Agenda item

To consider the annual update on Citizens’ Advice Bureau activity in the borough. 

11.1           The Chair welcomed the Bureau Manager for the Gloucester and District Citizens’ Advice Bureau (CAB), to the meeting. Members were reminded that Tewkesbury Borough Council had had a relationship with the CAB for a number of years and gave it a grant on an annual basis. The Committee received an annual presentation which provided Members with information about the work of the CAB and a flavour of what was happening within the Borough. The CAB had a four year Service Level Agreement with the Borough and currently performance against that was reported on a quarterly basis through the performance tracker.

11.2           The Bureau Manager for the Gloucester and District CAB was invited to make his presentation to the Committee.  The presentation covered the following key points:

·      Aims – To provide advice people need for the problems they face; to improve policies and practices that affect people’s lives.

·      Principles - The CAB service provided free, confident and impartial advice to everyone on their rights and responsibilities.  It valued diversity, promoted equality and challenged discrimination.

·      Locations – Tewkesbury Public Service Centre; Prior’s Park; Bishop’s Cleeve; Winchcombe – by appointment; Brockworth – by appointment; Cheltenham Town Centre; Gloucester City Centre.

·      How advice is requested – Majority still wanted face to face, approximately 75% of all contact; would like to do more by telephone or email but not practical.  

·      Employment Status - Employed - 33.4% (35.8% previous year); self-employed – 5.1% (3.9% previous year); carers – 7.7% (9.8% previous year); retired – 21.7% (18.6% previous year); unemployed – 14.7% (13.7% previous year); and permanently sick – 17.4% (13.7% previous year).

·      Disposable Monthly Income – Under £999 – 52.7% (54.7% previous year); £1,000-£1,499 – 23.8% (24.1% previous year); £1,500-£1,999 – 12.8% (8.2% previous year); and over £2,000 – 10.7% (12.9% previous year).

·      Disabilities - Physical disability – 8.7% (12.6% previous year); mental illness – 9.1% (9.1% previous year); long term health issues – 22.2% (21% previous year).

·      Issues dealt with – 3,002 in 2017/18 and 2,885 in 2016/17. Welfare benefits – 837 (862 previous year); debt – 668 (720 previous year); employment – 321 (284 previous year); relationships – 282 (219 previous year); and housing – 242 (204 previous year).

·      Significant issues during the year – Tribunal hearings; housing – repairs to private lettings; impact of rent caps and Universal Credit; employment practices; increase in complex cases.

·      Case Study A – 31 year old single mother with a child under 10.  Disabled (flat foot syndrome), obese and suffering from anxiety and stress.  Debts of £16,417, no money for gas and electricity, used blankets through the day to stay warm, constant chasing by creditors added to anxiety and stress.  Actions taken included: debt relief order, charitable donation, Employment Support Allowance claim and Personal Independence Payment, smart metre fitted.

·      Case Study B – 55 year old unemployed single man with angina and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) claiming Universal Credit including housing element (room rate for shared house).  Difficulty meeting conditionality requirements, difficulty budgeting, exhausted Food Bank entitlement, no hot water or toilet facilities within accommodation.  Action taken: claimed Employment Support Allowance (awaiting work capability assessment), successfully claimed Personal Independence Payment, charitable donation, Tewkesbury Borough Council Environmental Health visit, alternative accommodation sourced.

·      Future Plans – possible merger with Forest of Dean CAB – purely for administrative/management purposes with no detriment to the service being provided; outreach opening in Churchdown in July at the GL3 Hub (appointment only); outreach at Northway Community Centre in Autumn; bid to Nationwide housing project; healthy homes project with Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group (GCCG); other projects.

·      Definitions - financial capability – knowledge, skill, motivation, awareness and confidence in relation to money management. Financial exclusion – individuals cannot access the financial products and services they need which means those that could least afford to do so would end up paying more for their basic needs. Financial inclusion – access to appropriate financial products and services allowing people to effectively manage their money, regardless of their level of income or social status.

11.3           A Member noted that the number of welfare and benefits issues dealt with by the CAB had reduced in 2017/18 and he questioned whether this was as a result of other agencies offering help and assistance e.g. Job Centre.  The Bureau Manager for the Gloucester and District CAB clarified that there had been a reduction of 25 compared to 2016/17.  The CAB had assisted 30 people with Universal Credit queries during the year but this was expected to increase over time.  Overall, he did not feel there was a downturn in the number of people approaching the CAB for assistance.  He explained that people might approach the CAB initially in respect of debt problems but this was often linked to a number of other issues, e.g. unemployment or relationship breakdown, which may not be reflected in the figures.  Another Member queried whether customers were asked to provide feedback to ensure the service continued to be valuable.  Confirmation was provided that regular surveys were undertaken and the results from previous years could be provided following the meeting.

11.4           A Member noted that the CAB had dealt with 3,002 issues in 2017/18 – across seven centres this equated to approximately 60 per week, or 10 per centre, which was the equivalent of two every five days – and he questioned whether there was a lot of downtime.  The Bureau Manager for the Gloucester and District CAB explained that the CAB services in Winchcombe and Brockworth were by appointment only; whilst there may only be one or two customers in Winchcombe each month the other locations were much busier and Tewkesbury Borough residents tended to also use the Gloucester City Centre CAB given its close proximity to the local authority boundary.

11.5           A Member indicated that there had been a reduction in the number of people using the Prior’s Park Neighbourhood Project since the departure of the previous Manager.  The Bureau Manager for the Gloucester and District CAB confirmed that there was a new Manager in place and, whilst there had been a reduction, this was no reflection on the level of advice being offered; the previous Manager had been fluent in Polish and it was possible that some customers were now using the Gloucester CAB where that language ability was available.

11.6           A Member was pleased to see that the CAB was working with Nationwide in respect of housing to step in before crisis point was reached and questioned if anything similar was being done in other areas.  The Bureau Manager for the Gloucester and District CAB advised that, sadly, 40-50% of customers were pre-crisis or in crisis and the CAB always looked for opportunities to link with other partners, for example, the Healthy Homes project with the GCCG which had been referenced in the presentation and another project around debt with the Money Advice Service.

11.7           Members expressed their thanks to the Bureau Manager for the Gloucester and District CAB.  The Chair of the Committee indicated that the CAB presentation was currently made to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee on an annual basis and sought a view as to whether this was still appropriate.  Members generally felt the presentation provided was extremely interesting and that an annual presentation kept them up-to-date with what was happening with the CAB. Accordingly, it was

RESOLVED          That the Citizens’ Advice Bureau presentation be NOTED and that an update continue to be provided to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee on an annual basis.