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THE LICENSED TRADE CHARITY

Charity rating & review

90/100 Clarity Score · 4 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score

Verified · Charity Commission data
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90 /100

Clarity score

Exceptional

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Is THE LICENSED TRADE CHARITY a good charity?

THE LICENSED TRADE CHARITY scores 90/100 (Exceptional) on our Clarity Score, with 96% 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.

Sheffield · UK-wide · SL5 8DR Reg 230011 Registered charity Official website Charity Commission register

Mission

THE LICENSED TRADE CHARITY is a registered charity (no. 230011) working in animals across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 96% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 18 months of reserves, 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: THE LICENSED TRADE CHARITY scores 90 out of 100 (4 stars). 96% average program spend (3-year average). Filings are up to date with no major concerns.

Overview

THE LICENSED TRADE CHARITY has a Clarity Score of 90 out of 100 on CharityCompare (4 stars, Exceptional). Charity Commission registration number 230011. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Animals. Latest accounts year 2020: total income £22m, with 96% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 18 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

90/100

4★ · Great

Cause spend

96%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

100/100

Finance beacon

Income

£22m

Latest year 2020

Reserves

18 mo

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

On time

Charity Commission

£27.5 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 4% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high

How THE LICENSED TRADE CHARITY compares

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

Income band (£10m+)90 vs 77 avg

Ranks higher than 91% of 1,022 charities in its income band.

Animals charities90 vs 76 avg

Ranks higher than 84% 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

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 THE LICENSED TRADE CHARITY
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% 18 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.

100/100

Financial Health metrics for THE LICENSED TRADE CHARITY
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% 18 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% 22% · 5/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

100/100

Financial Efficiency metrics for THE LICENSED TRADE CHARITY
Metric Score Value
Program expense ratio

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

100% 96% · 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 THE LICENSED TRADE CHARITY
Metric Score Value
Volunteer-to-staff ratio

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

0% 34 volunteers / 325 staff · 0/10 pts

How we calculate beacon scores →

Clarity Score

90/100 total · Exceptional · 4 of 4 stars

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

100/100
Accountability & Transparency
100/100
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 oversight18 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies10/10 pts

Financial Health

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

100/100

Reserves (months of cash)18 months · 15/15 pts
Income stability / growth10/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets22% · 5/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

100/100

Program expense ratio96% · 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 ratio34 volunteers / 325 staff · 0/10 pts

Revenue & expenses

Latest filed year 2020 · Source: Charity Commission annual accounts

THE LICENSED TRADE CHARITY revenue and expenses for 2020
Category Amount % of spend
Total income £22m
Total expenditure £23m
Charitable activities £22m 96%
Fundraising £948k 4%
Governance & admin £47k 0%
96%On charitable activities

Where the money goes

Latest accounts (2020) · £23m spent

  • Charitable activities96%
  • Fundraising4%
  • Governance0%

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)

    18 trustees on the Charity Commission register

  • Workforce on register

    325 employees · 34 volunteers (0:1 volunteer-to-staff)

Fundraising Regulator

Not listed as member

Separate from our financial scores — shows whether the charity follows the Code of Fundraising Practice.

Check Fundraising Regulator →

Official register

Reg 230011

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

View on Charity Commission →

Trustees & officers

  • MRS A KING since 2014
  • PATRICK DUDDY since 2013
  • PETER RAYNSFORD since 2014
  • PAUL WIGHAM since 2015
  • JEREMY PHILLIPS since 2015
  • TOBY BRETT since 2015
  • Tracy Bird since 2016
  • Ludovick Halik Chair · since 2019
  • Trevor Sparks since 2019
  • Michael Clist since 2020
  • George Wishart since 2021
  • Trevor Charles Heyburn since 2023
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 £7500k £15000k £22500k £30000k 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Income 2020: £21,543k Spending 2020: £23,177k Cause spend 2020: £22,229k Income 2021: £23,372k Spending 2021: £22,515k Cause spend 2021: £21,483k Income 2022: £25,077k Spending 2022: £23,640k Cause spend 2022: £22,650k Income 2023: £27,992k Spending 2023: £25,753k Cause spend 2023: £24,752k Income 2024: £29,765k Spending 2024: £27,715k Cause spend 2024: £26,691k
  • Income
  • Spending
  • Cause spend

Values in £ thousands · Source: Charity Commission accounts

Key facts

Overall score
90/100 (4★)
Income
£22m
Cause spend
96% of expenditure
Reg number
230011
Scope
UK-wide
Reserves
18 months
Trustees
18
Accounts year
2020
Filing
up to date

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Frequently asked questions

Common questions about THE LICENSED TRADE CHARITY's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

What is THE LICENSED TRADE CHARITY's charity rating? +

THE LICENSED TRADE CHARITY scores 90 out of 100 on CharityCompare (4 stars — Exceptional). 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 LICENSED TRADE CHARITY a good charity to donate to? +

THE LICENSED TRADE CHARITY scores 90 out of 100 (4 stars — Exceptional) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its Charity Commission filings. Around 96% 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 LICENSED TRADE CHARITY a legitimate UK charity? +

Yes — THE LICENSED TRADE CHARITY is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales under registration number 230011. You can verify the entry on the official register.

What is THE LICENSED TRADE CHARITY's Charity Commission registration number? +

THE LICENSED TRADE CHARITY's registration number is 230011. Official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/230011

How much income does THE LICENSED TRADE CHARITY receive? +

THE LICENSED TRADE CHARITY reported £22m total income in its 2020 accounts, based on Charity Commission filings. Five-year trend: declining.

What percentage of THE LICENSED TRADE CHARITY's spending goes to charitable activities? +

Approximately 96% of total expenditure went to charitable activities in the latest filed year. Fundraising was 4% and combined overhead (fundraising plus governance) was 4%.

Are THE LICENSED TRADE CHARITY'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 THE LICENSED TRADE CHARITY based? +

THE LICENSED TRADE CHARITY is listed at Sheffield · UK-wide · SL5 8DR and operates UK-wide, focused on animals.

How does CharityCompare score THE LICENSED TRADE CHARITY? +

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 LICENSED TRADE CHARITY? +

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 LICENSED TRADE CHARITY with other charities? +

Use our free compare tool to put THE LICENSED TRADE CHARITY side-by-side with other UK charities on scores, finances, and filing status.