINSTER STUDENTS' UNION FY2025	£4.8m	£90,001 - £100,000	—	unclear	—	no doubt

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