Same Circle, Different Bauble: CBO, BWA & the Consortium Christmas Special

🎄 Same Circle, Different Bauble: CBO, BWA & the Consortium Christmas Special ❄️

It’s that magical time of year again.

The lights are twinkling, the mince pies are out, and somewhere in Sandwell another community organisation’s accounts are quietly whispering:

“Haven’t we met before?”

Today’s seasonal guest star is the Confederation of Bangladeshi Organisations (CBO) — an organisation that, once you peel back the festive wrapping, looks remarkably like some old friends we already know.

Different logo.
Different press photos.
Same governance stocking.

Ho ho ho.

🎁 Not Exactly a Stocking Filler

First things first: this is not a tiny “keep-the-kettle-on” charity scraping together spare change.

According to CBO’s 2024/25 accounts, Santa has been busy:

• 🎅 Annual income: £352,464
• 🎄 Total reserves: £772,009
• ❄️ Current assets: £491,375
• 🏠 Fixed assets: £284,327
• 🏢 Freehold property (Carters Green): £250,000

That’s three-quarters of a million pounds tucked neatly under the tree.

This is grown-up money. Which means grown-up questions.

🎅 Surprise! Another Visit from the Sandwell Consortium

Now for the part where the sleigh bells really start ringing.

CBO is listed as an organisational director of Sandwell Consortium CIC.

And wouldn’t you know it — Bangladeshi Women’s Association is also an organisational director there.

What are the chances?

So:

• Same Consortium
• Same governance structure
• Same ecosystem
• Same familiar route by which funding magically travels from “partnership” to “delivery organisation”

It’s like Secret Santa, except everyone seems to already know who they’re buying for.

❄️ The Seasonal Accounting Classic: “Deficit, But Make It Festive”

If you’ve been following along this year, you’ll recognise this old carol.

CBO’s accounts show:

• An operating deficit for the year
• Yet total reserves increased to £772,009
• And designated funds remain safely tucked away

In other words:

“Yes, day-to-day looks tight… but don’t worry — the good china stays locked in the cabinet.”

Perfectly legal.
Perfectly familiar.
Perfectly deserving of an explanation that never quite seems to arrive.

☃️ Nearly Half a Million in “Current Assets”… But Who’s Counting?

Another festive favourite.

CBO reports:

• £491,375 in current assets
• And just £3,693 in short-term creditors

Which raises the age-old Christmas question:

🎶 “Is it cash in the bank, or money that might turn up later if everyone’s been good?” 🎶

Grant receivables are not the same as hard cash — something that only really matters once January arrives and the heating bill does too.

🏗️ Land, Property & Dreams of Retail Cheer

The accounts also reference:

• Property at Carters Green
• Land at Wood Lane
• And language around retail / income-generation ambitions

Because nothing says “community charity” quite like dipping a toe into development and trading.

Again — not wrong.
But once charities start dreaming of commercial elves and income streams, the questions multiply faster than a Boxing Day sale:

• Is this primary purpose trading?
• Ancillary?
• Non-primary with a subsidiary?
• And who exactly is signing off the risk while wearing how many other governance hats?

🎄 Same Tree, Same Decorations

By now the pattern should feel comfortingly familiar.

CBO:

• Sits inside the same Consortium structure as BWA
• Uses remarkably similar accounting strategies
• Holds substantial reserves and assets
• Receives funding routed through the same partnership ecosystem
• And relies on the public simply assuming that all of this is just how things work

And maybe it is.

But when the same decorations keep appearing on different trees, people are allowed to ask whether the box they came from is ever checked.

🎁 Why This Matters (Even at Christmas)

This isn’t about personalities.
It’s not about communities.
And it’s definitely not about cancelling Christmas.

It’s about scale, structure and accountability.

When organisations are:

• Handling hundreds of thousands of pounds
• Holding property and land
• Sitting on multiple boards in the same funding ecosystem
• And singing from the same accounting hymn sheet

…then transparency isn’t a seasonal gift.
It’s the bare minimum.

🎄 Merry Christmas, Sandwell.
🎁 Same circle.
🎁 Different wrapping paper.
🎁 And somehow, the turkey always ends up at the same table.

#Sandwell #CharityGovernance #PublicMoney #SameOldCircle #FestiveFinance #Transparency #FollowTheMoney