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Cabinet
24 September
2025
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Report
By:
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Chief
Operating Officer
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Title
of Report:
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Ashdown Forest
Trust Fund
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Cabinet is
recommended to:
1)
note the report
and the Ashdown Forest’s Trust Income and Expenditure Account
for 2024/25 and Balance Sheet as at 31 March 2025;
and
2)
approve the draw
of £99,200 from the General Reserve to fund a programme of
tree surveys and works across the forest.
1.
Background
1.1.
The
Ashdown Forest Trust, a registered charity, was set out by
declaration of Trust in 1988. East Sussex County Council is the
trustee and agrees grants made to the Ashdown Forest Conservators,
from the Ashdown Forest Trust Fund.
2.
Supporting
Information
2023/24
Accounts
2.1.
Subsequent to the
2023/24 accounts being approved, the independent Examination
process has now been completed in accordance with Section 145 of
the Charities Act 2011.
2.2.
The
Examiner’s report is attached as Appendix 1. It does not
identify any issues that require any further action by the Council
as the trustees.
2024/25 Accounts
2.3.
The Trust’s Income and Expenditure Account and Balance Sheet
are set out in the attached Appendix 2. The Income and Expenditure
Account shows a surplus in 2024/25 of £9,062, as a result of
no legal cost being incurred during the year.
2.4. The main source of income to the
Trust relates to the rent from the Royal Ashdown Golf Club at
£70,000 per annum. The only other income this year was from
bank interest.
2.5. The expenditure mostly relates
to the £65,100 grant paid to the Ashdown Forest Conservators.
The remaining expenditure was for audit fees.
2.6. The accumulative General Reserve
totalled £188,346 at 31 March 2025.
2.7. A formal annual report and
statement of accounts will be compiled in accordance with the
Charity Commission’s Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP)
by the end of January 2026, once the Independent Examiner report
has been received.
General Reserve
2.8.
The General Reserve current balance is £188,346.
2.9.
With the Ashdown Forest Trust Deeds it states in:
·
Clause 3(2), the Trust are “promoting the conservation of
Ashdown Forest as a quiet and natural area of outstanding beauty
and as an amenity and place of last resort for members of the
public”.
·
Clause 7(1)(c), gives the Council power as trustee to permit the
Conservators “to apply any profits rents or other income of
Ashdown (whether collected by the Conservators or paid to the
trustee by the Conservators) in furtherance of the object set out
in clause 3 above and so that the trustee may authorise the
Conservators to determine the manner in which such profits
rents or other income are to be applied in furtherance of the said
object…”
2.10.
The
Conservators have provided the information at Appendix 3, which
highlights a £113,700 programme of tree
surveys and works required across the forest.
2.11.
The
Conservators have already carried out the work defined as very
urgent and urgent, leaving £107,200 outstanding, of which a
further £8,000 will be covered by the Conservator’s
budget.
2.12.
The
Conservators have requested to draw the remaining £99,200
from the General Reserve.
3.
Conclusion and Recommendation
3.1.
The Trust made an operating surplus of £9,062 during 2024/25.
The General Reserve as at 31 March 2025 amounts to £188,346.
This fund is available to finance expenditure which meets the
Trust’s objectives.
3.2.
Cabinet is recommended to note the final accounts for the Ashdown
Forest Trust and approve the allocation of £99,200 from the
General Reserve.
ROS
PARKER
Chief Operating
Officer
Contact Officer:
Andy Fowler
Tel No. 07825
552640
Email:
andy.fowler@eastsussex.gov.uk
LOCAL
MEMBERS
Councillors Roy
Galley, Johanna Howell, Phillip Lunn, and Georgia Taylor