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THE PORTICO LIBRARY AND NEWSROOM

Charity rating & review

74/100 Clarity Score · 2 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score

Verified · Charity Commission data
74 /100

Clarity score

Needs improvement

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Is THE PORTICO LIBRARY AND NEWSROOM a good charity?

THE PORTICO LIBRARY AND NEWSROOM scores 74/100 (Needs improvement) on our Clarity Score, with 71% 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.

Manchester · M2 3HY Reg 1143639 Registered charity Official website Charity Commission register

Mission

THE PORTICO LIBRARY AND NEWSROOM is a registered charity (no. 1143639) working in animals in Manchester · M2 3HY. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 71% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 4 months of reserves, 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: THE PORTICO LIBRARY AND NEWSROOM scores 74 out of 100 (2 stars). 71% average program spend (3-year average). Review the pillar breakdown below.

Overview

THE PORTICO LIBRARY AND NEWSROOM has a Clarity Score of 74 out of 100 on CharityCompare (2 stars, Needs improvement). Charity Commission registration number 1143639. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Animals. Latest accounts year 2020: total income £518k, with 71% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: late. Reserves: approximately 4 months of operating costs. 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

74/100

2★ · Needs improvement

Cause spend

71%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

48/100

Finance beacon

Income

£518k

Latest year 2020

Reserves

4 mo

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

Late

Check register

£4.8 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 13% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: medium

How THE PORTICO LIBRARY AND NEWSROOM compares

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

Income band (£500k–£1m)74 vs 78 avg

Ranks higher than 36% of 2,157 charities in its income band.

Animals charities74 vs 76 avg

Ranks higher than 42% of 2,982 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.

48/100

Accountability & Transparency metrics for THE PORTICO LIBRARY AND NEWSROOM
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% 12 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies

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

40% 4/10 pts

Financial Health

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

100/100

Financial Health metrics for THE PORTICO LIBRARY AND NEWSROOM
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.

100% 4 months · 15/15 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.

75/100

Financial Efficiency metrics for THE PORTICO LIBRARY AND NEWSROOM
Metric Score Value
Program expense ratio

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

50% 71% · 5/10 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% 17p 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 THE PORTICO LIBRARY AND NEWSROOM
Metric Score Value
Volunteer-to-staff ratio

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

100% 50 volunteers / 10 staff · 10/10 pts

How we calculate beacon scores →

Clarity Score

74/100 total · Needs improvement · 2 of 4 stars

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

48/100
Accountability & Transparency
100/100
Financial Health
75/100
Financial Efficiency
100/100
Community Support

Accountability & Transparency

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

48/100

Filing history (5 years)0/15 pts
Trustee oversight12 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies4/10 pts

Financial Health

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

100/100

Reserves (months of cash)4 months · 15/15 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.

75/100

Program expense ratio71% · 5/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency17p 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 ratio50 volunteers / 10 staff · 10/10 pts

Revenue & expenses

Latest filed year 2020 · Source: Charity Commission annual accounts

THE PORTICO LIBRARY AND NEWSROOM revenue and expenses for 2020
Category Amount % of spend
Total income £518k
Total expenditure £300k
Charitable activities £207k 69%
Fundraising £93k 31%
Governance & admin £38k 13%
69%On charitable activities

Where the money goes

Latest accounts (2020) · £300k spent

  • Charitable activities69%
  • Fundraising31%
  • Governance13%

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)

    12 trustees on the Charity Commission register

  • Workforce on register

    10 employees · 50 volunteers (5:1 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 1143639

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

View on Charity Commission →

Trustees & officers

  • Kathryn Ann Graham since 2018
  • Karen Chancellor since 2022
  • Dr David Christopher Cooper since 2022
  • Kevin Dalton-Johnson since 2022
  • Dr Louisa Jayne Yates since 2022
  • Esther Olivia Lisk-Carew since 2022
  • Paul Deehan since 2024
  • Tam Watson since 2024
  • Alison Louise Pearce since 2024
  • Sarah Elizabeth Lay since 2024
  • Sade Omeje since 2025
  • Susan Catherine Diggines Chair · since 2026
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 £200k £400k £600k £800k 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Income 2020: £518k Spending 2020: £300k Cause spend 2020: £207k Income 2021: £433k Spending 2021: £394k Cause spend 2021: £296k Income 2022: £351k Spending 2022: £443k Cause spend 2022: £332k Income 2023: £413k Spending 2023: £445k Cause spend 2023: £334k Income 2024: £550k Spending 2024: £729k Cause spend 2024: £455k
  • Income
  • Spending
  • Cause spend

Values in £ thousands · Source: Charity Commission accounts

Key facts

Overall score
74/100 (2★)
Income
£518k
Cause spend
71% of expenditure
Reg number
1143639
Scope
Local (manchester)
Reserves
4 months
Trustees
12
Accounts year
2020
Filing
late

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Red flags

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about THE PORTICO LIBRARY AND NEWSROOM's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

What is THE PORTICO LIBRARY AND NEWSROOM's charity rating? +

THE PORTICO LIBRARY AND NEWSROOM scores 74 out of 100 on CharityCompare (2 stars — Needs improvement). 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 THE PORTICO LIBRARY AND NEWSROOM a good charity to donate to? +

THE PORTICO LIBRARY AND NEWSROOM scores 74 out of 100 (2 stars — Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its Charity Commission filings. Around 71% 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 THE PORTICO LIBRARY AND NEWSROOM a legitimate UK charity? +

Yes — THE PORTICO LIBRARY AND NEWSROOM is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales under registration number 1143639. You can verify the entry on the official register.

What is THE PORTICO LIBRARY AND NEWSROOM's Charity Commission registration number? +

THE PORTICO LIBRARY AND NEWSROOM's registration number is 1143639. Official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1143639

How much income does THE PORTICO LIBRARY AND NEWSROOM receive? +

THE PORTICO LIBRARY AND NEWSROOM reported £518k total income in its 2020 accounts, based on Charity Commission filings. Five-year trend: declining.

What percentage of THE PORTICO LIBRARY AND NEWSROOM's spending goes to charitable activities? +

Approximately 71% of total expenditure went to charitable activities in the latest filed year. Fundraising was 13% and combined overhead (fundraising plus governance) was 13%.

Are THE PORTICO LIBRARY AND NEWSROOM'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 THE PORTICO LIBRARY AND NEWSROOM based? +

THE PORTICO LIBRARY AND NEWSROOM is listed at Manchester · M2 3HY, focused on animals.

How does CharityCompare score THE PORTICO LIBRARY AND NEWSROOM? +

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 THE PORTICO LIBRARY AND NEWSROOM? +

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 THE PORTICO LIBRARY AND NEWSROOM with other charities? +

Use our free compare tool to put THE PORTICO LIBRARY AND NEWSROOM side-by-side with other UK charities on scores, finances, and filing status.