The Bedford and District Citizens Advice Bureau

Analysis

The Bedford and District Citizens Advice Bureau is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Bedford. It was registered in November 2004, 22 years ago. Its declared purposes cover general charitable purposes, education/training, the prevention or relief of poverty and accommodation/housing, which this site groups under poverty relief. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 05190146). It says it provides services, provides advocacy/advice/information and sponsors or undertakes research.

In the financial year ending March 2025, The Bedford and District Citizens Advice Bureau reported income of £656k and spending of £705k, spending 107% of what it took in. Across the 5 years on record, from March 2021 to March 2025, income grew from £595k to £656k (+10%), an average of +2.5% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to March 2023, when income rose by 22%. Over the whole period it spent 98% of the income it received.

Among 15,276 England and Wales charities whose main cause is poverty relief and that reported income, The Bedford and District Citizens Advice Bureau sits at the 90th percentile: it is larger than about 90% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 92nd percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include The Cowshed (£656k), Shirehall Tzedaka Company Limited (£657k) and Green Man Trust Ltd (£655k).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from charitable activities 87%. Charitable activities took 99% of spending and raising funds 0.0%. Reserves of £108k would cover about 2 months of spending at that rate. It employed 22 people.