Council promises to end ‘nonsense’ around citizens advice funding

Tendring District Council has declined to promise any further funds beyond a £72,000 bridging grant as it promised to end ‘nonsense’ around funding for Citizens Advice in Tendring. The council said it acknowledges the need for the £72,000 grant to maintain Citizens Advice Tendring up to September 30 while a procurement around a free advice service takes palace.

That decision comes after the council decided to end its year on year annual grant of £144,000 to CAT it has funded for the past 13 years in favour of a three-year settlement open to any organisation to bid for around best value for money. However, the council heard there is a risk CAT may close before September 30 “due to legal processes such as redundancy and other processes the trustees would need to undertake” before the procurement stage is finalised and any grant is awarded.

Danny Mayzes a lead petitioner asking more help for CAT said he wanted assurances from the council of its support to ensure it can continue if a decision on the procurement award is not reached by July 1. The new contract is expected to start in October.

The procurement aims to ensure a new provider offers advice including around benefits, debt management and housing issues. The council says it expects to be able to assign a successful bidder at the start of August with formal governance to complete after that and time for the mobilization of the new provider before October 1 when funding runs out.

Tendring District Council leader Councillor Mark Stephenson added a new contract will extend to the point where Tendring Council is likely to be merged into a larger unitary authority as part of reorganisation plans. He said: “I think if Citizens Advice are having problems they can come and talk to the council as their current provider

“I’m not going to make promises about funding without understanding what they are. That would be unfair. But it doesn’t mean we’re not open to it. we’ve already given another £72,000 beyond what we wanted to give because we recognise there was a gap for the residents and we needed to ensure that wasn’t something they have to endure.

“So £72,000 has been given to cover services to the end of September. But what we are doing is stopping this nonsense once and for all.

“Every year Citizens Advice doesn’t know if they’re going to get the money or not. We are providing security for as long as we exist and we’re going to provide a three-year contract. And what comes after that will be down to possibly some of us in a new unitary.”