Citizens Advice staff facing redundancies

[Latch Key Kid]

Re: Citizens Advice staff facing redundancies

Hi Amethyst

They most certainly are.

I think the letter writer is based at a bureau not too far from you.

[Nibbler]

Re: Citizens Advice staff facing redundancies

http://www.guardian.co.uk/law/2011/j...sion-fund-cuts

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-12199079

[Amethyst]

Re: Citizens Advice staff facing redundancies

The Financial Inclusion Fund will close at the end of March this year. The Government will work closely with industry and other stakeholders to ensure that tackling financial exclusion remains a high priority.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/law/2011/j...sion-fund-cuts

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-12199079

The guy who wrote the FOI request is near me indeed

His MP is Dennis Skinner I believe - he's not known for keeping his opinions to himself, hopefully he's putting a bit of pressure on to get some more questions in the commons answered.

Guess my chances of getting a job at CAB are diminishing lol.


Some more relevant vague debate in the commons last few days

Graham Jones: Hyndburn citizens advice bureau has seen a 50% cut in its funding and four job losses, and I think that it is a similar tale at Rossendale citizens advice bureau. I am waiting for its job losses, but it is expecting a 50% cut. The Minister should be mindful that his Government might leave the legacy of a little society. What warm words would he have for Rossendale and Hyndburn citizens advice bureaux?

Mr Maude: We urgently hope that local authorities, as they deal with the financial consequences of the budget deficit that the Labour Government left behind-when the Government were spending £4 for every £3 in revenue, having to borrow £1 out of every £4-will ensure that a disproportionate burden of those reductions does not fall on the voluntary sector. That is a matter he should take up with the local council.

Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire) (Con): Have Ministers considered how to avoid duplication in the work of existing volunteer bureaux, often supported by local councils, and the new community organisers who are being recruited by the Government.


Mr Maude: I would expect community organisers to work closely with those organisations and to ensure that there is no duplication of effort. These community organisers, many of whom already exist and do great work in communities, will not carry any kind of bureaucracy or organisational structure with them. Their job is to put people together, give support to organisations and make connections where they are not already being made.

Community Organisers ? Debra Allcock Tyler: We don't need more community organisers - Third Sector

Apparently theres 5000 of them.

On another subject entirely there was also an interesting debate about financial inclusion and basic bank accounts (including discussion on bank charges) on the same date House of Commons Hansard Debates for 19 Jan 2011 (pt 0002)

[Latch Key Kid]

Re: Citizens Advice staff facing redundancies

The guy who wrote the FOI request is near me indeed

His MP is Dennis Skinner I believe - he's not known for keeping his opinions to himself, hopefully he's putting a bit of pressure on to get some more questions in the commons answered.

Guess my chances of getting a job at CAB are diminishing lol.


Some more relevant vague debate in the commons last few days

Community Organisers ? Debra Allcock Tyler: We don't need more community organisers - Third Sector

Apparently theres 5000 of them.

On another subject entirely there was also an interesting debate about financial inclusion and basic bank accounts (including discussion on bank charges) on the same date House of Commons Hansard Debates for 19 Jan 2011 (pt 0002)

Hi Amethyst

I have heard 'them' from Skinners neck of the woods have bit of a reputation and are not known for giving up without a fight 'me duck'

Nice one about the job at the CAB - but you never know

Seriously though, looking at the sheer scale of the proposed cuts and everything else, I am not too sure if there will be anything or anybody left to actually organise.

Maybe the organisers will consider doubling as debt, housing and welfare rights advisers.

I think there may be some mileage left in all this yet.

[Amethyst]

Re: Citizens Advice staff facing redundancies

Well something is going to have to be pulled out of the bag before the money spent on training these people now being made redundant, and presumably, forced to look for alternative employment (and hopefully not in bloody fee paying debt management companies) will go down the toilet along with the money spent on training the consumer direct advisers.

Or maybeeee it's a plan (conspiracy theory alert........ )

Anyway twittered some good news from one council earlier - Citizens Advice Bureau Hertsmere services saved from funding cuts for another year : http://www.borehamwoodtimes.co.uk/3792/8803414

They have managed to keep the funding up for ONE Moneyadvisor at £37k (assuming that includes training, support, equipment etc as well as pay)


These Community Organisers, 5000 of them, I still am not quite sure what they are meant to be doing, I only heard about them recently and they already appear to have been on courses to learn what they are doing....from initial reading it seems they are meant to rally local commuities to pick up the slack that the ditched CABs and volunteer services no longer funded by councils and government leave ? as well as cleaning grafitti, litter and dog poo ?

[Latch Key Kid]

Re: Citizens Advice staff facing redundancies

Hi Amethyst

Likely to also include admin / worker costs

Conspiracy! Its easy to become paranoid I suppose - mind you, the best definition of paranoia I have ever heard - is that when the truth eventually comes out they were actually up to much worse than you can imagine.

[Chip Tuesday]

Re: Citizens Advice staff facing redundancies

very sad that such a valuable institution may be facing cut-back, especially if the proposed legal aid cuts go ahead too.

CT

[Amethyst]

Re: Citizens Advice staff facing redundancies

Third Sector




Citizens Advice
Advice service does not yet know if it will continue to receive money from the government's Financial Inclusion Fund
Citizens Advice has issued redundancy notices to 900 staff employed on a programme to provide debt advice in deprived communities.
The scheme received money from the government's Financial Inclusion Fund, backed by a five-year grant from the Treasury, worth £130m, £87m of which was allocated to Citizens Advice.
The funding runs out in March, but the charity has not yet heard from the Treasury whether it will be renewed.

A Citizens Advice spokesman said the redundancies affected about 75 per cent of the staff employed on the programme.
He said the redundancy process would be reversed if the government agreed to carry on funding the scheme, but the charity had been forced to issue the redundancy notices now because of the legal requirement to give adequate notice.
"We really need to get an answer from the government about this," he said. "We had expected to know the outcome by now. Many of our local centres are struggling because of cuts in local authority funding and in legal aid, as well as this."
Citizens Advice has 7,000 staff working in all its bureaux, and uses 21,500 volunteers.

[thincat]

Re: Citizens Advice staff facing redundancies

Hi,
The issue is,that, BEFORE the cuts to CAB the service was patchy(I know from personal experience). There seems to be a LOT of confusion from the government about the CAB.
Weren't they supposed to take up the slack after other Debt Advice agencies were cut?
Whichever way you slice it this looks like a blatant attempt to deprive the more
vulnerable and the likes of you and me of the resources to empower ourselves or at
the VERY least undermine these resources. The CAB is better than nothing and unless
the coalition does a u-turn it doesn't look good. However I also think that sites such as
Legalbeagles are going to be VERY busy in the light of this and other problems that
are coming up. If it wasn't for Legalbeagles I would NEVER have been able to handle
the intimidation that I was subjected to and that is some thing CAB couldn't help me
with, so while I too am concerned about CAB and the funding issues there is a place for
other resources in this situation but it IS going to be difficult.

Thincat.

[Latch Key Kid]

Re: Citizens Advice staff facing redundancies

Hi

This type of release is the 'theme' at the moment.

As the deadline looms they might have got themselves in a bit of a twaddle here.

Not quite over yet though - the word is - 'developments soon' (before March 31st Ive heard).

[Amethyst]

Re: Citizens Advice staff facing redundancies

Yes definately seems like a trend in certain circles, I presume the ''other'' press attention is to either get people worried and over to fee paying companies (ooo naughty conspiracy theory again) or to put more pressure on the government to come out and say what they are actually going to do.

Theres been nothing official from CAB or government since Mark Hobans rather lame comment in the HoC. Look forward to the ''new developments''.

[Amethyst]

Re: Citizens Advice staff facing redundancies

Thanks TC. It is tough and will get tougher, but there must be a plan we don't know of yet.....(I hope)

Hi,
The issue is,that, BEFORE the cuts to CAB the service was patchy(I know from personal experience). There seems to be a LOT of confusion from the government about the CAB.
Weren't they supposed to take up the slack after other Debt Advice agencies were cut?
Whichever way you slice it this looks like a blatant attempt to deprive the more
vulnerable and the likes of you and me of the resources to empower ourselves or at
the VERY least undermine these resources. The CAB is better than nothing and unless
the coalition does a u-turn it doesn't look good. However I also think that sites such as
Legalbeagles are going to be VERY busy in the light of this and other problems that
are coming up. If it wasn't for Legalbeagles I would NEVER have been able to handle
the intimidation that I was subjected to and that is some thing CAB couldn't help me
with, so while I too am concerned about CAB and the funding issues there is a place for
other resources in this situation but it IS going to be difficult.

Thincat.

[Latch Key Kid]

Re: Citizens Advice staff facing redundancies

Yes definately seems like a trend in certain circles, I presume the ''other'' press attention is to either get people worried and over to fee paying companies (ooo naughty conspiracy theory again) or to put more pressure on the government to come out and say what they are actually going to do.

Theres been nothing official from CAB or government since Mark Hobans rather lame comment in the HoC. Look forward to the ''new developments''.

Hi Amethyst

I think you have just about summed the current situation up correctly here.

Frantic behind the scenes stuff or what?

PS - Go steady on the conspiracy theory though

[Amethyst]

Re: Citizens Advice staff facing redundancies

Financial Inclusion Fund: 24 Jan 2011: Written answers and statements (TheyWorkForYou.com)

nothing new same questions (but written and from different people -Sam Gyimah (East Surrey, Conservative) and

Karl Turner (Kingston upon Hull East, Labour)
) same answer (from Hoban) 24th Jan



also 13th Jan (hadnt seen this one before but you may have)

Business of the House: 13 Jan 2011: House of Commons debates (TheyWorkForYou.com)

Pat McFadden (Wolverhampton South East, Labour)
Will the Leader of the House schedule a debate on the future of the financial inclusion fund and the wider issue of funding for citizens advice bureaux? The citizens advice bureau in the city of Wolverhampton does a fantastic job, and I am sure bureaux do so in the constituencies of right hon. and hon. Members across the House. Does he accept that it is perverse to be cutting funds to citizens advice bureaux for advice on debt relief and financial management at the same time as the Government are making wider cuts in benefits that are driving more people to seek the advice for which they are cutting the funding?




George Young (Leader of the House of Commons, House of Commons; North West Hampshire, Conservative)
I am sorry that the right hon. Gentleman did not have an opportunity to put that question during BIS questions, when it would have been appropriately dealt with. I pay tribute to the work of the CABs, as all hon. Members do, and I hope that, as local authorities make difficult decisions, they will try to do their best to preserve the funding of CABs, to which people look at a time of recession and real problems of hardship. A £100 million fund is available to help certain charities, and I do not know whether the right hon. Gentleman has thought of applying to that.

[Amethyst]

Re: Citizens Advice staff facing redundancies

And TODAY (ORder Books for Thursday Order Book Part 2)
Notices given on Tuesday 25 January
30
Ian Austin (Dudley North): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the end of the Financial Inclusion Fund on the number of centres in (a) England and (b) the West Midlands providing debt advice. (36839)

31
Ian Austin (Dudley North): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what representations he has received from the Citizens Advice Bureau on the ending of the Financial Inclusion Fund; and if he will make a statement. (36840)

32
Ian Austin (Dudley North): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many debt advisors have been funded through the Financial Inclusion Fund in (a) England, (b) the West Midlands and (c) each borough in the West Midlands in each of the last five years. (36841) 33
Ian Austin (Dudley North): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of people who have received debt advice funded through the Financial Inclusion Fund in each of the last five years. (36934)

42
Kerry McCarthy (Bristol East): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer to the hon. member for West Worcestershire of 19 January 2011, Official Report, column 836W, on the Financial Inclusion Fund, what funding he plans to make available after the closure of the Financial Inclusion Fund to ensure that financial exclusion continues to be tackled. (36798)

So eyes out for the answer to that one later then More questions than answers I suspect.