ALTON Citizens' Advice Bureau (CAB) staff have made a defiant stand by taking a pay cut in order to keep its vital outreach service afloat. Devastated by Hampshire County Council's decision to withdraw funding for the service as part of a general cost-cutting exercise, Alton has determined to buck the county trend by continuing to provide what for some clients is a significant lifeline. The threat to the outreach service is the biggest challenge facing Alton CAB but one which both staff and volunteers are determined to win. Alton CAB manager Teresa Jamieson told last week's meeting of East Hampshire District Council's north west forum that the outreach service was enabling advisers to help some of the bureau's most vulnerable clients. So essential has this home visiting service become that, despite HCC's withdrawal of support, it was felt wrong to abandon it. Instead the bureau has taken unprecedented steps to try to retain the service. As well as the personal contact, Mrs Jamieson said that locally, during the year 2005/06, an investment of £12,600 had led to CAB outreach advisers securing a massive £207,500 in unclaimed benefit for 95 vulnerable people. And that was no mean feat. The down side has been the loss of expert staff time at the bureau because of the cutting back of hours to compensate for pay cuts. But it was a price Alton CAB was prepared to pay. Mrs Jamieson was at the forum to bring councillors up to date on the activities of the bureau as a condition of EHDC core client funding which at £71,547 (3.4 per cent increase) accounts for 55 per cent of Alton CAB's total income. This week Alton town councillors echoed their district colleagues by giving unanimous approval for funding from ATC of £12,000, a sum which is to include £600 for debt work. Other funding has come from the Big Lottery (£18,258), with another £6,900 applied for from local churches and parish councils. This funding is vital to the work of the CAB which includes specialist advice in such areas as welfare benefits, employment, housing and debt, home visiting, advicezone sessions for young people and training. According to Mrs Jamieson, in 2005/06 the bureau handled 10,708 client contacts and 3,180 third party contacts covering 15,460 separate issues. Volunteers worked 13,000 hours to attend to these issues. Clients had come from across the area, but with a high concentration from Alton's Eastbrooke ward. Debt work had increased by 28 per cent, and while there had been less associated bankruptcy work to deal with the debt, there were more Individual Voluntary Arrangements (IVA) - legally binding ways to reduce the amount to pay and of incurring reduced interest charges. Welfare benefit issues had increased by 22 per cent and, said Mrs Jamieson, the team had covered more tribunal cases, only recently securing a £7,500 settlement for one client. Demand had grown for specialist debt advice, with many more complex cases to test the adviser's skills. The emphasis, where possible, was on helping clients to help themselves, some taking advantage of the "pay plan" debt management scheme. While problems linked to council tax arrears, personal loans and rent arrears were down, the CAB was witnessing an upsurge in debt related to unmanageable bank loans, catalogues, credit cards and store credit. It was a situation councillor Jerry Janes referred to as "the biggest social evil of our time". In applauding the work of the CAB in this area, Mr Janes said he felt the banks had a social responsibility not to lend to people who were not capable of operating a budget. "We do challenge inappropriate lending," assured Mrs Jamieson, referring in particular to "rolled up loans" brought about by consolidation of loans which can leave the client paying interest on interest. In 2005/06 from a combined client debt level of £1,063,000, CAB advisers had managed to get £700,000 written off. An increasing number of scams, many of them targeting elderly people, was another problem with statistics revealing that last year, in Alton alone, clients had lost a collective £10,000. The CAB is also a campaigning organisation and one which is always looking to improve its social policy. According to Mrs Jamieson, Alton CAB had been working with Job Centre Plus to improve its crisis loans service, with the EHDC empty-homes campaign and on a campaign to increase NHS dental provision in Alton. But the biggest challenge had been the loss of funding for the rural outreach service, closely followed by the frustrating lack of progress on the provision of a proposed new shared building with Alton Community Centre. In the meantime the CAB has managed to secure a downstairs room at its current premises in Cross and Pillory Lane for interviewing clients who are unable to manage the stairs. Alton CAB is also working with others to develop an East Hampshire website, and to create a Hampshire Citizens Advice organisation, in order to access a bigger range of funding. l Alton CAB is open from 10 am to 4 pm Monday to Thursday, with Advicezone for young people available on Monday and Thursday evenings. It can be contacted on 01420 84399
