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UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON STUDENTS' UNION

Charity rating & review

70/100 Clarity Score · 2 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score

Verified · Charity Commission data
70 /100

Clarity score

Needs improvement

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Is UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON STUDENTS' UNION a good charity?

UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON STUDENTS' UNION scores 70/100 (Needs improvement) on our Clarity Score, with 95% of spending going to charitable activities and accounts up to date. This reflects financial transparency and stewardship from Charity Commission filings — not the real-world impact of its programmes. See the full breakdown.

Birmingham · BN2 4GN Reg 1164033 Registered charity Official website Charity Commission register

Mission

UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON STUDENTS' UNION is a registered charity (no. 1164033) working in children & youth in Birmingham · BN2 4GN. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 95% of spending to charitable activities, and files its annual accounts on time. 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: UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON STUDENTS' UNION scores 70 out of 100 (2 stars). 95% average program spend (3-year average). Review the pillar breakdown below.

Overview

UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON STUDENTS' UNION has a Clarity Score of 70 out of 100 on CharityCompare (2 stars, Needs improvement). Charity Commission registration number 1164033. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Children & youth. Latest accounts year 2021: total income £1.8m, with 95% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. 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

70/100

2★ · Needs improvement

Cause spend

95%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

100/100

Finance beacon

Income

£1.8m

Latest year 2021

Reserves

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

On time

Charity Commission

£22.7 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 10% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high

How UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON STUDENTS' UNION compares

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

Income band (£1m–£5m)70 vs 77 avg

Ranks higher than 30% of 3,014 charities in its income band.

Children & youth charities70 vs 78 avg

Ranks higher than 27% of 3,988 charities in this cause.

Data & confidence

Source
Charity Commission (E&W)
Accounts year
2021
Filing date
2026-06-24 00:00:00.0000000
Profile reviewed
2026-06-25

High confidence — complete filing data

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.

100/100

Accountability & Transparency metrics for UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON STUDENTS' UNION
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 · one or two = 0 pts (governance red flag).

100% 11 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.

33/100

Financial Health metrics for UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON STUDENTS' UNION
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.

0% Not stated · 0/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

100/100

Financial Efficiency metrics for UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON STUDENTS' UNION
Metric Score Value
Program expense ratio

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

100% 95% · 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% 4p 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 UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON STUDENTS' UNION
Metric Score Value
Volunteer-to-staff ratio

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

0% Not reported · 0/10 pts

How we calculate beacon scores →

Clarity Score

70/100 total · Needs improvement · 2 of 4 stars

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

100/100
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.

100/100

Filing history (5 years)15/15 pts
Trustee oversight11 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies10/10 pts

Financial Health

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

33/100

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

Financial Efficiency

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

100/100

Program expense ratio95% · 10/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency4p 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

Revenue & expenses

Latest filed year 2021 · Source: Charity Commission annual accounts

UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON STUDENTS' UNION revenue and expenses for 2021
Category Amount % of spend
Total income £1.8m
Total expenditure £1.7m
Charitable activities £1.7m 97%
Fundraising £44k 3%
Governance & admin £16k 1%
97%On charitable activities

Where the money goes

Latest accounts (2021) · £1.7m spent

  • Charitable activities97%
  • Fundraising3%
  • Governance1%

Trust indicators

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

  • Accounts filed on time

    up to date · last filing 2026-06-24 00:00:00.0000000

  • Trustee board size (3–12)

    11 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 1164033

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

View on Charity Commission →

Trustees & officers

  • Alistair Welham since 2019
  • Jonathan Tindall since 2021
  • Anthony Ononiba since 2024
  • Marie-Christiane Olujohungbe since 2023
  • Osas Obasohan since 2023
  • Talhah Atcha since 2025
  • Debora Sanders since 2025
  • Raizza Rano since 2025
  • Michele Kana since 2025
  • Naomi Spence since 2025
  • Rosie Birch since 2025
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 £700k £1400k £2100k £2800k 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Income 2021: £1,760k Spending 2021: £1,737k Cause spend 2021: £1,694k Income 2022: £2,255k Spending 2022: £2,213k Cause spend 2022: £2,115k Income 2023: £2,733k Spending 2023: £2,626k Cause spend 2023: £2,518k Income 2024: £2,691k Spending 2024: £2,673k Cause spend 2024: £2,552k Income 2025: £2,714k Spending 2025: £2,638k Cause spend 2025: £2,509k
  • Income
  • Spending
  • Cause spend

Values in £ thousands · Source: Charity Commission accounts

Key facts

Overall score
70/100 (2★)
Income
£1.8m
Cause spend
95% of expenditure
Reg number
1164033
Scope
Local (birmingham)
Reserves
Trustees
11
Accounts year
2021
Filing
up to date

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Frequently asked questions

Common questions about UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON STUDENTS' UNION's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

What is UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON STUDENTS' UNION's charity rating? +

UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON STUDENTS' UNION scores 70 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 UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON STUDENTS' UNION a good charity to donate to? +

UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON STUDENTS' UNION scores 70 out of 100 (2 stars — Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its Charity Commission filings. Around 95% 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 UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON STUDENTS' UNION a legitimate UK charity? +

Yes — UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON STUDENTS' UNION is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales under registration number 1164033. You can verify the entry on the official register.

What is UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON STUDENTS' UNION's Charity Commission registration number? +

UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON STUDENTS' UNION's registration number is 1164033. Official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1164033

How much income does UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON STUDENTS' UNION receive? +

UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON STUDENTS' UNION reported £1.8m total income in its 2021 accounts, based on Charity Commission filings. Five-year trend: declining.

What percentage of UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON STUDENTS' UNION's spending goes to charitable activities? +

Approximately 95% of total expenditure went to charitable activities in the latest filed year. Fundraising was 5% and combined overhead (fundraising plus governance) was 10%.

Are UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON STUDENTS' UNION's accounts up to date? +

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

Where is UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON STUDENTS' UNION based? +

UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON STUDENTS' UNION is listed at Birmingham · BN2 4GN, focused on children & youth.

How does CharityCompare score UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON STUDENTS' UNION? +

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 UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON STUDENTS' UNION? +

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 UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON STUDENTS' UNION with other charities? +

Use our free compare tool to put UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON STUDENTS' UNION side-by-side with other UK charities on scores, finances, and filing status.