Decision day on budget cuts for advice services

North Lanarkshire Council meets tomorrow (Thursday) to vote on cutting funding for external information and advice services.
By The Newsroom
Published 15th Sep 2016, 10:58 BST
Updated 4th Oct 2016, 13:59 BST
Citizens Advice Bureaux management and staff protest outside Motherwell Civic Centre as they fight to avoid having their budget cut by North Lanarkshire CouncilCitizens Advice Bureaux management and staff protest outside Motherwell Civic Centre as they fight to avoid having their budget cut by North Lanarkshire Council
Citizens Advice Bureaux management and staff protest outside Motherwell Civic Centre as they fight to avoid having their budget cut by North Lanarkshire Council

The Transformation Committee is being asked approve savings of approximately £210,000 for the 2016/17 financial.

As a result of the cuts North Lanarkshire’s five Citizens Advice Bureaux (CAB) will lose around £124,000 and five independent organisations, including Tannochside Information and Advice Centre, will lose around £86,000.

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The council is also looking to develop a commissioning model over the next year on either a North Lanarkshire or pan-Lanarkshire basis.

This will enable third sector organisations to bid on their own, or jointly, to provide independent advice services on behalf of the council, and would be funded by the money which currently goes to CAB.

North Lanarkshire Citizens Advice Bureaux is asking the public to support them in challenging the cuts.

David Hutchison, chairman of NLCABx, said: “We do not believe the people of North Lanarkshire would support the council’s proposals to reduce CAB funding, nor run the risk that a private profit-making organisation wins the new contract to deliver advice.

“We urgently need your support to challenge these cuts and ensure the CAB service still exists beyond next year by signing and sharing our petition on change.org - 5cabpetition.”

Related topics:North Lanarkshire Council