Anne-Marie Trevelyan, Conservative PPC for Berwick-upon-Tweed constituency, has been visiting the Berwick Citizens Advice Bureau to hear first hand from the dedicated staff what is going on for our most vulnerable in the community.
Anne-Marie said “I have been amazed by the breadth and quantity of cases our CAB have to deal with. I am so impressed with their ability to run a fantastic service on a very small budget. They rely on volunteers to provide much of the advice, and have to constantly fund raise to cover their costs.
“I was dismayed, but not surprised, to hear from Jen Hall, the manager of the CAB in Berwick, how their work load is going up as the credit crunch really takes hold and more and more peoples’ daily lives are starting to be affected. The increase in house repossessions and debt problems which families are finding impossible to cope with seem to be coming through the door daily now.”
Anne-Marie added “ I had not realised just how little core funding the CAB gets – just £22,700 per year from Berwick Borough Council – with the rest of its £250,000 per year running costs having to be found from grants and fund-raising. The work they do is so cost effective, and offers a holistic approach in the care and guidance they offer to people who are in crisis.
I will be trying to encourage some fund-raising events – even if only in a small way – to help provide some funding for basic needs like volunteers’ expenses. I think we do not appreciate the really important work that our CAB does in Berwick. If they were not there, our most vulnerable would have nowhere else to turn for support and advice.”
