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Citizens Advice response to the announcement of the £65m Advice Service Transition Fund

26 October 2012

Responding to the announcement of the £65m Advice Service Transition Fund, Chief Executive of Citizens Advice, Gillian Guy said:

"It's vital that services like Citizens Advice, which support people to get through desperate situations, receive the funding we need to continue our important work.

"By supporting people at the very beginning of a problem, we help them to help themselves and save the state £8 for every £2 invested in advice.

"Demand for our services is through the roof in this period of recession and public service reform. At the same time, we've seen a whopping £350m disappear through cuts to legal aid.

"Bureaux have already responded by building effective partnerships with other local charities and the private sector. We are a long way from plugging the gap left by Legal Aid, but Citizens Advice has a strong history of running highly successful partnerships with a diverse range of organisations and we've recently expanded our telephone advice services with corporate support.

"Access to the Advice Service Transition Fund will open the door to help some Citizens Advice Bureaux continue to innovate and adapt to make sure that people get the advice they need when they need it. The advice sector has been squeezed but Citizens Advice and our 21,500 volunteers will not let people down."

Citizens Advice

Notes to editors

  1. The Citizens Advice service comprises a network of local bureaux, all of which are independent charities, and national charity Citizens Advice. Together we help people resolve their money, legal and other problems by providing information and advice and by influencing policymakers. For more information in England and Wales see www.citizensadvice.org.uk
  2. The advice provided by the Citizens Advice service is free, independent, confidential, and impartial, and available to everyone regardless of race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, religion, age or nationality. For online advice and information see www.adviceguide.org.uk
  3. Citizens Advice Bureaux in England and Wales advised 2.1 million clients on 6.9 million problems from April 2011 to March 2012. For full 2011/2012 service statistics see our quarterly publication Advice trends
  4. Out of 22 national charities, the Citizens Advice service is ranked by the general public as being the most helpful, approachable, professional, informative, effective / cost effective, reputable and accountable (nfpSynergy’s Brand Attributes survey, May 2010).
  5. Most Citizens Advice service staff are trained volunteers, working at around 3,500 service outlets across England and Wales.