THE LIVERPOOL DIOCESAN BOARD OF FINANCE
Registered charity 249740 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register
The development and implementation of mission and church growth strategies.The provision of advisory services to bishops, parishes, schools and church bodies (mainly through employed staff).The support, training, payment and housing of clergy.The support and training of lay people.The management and development of staff members.Contributing to the national work of the Church of England.
Causes: Education/training · Religious Activities · Environment/conservation/heritage · Grant history (this charity is a funder) · website · Get email alerts
Financial health, per its FY2024 accounts
The accounts state that the Diocese faced significant financial challenges, including a structural deficit and a shortfall in Parish Share collection, which was offset by one-off stabilisation funding from the national church. Despite these pressures, the unrestricted reserves stood at £10.9m, meeting the stated policy target of maintaining four months' operating expenditure, and the auditors confirmed no material uncertainties regarding the charity's ability to continue as a going concern.
Automated summary of the FY2024 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.
What the accounts disclose
Reserves policy: four months' operating expenditure (held: £10.9m)
“The DBF aims to maintain the equivalent of at least four months’ operating expenditure in cash and equities in the General Fund.” — page 12
Per its FY2024 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Governance: The trustees disclosed the Charity Commission's ongoing investigation into the circumstances that led to the resignation of the former Bishop of Liverpool.
“Trustees have made the company’s auditors aware of the Charity Commission's ongoing investigation into the circumstances that led to the resignation of the former Bishop of Liverpool, the Right Reverend John Perumbalath, in January 2025. To date, the Commission has not confirmed the outcome of this investigation.” — page 15
Per its FY2024 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Trading subsidiary: The Good Funeral Company Limited
“The Good Funerals Company Limited was established as a company limited by guarantee under the control of LDBF. The company itself remained dormant during 2023 and 2024, but all of its activities have been reported through the Diocesan accounts.” — page 38
Per its FY2024 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Accounts audited by Mitchell Charlesworth (Audit) Limited. Discloses 4 of 6 completeness components.
Charity Commission inquiry
The Commission issued an Official Warning to the Liverpool Diocesan Board of Finance after finding that trustees failed to investigate a safeguarding complaint and lacked adequate oversight processes. The charity is required to implement robust safeguarding policies, review reporting procedures, and report progress to the Commission within two months.
The report states that trustees failed to investigate a safeguarding complaint and did not follow guidance.
“the trustees failed to consider or investigate the complaint and did not follow the Commission’s guidance on safeguarding and therefore failed in their safeguarding duties.”
The report identifies a lack of oversight processes for safeguarding.
“There were insufficient processes and procedures in place to ensure that the trustees have adequate oversight of safeguarding and protecting those who come into the charity”
The report notes the failure to act in the charity's best interests regarding protection from harm.
“This was a failure to act in the charity’s best interests and to take reasonable steps to protect from harm people who come into contact with the charity.”
Per the Commission’s
published report. Summary is automated; the official report is authoritative.
Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — Diocese of Liverpool (matched by registered charity number).
Property (HM Land Registry)
348 registered titles in England and Wales held by the charity’s company or corporate body (323 freehold); recorded price paid £3.3m. All charity-held property. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright, OGL v3.0.
Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/12/2024)
Reported reserves equal ~2.7 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 (91% 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 (3.8%) (benchmarks).
Register events
- Received assets from another charity (13/10/2022) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.
Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).
Operates in: Cheshire East · Cheshire West & Chester · Halton · Knowsley · Lancashire · Liverpool City · Sefton · St Helens · Warrington · Wigan
Income and spending
Common questions
Is THE LIVERPOOL DIOCESAN BOARD OF FINANCE financially healthy?
Per its FY2024 accounts: The accounts state that the Diocese faced significant financial challenges, including a structural deficit and a shortfall in Parish Share collection, which was offset by one-off stabilisation funding from the national church. Despite these pressures, the unrestricted reserves stood at £10.9m, meeting the stated policy target of maintaining four months' operating expenditure, and the auditors confirmed no material uncertainties regarding the charity's ability to continue as a going concern. Its FY2024 accounts were audited by Mitchell Charlesworth (Audit) Limited.
Who funds THE LIVERPOOL DIOCESAN BOARD OF FINANCE?
Funders whose own accounts filings name THE LIVERPOOL DIOCESAN BOARD OF FINANCE as a grant recipient include THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF WIGAN WEST, THE MASON BIBBY 1981 TRUST, THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST MICHAEL, AUGHTON LIVERPOOL.
Shared trustees with funders
Register facts shown side by side: a person serves as trustee of both this charity and a funder whose accounts record grants to it. Shared trusteeship is lawful and common; well-run charities manage it through declared-interest procedures.
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 THE SALISBURY DIOCESAN BOARD OF FINANCE.
Side by side with its peers
Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.