Caithness CAB U-turn 'the right decision'
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AN advice service which was facing a funding cut by £60,000 has seen demands for its services rise by 40 per cent this year.
The Caithness Advice Bureau has welcomed the decision from the Highland Council to drop plans to significantly reduce its funding next year.
The Highland Council opted against proposals to reduce the amount of funding it gives to eight advice bureaux in the Highlands for 2012
Branch manager Jill Smith said that the authority had made the right move and said if the cut had gone ahead it would have devastated the organisation’s ability to help people during a time of economic crisis.
“This is excellent news and we are very pleased the council has made the right decision,” she said.
“We do understand that public funds are scarce right now and that the council has to manage its budget carefully.
“But this would have been completely the wrong time to cut our funding, as the recession has hit the Highlands badly and we’ve been busier than ever dealing with people who are in debt or unable to make ends meet.”
She continued: “The waiting rooms of our offices in Wick and Thurso are always overflowing, and our advisers are having to work overtime just to deal with the workload.
“Every one of these cases is someone who is in real trouble, often they are in tears when they come to us and unable to put food on the table or turn their heating on. Without us these people would have nowhere else to turn.”
The number of people who visited Caithness Advice Bureau has risen by over 40 per cent, from 3840 in 2010 to 5411 in 2011.
The total number of cases related to debt and the benefits system, as health, community care, fuel bills and housing, rose from 6509 to 8595.
Caithness Advice Bureau offers free expert advice on issues such as debt and benefits to housing and employment problems.
Last year, staff managed to secure their clients a total of £1,526,718 in unclaimed benefits and from debt management.
Miss Smith stressed that the work of the bureau helps the local community in many ways, and saves the council cash in the long term.
She said that funding to the advice bureau has to be seen as an investment and not a hand-out.
“We are proud of the advice we give to people in need which helps boost the economy and save the council money in the long run. If our advice stops someone becoming homeless, that saves the council perhaps tens of thousands of pounds they would otherwise have had to spend in supporting that person and their family further down the line.
“In addition to all that, we also play a key role in campaigning and raising awareness of difficulties that local people are facing.
“We wouldn’t be able to do this work if we didn’t have funds.”
The Highland Council budget leader, David Alston, said that the decision was taken in line with the council’s original proposal which was to review the support for the service if demand was reducing after the recession.
“It is now clear that demand is not reducing and there is no early route out of recession, and as a result we will continue to provide funding at the present level for advice and information services,” he said.
