It is great news that an extra £15.85 million has been allocated to debt advice in the pre-budget report, £5.85 million for free telephone advice and £10 million for face-to-face advice. This could not have come at a more crucial time, as the impact of the recession begins to deepen.
I must admit it’s always welcoming to see the Government recognise the benefits and impact of free impartial advice. However, although this news is to be applauded I am not sure I agree entirely with the decision to give all of the £10 million in extra funding for face-to-face advice to Citizens Advice. There are many other providers in the independent advice sector who do an important job and are able to reach clients from communities which CABs are not necessarily able to access.
The Government must recognise that although Citizens Advice are the main provider of independent advice, they are not the only provider and more should be done to make sure that these other agencies are properly funded too.
They must also ensure that other areas of social welfare law such as welfare benefits, housing and employment receive adequate funding as well, because in an economic downturn demand for advice in these areas increases too.
