LOCAL SOLUTIONS
Registered charity 515060 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as M C V S, MERSEYSIDE COUNCIL FOR VOLUNTARY SERVICE
The provision of services in the following fields: Homecare, Shopmobility, Training , Welfare Rights, Supported Accommodation, Support for the disabled, Carers Support, Liverpool Watersports Centre, Mobex, Domestic Violence Service, Conference Facilities
Objects
1.1 The Charity’s objects (“the Objects”) are 1.1.1 to promote any charitable purpose for the benefit of the community, and in particular the advancement of education, the furtherance of health, the relief of poverty, distress and sickness, charitable regeneration by the maintenance or improvement of the physical, social and economic infrastructure and the provision of facilities in the interests of education, social welfare, recreation or other leisure time occupation, with the object of improving conditions of life by empowering individuals and supporting communities in England and Wales;1.1.2 to promote and organise co-operation in the achievement of the above purposes and to that end to bring together representatives of the statutory authorities, local councils and voluntary organisations engaged in the furtherance of the above purposes within England and Wales.
Area of benefit: NORTH WEST OF ENGLAND, NORTH EAST WALES AND MERSEYSIDE IN PARTICULAR
The charity’s charitable objects and area of benefit, quoted from its governing document as held on the Charity Commission register.
Causes: Education/training · The Advancement Of Health Or Saving Of Lives · Disability · The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty · Accommodation/housing · Amateur Sport · website · Get email alerts
Registered contact address: Liverpool, North West, England (from the postcode on the register)
Financial health, per its FY2026 accounts
The accounts state that the charity reported a surplus of £281,408 for the year ended 31 March 2026, with total income increasing to £14,855,348. Per the trustees' report, unrestricted free reserves stood at £1,080,473, which is considered sufficient to cover three months of central support and non-contract costs. The charity maintains a strong balance sheet with cash reserves of £1,601,706 and has concluded that it has adequate resources to continue operations for at least 12 months.
Automated summary of the FY2026 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.
What the accounts disclose
Employees paid over £60,000: 2
“During the year there were two higher paid employees (2025: three higher paid employees).” — page 41
Per its FY2026 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Reserves policy: three months' central support costs plus other costs for which there is no directly linked contract funding (held: £1.1m)
“The Trustees have historically considered it appropriate for the Charity to hold unrestricted free reserves equivalent to a minimum of three months' central support costs plus other costs for which there is no directly linked contract funding.” — page 21
Per its FY2026 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Accounts audited by DSG Audit. Discloses 5 of 6 completeness components.
Year-over-year changes
- Employees paid over £60,000: 3 (FY2025) → 2 (FY2026).
Comparing this charity’s FY2025 and FY2026 accounts as analysed by this site.
In its annual return the charity told the Commission it is also regulated by: Care Quality Commission; Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW); Financial Conduct Authority; Ofsted (Office For Standards In Education); Welsh Government (Social Landlords And Housing Associations). 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
- 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
- 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.
Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/03/2026
- Volunteers: 55
- Government income: £12,379,705 — contracts £12,211,741 (25), grants £167,964 (9); 83% of the £14,855,348 total gross income on the same return
- Employees paid over £60,000: 2 (£70,001–£80,000: 1; £80,001–£90,000: 1)
Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/03/2025
- Volunteers: 61
- Government income: £11,728,783 — contracts £11,728,783 (24); 80% of the £14,598,037 total gross income on the same return
- Employees paid over £60,000: 3 (£60,001–£70,000: 1; £70,001–£80,000: 1; £80,001–£90,000: 1)
Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/03/2024
- Volunteers: 72
- Government income: £10,996,005 — contracts £10,909,784 (23), grants £86,221 (9); 82% of the £13,328,907 total gross income on the same return
- Employees paid over £60,000: 3 (£60,001–£70,000: 1; £70,001–£80,000: 1; £80,001–£90,000: 1)
Source: this charity’s annual returns on the Charity Commission register.
In the news
Recent coverage mentioning this charity by name (automated match; headlines belong to their publishers).
Corporate structure
Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — Local Solutions (matched by registered charity number).
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.
- BLOMELEY, Justine — director, appointed 27/08/2025on trustee list
- MARE-WALSH, Salome — director, appointed 05/08/2025on trustee list
- OKORO, Stephen Onyekachi — director, appointed 02/04/2025on trustee list
- HALL, Ian Martin, Mr. — director, appointed 27/02/2025on trustee list
- MORRISON, Elliott Francis — director, appointed 23/03/2023on trustee list
- KENNEDY, Serena Margaret — director, appointed 20/07/2021on trustee list
- JONES, Jillian Margaret — director, appointed 20/05/2021on trustee list
- TAYLOR, Bruce Weir, Dr — director, appointed 11/06/2019on trustee list
- HEAP, Helen Ruth — director, appointed 11/06/2019on trustee list
- PAILING MBE, Crispin Alexander, Dr — director, appointed 12/11/2015not on trustee list
- HILL, Karen — secretary, appointed 23/03/2020
Official officers record.
Public-sector contracts awarded
From the official Contracts Finder and Find a Tender notices (supplier matched by exact registered name). Contract income is distinct from grants.
Property (HM Land Registry)
3 registered titles in England and Wales held by the charity’s company or corporate body (2 freehold); recorded price paid £158k. All charity-held property. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright, OGL v3.0.
CQC provider record: Local Solutions — Registered, 7 registered locations, 1 regulated activity, last inspected 13/07/2021.charity number confirmed by CQC CQC record
Public profiles (found on the charity’s own website): facebook · instagram
Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/03/2026)
Cost of raising funds
£163k
Reported reserves equal ~1.1 months of spending — in the bottom quarter for charities its size (median 4.6 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: 1.1% of total income — below the median for charities its size (3.7%) (benchmarks).
Care Quality Commission ratings
CQC inspection ratings for services run by a provider matching this charity’s name (matched by name; verify provider identity on CQC’s site).
- Local Solutions Liverpool Branch: Good (04/11/2025) · CQC record
- Cherry Tree House: Good (29/07/2026) · CQC record
- Local Solutions Knowsley,Sefton & St Helens Homecare: Good (04/04/2020) · CQC record
Register events
- Received assets from another charity (29/09/2016) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.
- Helen Ruth Heapchair
- Dr Bruce Weir Taylor
- Dr Crispin Pailing MBE · trustee of 1 other charity
- Elliott Francis Morrison
- Ian Martin Hall
- Jillian Margaret Jones · trustee of 1 other charity
- Justine Blomeley
- Salome Mare-Walsh
- Serena Margaret Kennedy
- Stephen Okoro
Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).
Operates in: Throughout England And Wales
Income and spending
Common questions
Is LOCAL SOLUTIONS financially healthy?
Per its FY2026 accounts: The accounts state that the charity reported a surplus of £281,408 for the year ended 31 March 2026, with total income increasing to £14,855,348. Per the trustees' report, unrestricted free reserves stood at £1,080,473, which is considered sufficient to cover three months of central support and non-contract costs. The charity maintains a strong balance sheet with cash reserves of £1,601,706 and has concluded that it has adequate resources to continue operations for at least 12 months. Its FY2026 accounts were audited by DSG Audit.
Who funds LOCAL SOLUTIONS?
Funders whose own accounts filings name LOCAL SOLUTIONS as a grant recipient include THE LINBURY TRUST, THE GEOFFREY AND PAULINE MARTIN TRUST, LANDAID CHARITABLE TRUST LIMITED, THE MASON BIBBY 1981 TRUST.
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 CARE OPTIONS.
Side by side with its peers
Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.