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New Director of Policy and Advocacy at Citizens Advice

27 October 2015

Citizens Advice has appointed James Plunkett as its new Director of Policy and Advocacy.

James takes on the role after successfully heading up the charity's Consumer Policy and Campaigns team. Prior to this he was Director of Policy at the Resolution Foundation and previously worked at number 10.

The Policy Directorate at Citizens Advice covers the organisation's role representing consumers in the energy and postal markets as well as its influential policy work under the themes of families, welfare and work; consumer policy, debt and financial planning; and citizenship and democracy.

Chief Executive Gillian Guy said:

"Each year Citizens Advice helps millions of people to find a way forward.

“For two in three of our clients we are able to solve their problem outright but, for the others, there are often more systematic issues which stand in the way of resolving an issues. That's why our policy work is so important. By showing government, businesses and local authorities the challenges people are facing, and proposing workable fixes, we can stop problems in their tracks and prevent more people from experiencing them in future."

Director of Policy and Advocacy James Plunkett said:

"I'm incredibly proud to work alongside the fantastic policy and campaigns staff from across the Citizens Advice service.

"Citizens Advice has a long history of helping people overcome problems in their lives and, in our policy work, we take insights from these conversations to fix the root causes of these problems. From payday loans to PPI to our work representing consumers in regulated markets, our unrivaled data and our understanding of how markets work makes us a uniquely influential organisation.

“As our evidence becomes ever more sophisticated, we can solve problems earlier, spotting everything from new risks in the jobs market to consumer rip-offs before they escalate. I can't wait to see how we can use these tools to be an even more effective voice on behalf of our clients and consumers."

Earlier this month Citizens Advice was named Charity of the Year by Charity Times.

Notes to editors

  1. The Citizens Advice service comprises a network of local Citizens Advice, all of which are independent charities, the Citizens Advice consumer service 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 see the Citizens Advice website.
  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.
  3. To get advice online or find your local bureau in England and Wales, visit citizensadvice.org.uk
  4. You can get consumer advice from the Citizens Advice consumer service on 03454 04 05 06 or 03454 04 05 05 for Welsh language speakers.
  5. Local Citizens Advice in England and Wales advised 2.5 million clients on 6.2 million problems in 2014/15. For full service statistics see our publication Advice trends.