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The Archbishops' Council

Charity rating & review

67/100 Clarity Score · 3 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score

Verified · Charity Commission data
67 /100

Clarity score

Needs improvement

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Quick answer

Is The Archbishops' Council a good charity?

The Archbishops' Council scores 67/100 (3 stars, Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2024 (£236m 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.

London · UK-wide · SW1P 3AZ Reg 1074857 Registered charity Official website Charity Commission register

What does The Archbishops' Council do?

The Archbishops' Council is a registered charity (no. 1074857) working in poverty relief across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 100% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 0 months of reserves, and files its annual accounts on time. Reported income has been growing (≈13% 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 — The Archbishops' Council hasn't added its own description yet. Work here? Add it free →

In short: THE ARCHBISHOPS' COUNCIL scores 67 out of 100 (3 stars). 100% average program spend (3-year average). Review the pillar breakdown below.

What is The Archbishops' Council?

The Archbishops' Council has a Clarity Score of 67 out of 100 on CharityCompare (3 stars, Needs improvement). Charity Commission registration number 1074857. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Poverty relief. Latest accounts year 2024: total income £236m, with 100% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 0 months of operating costs. No major red flags from our filing review. Scores are independent and based on official filings — not a donation recommendation.

Data from Charity Commission register, last updated .

Overall score

67/100

3★ · Needs improvement

Cause spend

100%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

93/100

Finance beacon

Income

£236m

Latest year 2024

Reserves

0 mo

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

On time

Charity Commission

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

How does THE ARCHBISHOPS' COUNCIL compare?

Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers THE ARCHBISHOPS' COUNCIL scores higher than.

Income band (£10m+)18thpercentile

Scores higher than 18% of 943 charities in its income band · 67/100 vs 77 peer average (marker).

Poverty relief charities20thpercentile

Scores higher than 20% of 1,502 charities in this cause · 67/100 vs 78 peer average (marker).

How reliable is The Archbishops' Council's data?

Source
Charity Commission (England & Wales)
Accounts year
2024
Filing date
Profile reviewed

High confidence — complete filing data

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 The Archbishops' Council'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.

93/100

Accountability & Transparency metrics for THE ARCHBISHOPS' COUNCIL
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.

100% 15/15 pts
Trustee oversight

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

100% 18 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.

33/100

Financial Health metrics for THE ARCHBISHOPS' COUNCIL
Metric Score Value
Reserves (months of cash)

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

0% 0 months · 0/15 pts
Income stability / growth

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

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

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

0% 79% · 0/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

100/100

Financial Efficiency metrics for THE ARCHBISHOPS' COUNCIL
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.

0/100

Community Support metrics for THE ARCHBISHOPS' COUNCIL
Metric Score Value
Volunteer-to-staff ratio

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

0% Not reported · 0/10 pts

How we calculate beacon scores →

What is The Archbishops' Council's Clarity Score?

67/100 total · Needs improvement · 3 of 5 stars

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

93/100
Accountability & Transparency
33/100
Financial Health
100/100
Financial Efficiency
0/100
Community Support

Accountability & Transparency

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

93/100

Filing history (5 years)15/15 pts
Trustee oversight18 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies7/10 pts

Financial Health

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

33/100

Reserves (months of cash)0 months · 0/15 pts
Income stability / growth10/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets79% · 0/5 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 ratioNot reported · 0/10 pts

How much does The Archbishops' Council raise and spend?

Latest filed year 2024 · Source: Charity Commission filings

THE ARCHBISHOPS' COUNCIL revenue and expenses for 2024
Category Amount % of spend
Total income £236m
Total expenditure £229m
Charitable activities £229m 100%
Governance & admin £299k 0%
100%On charitable activities

Where does the money go?

Latest accounts (2024) · £229m spent

  • Charitable activities100%
  • Governance0%

What trust indicators does The Archbishops' Council have?

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

  • Accounts filed on time

    up to date · last filing

  • Trustee board size (3–12)

    18 trustees on the Charity Commission register

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 1074857

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

View on Charity Commission →

Trustees & officers

  • Canon Dr JAMES HERBERT HARRISON since 2015
  • Canon MARK SHEARD since 2017
  • Most Revd and Rt Hon Stephen Geoffrey Cottrell since 2020
  • Canon Alison Coulter since 2020
  • Revd Canon Kate Wharton since 2020
  • Alan Nigel Smith since 2021
  • The Venerable Luke Jonathan Miller since 2020
  • Carl David Hughes since 2023
  • The Venerable Dr Miranda Threlfall-Holmes since 2023
  • Dr Rachel Margaret Elizabeth Jepson since 2020
  • Joseph Diwakar since 2019
  • THE RT REVD DR MARK SIMON AUSTIN TANNER since 2022
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 The Archbishops' Council's finances changed over five years?

£0k £59000k £118000k £177000k £236000k 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Income 2020: £146,473k Spending 2020: £148,271k Cause spend 2020: £148,271k Income 2021: £128,092k Spending 2021: £128,743k Cause spend 2021: £128,743k Income 2022: £153,231k Spending 2022: £152,489k Cause spend 2022: £152,489k Income 2023: £186,037k Spending 2023: £182,447k Cause spend 2023: £182,447k Income 2024: £235,636k Spending 2024: £229,408k Cause spend 2024: £229,408k
  • 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 The Archbishops' Council?

Overall score
67/100 (3★)
Income
£236m
Cause spend
100% of expenditure
Reg number
1074857
Scope
UK-wide
Reserves
0 months
Trustees
18
Accounts year
2024
Filing
up to date

Where THE ARCHBISHOPS' COUNCIL sits

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

Similar poverty relief charities

Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score

How can you share The Archbishops' Council's rating?

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How do you add The Archbishops' Council's rating to your site?

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Frequently asked questions

Common questions about The Archbishops' Council's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

Is The Archbishops' Council a good charity? +

The Archbishops' Council scores 67 out of 100 (3 stars — Needs improvement) 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 up to date. 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 The Archbishops' Council a legitimate charity? +

Yes — The Archbishops' Council is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 1074857). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1074857. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact.

What is The Archbishops' Council's charity number? +

The Archbishops' Council's charity number is 1074857. 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 The Archbishops' Council's charity rating? +

The Archbishops' Council scores 67 out of 100 on CharityCompare (3 stars — Needs improvement). 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 The Archbishops' Council have reviews and complaints? +

CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for The Archbishops' Council. Instead you get a filing-based Clarity Score, cause spend, reserves and red flags such as late accounts. For formal complaints about a charity, contact the Charity Commission, OSCR, CCNI or the Fundraising Regulator as appropriate.

How much of my donation reaches The Archbishops' Council? +

According to its 2024 regulator filing, 100% of The Archbishops' Council'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 The Archbishops' Council's overheads? +

According to its 2024 regulator filing, combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 0% of total expenditure at The Archbishops' Council. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what The Archbishops' Council'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 The Archbishops' Council receive? +

The Archbishops' Council reported £236m total income in its 2024 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: growing.

Are The Archbishops' Council's accounts up to date? +

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

Where is The Archbishops' Council based? +

The Archbishops' Council is listed at London · UK-wide · SW1P 3AZ and operates UK-wide, focused on poverty relief.

How does CharityCompare score The Archbishops' Council? +

We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in The Archbishops' Council'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 The Archbishops' Council's most recent accounts cover 2024. Scores and figures refresh whenever we re-ingest the register, so the page reflects our latest data pull rather than a one-off review.