Citizens Advice having to turn people way

Demand is very high in Devon

One in three people are being turned away from Citizens Advice drop-in centres in parts of Devon because demand is so high

The number of problems dealt with by the charity during the last six months has increased by 20 per cent in West Devon and 40 per cent in neighbouring Torridge over the same period last year.

Vicki Rowe, chief executive officer of Citizens Advice covering West, North and Mid Devon and Torridge,  said volunteers, who provide 80 per cent of advice, had dropped from 135 to 70 since the pandemic.

More employees  had been hired to mitigate the shortage of volunteers, but demand is at new levels with more vulnerable people in society finding it difficult to manage, she told a meeting of West Devon Borough Council’s overview and scrutiny committee.

She said people struggle to access services and turn to the charity for support.

Local authorities are funding partners of Citizens Advice, and West Devon contributes towards the phone service and drop-in centres in Tavistock and Okehampton.

In West Devon, the charity has supported people applying for welfare benefits totalling  an extra £800,000.  Torridge has brought in an extra £1.6 million.

But despite more people being helped (an increase of nine per cent in West Devon and 13 per cent in Torridge), 60 per cent of people who phon the charity weren’t answered because staff and resources were at capacity, seven in 20 people were being turned away from drop-in centres and waiting times for appointments were up to four weeks.

Ms Rowe said unfortunately for half of people the charity tries to help, there is no solution, and their problems are complex and wide-ranging.

Advice on welfare benefits accounted for more than 40 per cent of the workload, a figure mirrored across Devon.

This was followed by debt, energy and housing advice, charitable aid and foodbanks.

Ms Rowe said for the first time in her 10 years working at the charity,it had struggled to generate income outside of special funders, which including Macmillan Cancer Support, the Trussell Trust (foodbanks), Healthwatch and Action for Children.

She praised the Okehampton United Charities which had funded a full-time advisor, meaning the service in West Devon is the only one operating five days a week.

She said the borough was better off than some, with 16 volunteers and 11 paid members of staff, and nine additional staff providing organisational support, but they need more.

Other than people with emergencies, those who had to be turned away from drop-in centres are directed to digital services, such as a webchat or email.

Volunteers are being sought across Devon to give a day a week to the charity. “After the pandemic we lost volunteers who went back to work, wanted to retire or had carers responsibilities,” said Ms Rowe. “We try to recruit anybody who is willing and able and like to have a variety of ages including young people.”

She said the charity is also involved in lobbying the government for change particularly around universal credit, and it had been successful in helping overturn failed applications for disability and attendance allowances.

Cllr Lynn Daniel (Green, South Tawton) said “What a cruel society we have become when heating, eating and having a roof over your head becomes a luxury instead of a basic human right.”

West Devon Borough Council says its benefits team provides a complementary service to Citizens Advice, offers a council tax reduction scheme and will change council tax payments to help people who are struggling.