Advice centres face cuts at a time reductions when demand is high

EVERY day people walk into advice centres across Notts worrying their house may be repossessed or struggling to deal with mounting bills.

But despite an increase in demand for such services, centres across the county will be forced to reduce their hours – or even close due to funding cuts.

Even though the centres have a huge number of volunteers, they also need specialist trained staff, buildings to run, and often provide outreach services for people who live outside the main towns.

In the last year, 352 people have volunteered at Citizens Advice Bureaux in the county, contributing 114,310 hours. If they were paid, their time would have cost �1.4 million.

But the Citizens Advice Bureaux in Eastwood and Beeston could reduce from a full-time service – to being open just two days a week. There are 18 jobs at risk in total, as well as 65 volunteers who will see their opportunities reduced.

CAB Broxtowe district manager Sue Maslowska predicts they will be forced to handle 20,000 fewer problems next year. They have been told to expect a 70 per cent cut from Notts County Council – but will also suffer as Government grants will end next month, as well as grant aid from the charity Coalfields Regeneration Trust.

Ms Maslowska said: "Government pots of funding are all drying up. We're waiting to find out about the Transition Fund [a new source of Government grants] but that could be another four months.

"The only thing that isn't going down is the demand for the service – it's getting worse. Just where these people will go I'm not sure.

"We can't have all the volunteers in on two days even if they're willing – we just haven't got the space.

"Citizens Advice have been embracing the Big Society for 71 years. That's what we're all about. The Big Society is all about getting people in the community, volunteers, to do work rather than pay people to have to do that and volunteers are at the heart of our service."

Ashfield Citizens Advice Bureau says advisers will no longer be able to go out and see people due to cuts by Notts PCT, the Notts Community Foundation and anticipated cuts by Notts County Council. It expects to lose five of its 11 staff.

Ashfield CAB chief executive Sue Davis said: "We will not be able to meet demand. Demand is already there – we've got four-week waiting lists for specialist debt advice, and we've got queues down the street every day."

Ollerton Citizens Advice Bureau is expecting to lose about a third of its income, with anticipated cuts from Notts County Council and Newark and Sherwood District Council. It envisages its weekly outreach work – including Bilsthorpe, Clipstone, Blidworth and Rainworth – will end in April.

Nottingham and District CAB, which provides advice for the city, Rushcliffe and Gedling, also expects services to be reduced and some staff to be made redundant.

Manager Trish Eaton says its money from the county council will be reduced from �41,500 to �13,800.

It is likely the advice service in Carlton will close.

Smaller advice centres are also facing increasing pressures. The Forest Fields Advice Centre only has �261 in the bank and could be forced to close.

Mark Bowyer, acting chair of the trustees at the centre, said: "Things are so competitive, everybody is chasing every last penny that's available. We just don't know if we'll be able to raise �15,000 to keep us going for the next six months.

"We're living from hand to mouth – you can't plan, you can't build, you can't develop. We're constantly in danger of closing if we can't pay the bills like gas bills or the broadband bill – just the basics."

Notts County Council said it has not officially told groups what their grant settlements will be next month.

Deputy leader Councillor Martin Suthers said: "We are keen to work with voluntary groups to help them find the savings. We have revised our original plans to give CABs in the former coalfield areas an extra �25,000 for 2011-12 in recognition of their higher levels of deprivation."

The council will also appoint three specialist advisors to give advice on benefits.

Is your voluntary group or organisation closing or under threat? Call Delia Monk on 0115 948 2000 or email delia.monk@nottingham eveningpost.co.uk

Page 15: Coun Martin Suthers on the role of the voluntary sector

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