Citizens Advice Bureaux “under threat” from government cuts

Reports today suggest Citizens Advice Bureaux are under threat from closure, with CAB chief exec Gillian Guy warning of a “real threat to vital funds at a time when demand is increasing, and will continue to increase, as all the financial and social changes come into effect”. He says offices are being shut and staff laid off, and that “hundreds of thousands of people may not be able to get much-needed help next year” because of the cuts of up to 50 per cent that they are facing.

David-Cameron-George-Osborne-smirking Today’s Mirror reports:

“Citizens Advice is losing at least £25million in local authority funding, £30million from the axing of the Financial Inclusion Fund and £3.2million from cuts to legal aid.

“CAB said of the 195 bureaux aware of their fate, almost half are expecting a cut of more than 10%, almost one in five are expecting a cut of more than 20%, and seven centres are expecting cuts of more than 50%. At least two will be forced to close.”

With shadow Cabinet Office Minister Tessa Jowell saying:

“There are not many better examples of the ‘Big Society’’in action – large numbers of volunteers giving their time to help people resolve their legal problems and find a way out of their money worries.

“When they say ‘we’re in this together’, what they mean is ‘it’s your problem now, not ours’.”

Earlier this month, Left Foot Forward reported how the government’s cuts to legal aid would “decimate services for the most vulnerable”, explaining:

“Charities like Citizen’s Advice Bureaux, Law Centres and community charities disproportionately provide support in the areas that are lined up to be cut, or replaced by a new phone line, including 67% of the ‘legal help’ with social welfare issues (debt, housing, benefits and employment advice) which is being removed almost entirely from the scope of legal aid.

“Between 80% and 90% of civil legal aid funding is spent on the poorest fifth of the population, and these cuts would disproportionately affect women, ethnic minorities, and people with disabilities. As an example, people appealing a decision on Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) are 65% more likely to succeed if they are represented in court (see Hansard, col 138), yet this representation will no longer be available under legal aid.”

And that, combined with all the other cuts in this area:

“…half a million fewer people will receive advice and representation funded by legal aid each year. On top of that, the government proposes to make a telephone line the sole point of access for legal aid, only reserving small amounts of face-to-face advice for those cases considered too complex for the phone.

“Overall, these changes, particularly the removal from scope of social welfare advice and representation combined with the expected drastic withdrawal of funding for advice from local authorities, would leave people in vulnerable situations with little recourse to support.”

http://twitter.com/ldtuc/status/32117571650064385 L DTUC

RT @leftfootfwd: Citizens Advice Bureaux "under threat" from government cuts: http://bit.ly/gwBIGe reports @ShamikDas
http://twitter.com/amoammo/status/32121489050308610 Amo

RT @leftfootfwd: Citizens Advice Bureaux "under threat" from government cuts: http://bit.ly/gwBIGe reports @ShamikDas
http://twitter.com/darionahi/status/32123549506342912 Dario Nahi

RT @leftfootfwd: Citizens Advice Bureaux "under threat" from government cuts: http://bit.ly/gwBIGe reports @ShamikDas
http://twitter.com/rob_sculthorpe/status/32123938519646209 Rob Sculthorpe

RT @leftfootfwd: Citizens Advice Bureaux "under threat" from government cuts: http://bit.ly/gwBIGe reports @ShamikDas
http://twitter.com/subaruoflondon/status/32124448295362560 subaruoflondon

RT @leftfootfwd: Citizens Advice Bureaux "under threat" from government cuts: http://bit.ly/gwBIGe reports @ShamikDas
http://twitter.com/slintottuk/status/32126577345036288 Stephen Lintott

Citizens Advice Bureaux "under threat" from government cuts | Left Foot Forward: http://bit.ly/dWD58w via @addthis big society by a..e
http://twitter.com/brokenofbritain/status/32126985459339264 Broken OfBritain

RT @Slintottuk: Citizens Advice Bureaux "under threat" from government cuts | Left Foot Forward: http://bit.ly/dWD58w via @addthis big s …
http://twitter.com/suey2y/status/32127029813972992 Sue Marsh

RT @Slintottuk: Citizens Advice Bureaux "under threat" from government cuts | Left Foot Forward: http://bit.ly/dWD58w via @addthis big s …
http://twitter.com/nhsspy/status/32127093307346944 Watching You

RT @Slintottuk: Citizens Advice Bureaux "under threat" from government cuts | Left Foot Forward: http://bit.ly/dWD58w via @addthis big s …
http://twitter.com/lespn/status/32127337059323904 lespn

Citizens Advice Bureaux “under threat” from government cuts http://ow.ly/1b75xY
http://twitter.com/nickyhutchison/status/32127389873995777 Nikki Hutchison

RT @leftfootfwd: Citizens Advice Bureaux "under threat" from government cuts: http://bit.ly/gwBIGe reports @ShamikDas
http://twitter.com/gwenhwyfaer/status/32128105917194241 gwenhwyfaer

RT @leftfootfwd: Citizens Advice Bureaux "under threat" from government cuts http://bit.ly/fG24C3
http://twitter.com/andysilvester/status/32131891922468864 Andy Silvester

RT @gwenhwyfaer: RT @leftfootfwd: Citizens Advice Bureaux "under threat" from government cuts http://bit.ly/fG24C3 … http://tmi.me/6bsKm
Joanne C

The Birmingham CAB offices already have a closure threat http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-12279218 The work CAB perform is needed now more than ever, another erosion of the ability to hold organisations to account.
http://twitter.com/joanne_connors/status/32136506223108096 Joanne

Citizens Advice Bureaux "under threat" from government cuts | Left Foot Forward: http://bit.ly/dWD58w << Already under threat in bham
http://twitter.com/jblresearch/status/32142943556993025 jblresearch

RT @leftfootfwd: Citizens Advice Bureaux "under threat" from government cuts: http://bit.ly/gwBIGe reports @ShamikDas
http://twitter.com/madoldgoth/status/32143363520069632 Khlari

RT @gwenhwyfaer: RT @leftfootfwd: Citizens Advice Bureaux "under threat" from government cuts http://bit.ly/fG24C3
http://twitter.com/nickbloke/status/32144004107730944 Nick H.

RT @Slintottuk: Citizens Advice Bureaux "under threat" from government cuts | Left Foot Forward: http://bit.ly/dWD58w via @addthis big s …
http://twitter.com/falseecon/status/32145951242067968 False Economy

RT @leftfootfwd: Citizens Advice Bureaux "under threat" from government cuts: http://bit.ly/gwBIGe reports @ShamikDas
http://twitter.com/crimsoncrip/status/32146295204352001 Crimson Crip

RT @FalseEcon: RT @leftfootfwd: Citizens Advice Bureaux "under threat" from government cuts: http://bit.ly/gwBIGe reports @ShamikDas
http://twitter.com/ravensrod/status/32146341681434624 Ferret Dave

RT @FalseEcon: RT @leftfootfwd: Citizens Advice Bureaux "under threat" from government cuts: http://bit.ly/gwBIGe reports @ShamikDas
http://twitter.com/6776823/status/32147396632772609 Martin O’Rourke

RT @FalseEcon: RT @leftfootfwd: Citizens Advice Bureaux "under threat" from government cuts: http://bit.ly/gwBIGe reports @ShamikDas
http://twitter.com/madgemiggins/status/32148064714104832 Sari B

RT @Slintottuk: Citizens Advice Bureaux "under threat" from government cuts | Left Foot Forward: http://bit.ly/dWD58w via @addthis big s …
http://twitter.com/leonora1/status/32148813917458432 Jane Ennis

RT @FalseEcon: RT @leftfootfwd: Citizens Advice Bureaux "under threat" from government cuts: http://bit.ly/gwBIGe reports @ShamikDas
http://twitter.com/techno_peasant/status/32149683858051072 andy

RT @FalseEcon: RT @leftfootfwd: Citizens Advice Bureaux "under threat" from government cuts: http://bit.ly/gwBIGe reports @ShamikDas
http://twitter.com/nickbloke/status/32150961199775745 Nick H.

RT @FalseEcon: RT @leftfootfwd: Citizens Advice Bureaux "under threat" from government cuts: http://bit.ly/gwBIGe reports @ShamikDas
http://twitter.com/migo984/status/32151412213284864 Marie J

RT @FalseEcon: RT @leftfootfwd: Citizens Advice Bureaux "under threat" from government cuts: http://bit.ly/gwBIGe reports @ShamikDas
http://twitter.com/staffsunison/status/32154495303557120 Staffordshire UNISON

RT @FalseEcon: RT @leftfootfwd: Citizens Advice Bureaux "under threat" from government cuts: http://bit.ly/gwBIGe reports @ShamikDas
http://twitter.com/socioblah/status/32154653093265408 Suzanne Newman

RT @FalseEcon: RT @leftfootfwd: Citizens Advice Bureaux "under threat" from government cuts: http://bit.ly/gwBIGe reports @ShamikDas
http://twitter.com/frdragonspouse/status/32155247229018112 Jill Hayward

RT @FalseEcon: RT @leftfootfwd: Citizens Advice Bureaux "under threat" from government cuts: http://bit.ly/gwBIGe reports @ShamikDas
http://twitter.com/subaruoflondon/status/32159361132404736 subaruoflondon

RT @FalseEcon: RT @leftfootfwd: Citizens Advice Bureaux "under threat" from government cuts: http://bit.ly/gwBIGe reports @ShamikDas
http://twitter.com/ur_able/status/32175279011012608 Marsha de Cordova

RT @leftfootfwd: Citizens Advice Bureaux "under threat" from government cuts http://bit.ly/fG24C3
http://twitter.com/biggervoice/status/32182171783405569 Jan Bennett

RT @FalseEcon: RT @leftfootfwd: Citizens Advice Bureaux "under threat" from government cuts: http://bit.ly/gwBIGe reports @ShamikDas
http://twitter.com/pmmrav/status/32184928976244736 Pat Raven

RT @Slintottuk: Citizens Advice Bureaux "under threat" from government cuts | Left Foot Forward: http://bit.ly/dWD58w via @addthis big s …
Mr. Sensible

The government puts a lot of effort in to ramming the ‘Big Society’ down our throtes, and then things like this happen.
http://twitter.com/skeenathon/status/32209501348171777 Roisin McCourt

#Legaladvice centres under threat? http://bit.ly/gwBIGe. If you liked axing legal aid, you'll love this.
http://twitter.com/northantsrec/status/32342947328425985 Northamptonshire REC

Cuts in advice funding will bite the most vulnerable. Really feeling for our friends in the CAB's http://bit.ly/dTUpFf #cuts #inequality
http://dawnwillis.wordpress.com/2011/02/01/as-need-increases-cab-funding-decreases/ As Need Increases, CAB Funding Decreases. « Dawn Willis sharing the News & Views of the Mentally Wealthy

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