---
title: "The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic S… rating | CharityCompare"
description: "The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society scores 56/100 (Poor). Latest accounts 2025: income £13m · 70% on charitable activities. Reg 230538."
source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-royal-liverpool-philharmonic-society
retrieved: 2026-08-18T04:55:24.299Z
license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0"
---

Quick answer

## Is The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society a good charity?

The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society scores 56/100 (2 stars, Poor) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2025 (£13m total income, 70% 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.

Liverpool · UK-wide · L1 9BP |
Reg [230538](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-royal-liverpool-philharmonic-society) | Registered charity | [Official website](https://www.liverpoolphil.com/) | [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/230538)

Donate

## How can you give to THE ROYAL LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY?

You leave CharityCompare to complete a donation on the official THE ROYAL LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY form. We do not process payments or take commission. Opens their official online donation form.

[Donate](https://www.liverpoolphil.com/?utm_source=charitycompare&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=donate&utm_content=230538)

## What does The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society do?

The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society is a registered charity (no. 230538) working in arts & culture across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 70% of spending to charitable activities, and files its annual accounts on time. Reported income has been growing (≈10% 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 Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society hasn't added its own description yet. [Work here? Add it free →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/claim?charity=the-royal-liverpool-philharmonic-society)

**In short:** THE ROYAL LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY scores 56 out of 100 (2 stars). 70% average program spend (3-year average). Review the pillar breakdown below.

## What is The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society?

The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society has a Clarity Score of 56 out of 100 on CharityCompare (2 stars, Poor). Charity Commission registration number 230538. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Arts & culture. Latest accounts year 2025: total income £13m, with 70% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. 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](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/), last updated 17 July 2026.

Overall score

56/100

2★ · Poor

Cause spend

70%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

100/100

Finance beacon

Income

£13m

Latest year 2025

Reserves

—

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

On time

Charity Commission

£2.9 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) ·
34% overhead · Website on register ·
Confidence: high

## How does THE ROYAL LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY compare?

Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers THE ROYAL LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY scores higher than.

Income band (£10m+)6thpercentile

**Scores higher than 6% of 943 charities in its income band** · 56/100 vs 77 peer average (marker).

Arts & culture charities8thpercentile

**Scores higher than 8% of 624 charities in this cause** · 56/100 vs 76 peer average (marker).

## How reliable is The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society's data?

Source

Charity Commission (England & Wales)

Accounts year

2025

Filing date

24 June 2026

Profile reviewed

17 July 2026

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](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/),
[Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator](https://www.oscr.org.uk/) and
[Charity Commission for Northern Ireland](https://www.charitycommissionni.org.uk/).
[Open Government Licence v3.0](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/).

## What is The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society'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.

100/100
| 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% | 10 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.

30/100
| 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% | Not stated · 0/15 pts |
| Income stability / growth +20% or more over the window = 10 pts · flat = 5 pts · −20% or worse = 0 pts, scaled between. | 60% | 6/10 pts · 3-year average |
| Liabilities to assets 0% liabilities-to-assets = 5 pts, scaling down to 0 pts at 60%+ debt. | 60% | 25% · 3/5 pts |

### Financial Efficiency

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

35/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Program expense ratio 90%+ on charitable activities = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 50% or below. | 50% | 70% · 5/10 pts (3-year average) |
| Fundraising efficiency ≤10p to raise £1 = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 40p or above (fundraising cost ÷ income). | 20% | 35p per £1 income · 2/10 pts (3-year average) |

### Community Support

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

0/100
| 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 →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology)

## What is The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society's Clarity Score?

56/100 total · Poor · 2 of 5 stars

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

100/100

Accountability & Transparency

30/100

Financial Health

35/100

Financial Efficiency

0/100

Community Support

### Accountability & Transparency

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

100/100

Filing history (5 years)15/15 pts

Trustee oversight10 trustees · 15/15 pts

Declared policies10/10 pts

### Financial Health

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

30/100

Reserves (months of cash)Not stated · 0/15 pts

Income stability / growth6/10 pts · 3-year average

Liabilities to assets25% · 3/5 pts

### Financial Efficiency

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

35/100

Program expense ratio70% · 5/10 pts (3-year average)

Fundraising efficiency35p per £1 income · 2/10 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 Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society raise and spend?

Latest filed year 2025 · Source: Charity Commission filings
| Category | Amount | % of spend |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Total income | £13m | — |
| Total expenditure | £15m | — |
| Charitable activities | £10m | 70% |
| Fundraising | £4.5m | 30% |
| Governance & admin | £116k | 1% |

70%On charitable activities

## Where does the money go?

Latest accounts (2025) · £15m spent

- Charitable activities70% · £10m
- Fundraising30% · £4.5m
- Governance1% · £116k

## What trust indicators does The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society have?

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

- ✓ Accounts filed on time

up to date · last filing 24 June 2026

- ✓ Trustee board size (3–12)

10 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 →](https://www.fundraisingregulator.org.uk/members/)

Official register

Reg 230538

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

[View on Charity Commission →](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/230538)

### Trustees & officers

- Sameeta Joanne Gahir since 2020
- Louise Claire Shepherd Chair · since 2022
- Stephen Raymond Gregory since 2022
- Bryan Johnson since 2022
- Olga Smolen since 2023
- David Richard Lloyd since 2024
- Jernice Jodie Easthope since 2024
- Thomas William Lewis since 2024
- vanessa Caroline Reed since 2025
- Matthew Cooke since 2024

100
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 →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/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 Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society's finances changed over five years?

- 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 Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society?

Overall score

56/100 (2★)

Income

£13m

Cause spend

70% of expenditure

Reg number

230538

Scope

UK-wide

Reserves

—

Trustees

10

Accounts year

2025

Filing

up to date

## How does THE ROYAL LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY compare, and where else can you look?

[Compare THE ROYAL LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY with others](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities?ids=the-royal-liverpool-philharmonic-society) [More arts & culture charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/arts) [How we score charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology)

### Where THE ROYAL LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY sits

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

- [arts charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/arts)
- [children charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/children)
- [elderly charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/elderly)
- [disability charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/disability)
- [Charities in Liverpool](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/cities/liverpool)

### Similar arts & culture charities

Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score

- [HACKNEY QUEST](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/hackney-quest) 100/100 · £827k
- [COMMON WEALTH THEATRE LIMITED](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/common-wealth-theatre-limited) 100/100 · £760k
- [PALLANT HOUSE GALLERY](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/pallant-house-gallery) 99/100 · £3.0m
- [CREATE (ARTS) LIMITED](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/create-arts-limited) 99/100 · £1.6m

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## What red flags does The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society have?

## Frequently asked questions

Common questions about The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

Is The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society a good charity? + The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society scores 56 out of 100 (2 stars — Poor) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 70% 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 Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society a legitimate charity? + Yes — The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 230538). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/230538. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact.

What is The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society's charity number? + The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society's charity number is 230538. 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 Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society's charity rating? + The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society scores 56 out of 100 on CharityCompare (2 stars — Poor). 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 Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society have reviews and complaints? + CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society. 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 The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, 70% of The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society'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 Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society's overheads? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 30% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 34% of total expenditure at The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society'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 Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society receive? + The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society reported £13m total income in its 2025 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: growing.

Are The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society'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 Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society based? + The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society is listed at Liverpool · UK-wide · L1 9BP and operates UK-wide, focused on arts & culture.

How does CharityCompare score The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society? + We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society'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 Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society'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.