There are an impressive 16 charity shops in Havering.1 The charity with the greatest number is St Francis Hospice with three shops.
Rated outstanding by the CQC, Saint Francis Hospice [SFH] provides expert care for people in our community with palliative and end of life care needs.2
SFH’s three shops had sales of £2.6m3 in 2023. This success encouraged them to open a ‘superstore’ in Hornchurch. Additionally, there’s the Loughton Boutique, which is their first shop in west Essex.4 SFH is a retail operator mixing charity with sound business acumen. It has reserves of £17.3m.5 SFH is a significant charity but ‘small’ financially.
Havering Council has tiny reserves,
“£8m of un-earmarked reserves is equivalent to c4% of the Council’s projected 2024/25 net budget of £19.75m [this is an error. It ought to read £197.5m] This is far below the recommended minimum level of reserves and is significantly lower than the average level of un-ring-fenced reserves across London.”6 (my explanation)
Havering’s dire financial position is illustrated by the fact that SFH has reserves twice the size of theirs.
Havering is a compulsory supporter of SFH.7 SFH pays 20% of the business rates due because of a 1988 decision.8 This decision costs Havering tens of thousands of pounds in business rates from the 16 charity shops.9
Havering is a ‘victim’ of a decision made 37 years ago forcing them to reduce the business rates for charity shops by 80%. Charity shops are worthy but there is no chance they’d still be getting a reduction if Havering had a choice.
Notes
1 havering’s charity shops – Search This site includes a map
2 Saint Francis Hospice – Home CQC = Care Quality Commission
3 application-pdf p26
4 loc.cit.
5 ibid. p44
6 5-14 Appendix H – Section 25 Statement of Robustness.pdf para 8:1
7 Charity Relief – Businessrates.uk
8 Business rates—charities and not-for-profit organisations | Legal Guidance | LexisNexis
9 This is a heroic estimate.
Politics in Havering 