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BUCKINGHAMSHIRE MUSIC TRUST

Charity rating & review

57/100 Clarity Score · 1 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score

Verified · Charity Commission data
57 /100

Clarity score

Poor

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Is BUCKINGHAMSHIRE MUSIC TRUST a good charity?

BUCKINGHAMSHIRE MUSIC TRUST scores 57/100 (Poor) on our Clarity Score, with 100% of spending going to charitable activities and accounts late. This reflects financial transparency and stewardship from Charity Commission filings — not the real-world impact of its programmes. See the full breakdown.

HP21 7ST Reg 1177780 Registered charity Official website Charity Commission register

Mission

BUCKINGHAMSHIRE MUSIC TRUST is a registered charity (no. 1177780) working in children & youth in HP21 7ST. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 100% of spending to charitable activities, though its recent accounts were filed late. Reported income has been declining over recent years. CharityCompare's Clarity Score rates the organisation only from public Charity Commission accounts — accountability, financial health, efficiency and community support — not the quality or impact of its programmes.

In short: BUCKINGHAMSHIRE MUSIC TRUST scores 57 out of 100 (1 star). 100% average program spend (3-year average). Review the pillar breakdown below.

Overview

BUCKINGHAMSHIRE MUSIC TRUST has a Clarity Score of 57 out of 100 on CharityCompare (1 stars, Poor). Charity Commission registration number 1177780. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Children & youth. Latest accounts year 2020: total income £2.1m, with 100% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: late. 2 filing concern(s) noted on this profile. Scores are independent and based on official filings — not a donation recommendation.

Data from Charity Commission register, last updated .

Overall score

57/100

1★ · Poor

Cause spend

100%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

55/100

Finance beacon

Income

£2.1m

Latest year 2020

Reserves

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

Late

Check register

Fundraising efficiency not stated · 0% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: medium

How BUCKINGHAMSHIRE MUSIC TRUST compares

Clarity Score benchmarked against similar UK charities — higher is better.

Income band (£1m–£5m)57 vs 77 avg

Ranks higher than 11% of 3,014 charities in its income band.

Children & youth charities57 vs 78 avg

Ranks higher than 10% of 3,988 charities in this cause.

Data & confidence

Source
Charity Commission (E&W)
Accounts year
2020
Filing date
2026-06-24 00:00:00.0000000
Profile reviewed
2026-06-25

Medium confidence — some data missing or late

Scores reflect the latest annual accounts on the register. Impact, leadership, and culture beacons require information beyond public filings.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Charity Commission for England and Wales . Open Government Licence v3.0 .

Beacon report

Detailed accountability and finance metrics from Charity Commission filings — structured for transparency in our four-beacon report.

Accountability & Transparency

Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies.

55/100

Accountability & Transparency metrics for BUCKINGHAMSHIRE MUSIC TRUST
Metric Score Value
Filing history (5 years)

100% on-time over five years = 15 pts · one late filing = 5 pts · two or more = 0 pts.

0% 0/15 pts
Trustee oversight

Three or more trustees on the register = 15 pts · one or two = 0 pts (governance red flag).

100% 3 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies

Safeguarding (4) · conflict of interest (3) · volunteer management (3) — from Charity Commission annual return.

70% 7/10 pts

Financial Health

Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.

50/100

Financial Health metrics for BUCKINGHAMSHIRE MUSIC TRUST
Metric Score Value
Reserves (months of cash)

3–24 months = 15 pts · 1–3 months = 7 pts · under 1 month or over 3 years (hoarding) = 0 pts.

0% Not stated · 0/15 pts
Income stability / growth

Positive or stable three-year revenue trend = 10 pts · sustained decline = 0 pts.

100% 10/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets

Low debt (< 30% liabilities to assets) = 5 pts · high debt = 0 pts.

100% 1% · 5/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.

100/100

Financial Efficiency metrics for BUCKINGHAMSHIRE MUSIC TRUST
Metric Score Value
Program expense ratio

≥ 75% on charitable activities = 10 pts · 60–75% = 5 pts · below 60% = 0 pts.

100% 100% · 10/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency

Spends ≤ £0.20 to raise £1 = 10 pts · £0.21–£0.35 = 5 pts · above £0.35 = 0 pts (fundraising cost ÷ income).

100% 0p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff.

0/100

Community Support metrics for BUCKINGHAMSHIRE MUSIC TRUST
Metric Score Value
Volunteer-to-staff ratio

More volunteers than paid staff = 10 pts · equal mix = 5 pts · no volunteers = 0 pts.

0% 15 volunteers / 107 staff · 0/10 pts

How we calculate beacon scores →

Clarity Score

57/100 total · Poor · 1 of 4 stars

Four pillars (40 + 30 + 20 + 10 points) from Charity Commission filings — see methodology for full weightings.

55/100
Accountability & Transparency
50/100
Financial Health
100/100
Financial Efficiency
0/100
Community Support

Accountability & Transparency

Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies.

55/100

Filing history (5 years)0/15 pts
Trustee oversight3 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies7/10 pts

Financial Health

Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.

50/100

Reserves (months of cash)Not stated · 0/15 pts
Income stability / growth10/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets1% · 5/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.

100/100

Program expense ratio100% · 10/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency0p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff.

0/100

Volunteer-to-staff ratio15 volunteers / 107 staff · 0/10 pts

Revenue & expenses

Latest filed year 2020 · Source: Charity Commission annual accounts

BUCKINGHAMSHIRE MUSIC TRUST revenue and expenses for 2020
Category Amount % of spend
Total income £2.1m
Total expenditure £2.0m
Charitable activities £2.0m 100%
Governance & admin £13k 1%
100%On charitable activities

Where the money goes

Latest accounts (2020) · £2.0m spent

  • Charitable activities100%
  • Governance1%

Trust indicators

Pulled from the Charity Commission register — filing behaviour, board size, and workforce where reported.

  • Accounts filed on time

    Filing status: late

  • Trustee board size (3–12)

    3 trustees on the Charity Commission register

  • Workforce on register

    107 employees · 15 volunteers (0:1 volunteer-to-staff)

Fundraising Regulator

Status not yet checked

Separate from our financial scores — shows whether the charity follows the Code of Fundraising Practice.

Check Fundraising Regulator →

Official register

Reg 1177780

Full trustee list, accounts, and regulatory history on the Charity Commission.

View on Charity Commission →

Trustees & officers

  • Debra Mansfield-Clark since 2018
  • Susan Jane Imbriano since 2021
  • Peter Downton since 2021
How we score charities +

The Clarity Score is a 100-point rating from UK Charity Commission data. Four pillars — Accountability & Transparency (40), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10). A statutory inquiry sets the score to 0 automatically.

Full methodology →

Accountability & Transparency

Scored from filings

40 points — filing history (15), trustee oversight (15), declared policies (10).

Financial Health

Scored from filings

30 points — reserves (15), income stability (10), liabilities to assets (5).

Financial Efficiency

Scored from filings

20 points — program expense ratio (10), fundraising efficiency (10). Kept at 20% to avoid punishing legitimate infrastructure costs.

Community Support

Scored from filings

10 points — volunteer-to-staff ratio from Charity Commission workforce data.

Overall score

Sum of all pillar points. Translated to stars: 90–100 Exceptional (4★), 75–89 Good (3★), 60–74 Needs improvement (2★), below 60 Poor (1★).

Five-year trends

£0k £800k £1600k £2400k £3200k 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Income 2020: £2,088k Spending 2020: £2,047k Cause spend 2020: £2,045k Income 2021: £2,124k Spending 2021: £2,133k Cause spend 2021: £2,126k Income 2022: £2,204k Spending 2022: £2,309k Cause spend 2022: £2,302k Income 2023: £2,178k Spending 2023: £2,451k Cause spend 2023: £2,451k Income 2024: £2,438k Spending 2024: £2,814k Cause spend 2024: £2,814k
  • Income
  • Spending
  • Cause spend

Values in £ thousands · Source: Charity Commission accounts

Key facts

Overall score
57/100 (1★)
Income
£2.1m
Cause spend
100% of expenditure
Reg number
1177780
Scope
Local (—)
Reserves
Trustees
3
Accounts year
2020
Filing
late

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Red flags

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about BUCKINGHAMSHIRE MUSIC TRUST's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

What is BUCKINGHAMSHIRE MUSIC TRUST's charity rating? +

BUCKINGHAMSHIRE MUSIC TRUST scores 57 out of 100 on CharityCompare (1 stars — Poor). The Clarity Score V1 sums four pillars from Charity Commission filings: Accountability & Transparency (40 pts), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10).

Is BUCKINGHAMSHIRE MUSIC TRUST a good charity to donate to? +

BUCKINGHAMSHIRE MUSIC TRUST scores 57 out of 100 (1 stars — Poor) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its Charity Commission filings. Around 100% of its spending goes to charitable activities and its accounts are late. That reflects how transparent and financially healthy it looks on paper — it does not measure the real-world impact of its work, so treat it as one factor alongside the cause you care about. CharityCompare never tells you where to donate.

Is BUCKINGHAMSHIRE MUSIC TRUST a legitimate UK charity? +

Yes — BUCKINGHAMSHIRE MUSIC TRUST is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales under registration number 1177780. You can verify the entry on the official register.

What is BUCKINGHAMSHIRE MUSIC TRUST's Charity Commission registration number? +

BUCKINGHAMSHIRE MUSIC TRUST's registration number is 1177780. Official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1177780

How much income does BUCKINGHAMSHIRE MUSIC TRUST receive? +

BUCKINGHAMSHIRE MUSIC TRUST reported £2.1m total income in its 2020 accounts, based on Charity Commission filings. Five-year trend: declining.

What percentage of BUCKINGHAMSHIRE MUSIC TRUST's spending goes to charitable activities? +

Approximately 100% of total expenditure went to charitable activities in the latest filed year. Fundraising was 0% and combined overhead (fundraising plus governance) was 0%.

Are BUCKINGHAMSHIRE MUSIC TRUST's accounts up to date? +

Filing status: late (last filing 2026-06-24 00:00:00.0000000). CharityCompare flags late or missing accounts separately from the financial score.

Where is BUCKINGHAMSHIRE MUSIC TRUST based? +

BUCKINGHAMSHIRE MUSIC TRUST is listed at HP21 7ST, focused on children & youth.

How does CharityCompare score BUCKINGHAMSHIRE MUSIC TRUST? +

We analyse Charity Commission annual accounts using three-year averages for program expense, fundraising efficiency, and overhead; working capital from reserves vs average expenditure; liabilities-to-assets from the latest balance sheet when available. Impact, leadership, and culture beacons are not yet assessed from public data alone. See our methodology for weights and thresholds.

Does CharityCompare recommend donating to BUCKINGHAMSHIRE MUSIC TRUST? +

No. CharityCompare provides independent scores and facts from official filings. We do not tell you where to donate or earn commission from charities.

How can I compare BUCKINGHAMSHIRE MUSIC TRUST with other charities? +

Use our free compare tool to put BUCKINGHAMSHIRE MUSIC TRUST side-by-side with other UK charities on scores, finances, and filing status.