Rising demand for Citizens Advice Service in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly
An annual report for the CAB reveals the extent of people asking for help.
New statistics suggest more people are turning to Citizens Advice Cornwall for help with benefits, debt, housing, employment and relationship breakdown issues.
The charity’s new Annual Report shows 9,500 people approached the organisation for help in the county in 2019/20, an increase of 1,000 on the previous year.
Income gained for people who came to CAB increased from a total of £3.4m to £5.7m while the amount of debt written-off increased from £5.5m to £5.6m.
The new figures come in what the services is describing as 'the middle of the most turbulent years in living memory' .
“These latest statistics show our service is needed more than ever in Cornwall. In the aftermath of lockdown, with an expected large rise in redundancies, rent arrears and debt, we expect an even bigger demand for free, independent help and advice in all parts of the county and the Isles of Scilly.
“It’s really important that people know they have somewhere to turn to before their problems become a crisis and there are a team of dedicated and fully trained advisers waiting to help out.
“We would like to thank all our funders, particularly Cornwall Council, for continuing to support us, but as a charity, we still need help from grants and donations to keep the service running to meet the increasing demand.”
Citizens Advice Cornwall Chief Executive, Gill Pipkin
"The majority of our clients came to us for help managing debt (32%), followed by Universal Credit claims (20%), other benefits (18%), financial services (12%), housing (4%), employment (3%) and relationship breakdown (2%).
"A total of 96% of people said they were positive or very positive about the service they received from Citizens Advice, 92% said they would recommend the service to others and 88% said it had helped them find a way forward.
“Our service is providing a vital lifeline for many people of all ages and backgrounds, but to meet the significant challenges ahead, we will need the continued help and support of the community – as volunteers, donors and fundraisers - so we can continue to provide the highly valued service so many people in Cornwall and Isles of Scilly rely on.”
Citizens Advice chair, Fran Keene