Citizens Advice Cymru secures future funding for advice services in Wales

Citizens Advice has been awarded funding by the Welsh Government to provide advice services across Wales from 1 January 2020 for 12 months.

The charity in Wales will receive £8.1 million to provide services across all regions in Wales, as well as a remote advice service.

It comes after Welsh Government changed the way they commissioned advice services in Wales, with organisations having to bid to provide the Single Advice Fund.

The commitment of future funding comes as the organisation marks its 80th year with an event at The Senedd on 2 October.

Citizens Advice was formed on the onset of World War II on 4 September 1939. It originally helped people deal with the impacts of war, such as rationing and evacuation, and additional support for farming communities.

In the year to 31 August 2019, Citizens Advice Cymru helped over 96,000 people in Wales.

Personal independent payment, Universal Credit and council tax debt were some of the top issues the charity provided advice on.

In July 2019, the national charity also became the first advice organisation in Wales to be accredited to the Information and Advice Quality Framework for Wales (IAQFW).

It confirms the quality of advice is consistent across its services.

Rebecca Woolley, Director of Citizens Advice Cymru, said:

“Access to good advice is vital for everyone. We’re really proud to have secured this funding across all regions in Wales, including for a remote service.

“There’s a huge demand for independent and impartial advice as people face challenges in their lives.
Securing this funding is a new opportunity for Citizens Advice to provide services for those who need it most, in a way that works best for them whether in person, online or over the phone.

“The value of this, for both society and individuals, is clear. We’ll now work with government, our network and partners to put this funding into action and provide advice to anyone who needs it, whatever their problem.”