Skip to content
CharityCompare

Swindon and District Citizens Advice Bureau

Charity rating & review

89/100 Clarity Score · 4 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score

Verified · Charity Commission data
89 /100

Clarity score

Good

Donate

Quick answer

Is Swindon and District Citizens Advice Bureau a good charity?

Swindon and District Citizens Advice Bureau scores 89/100 (4 stars, Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2025 (£961k total income, 100% of spending on charitable activities). This reflects financial transparency and stewardship on paper — not the real-world impact of its programmes. See the full breakdown.

Swindon · SN1 1QH Reg 1115564 Registered charity Official website Charity Commission register

What does Swindon and District Citizens Advice Bureau do?

Swindon and District Citizens Advice Bureau is a registered charity (no. 1115564) working in legal advice in Swindon · SN1 1QH. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 100% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 6 months of reserves, though its recent accounts were filed late. Reported income has been growing (≈9% a year). 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.

Summarised from public filings — Swindon and District Citizens Advice Bureau hasn't added its own description yet. Work here? Add it free →

In short: SWINDON AND DISTRICT CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU scores 89 out of 100 (4 stars). 100% average program spend (3-year average). Review the pillar breakdown below.

What is Swindon and District Citizens Advice Bureau?

Swindon and District Citizens Advice Bureau has a Clarity Score of 89 out of 100 on CharityCompare (4 stars, Good). Charity Commission registration number 1115564. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Legal advice. Latest accounts year 2025: total income £961k, with 100% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: late. Reserves: approximately 6 months of operating costs. 1 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

89/100

4★ · Good

Cause spend

100%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

75/100

Finance beacon

Income

£961k

Latest year 2025

Reserves

6 mo

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

Late

Check register

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

How does SWINDON AND DISTRICT CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU compare?

Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers SWINDON AND DISTRICT CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU scores higher than.

Income band (£500k–£1m)75thpercentile

Scores higher than 75% of 2,187 charities in its income band · 89/100 vs 79 peer average (marker).

Legal advice charities58thpercentile

Scores higher than 58% of 48 charities in this cause · 89/100 vs 86 peer average (marker).

How reliable is Swindon and District Citizens Advice Bureau's data?

Source
Charity Commission (England & Wales)
Accounts year
2025
Filing date
Profile reviewed

Medium confidence — some data missing or late

Scores reflect the latest annual accounts on the register. Clarity Score measures how clearly the charity accounts for money in those filings — not programme impact.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Sources: Charity Commission for England and Wales, Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator and Charity Commission for Northern Ireland. Open Government Licence v3.0 .

What is Swindon and District Citizens Advice Bureau's Beacon report?

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

Accountability & Transparency

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

75/100

Accountability & Transparency metrics for SWINDON AND DISTRICT CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU
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.

33% 5/15 pts
Trustee oversight

Three or more trustees on the register = 15 pts, scaled down for fewer (governance red flag below three).

100% 6 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies

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

100% 10/10 pts

Financial Health

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

97/100

Financial Health metrics for SWINDON AND DISTRICT CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU
Metric Score Value
Reserves (months of cash)

3–24 months = full marks, tapering on both sides · 0 months or 4+ years (hoarding) = 0 pts.

100% 6 months · 15/15 pts
Income stability / growth

+20% or more over the window = 10 pts · flat = 5 pts · −20% or worse = 0 pts, scaled between.

90% 9/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets

0% liabilities-to-assets = 5 pts, scaling down to 0 pts at 60%+ debt.

100% 2% · 5/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

100/100

Financial Efficiency metrics for SWINDON AND DISTRICT CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU
Metric Score Value
Program expense ratio

90%+ on charitable activities = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 50% or below.

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

≤10p to raise £1 = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 40p or above (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.

100/100

Community Support metrics for SWINDON AND DISTRICT CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU
Metric Score Value
Volunteer-to-staff ratio

Volunteers at 2x staff or more = full marks · no volunteers = 0 pts, scaled between.

100% 55 volunteers / 28 staff · 10/10 pts

How we calculate beacon scores →

What is Swindon and District Citizens Advice Bureau's Clarity Score?

89/100 total · Good · 4 of 5 stars

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

75/100
Accountability & Transparency
97/100
Financial Health
100/100
Financial Efficiency
100/100
Community Support

Accountability & Transparency

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

75/100

Filing history (5 years)5/15 pts
Trustee oversight6 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies10/10 pts

Financial Health

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

97/100

Reserves (months of cash)6 months · 15/15 pts
Income stability / growth9/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets2% · 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.

100/100

Volunteer-to-staff ratio55 volunteers / 28 staff · 10/10 pts

How much does Swindon and District Citizens Advice Bureau raise and spend?

Latest filed year 2025 · Source: Charity Commission filings

SWINDON AND DISTRICT CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU revenue and expenses for 2025
Category Amount % of spend
Total income £961k
Total expenditure £887k
Charitable activities £887k 100%
Governance & admin £8k 1%
100%On charitable activities

Where does the money go?

Latest accounts (2025) · £887k spent

  • Charitable activities100%
  • Governance1%

What trust indicators does Swindon and District Citizens Advice Bureau have?

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)

    6 trustees on the Charity Commission register

  • Workforce on register

    28 employees · 55 volunteers (2:1 volunteer-to-staff)

Fundraising Regulator

Not listed as member

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

Check Fundraising Regulator →

Official register

Reg 1115564

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

View on Charity Commission →

Trustees & officers

  • Matthew Box Chair · since 2017
  • David Langley since 2020
  • Jaginder Bassi Singh since 2023
  • Simon Warren since 2023
  • Christopher Davies since 2025
  • Alison Churchill since 2025
How we score charities +

The Clarity Score is a 100-point rating from UK regulator filings (Charity Commission for England and Wales, OSCR and CCNI). Four pillars — Accountability & Transparency (40), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10) — each scored on a continuous scale, not pass/fail cutoffs. A statutory inquiry sets the score to 0 automatically.

Full methodology →

Accountability & Transparency

Scored from filings

40 points — filing history (15), trustee oversight (15, scaling up to a board of three or more), declared policies (10).

Financial Health

Scored from filings

30 points — reserves (15, full marks 3–24 months, tapering on both sides), income stability (10), liabilities to assets (5, scaling down as debt rises).

Financial Efficiency

Scored from filings

20 points — program expense ratio and fundraising cost, each on a graduated scale (not a single cutoff). Kept at 20% of the total: financial-ratio scoring alone is not a reliable effectiveness signal (see "why not just an overhead ratio?" below).

Community Support

Scored from filings

10 points — volunteer-to-staff ratio from Charity Commission workforce data, scaling continuously up to a 2:1 ratio.

Overall score

Sum of all pillar points. Display stars use the same bands as the labels: 90–100 → 5★ Exceptional; 75–89 → 4★ Good; 60–74 → 3★ Needs improvement; 1–59 → 2★ Poor; 0 → not rated.

How have Swindon and District Citizens Advice Bureau's finances changed over five years?

£0k £300k £600k £900k £1200k 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Income 2021: £678k Spending 2021: £653k Cause spend 2021: £653k Income 2022: £717k Spending 2022: £591k Cause spend 2022: £527k Income 2023: £817k Spending 2023: £737k Cause spend 2023: £737k Income 2024: £968k Spending 2024: £908k Cause spend 2024: £908k Income 2025: £961k Spending 2025: £887k Cause spend 2025: £887k
  • Income
  • Spending
  • Cause spend

Values in £ thousands · Cause spend plotted only when the filing discloses a split · Source: Charity Commission accounts

What are the key facts about Swindon and District Citizens Advice Bureau?

Overall score
89/100 (4★)
Income
£961k
Cause spend
100% of expenditure
Reg number
1115564
Scope
Local (swindon)
Reserves
6 months
Trustees
6
Accounts year
2025
Filing
late

Where SWINDON AND DISTRICT CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU sits

The causes this charity is classified under, and other charities working nearby.

Similar legal advice charities

Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score

How can you share Swindon and District Citizens Advice Bureau's rating?

Share: XLinkedInFacebookBluesky

Opens a printer-friendly view of this profile for Swindon and District Citizens Advice Bureau.

For this charity

How do you add Swindon and District Citizens Advice Bureau's rating to your site?

Free to use — a lightweight HTML badge or an embeddable score widget, each linking back to this independent profile and our methodology.

What red flags does Swindon and District Citizens Advice Bureau have?

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about Swindon and District Citizens Advice Bureau's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

Is Swindon and District Citizens Advice Bureau a good charity? +

Swindon and District Citizens Advice Bureau scores 89 out of 100 (4 stars — Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator 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 Swindon and District Citizens Advice Bureau a legitimate charity? +

Yes — Swindon and District Citizens Advice Bureau is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 1115564). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1115564. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact.

What is Swindon and District Citizens Advice Bureau's charity number? +

Swindon and District Citizens Advice Bureau's charity number is 1115564. Check that number on the official register (Charity Commission, OSCR or CCNI) or this CharityCompare profile before you donate — scammers sometimes reuse real numbers on fake appeals.

What is Swindon and District Citizens Advice Bureau's charity rating? +

Swindon and District Citizens Advice Bureau scores 89 out of 100 on CharityCompare (4 stars — Good). The Clarity Score V1 sums four pillars from UK regulator filings: Accountability & Transparency (40 pts), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10). Stars use the same bands as those labels — 90+ is 5★ Exceptional. It is not an impact ranking.

Does Swindon and District Citizens Advice Bureau have reviews and complaints? +

CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for Swindon and District Citizens Advice Bureau. Instead you get a filing-based Clarity Score, cause spend, reserves and red flags such as late accounts (1 filing concern(s) noted on this profile). For formal complaints about a charity, contact the Charity Commission, OSCR, CCNI or the Fundraising Regulator as appropriate.

How much of my donation reaches Swindon and District Citizens Advice Bureau? +

According to its 2025 regulator filing, 100% of Swindon and District Citizens Advice Bureau's total spending went to charitable activities (3-yr avg across disclosed years). That is the closest official figure to "how much of your donation reaches the cause" — it is an average across all spending in the filing, not a pound-by-pound breakdown of an individual gift.

What are Swindon and District Citizens Advice Bureau's overheads? +

According to its 2025 regulator filing, combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 0% of total expenditure at Swindon and District Citizens Advice Bureau. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what Swindon and District Citizens Advice Bureau's chief executive is paid — where disclosure rules apply, senior pay appears in the trustees' annual report on the Charity Commission register.

How much income does Swindon and District Citizens Advice Bureau receive? +

Swindon and District Citizens Advice Bureau reported £961k total income in its 2025 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: growing.

Are Swindon and District Citizens Advice Bureau's accounts up to date? +

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

Where is Swindon and District Citizens Advice Bureau based? +

Swindon and District Citizens Advice Bureau is listed at Swindon · SN1 1QH, focused on legal advice.

How does CharityCompare score Swindon and District Citizens Advice Bureau? +

We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in Swindon and District Citizens Advice Bureau's regulator filings: Accountability & Transparency (40 points — filing history, trustees, policies), Financial Health (30 — reserves, income trend, debt), Financial Efficiency (20 — cause spend and fundraising cost, on a graduated scale) and Community Support (10 — volunteer-to-staff ratio). An open statutory inquiry scores 0. The score measures reporting on paper, not programme impact. CharityCompare is free for donors, takes no commission on donations, and scores cannot be bought.

How often is this page updated? +

This profile was last updated on 17 July 2026 from the latest UK regulator data available to CharityCompare, and Swindon and District Citizens Advice Bureau's most recent accounts cover 2025. Scores and figures refresh whenever we re-ingest the register, so the page reflects our latest data pull rather than a one-off review.