THE BATH AND WELLS DIOCESAN BOARD OF FINANCE

Registered charity 249398 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

To promote and assist the work and purposes of the Church of England in the Diocese of Bath and Wells; to organise and provide funds in aid of the work and ministry of the church.

Causes: Education/training · Accommodation/housing · Religious Activities · Grant history (this charity is a funder) · website · Get email alerts

Latest income

£17.0m

Latest spending

£14.9m

Registered

1966

Accounts read

FY2024

Financial health, per its FY2024 accounts

The accounts state that unrestricted reserves decreased by £0.23m during the year, with free reserves standing at £2.4m, which is below the stated policy target of three to six months' expenditure. The diocese faces significant financial pressures, relying on the sale of surplus property and drawing from endowed funds to cover operating deficits and lower-than-budgeted parish share receipts.

Automated summary of the FY2024 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.

What the accounts disclose

Reserves position: below the charity's own stated reserves policy (held: £2.4m; policy: three to six months’ unrestricted expenditure)

“As at 31 December 2024 free reserves stood at £2.4m (2023 - £2.6m) which is around two months’ expenditure.”

Per its FY2024 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: The DBF pays retirement benefit contributions to the Church of England Pensions Board for stipendiary clergy and employees.

“The Church of England Pensions Board to which the DBF pays retirement benefit contributions for stipendiary clergy and employees.” — page 16

“The Chapter of Wells Cathedral from which the DBF receives modest alms. Some diocesan events held in the Cathedral are paid for by the DBF. The DBF provides HR and Safeguarding services to the Chapter under service level agreements.” — page 16

Per its FY2024 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: The DBF receives modest alms from the Chapter of Wells Cathedral and provides HR and Safeguarding services to them.

“The Church of England Pensions Board to which the DBF pays retirement benefit contributions for stipendiary clergy and employees.” — page 16

“The Chapter of Wells Cathedral from which the DBF receives modest alms. Some diocesan events held in the Cathedral are paid for by the DBF. The DBF provides HR and Safeguarding services to the Chapter under service level agreements.” — page 16

Per its FY2024 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: The DBF receives grants from the Foundation of St Matthias, of which three DBF employees are trustees.

“The Church of England Pensions Board to which the DBF pays retirement benefit contributions for stipendiary clergy and employees.” — page 16

“The Chapter of Wells Cathedral from which the DBF receives modest alms. Some diocesan events held in the Cathedral are paid for by the DBF. The DBF provides HR and Safeguarding services to the Chapter under service level agreements.” — page 16

Per its FY2024 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: The Bath and Wells Multi Academy Trust rents meeting space from the DBF, and the DBF provides educational services to BWMAT.

“The Church of England Pensions Board to which the DBF pays retirement benefit contributions for stipendiary clergy and employees.” — page 16

“The Chapter of Wells Cathedral from which the DBF receives modest alms. Some diocesan events held in the Cathedral are paid for by the DBF. The DBF provides HR and Safeguarding services to the Chapter under service level agreements.” — page 16

Per its FY2024 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Trading subsidiary: Bath and Wells DBF Services Ltd

“These financial statements consolidate the results of the charitable company and its wholly owned subsidiary on a line-by-line basis. The subsidiary is Bath and Wells DBF Services Ltd.” — page 35

Per its FY2024 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by Sayer Vincent LLP. Discloses 4 of 6 completeness components.

Property (HM Land Registry)

271 registered titles in England and Wales held by the charity’s company or corporate body (248 freehold); recorded price paid £19.3m. 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 31/12/2024)

Total income

£17.0m

Total spending

£14.9m

Cost of raising funds

£502k

Reserves (reported)

£2.4m

Employees

83

Reported reserves equal ~1.9 months of spending — below the median for charities its size (median 4.6 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Donations and legacies (63% 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: 3.0% of total income — below the median for charities its size (3.8%) (benchmarks).

Register events

Received assets from another charity (21/11/2018) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.
Received assets from another charity (26/11/2017) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.

Trustees · trustee networks

Ann Kathleen Philcox · trustee of 1 other charity
Dr AXEL ANTHONY PALMER · trustee of 3 other charities
Dr Caroline Frances Mason · trustee of 1 other charity
Elizabeth Renshaw-Ames
Hayden Lloyd Taylor · trustee of 1 other charity
James Loring
Kathryn Louise Slader Tucker · trustee of 3 other charities
Kevin Lawrence
Marilyn Lee
Michael Hodson
Morey Alisdair Christopher Andrews · trustee of 2 other charities
Philip Charles Edge
Rev Ann Elizabeth Fulton
Rev Craig Edward Philbrick
Rev Jonathan Philip Ball
Rev ROGER DRIVER
Rev Richard James Miles
Revd Preb Narinder Tegally
Robert Dean · trustee of 1 other charity
Rt Revd Noel Michael Roy Beasley · trustee of 3 other charities
The Rt Revd Dr Fiona Ruth Gibson
The Ven Charles Scott Peer · trustee of 3 other charities
The Venerable Simon Hill · trustee of 1 other charity
The Very Reverend Toby Christopher Wright · trustee of 1 other charity
Tracey Jane Khodabandehloo

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

Operates in: Bath And North East Somerset · North Somerset · Somerset · Zambia

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/12/2024	£17.0m	£14.9m
31/12/2023	£15.6m	£15.1m
31/12/2022	£15.3m	£15.2m
31/12/2021	£12.1m	£15.6m
31/12/2020	£13.7m	£15.9m

Common questions

Is THE BATH AND WELLS DIOCESAN BOARD OF FINANCE financially healthy?

Per its FY2024 accounts: The accounts state that unrestricted reserves decreased by £0.23m during the year, with free reserves standing at £2.4m, which is below the stated policy target of three to six months' expenditure. The diocese faces significant financial pressures, relying on the sale of surplus property and drawing from endowed funds to cover operating deficits and lower-than-budgeted parish share receipts. Its FY2024 accounts were audited by Sayer Vincent LLP.

Government & lottery funding

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

Funder	Date	Amount	Purpose
UK government	01/04/2020	£959k	School Condition Allocation - Voluntary Aided Sector Recipients
UK government	01/04/2020	£141k	Devolved Formula Capital - Local Authority & Voluntary Aided Sector Recipients
The National Lottery Community Fund	03/12/2014	£10k	Support for rural communities
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	25/11/2014	£124k	"St Augustine's Heritage Project, West Monkton"
The National Lottery Community Fund	01/05/2014	£10k	Meeting the Needs of the Disabled - St John's Church Hall.
The National Lottery Community Fund	10/04/2012	£5k	Sing for the Queen

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
THE ARCHBISHOPS' COUNCIL	2	£22.3m
CHARITY OF SIR RICHARD WHITTINGTON	1	£92k
THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST MARY THE VIRGIN, SPROTBROUGH WITH ST EDMUND, ANCHORAGE LANE	1	£45k
SIR JOHN PRIESTMAN CHARITY TRUST	1	£44k
CHRIST CHURCH ENDCLIFFE CIO	1	£6k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with THE SALISBURY DIOCESAN BOARD OF FINANCE.

THE SALISBURY DIOCESAN BOARD OF FINANCE income £13.9m
THE EXETER DIOCESAN BOARD OF FINANCE income £18.8m
SHEFFIELD DIOCESAN BOARD OF FINANCE income £12.1m
SWANSEA AND BRECON DIOCESAN BOARD OF FINANCE income £4.2m
CANTERBURY DIOCESAN BOARD OF FINANCE income £12.5m
THE DURHAM DIOCESAN BOARD OF FINANCE income £12.5m

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
THE BATH AND WELLS DIOCESAN BOARD OF FINANCE	£17.0m	—	—	below	—	no doubt
THE SALISBURY DIOCESAN BOARD OF FINANCE FY2024	£13.9m	—	—	below	—	no doubt
THE EXETER DIOCESAN BOARD OF FINANCE FY2024	£18.8m	—	—	above	—	no doubt
SHEFFIELD DIOCESAN BOARD OF FINANCE FY2024	£12.1m	—	—	unclear	—	no doubt
SWANSEA AND BRECON DIOCESAN BOARD OF FINANCE FY2024	£4.2m	more than £60,000	1	above	—	no doubt
CANTERBURY DIOCESAN BOARD OF FINANCE FY2024	£12.5m	£70,001 - £80,000	—	above	—	no doubt

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