What has Bristol Citizens Advice Bureau ever done for you????
Well, over the last year they have:
- Answered more than 14,000 enquiries;
- Dealt with over £ 8 million new personal debt;
- Increased family incomes by over £900,000;
- Prevented hundreds of families from becoming homeless
- And, alright, sometimes we given people a long wait in a big queue
Nationally, one in four of us will use the Citizens Advice Service at some time
However, this is simply to speak in terms of hard statistics. CAB can be a powerful ally in a time of need. Most of us at some time or other find ourselves alone and at odds with a monolithic organisation or institution such as a bank, large retailer, government department or utility provider. To be treated with indifference, even cynicism; to be trapped sometimes for hours in a kind of telephonic limbo; to be shoved seemingly uncaringly from one operator to another.
Bristol Citizens Advice Bureau champions the cause of the individual and its logo on letterheads alone can sometimes cut through a great deal of red tape. Its voice is heard and taken notice of and in many cases it has direct access to senior staff necessary to deal with issues effectively. `We cannot promise to always get the result the client wants, but we will do our best to see that justice is done and that outcomes are fair`.
This week Bristol Citizens advice Bureau celebrates its 30th anniversary. Many Happy Returns
Since 1977 the workforce, made up largely of dedicated highly trained volunteers, has earned a reputation across the city for providing practical solutions to issues involving an extraordinary number of different subjects. Many thousands of local people benefited from this free independent and confidential service over the years.
The organisation, based in Broad Street, Bristol continues to handle many thousands of enquiries a year, although as Director Max Beseke acknowledges `there are still insufficient resources to assist all those needing advice. We’re working hard to ensure that as many people as possible can benefit from our service`.
BCAB is a local Bristol based Charity. It is independent from the Citizens Advice, the national organisation. As such, it is has to find its own funding. `Amongst our greatest assets are the energy, enthusiasm and commitment of our workers, but ensuring sufficient financial resources to provide an effective service is a constant challenge.` says Max.
Although Citizens Advice has been in existence since before the Second World War, in Bristol the service had its rather humble beginnings operating from a former Chinese takeaway in Broadmead.
Today the bureau is based in an old Bank of England building next to the guildhall. It now has a team of over 70 mainly volunteer workers including current trainees. As well as providing advice services in central Bristol, services have also been developed in many other areas of Bristol, where the need to advice is particularly high.
Bristol CAB also campaigns on issues that effect local residents such as Tax Credits, hidden education costs and the lack of free cash points in many areas in Bristol. Max commented, ‘Our campaign work is vital in trying to stop problems arising for the wider community and is especially powerful as it is based on the hard evidence of our direct work with local residents.
Happy Birthday
The recent 30th celebration event at Circomedia was an opportunity for Bristol CAB to say a heartfelt ‘thank you’ to the many hundreds of people who have given up so much of their spare time over the years to help their fellow citizens.
Being a volunteer in a busy inner city agency is certainly not all `beer and skittles` and requires quite a major commitment, although, it can also be a very rewarding experience. There is an extensive training programme over several months and standards of competence have to be achieved before individuals are allowed to deal with clients. Max explains, `although access to our service is free, people have the right to receive a professional and competent service. Volunteers are from all ages and back grounds and we feel it adds great strength to the service to have this rich seam of diverse knowledge and experience`.
`It is a matter of fact that enquires are becoming ever more complex reflecting the nature of life in the 21st century. It is our challenge to be able to respond to this effectively`. The days when people popped in to complain about a faulty hair dryer or ask the way to the nearest cake shop are long gone.
BCAB in the city centre runs a drop-in service each weekday morning and appointments only on a Saturday. A big problem is to ensure this face to face service is properly staffed whilst also trying to deal with telephone enquires. This operational dilemma is one of our biggest challenges and we apologise to all those who have found it very difficult to contact us by phone. If you are unable to come into town sometimes writing a letter can be an effective way of accessing the service.’
Enquires come in many forms from a ¼ million pounds worth of personal debt to UFOs. However, the largest issues remain money and debt and welfare rights. In these areas we provide practical and effective solutions to often complex and distressing problems.
The future
And so, as we prepare to close a volume in the agency’s history, ` it is a time of celebration and also of reflection as we contemplate the future and the challenges this inevitably brings. For the Bureau this will mean developing innovative services and creating further opportunities for people to train as volunteer advisers to ensure that as many people as possible can benefit from its vital services.
For details of Bristol CAB’s advice services and volunteering opportunities, call 0870 12 12 134 or fax 0117 934 9829 or visit the volunteering and opening times links on this website. |
