Council provides free voluntary advice service for the Borough
Mon, November 23, 2015
Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council provides free voluntary advice service for the Borough
Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council has made a major financial commitment through its Community Support Plan 2015-16, aided by the Department for Social Development, to provide a generalist voluntary advice service for the Borough, free of charge to the public. Pictured is Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, Councillor Michelle Knight-McQuillan with members of the of Causeway Coast & Glens Advice Services Consortium.
Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council has made a major financial commitment through its Community Support Plan 2015-16, aided by the Department for Social Development, to provide a generalist voluntary advice service for the Borough, free of charge to the public.
The advice provided will be independent, confidential, and impartial, and available to everyone. Key advice issues identified and based upon the needs of the local communities include: welfare and benefit rights; consumer issues; housing; health and disability; basic immigration; community care; family and personal issues.
Council has publicly appointed the consortium of Causeway Coast & Glens Advice Services comprising of project lead Citizens Advice Causeway, formerly known as Causeway Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB), along with Limavady Community Development Initiative (LCDI) Ltd and Glenshane Community Development Ltd. Together they will deliver this dedicated advice service at locations across Limavady, Dungiven, Coleraine, Ballymoney, Ballycastle, Cushendall and Bushmills.
Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council’s Head of Community and Culture services, Julie Welsh, has welcomed the appointment; stating, "All organisations involved in the consortium have been operating a local high quality advice service in the wider Borough area for many years now.
“In these times of uncertainty the need for such a local service is more important than ever and a lifeline to many within our community. Council is pleased to be in a position to support local services and is dedicated to assisting our communities.”
Mrs Angela Welch, Manager of Citizens Advice Causeway commented, “We are seeing a huge increase in clients coming forward for advice services who are in severe poverty, either through losing their jobs, low wages, or who are long-term sick. This has a negative impact on the whole family and can lead to relationship breakdown, anxiety in children, despair. The demand on our Services continues to increase.”
Advice services are available through a range of channels, offering users flexibility to access the service in a way which best suits their needs, including drop in to advice service locations across the Borough; by appointment, through dedicated web sites, home visits (dependent upon client circumstances) and telephone advice.
Please contact Coleraine on 028 7034 4817, Limavady on 028 7776 5438/ www.lcdi.co.uk/advice.php or Dungiven on 028 7774 2494 for further information.
Citizens Advice Causeway has recently located to the new Causeway Rural & Urban Network (CRUN) Community Hub based at 1-5 Brook Street, Coleraine with extended opening hours on Thursday – closing at 7.00pm. Further information and details are available at the following website: www.citizensadvice.co.uk/en/where-we-are/bureaus/Causeway-CAB/. www.causewaycoastandglens.gov.uk
ENDS