Payment Practices Statement

The North of England Zoological Society - Reporting on Payment Practices and Performance Regulations for the 6 months ended 31st December 2024.

This statement is published in accordance with The Reporting on Payment Practices and Performance Regulations. It sets out the payment practices and performance of the North of England Zoological Society (“The Charity”) and its wholly owned subsidiary Chester Zoo Enterprises Limited.

Payment Terms

The Charity’s terms and conditions are published on its website www.chesterzoo.org. They state that it pays suppliers on a net monthly basis. This means suppliers are paid on or before the last working day of the month following the date of a correctly rendered invoice. Suppliers will therefore be paid between a minimum of 28 days and a maximum of 62 days from the date of their invoice. The Charity does not have standard payment terms expressed in a number of days.

If the terms and conditions were changed, suppliers would be notified by email. The Charity aims to maintain strong partnerships with its suppliers and so any disputes are generally resolved by discussion between the key representatives from both parties.

However, if the dispute is unresolved, the Charity reserves the right to appoint legal representation and if necessary to terminate the contract with immediate effect by giving written notice to the supplier. 

Statements of policies and practices

The Charity’s governance arrangements and Code of Conduct include a number of policies and procedures which support a commitment to acting ethically and with integrity in all its business relationships and to implementing effective systems and controls to reduce the risk of poor payment practices and procedures that would negatively impact on any of its suppliers, its commercial relationships and its own reputation.

The Charity’s Procurement Policy sets out its commitment to ensuring that it procures goods and services in a way that is aligned to its mission and achieves value for money, supports
its sustainability goals and follows the Charity’s Code of Conduct with regards to ethics and integrity.

Copies of the Charity’s Procurement Policy can be obtained on request from accounts@chesterzoo.org.

All purchases made by the Charity must be supported by an appropriate purchase order, supply agreement or contract, appropriate to the financial value and level of risk to the Charity. A Scheme of Delegation sets out who can approve a purchase order or sign a contract on behalf of the Charity. 

The Charity’s current financial systems do not currently allow for e-invoicing. Supply chain finance is not required by the Charity and therefore is not available to suppliers.

The Charity does not deduct sums from suppliers to remain on the supplier list. The Charity is not a member of a payment code of conduct. The Charity’s payment practices are transparent, consistent and fair and as a result new suppliers do not generally request any accreditation beyond references from existing suppliers.

External Impacts

The Charity’s purchasing continued to be impacted by the widely documented inflationary issues early in the reporting period that was faced by companies in the UK and extended to other parts of the world. Despite these challenges, the Charity continued to make 88% of payments to its suppliers on the payment terms stated above. This has helped reduce the financial impact on its suppliers and maintain strong commercial relationships. In the period reported, the Charity continued to make discretionary payments to those suppliers requiring assistance with their cash flow where it has been materially impacted by the current economic conditions. As a result, 8% of our payments were made ahead of the stated payment terms.

Statistics on Payment Performance

For the six months ended 31st December 2024

1. The average number of days taken to make payments is 50 days.
2. The percentage of payments made within;
   30 days is 8%
   31-60 days is 80%
   On or after 61 days is 12%
3. The percentage of payments due which were not paid within the payment period
   (agreed terms) was 12%

The Charity will continue to monitor its payment practices and performance. This statement and the practices and policies within, will be reviewed and updated every six months.

 

Elizabeth Carnie - Corporate Director

Jamie Christon - Chief Executive Officer