Bristol Law Centre

Analysis

Bristol Law Centre is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Bristol. It was registered in November 1996, 30 years ago. Its declared purposes cover education/training, the prevention or relief of poverty and human rights/religious or racial harmony/equality or diversity, which this site groups under poverty relief. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 01982371). It says it provides advocacy/advice/information.

In the financial year ending March 2025, Bristol Law Centre reported income of £1.5m and spending of £1.2m, spending 82% of its income. Across the 5 years on record, from March 2021 to March 2025, income grew from £1.1m to £1.5m (+43%), an average of +9.3% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to March 2024, when income rose by 28%. Over the whole period it spent 92% of the income it received.

Among 15,276 England and Wales charities whose main cause is poverty relief and that reported income, Bristol Law Centre sits at the 95th percentile: it is larger than about 95% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 95th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include Upbeat Communities Ltd (£1.5m), Meadowhall Education Centre (£1.5m) and The Kingsborough Centre (£1.5m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from charitable activities 82%, donations and legacies 16% and investments 2.0%. Charitable activities took 96% of spending and raising funds 3.0%. Grants to other organisations totalled £66k. Reserves of £359k would cover about 3 months of spending at that rate. It employed 26 people.