More seek CAB’s help each year

Staff were told at the Leamington-based branch’s annual meeting last week that they had given advice to 4,500 people between April 2009 and March this year.

This number marks a steady rise from the 3,500 people helped by the bureau in 2006 and 2007.

Christopher Smith, deputy manager of the office in Hamilton Terrace, said: “We are working at capacity and we have tried to recognise this a little bit in terms of how we look after people when they arrive.

“Some people don’t want to sit down and have a 45-minute interview they just want some information so we have set up a kiosk with a computer where people can be dealt with a lot quicker.

“We have tried to organise that a little bit and make our services a bit slicker.”

Top of the list of inquiries were to do with debt, followed by benefit, then housing and employment.

More people are also seeking advice on relationship breakdowns.

To try to cope with this increasing demand, the bureau has recruited new staff and launched a telephone advice line last October.

This has received 2,600 calls each month.

Mr Smith said: “Every day of the week people need help.

“We have the telephone service but the majority of people want to come in, sit down with someone and get things off their chest.

“By reorganising ourselves we can still see a few more year on year but we can’t do much more than what we are doing.”

Call 0844 855 2322 or visit www.adviceguide.org.uk