A CITIZEN’S Advice Bureau in Aberdeenshire has helped people claim back an astonishing £1 million following mistakes in benefit assessments, payment delays, benefit appeals and consumer claims.
Money from the European Social Fund enabled the Turriff office to recruit more staff to help with the claims.
They deal with a range of issues and the £1m is the highest ever sum the bureau has managed to reclaim and Turiff Citizens’s Advice Bureau (CAB) manager Gail Thorburn said they had seen a surge in the number of former oil and gas workers looking for advice, many of whom have had little notice of redundancy.
“From April 2016 with new funds from European Social Fund, Fairer Scotland fund, and Banff and Buchan Area committee we have been able to increase our staff by adding trained money advisers, sustain the specialist benefit and outreach advisers, and recruit more volunteers which has helped us to reap the largest client financial gain we’ve ever had for the community, of over £1 million,” she said.
“This has also allowed us to do more home visits and have more outreach venues so people have access to our services in their own areas.”
The Citizen’s Advice Bureau also supports the local community by working with local church volunteers to provide food parcels for single people, couples and families who may be struggling financially.
Both SNP Banff and Buchan election candidate Eilidh Whiteford and Alex Salmond met with staff at the centre to discuss their recent successes.
Whiteford said: “The network of Citizen’s Advice Bureaux across the country helps people who need advice about a wide range of money issues, including disability benefits, tax credits, or consumer rights.
“Changes to the tax and benefit system have squeezed the spending power of low income families in recent years, while cuts to support for disabled people, and a deeply flawed assessment process, has led to many sick and disabled people left without basic income.
“However, it’s telling that in Aberdeenshire, Citizen’s Advice are also seeing people who have previously had relatively high incomes looking for support due to the downturn in the oil and gas sector. “It demonstrates how important it is to have a social safety net for everyone in order to deal with unexpected life events and circumstances, such as redundancy or serious illness.
“The staff and volunteers of Citizen’s Advice do a tremendous job to help ensure that local people get their correct entitlements, and the success of this project speaks for itself.
“The town is fortunate to have such dedicated advisors.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel