Barking & Dagenham Youth Zone

Analysis

Barking & Dagenham Youth Zone is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Dagenham. It was registered in March 2017, 9 years ago. Its declared purposes cover education/training, the advancement of health or saving of lives, arts/culture/heritage/science and amateur sport, which this site groups under health and saving lives. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 10236576). It says it provides buildings/facilities/open space, provides services and provides advocacy/advice/information.

In the financial year ending March 2025, Barking & Dagenham Youth Zone reported income of £1.8m and spending of £2.1m, spending 115% of what it took in. Across the 5 years on record, from March 2021 to March 2025, income fell from £2.5m to £1.8m (-27%), an average of -7.4% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to March 2022, when income dropped by 25%. Over the whole period it spent 97% of the income it received.

Among 24,651 England and Wales charities whose main cause is health and saving lives and that reported income, Barking & Dagenham Youth Zone sits at the 93rd percentile: it is larger than about 93% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 96th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include Viva! (£1.8m), Huddersfield Giants Community Trust Ltd (£1.8m) and The Lady Nuffield Home (£1.8m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from donations and legacies 79%, charitable activities 10%, trading 2.7% and investments 1.8%. Charitable activities took 99% of spending and raising funds 0.0%. Reserves of £1.7m would cover about 10 months of spending at that rate. It employed 89 people.

Data notes from the register: Spending has exceeded income in each of the last three reported years, so the charity has been drawing on reserves or other funds.