Sevenoaks district’s Citizens Advice Bureaux could be set to lose £22,000 next year because of council cutbacks.

  The three bureaux, based in Sevenoaks, Edenbridge and Swanley, apply separately for grants from Sevenoaks District Council and collectively received £145,000 this year, of which Sevenoaks was allocated about £50,000.

  But at an annual meeting between the bureaux and the district council to discuss next year’s grant the bureaux found themselves facing a funding chop.

  Sevenoaks bureau chairman David Small said such a reduction would see the funding cut by 16 per cent.

  He said: “It costs us roughly £90,000 a year to run the bureau and if we take that cut we would be in severe financial difficulty for the next year.

  “We would have to bite into our reserves, which wouldn’t last long, and we would go bust.

  “It breaks my heart to not worry about the service but be worrying about the money to keep the service going.”

  Nearly 30 fully-trained volunteers work at the Buckhurst Lane office with each volunteer needing one year’s training to be fully qualified.

  Mr Small said: “If the CAB weren’t there then SDC (Sevenoaks District Council) would incur more expenses because they would have to deal with the queries and problems which come through us, which would probably mean two or three full-time staff.”

  However Mr Small is sympathetic towards the district council’s own reductions.

  He said: “There must be other deserving causes too so it’s not just about us and SDC have a lot of problems of their own with the cut backs they have. We can look and see ourselves if we can cut our costs, we have got to do our bit, we can’t just  expect to get more and more money.”

  Sevenoaks District Council spokesman Daniel Whitmarsh said: “Sevenoaks District Council is faced with a significant budget shortfall for the coming financial year onwards.

  “However no decision on the overall budget has been taken at this stage including the level of grant to the Citizens Advice Bureaux.

  “The final budget package will be put before the full council in February for approval”.

29 November 2007 - ‘Tis the season to be cash cautious

Sevenoaks Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) has urged residents to avoid the devastating effects of falling into debt this Christmas by living within their means.

  Volunteers who work for the charity see an increase in the number of people struggling to make ends meet after the Christmas period, said CAB bureau manager Holly Hearle.

  And since November last year 50 people have sought advice over out-of-control debt totalling £770,000, excluding mortgages.

  Mrs Hearle claimed it is easier to get credit than it was in the past and people do not always understand the implications of paying back money over a period of time.

  Interest rates have gone up and increases in the cost of living are also taking their toll.

  She said this can have huge psychological effects. “Our representatives get calls from people who are suicidal.

  “They just don’t know which way to turn and they’ve been struggling to deal with things.”

  But she urged people in financial difficulty not to despair. “There’s always a way to deal with things if you know how to do it,” she said.

  Agreements can be reached directly with the credit card companies or through the CAB whereby a set amount can be paid back over a set period of time.

  “It’s free to do that,” she said. “If you go to one of the organisations you see advertised on the television you have to pay for it.”

  Bankruptcy is another option, Mrs Hearle said, but this was not a decision that should be taken lightly.

  But Mrs Hearle pointed out that the debt trap can be avoided altogether with a bit of forward planning.

  “Set a budget with how much you want to spend at Christmas, then divide it up between how much you can afford to spend on each person,” she said.

25 October 2007 - Collection thanks

Sevenoaks Citizens Advice Bureau would like to thank all the people who donated so generously to our collections last month. Also our thanks to all who help the Sevenoaks Citizens Advice Bureau with the fundraising efforts.

 Many people still do not realise the Sevenoaks CAB is an individual registered charity and as such is reliant on donations and grants.

 Due to everyone’s generosity, we raised a total of £436. We very much appreciate this support, which contributes towards the running of our service to the Sevenoaks community.

20 September 2007 - CAB set to open later on one day

 The Sevenoaks Citizens Advice Bureau has announced it will be opening later one day a week.

 From next week, the bureau will be open to the public until 7pm every Thursday. The service currently runs from 9.30am until 3.30pm four days a week, and is closed on Wednesdays.

 Its Thursday later opening – by appointment only – is to coincide with the opening hours of the library, in whose building the CAB is based.

 Bureau manager Holly Hearle said: “The CAB is always striving to find ways to extend the service and hopes that people will find this facility useful, particularly those who cannot visit during the day because of work commitments.” To make an appointment, call 01732 454443

7 June 2007 - Essential work of CAB volunteer

Volunteers Week (June 1-7) is the UK’s annual recognition of the work and contribution that volunteers do and have made all over the country.

 This week Sevenoaks Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) wants to particularly thank its volunteers. More than 20,000 people volunteer in the Citizens Advice service throughout Britain and they are an essential part of the service.

 Nearly one-third of the volunteers who leave the service go on to full-time education or employment.

For more than 65 years the Citizens Advice service has supported people from around the country from different backgrounds to become volunteers, many of whom have found a career with bureaux as paid advisers or as trustees.

 Last year, Sevenoaks CAB solved more than 14,000 issues, including housing, debt and benefits.

 People underestimate what volunteers at the CAB do.

 We not only solve problems on a day-to-day basis, we also prevent people becoming homeless, help people out of debt and campaign for people to get better benefits.

 We also use evidence to lobby Government on a national level to change problems. Without our volunteers, there would be no service.

 For more information call Susie Stripp on 01732 454443 or call the volunteer hotline 08451 264 264 (local rate).