OCTOBER could herald “the end of the CAB as we know it” in Alton, but the service will continue as both East Hampshire District Council (EHDC) and Alton Town Council come up with alternative ways to maintain key funding.

Under pressure to “deliver services for less” as the quest to reduce council tax continues, EHDC has put in place a new way of funding advice services in East Hampshire with the introduction of a commissioning strategy.

In a statement last week, the district council provided an assurance that advice services in East Hampshire will be provided by Citizens Advice East Hampshire for the next two years thanks to a new funding agreement.

While in the past EHDC has awarded an annual grant towards the running of the service, this year it has awarded a contract to Citizens Advice following a procurement process during which organisations were invited to bid for the right to deliver services.

The contract entitles Citizens Advice branches in Alton, Bordon and Petersfield to provide advice on issues ranging from debt to employment and from consumer disputes to family issues.

The contract, worth £186,000 per year, will begin on October 6, and the Alton branch will receive a percentage of that sum.

It is the start of a new way of working with community organisations which will see the council commissioning services through a formal procurement process.

An EHDC spokesman said: “The council is always looking for alternative ways to deliver services for less. Part of this process is changing our relationship with the voluntary sector. We are moving away from grant funding towards commissioning organisations to deliver specific strategic outcomes that meet the council’s priorities and customer needs.

“The contract with Citizens’ Advice East Hampshire is the first example of that approach. However, we understand that commissioning will not be appropriate for all and we are reviewing all grants at this stage.”

Commenting on the Citizens Advice contract, Julie Butler, EHDC’s portfolio holder for customer relations, said: “We are looking forward to working in partnership with Citizens Advice to ensure flexible and targeted services are offered to our communities.

“This is the beginning of a new era in how EHDC supports the voluntary sector. We will increasingly be commissioning services in this way to ensure they provide value for money and deliver the right service to the right people.”

Part of a national charity that provides “free, confidential and independent advice to help people overcome their problems”, in 2016-17 Citizens Advice East Hampshire was awarded £206,000 in grant funding by the district council toward ongoing running costs.

Alton Town Council made a grant of £10,800 to contribute to the core costs of running the Alton branch of Citizens Advice, to include premises, staff salaries and volunteer training and travel.

However, when it came to bidding for the 2017/18 grant in January this year ATC resolved to defer making a decision on the request by Alton Citizens Advice pending discussions regarding potential relocation from its current town centre premises in Cross and Pillory Lane.

Alton CA was seeking £10,800 to support, train and supervise existing team members in the provision of much-needed services to the community.

Councillors decided to retain £5,000 from the Community Grant Fund to enable them to revisit the application dependent upon the outcome of these discussions, which remain ongoing.

In the meantime, with a considerable reduction in income there is a question mark hanging over how the service can continue in its current form.

In a letter to The Herald this week, John Jacobs, the manager of Alton Foodbank, said he works closely with Alton Citizens Advice and with many of the people who “rely on the expertise and hard work” of trained Citizens Advice volunteer advisers to help resolve often complex personal issues. But he fears, under the new agreement, it may become “another signposting service.”

He is also concerned because it is rumoured that Alton Citizens Advice is having to search for more affordable premises that may not be suited to the needs of a growing community.

In the last year, East Hampshire Citizens Advice has helped more than 5,500 people with nearly 15,000 issues: from housing and debt issues to benefits and employment rights, a large number of them via 11 advisers in the Alton office.

Commenting on concerns that the change to a commissioning agreement and the possible move to smaller, less suitable premises could have a detrimental impact on the Citizens Advice service in Alton, Helen Drake, chief executive of Citizens Advice East Hampshire, gave an assurance that, thanks to the EHDC agreement, Citizens Advice East Hampshire would continue to meet Citizens Advice’s national mission statement.

Of the Alton situation she said: “We are have been considering options for a move of premises for some time but have certainly not been forced to move by EHDC. Any option will be accessible and fit for the purpose for a modern advice service to Alton residents. No leases have been signed as yet.”

And she added: “Working together is key to the voluntary and statutory sector pulling together to meet the needs of local residents. We will be asking local stakeholders to visit our new premises in the future and see the excellent work our volunteers do to support the community.”