Emergency service for citizens in crisis gets funding boost

Volunteers play huge role in helping those in financial crises in Scotland's Capital

Benjamin Napier, Giles Ruck, and David Hilferty of CAS

There are no flashing blue lights, no sirens wailing, but it is most definitely an emergency service. And the pressure on Edinburgh’s Citizens Advice Bureau is becoming more intense than ever.

Through its network of four offices and multiple outreach points, CAB in Edinburgh sees more than 12,000 people in crisis each year – and yet knows that it is unable to help a further 10,000 actively seeking help.

Edinburgh’s share in a massive £6 million award from funder Foundation Scotland to its parent Citizens Advice Scotland, the nation’s community foundation, is set to help, with the Capital’s £100,000 boost paying for triage advisors to help reduce waiting times for those who contact the service through its helpline or online.

Each of the 50 CABs in Scotland is to receive £50,000 this year and next, as is the parent organisation. The funding is entirely unrestricted, meaning the network can spend it where it feels it can provide most value.

Financial stress is overwhelming millions

But with a new report from the Financial Conduct Authority published in recent days showing that one in 10 UK adults have no savings at all, and some 12 million people UK wide saying they are “overwhelmed” and suffering from stress over financial matters, this largely volunteer-delivered service is itself under pressure.

The FCA’s Financial Lives survey – which speaks to 18,000 people throughout the country – is seen as a benchmark of the nation’s finances. It doesn’t make happy reading, with 13 million people viewed as having low financial resilience, with hard to manage debts, no savings and missed repayments.

Much of the work faced by Citizens Advice Bureau staff and volunteers revolves around financial hardship – working to resolve benefits problems, pensions issues, council tax debt and the like.

As the new FCA report shows, these are issues which also have an enormous impact on the mental health and wellbeing of many in the population.