A series of ‘tough but necessary’ cutbacks, which include redundancies, have been announced by the Isle of Wight’s Citizen’s Advice Bureau.
Citizens Advice IW provides free, impartial and independent advice to Islanders on matters such as housing, health and tax credits – and has done for decades.
However, a squeeze on funding is being blamed for a restructuring of the charity, which is based at County Hall. Bosses say they have been left with ‘no other choice’.
Trustee Gioia Minghella-Giddens has said:
“There has been some talk nationally about the squeeze on funding for Citizen’s Advice across the country. It is true that, like all charities we have experienced a squeeze on funding over the last few years.
“Despite that, we know how much our service is needed so we are taking the steps necessary to secure our future. It is a challenge, and dealing with it requires some tough, but necessary, decisions.
“We have reluctantly had to make the difficult move to reorganise our service, and this has resulted, very sadly, in a number of redundancies and considerable distress to the individuals concerned. We understand and share their distress. Having explored all other options, however, we were left with no other choice.
“It is very stressful, for a team who work so hard and with such dedication to ensure that we are there to help when people need us.
Article continues below this advertisement “My mother, Gloria, was a passionate advocate for the mission and values of Citizen’s Advice and was Chair of the Board for many years. Like her, and my fellow Trustees, I am privileged to be able to give service to the Island through this most important of charities.”
Citizens Advice IW continues to offer services to Islanders.
We’re not citizens, we’re subjects and serfs. Unelected head of state a democracy make it does not.
There a joke anyway they do not help you they give you wrong advice what do you expect when all they care about is money and torys
They’ve got rid of the law centre now this will be going.The government and iow council don’t want us knowing our rights about anything giving them even more control over us
Knowing your rights, it does not mean attending seminars on how to claim more benefits,finding more unusual ways not to pay your bills, making up imaginery illnesses for you and your family so the long suffering tax payers have to cough up more.i benefits and the list goes on forever. Try putting something into society, unusual and strange I know.
This is what IWC has planned all along, move CAB to County Hall to manipulate decisions against IWC, close Law Centre and now council can do what they like without challenge. Both law centre and CAB are a great loss. They also helped with tax returns and purchase , divorce, property, warranties ,pot holes etc not just debt.
it means that those of us who know what we are doing can profit at the expense of the illiterate, ill educated and sofa surfing benefit sloths
What’s the betting they will be replaced by A.I
If our council didn’t waste our council tax we wouldn’t need to make cuts !!!!
If our council didn’t pay their fat cat pensions we wouldn’t need to make cuts ….
If they didn’t use electric car’s and spend money on car washes we wouldn’t need to make cuts….
And one day they will have to pay for the lithium batteries to be disposed of , as they are not environmentally friendly…
If only !!!!!
Goes to show that equal access to the law is a myth. If you can’t afford legal advice you’ll get what you’re given, right or wrong.
Great pity when more and more people are needing advice.