Citizens Advice closure 'tragic loss' - volunteer

A Citizens Advice volunteer believes the closure of one of its offices will be "a tragic loss to the community".

The charity has confirmed its branch in Daventry, Northamptonshire, will shut at the end of March.

One of its volunteers posted how he "truly worried about the vulnerable and the troubled in society with no access to free advice".

A Citizens Advice spokeswoman said it faced increasing costs, but would continue to offer advice over the phone and would use a local venue for face-to-face appointments.

Daventry's Citizens Advice is based in the Abbey Centre, but the charity said it was moving out to save money.

In a post on social media, one volunteer described it as a loss to "Daventry as a whole".

He added: "The loss of the years of training and experience is irreplaceable and will impact on the most vulnerable.

"It will be a tragic loss to the community."

Pat Coomber-Wood, the chief executive of Citizens Advice West Northamptonshire and Cherwell, said: "We're being buffeted by all sorts of increasing costs - our venues are expensive to rent [and] we've been hammered with utility costs.

"A key thing for us has been the increase in national insurance contributions, which is a jump of £20,000."

She added the closure of its Daventry office did not mean there would be no opportunities to receive advice face-to-face, as this would be offered in drop-in sessions in the town's library.

Ms Coomber-Wood said the drop-in sessions would be staffed by volunteer advice first-aiders, who "do enough training to be able to have a conversation with someone and point them to the advice that they need".

If necessary, clients would receive more detailed help from specially-trained advisers over the phone.

At the moment, limited drop-ins are being held on two Thursdays each month, but 20 volunteers are being trained so more dates and venues will be offered in future.

Ms Coomber-Wood added more donations would help Citizens Advice increase its services, but many people did not see it as a charity.

She said: "Unless we change that rhetoric, I'm concerned that Citizens Advice will not be here in ten years' time."

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