Cash cuts to hit Walsall's Citizens Advice Bureau

Walsall Council is planning to set up a charitable trust offering welfare support and advice and cut its funding to the town's Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) altogether over the next two years.

The plans aim to save the authority £487,920 but a report into the council's budget cutting proposals states that if a new trust is not established, residents will have 'substantially reduced' support in future years.

The CAB, which is used by more than 100 people a day, provides welfare benefits advice and helps people with debt, housing, employment and immigration issues.

Bosses say the service dealt with more than 50,000 issues from 44,000 people in 2014-2015 and they fear the council's plans could leave thousands of people with nowhere to turn for help.

They have now launched a campaign to try to safeguard its funding from Walsall Council.

CAB's chief executive Carl Rice said: "Everyone who supports Citizens Advice should be deeply concerned by the proposal to stop funding Walsall CAB.

"We want to be there for all who need us, but without core funding from the council, we won't be able to attract additional money, so I can't see an alternative to cutting back the help we offer."

Savings would be delivered by the removal of grant funding to the CAB over two years and internal staffing savings, with plans to cut 18 posts within the council by 2020.

Claire Foulkes, advice services director of the CAB, has urged people to rally round and protest against the planned cuts.

She said: "Why set up a new charitable company when there is already a well-established, well respected and well used local CAB in Walsall.

"The council is undermining an existing much needed voluntary service at a time when it is looking to the voluntary sector to deliver more services.

"Creating a new charitable trust makes no sense.

"This ill thought out proposal will leave thousands of people with nowhere to turn for help with resolving urgent and serious problems."

A report on the council's cost-cutting budget plans reads: "The implications of this proposal would be a reduction in funding to the CAB to zero over two years and a gradual reduction in the internal welfare rights support and advice by each year from 2017/18 to 2019/20.

"Overall the cost to the council of delivering welfare support and advice will be reduced by £487,920 over two years. If the proposition to establish a new trust is not achieved, it means that the residents of Walsall will have substantially reduced support of this nature in future years."