Four out of five Citizen's Advice Bureaux to close

Published on Wednesday 24 September 2008 10:07

FOUR out of five of Edinburgh's Citizens Advice Bureaux are to be closed down amid a funding crisis, it emerged today.

Offices in Pilton, Leith, Fountainbridge, and Portobello, which currently offer advice on debt, benefits, immigration, social and legal services will all be shut down.

Services will be moved to CAB's central office in Dundas Street, and bosses hope savings will allow them to expand this operation, with the local gaps being plugged by telephone advice and home visits.

Councillors, volunteers and community groups say the move –which comes at a time of rising inflation and recession fears – will deprive Edinburgh communities of vital advice services at a time when they need it the most.

Martin Ashing, chief executive of Citizens Advice Edinburgh, said that a lack of funding was to blame for the closures. He claimed the service was being asked to operate with little more than a 150,000 council grant, charitable donations and volunteer staff.

He added: "We have one of the largest volunteer services in Scotland and yet the money provided by the council amounts to just 33p per person, which is tiny compared to other local authorities."

The decision to close the centres was due to be officially announced tomorrow, but senior managers briefed staff and volunteers behind the scenes on Monday.

One volunteer said: "This decision is wrong and it will deprive these communities of vital services."

Edinburgh City Council allocates 150,000 a year to fund Edinburgh's five CABs.

However, the services were amalgamated in March to form a single umbrella group, which is known as Citizens Advice Edinburgh.

At the same time that senior managers were briefing staff, CAE bosses attended a meeting with the council to agree a new joint working strategy.

Councillor Paul Edie, convener of the health, social care and housing committee, said the meeting was "extremely productive", and added: "In coming to the decision to centralise their services, CAE gave reassurances to the council that service provision would be maintained at exactly the same level, regardless of where clients live within the city."

He added: "I am extremely disappointed at the suggestion that CAE's management decision to reorganise their branch structure has anything whatsoever to do with council funding."

Labour health and social care spokeswoman Lesley Hinds was also "extremely shocked" to hear of the move.

She said: "There is no way a single centralised office can do the work of five offices."

Robert Gatliff, chairman of Portobello Community Council, said the closures would represent a loss to "every local community throughout the city".