LIBRARIES UNLIMITED SOUTH WEST
ActiveKey figures
† LIBRARIES UNLIMITED SOUTH WEST filed these accounts on paper, so Companies House publishes them only as a scanned image. The figures for the years marked † were read automatically from the scan and kept only where the statements add up (for example net assets equal total equity), but a reading error is still possible — check the original accounts at Companies House.
Ratios
2025/26Sector comparison
SIC 91011Where the company stands among the 238 active companies whose first SIC code is 91011 (Library activities).
- THE WORDSWORTH TRUST£21.5m
- TYNDALE HOUSE AND INSTITUTE£20.3m
- ROYAL PHILATELIC SOCIETY LONDON£16.9m
- THE POLISH INSTITUTE AND SIKORSKI MUSEUM£11.2m
- TRAMWAY MUSEUM SOCIETY(THE)£5.6m
- GREAT WESTERN SOCIETY LIMITED£5.3m
- UV&S LTD£5m
- LIBRARIES UNLIMITED SOUTH WEST£3.2m
- THE GERALD COKE HANDEL FOUNDATION£3m
- LISTENING BOOKS£2.4m
Positions are approximate. Figures come from each company's latest accounts; money and employee figures are compared only with companies that filed accounts in pounds for a period ending in the last two and a half years and are not dormant, so those groups are smaller than 238. The line on each bar marks the median.
Summary: LIBRARIES UNLIMITED SOUTH WEST
What kind of company is it?
LIBRARIES UNLIMITED SOUTH WEST is a private company limited by guarantee registered with Companies House under company number 09822597. It was incorporated on 13 Oct 2015. Its status is active. The registered office is in Exeter (EX4). Its nature of business (SIC 2007) is library activities (91011).
How is the company doing financially?
The latest accounts in the database are for 2025/26 (period ending 31 Mar 2026); the company files small company accounts. Turnover was £9,838,477. Net assets were £3,224,340. Cash at bank and in hand was £2,812,968. Total assets were £4,317,318 and total liabilities £1,092,978. The company had an average of 168 employees.
How does it compare with similar companies?
Compared with 238 active companies whose first SIC code is 91011: By net assets it ranks higher than 92% of them (median £25,073). By total assets it ranks higher than 93% of them (median £54,655). By cash it ranks higher than 95% of them (median £39,901). By number of employees it ranks higher than 97% of them (median 0). It is younger than 65% of them (median age 14.5 years).
Does it supply the public sector?
The company is named as a supplier in 3 public contract award notices from 2 public sector buyers since 2017. Contracts awarded to it alone have a combined published value of £8m. Its most frequent buyer is TORBAY COUNCIL (2 contracts). 2 of the awards are shared with other suppliers, typically framework agreements. It is recorded as the recipient of 3 central government grants worth £525.4k, from Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport.
What do public registers and reports show?
It is a registered charity (number 1170092) with a latest reported income of £9.4m. Its gender pay gap report for 2025/26 shows no gap in median hourly pay.
When are its next filings due?
The next accounts are due by 31 Dec 2027. The next confirmation statement is due by 4 Nov 2026.
Filed accounts2025/26
| 2025/26 † | |
|---|---|
| Turnover | 9,838,477 |
| Cash at bank and in hand | 2,812,968 |
| Total assets | 4,317,318 |
| Total liabilities | 1,092,978 |
| Net assets / total equity | 3,224,340 |
| Average number of employees | 168 |
A dash (—) means no accounts were filed for that year or the item is not in the accounts; 0 is a zero stated in the accounts. Small companies usually file only a balance sheet, so the profit and loss account is often missing.
Public contracts
3 contractsLIBRARIES UNLIMITED SOUTH WEST is named as a supplier in 3 public contract award notices from 2 public sector buyers since 2017. The 1 contract awarded to it alone with a published value add up to £8m. 2 awards are shared with other suppliers and not counted in that total.
- TORBAY COUNCIL
- 2 contracts · £8m
- Devon County Council
- 1 contract
- CP2243-23 Business Support Framework 2023‡Devon County Council · shared by 15 suppliers, up to £6,000,000 in total
- Holiday Activities and Food Programme (HAF) 2024TORBAY COUNCIL · shared by 12 suppliers, up to £500,000 in total
- Torbay Library ServicesTorbay Council · £8,000,000 · runs until Mar 2028
From contract award notices on Contracts Finder (since 2016) and Find a Tender (since 2021), published by the Cabinet Office under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Values are as published by the buyer and usually cover the whole contract term; the total leaves out awards shared between several suppliers, where the published figure is a ceiling for all of them, placeholder values and single figures of £1 billion or more. Notices marked ‡ do not state a company number and were linked by an exact match on the registered name. Contracts below the publication thresholds and those of devolved buyers that publish elsewhere are not included.
Government grants
3 grantsLIBRARIES UNLIMITED SOUTH WEST is recorded as the recipient of 3 central government grants since 2017, together worth £525.4k.
- National Portfolio OrganisationsDepartment for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport · £175,123
- NPO BidDepartment for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport · £175,123 · ALB - Arts Council England - National Portfolio Organisations
- National Portfolio OrganisationsDepartment for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport · £175,123
From the Government Grants Register published by the Cabinet Office (financial years 2016/17 onwards, Open Government Licence v3.0). It covers grants from central government departments and their agencies where the register states the recipient's company number and the recipient name matches this company; grants from local authorities, lottery distributors and devolved governments are not included.
Statutory reporting
- Median hourly pay
- no gap
- Mean hourly pay
- women 14.9% lower
- Employer size
- 250 to 499 employees
Earlier years (7)
- Year
- Median hourly pay
- Mean hourly pay
- 2024/25
- no gap
- women 16.9% lower
- 2023/24
- women 5.8% lower
- women 16.9% lower
- 2022/23
- women 8.5% lower
- women 16.3% lower
- 2021/22
- women 2.2% lower
- women 16% lower
- 2020/21
- women 4.2% lower
- women 14.8% lower
- 2018/19
- women 2% lower
- women 11% lower
- 2017/18
- women 9.3% lower
- women 13% lower
A positive gap means women's average hourly pay is lower than men's across the whole employer; it is not a comparison of pay for the same work. View on the Gender pay gap service
Figures the company reported itself to the government's Check payment practices service, Gender pay gap service and Modern slavery statement registry (Open Government Licence v3.0). Only large companies and employers with 250 or more staff have to report, so most companies have nothing here.
Registers and licences
- Registered with the Charity Commission
- 9 Nov 2016
- Income, year to 31 Mar 2025
- £9.4m
- Spending
- £9.7m
Promoting and encouraging a love of reading.Providing free access to information.Inspiring people of all ages to learn, imagine, create, succeed.Guiding and supporting people to explore and connect to the wider world.Offering a welcoming space to meet, socialise, learn, read and enjoy new experienc…
Sources: Charity Commission for England and Wales, Care Quality Commission, Home Office and HM Revenue & Customs, under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
History
2 events- Financial year 2025/26 endedAccounts: turnover £9.8m, net assets £3.2m, 168 employees
- Company incorporatedPrivate company limited by guarantee
Dates as recorded at Companies House: incorporation, name changes, officer appointments and resignations, current persons with significant control, and the end of each financial year with figures in the database. Former persons with significant control are not listed.