Exeter CAB will tonight urge councillors to reinstate funding
The charity says it can't contine without more support from the city council
Last updated 28th Nov 2024
There’s a crunch meeting for Exeter’s citizen’s advice service tonight - as they urge city councillors to reinstate their funding.
Last year they helped more than 6,000 people in the city and supporters have crowdfunded around £23,000 to help keep the charity going.
Bosses say - while amazing - it’s still short of the almost £200,000 a year they were getting from the city council
Chief exec Sue Julyan says without turn it could end up costing the council more, warning: "many of the issues that we help with support people in being financially stable.
"Otherwise they could be at risk of losing their home and that is then a statuatory responsibility of the city council and if somebody is homeless then they're going to knock on the council's door."
The authority’s Customer Focus Scrutiny Committee will consider whether the decision to cut funding should be reconsidered at a meeting tonight
Ms Julyan added: “We’ve had a magnificent response from the public, but now we need to convince the council to review their decision.
“We continue to have a good relationship with Exeter City Council and know the pressures local authority finances are under, but we can demonstrate how Citizens Advice is value for money by bringing £17 million in new money to the city in the last five years through benefits claims and debt written-off.
A contract with the council providing funding of £200k per year ended in March 2024. A one-off grant of £75k was provided for 2024/25. Despite the fundraising appeal, cutting staff and volunteer hours, helping fewer people and moving to smaller office space, the charity needs around £175k to close its funding deficit, which would allow it to reinstate the drop-in service to three mornings a week, keep the telephone advice line going and maintain its community outreach projects in the city.
Exeter MP, Steve Race said: “Exeter Citizen’s Advice offers an important service for people across the city. Their advice offers help that can and does change lives. I very much hope that the charity can develop a sustainable model with partners and funders to enable it to continue to deliver these services for the benefit of Exeter people.”
Donations to Citizens Advice Exeter can be made online here