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Citizens Advice cuts threaten the most vulnerable
Yesterday’s Observer ran an article looking at the pressures faced by Citizens Advice Bureaux currently, with profiles of Cambridge and Mansfield services and the clients that they help.
The government believes more advice should be given over the phone and internet, but these sources of help are also struggling under the weight of demand. In June, the Mansfield CAB’s three telephone operators dealt with 3,000 calls: It sounds a lot, but it represents just 6.7% of those made to the office.
So where will people be able to get help in the future if the CAB service is cut back? One Mansfield client says: “I wouldn’t know where to go. I’ve been on many websites, but the information is rather complicated.”
It’s rather lengthy but well worh reading.
And as everyone knows, it’s an absolute cakewalk trying to establish relevant facts with someone who (normally) knows nothing about the technicalities of benefits and it’s sooo much easier without seeing the documentation. Perhaps we should Tribunals / criminal proceedings on a similar basis?
BBC website reporting that cuts in local government spending have led to fewer people being able to use the services of the Citizens’ Advice Bureax (CAB). The CAB for England and Wales said its local offices suffered an average 10% cut in funding in April. As a result, they have advised 7% fewer people in the four months between April and July than they did a year ago.
The CAB said these cuts were just the beginning and that there was much worse to come. “We are having to cut back on advisers and this means we are cutting back on the number we can see as we operate at pretty much full capacity all the time” explained Mike Dixon, the assistant chief executive of CAB.