Their own payment-practices filing · gov.uk
North of England Zoological Society (The) pays suppliers in 54 days on average — within its stated 28–62 day terms
Their H1 2026 filing puts the average 26 days past the shortest term they state (28 days), still within their 62-day upper term.
- Their stated terms
- 28–62 days
- Paid outside agreed terms
- 19% of invoices
- Paid after 61+ days
- 19%
- Reporting period
- 1 Jan 2026 – 30 Jun 2026
- Source
- their gov.uk filing, filed 29 Jul 2026
Self-reported figures from their statutory filing. How this is compiled.
Terms vs reality · their H1 2026 filing
Paid within their stated range — 54 against 28–62 days
Where their invoices landed · share of all invoices
The pattern · last 6 of 17 reports
48 → 54 days — slowing down
The read · computed from their figures
North of England Zoological Society (The)'s H1 2026 filing puts their average at 54 days against stated terms of 28–62 days; 19% of invoices were paid outside agreed terms and 19% took 61 days or longer. Filed 29 Jul 2026.
The direction is slower: from 48 days in H2 2023 to 54 now — 6 days slower across their last 6 reports.
On the latest reported averages: Slower than 95% of the 73 large companies reporting in arts & entertainment.
That is 17 statutory periods on record (earliest H1 2018) — a historical record, not a promise for a new invoice.
In their own words · from the filing
Standard 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.
Dispute resolution
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.
Every statutory report on record
Most recent first.
| Period | Avg days | Outside terms | 61+ days | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| H1 2026 | 54 | 19% | 19% | 29 Jul 2026 |
| H2 2025 | 58 | 27% | 27% | 30 Jan 2026 |
| H1 2025 | 50 | 15% | 15% | 22 Jul 2025 |
| H2 2024 | 50 | 12% | 12% | 30 Jan 2025 |
| H1 2024 | 48 | 11% | 11% | 23 Jul 2024 |
| H2 2023 | 48 | 11% | 11% | 26 Jan 2024 |
| H1 2023 | 46 | 10% | 10% | 20 Jul 2023 |
| H2 2022 | 44 | 6% | 6% | 16 Jan 2023 |
| H1 2022 | 45 | 5% | 5% | 28 Jul 2022 |
| H2 2021 | 46 | 6% | 6% | 27 Jan 2022 |
| H1 2021 | 47 | 9% | 9% | 29 Jul 2021 |
| H2 2020 | 50 | 11% | 11% | 27 Jan 2021 |
| H1 2020 | 49 | 11% | 11% | 31 Jul 2020 |
| H2 2019 | 46 | 7% | 7% | 3 Feb 2020 |
| H1 2019 | 49 | 8% | 8% | 22 Jul 2019 |
| H2 2018 | 49 | 8% | 8% | 1 Feb 2019 |
| H1 2018 | 45 | 7% | 7% | 16 Aug 2018 |
On the public register · Companies House
Company record
- Status
- Active
- Type
- PRI/LTD BY GUAR/NSC (Private, limited by guarantee, no share capital)
- Incorporated
- 9 May 1934
- Registered office
- CEDAR HOUSE, ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS, UPTON-BY-CHESTER, CH2 1LH
Illustrative · working-capital arithmetic
What a 54-day cycle ties up
A worked example, not a finding. On a hypothetical £12k/month account, at a 54-day vs a 28-day payment cycle.
Late Payment Act. The Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 lets a supplier charge statutory interest and fixed compensation on invoices paid past agreed terms. Work out what a late invoice is worth → Whether it applies depends on your contract — check with an adviser.
Quick answers · North of England Zoological Society (The)
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How UK payment reporting works
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Is this official government data?
How this is compiled. Built from official records only: Companies House and the gov.uk payment-practices service. The payment figures are self-reported — companies over the size threshold must file them by law and the board signs them off. No credit-agency data. The numbers are theirs; the plain-English read is ours. This is information compiled from public records under the Open Government Licence v3.0 — not a credit rating and not advice.
The 31-day comparison figure is the median across 6,104 companies with a current statutory report — every sector pooled, not an average of sector medians (how the figure is built).
Report PL-00287902 · latest period to 30 Jun 2026
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