Children & youth · Reg 1189548
THE STUDENTS' UNION AT BU LTD
Charity rating & review
65/100 Clarity Score · 2 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score
Clarity score
Needs improvement
Is THE STUDENTS' UNION AT BU LTD a good charity?
THE STUDENTS' UNION AT BU LTD scores 65/100 (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.
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Mission
THE STUDENTS' UNION AT BU LTD is a registered charity (no. 1189548) working in children & youth in Portsmouth · POOLE. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 71% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 0 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 STUDENTS' UNION AT BU LTD scores 65 out of 100 (2 stars). 71% average program spend (3-year average). Review the pillar breakdown below.
Overview
THE STUDENTS' UNION AT BU LTD has a Clarity Score of 65 out of 100 on CharityCompare (2 stars, Needs improvement). Charity Commission registration number 1189548. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Children & youth. Latest accounts year 2021: total income £2.5m, with 71% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: late. Reserves: approximately 0 months of operating costs. 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, last updated .
Overall score
65/100
2★ · Needs improvement
Cause spend
71%
3-yr avg · charitable activities
Accountability
75/100
Finance beacon
Income
£2.5m
Latest year 2021
Reserves
0 mo
Months of running costs
Accounts filing
Late
Check register
Fundraising efficiency not stated · 1% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: medium
How THE STUDENTS' UNION AT BU LTD compares
Clarity Score benchmarked against similar UK charities — higher is better.
Ranks higher than 22% of 3,014 charities in its income band.
Ranks higher than 19% 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
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.
75/100
| 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. | 33% | 5/15 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
| 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% | 0 months · 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% | 234% · 0/5 pts |
Financial Efficiency
How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.
75/100
| 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% | 0p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average) |
Community Support
Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff.
100/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Volunteer-to-staff ratio More volunteers than paid staff = 10 pts · equal mix = 5 pts · no volunteers = 0 pts. | 100% | 1,854 volunteers / 175 staff · 10/10 pts |
Clarity Score
65/100 total · Needs improvement · 2 of 4 stars
Four pillars (40 + 30 + 20 + 10 points) from Charity Commission filings — see methodology for full weightings.
Accountability & Transparency
Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies.
75/100
Financial Health
Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.
33/100
Financial Efficiency
How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.
75/100
Community Support
Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff.
100/100
Revenue & expenses
Latest filed year 2021 · Source: Charity Commission annual accounts
| Category | Amount | % of spend |
|---|---|---|
| Total income | £2.5m | — |
| Total expenditure | £2.4m | — |
| Charitable activities | £1.9m | 81% |
| Governance & admin | £52k | 2% |
Where the money goes
Latest accounts (2021) · £2.4m spent
- Charitable activities81% · £1.9m
- Governance2% · £52k
- Other spending17% · £416k
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)
11 trustees on the Charity Commission register
-
Workforce on register
175 employees · 1,854 volunteers (11:1 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 1189548
Full trustee list, accounts, and regulatory history on the Charity Commission.
View on Charity Commission →Trustees & officers
- Nicole Thompson since 2022
- Dawn Harvey since 2024
- Aylwin Yafele since 2024
- Steven Hutchings since 2024
- Esther Isaiah since 2024
- Jeffery Godson Ononiwu since 2024
- Alex Caton-Bradley since 2024
- Rob Hayes since 2024
- Victoria Okupevi since 2025
- Oluwasijibomi Fola Akande since 2025
- Anirudh Kuriwal 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.
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
- Income
- Spending
- Cause spend
Values in £ thousands · Source: Charity Commission accounts
Key facts
- Overall score
- 65/100 (2★)
- Income
- £2.5m
- Cause spend
- 71% of expenditure
- Reg number
- 1189548
- Scope
- Local (portsmouth)
- Reserves
- —
- Trustees
- 11
- Accounts year
- 2021
- Filing
- late
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Red flags
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about THE STUDENTS' UNION AT BU LTD's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.
What is THE STUDENTS' UNION AT BU LTD's charity rating? +
THE STUDENTS' UNION AT BU LTD scores 65 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 STUDENTS' UNION AT BU LTD a good charity to donate to? +
THE STUDENTS' UNION AT BU LTD scores 65 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 STUDENTS' UNION AT BU LTD a legitimate UK charity? +
Yes — THE STUDENTS' UNION AT BU LTD is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales under registration number 1189548. You can verify the entry on the official register.
What is THE STUDENTS' UNION AT BU LTD's Charity Commission registration number? +
THE STUDENTS' UNION AT BU LTD's registration number is 1189548. Official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1189548
How much income does THE STUDENTS' UNION AT BU LTD receive? +
THE STUDENTS' UNION AT BU LTD reported £2.5m total income in its 2021 accounts, based on Charity Commission filings. Five-year trend: declining.
What percentage of THE STUDENTS' UNION AT BU LTD's spending goes to charitable activities? +
Approximately 71% of total expenditure went to charitable activities in the latest filed year. Fundraising was 0% and combined overhead (fundraising plus governance) was 1%.
Are THE STUDENTS' UNION AT BU LTD'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 STUDENTS' UNION AT BU LTD based? +
THE STUDENTS' UNION AT BU LTD is listed at Portsmouth · POOLE, focused on children & youth.
How does CharityCompare score THE STUDENTS' UNION AT BU LTD? +
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 STUDENTS' UNION AT BU LTD? +
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 STUDENTS' UNION AT BU LTD with other charities? +
Use our free compare tool to put THE STUDENTS' UNION AT BU LTD side-by-side with other UK charities on scores, finances, and filing status.