Agenda item

(To receive a report by Citizens Advice Lincolnshire which provides the Committee with an update on the performance of Citizens Advice services across Lincolnshire during 2022/23, Monica Stark and Jennie Barnett from Citizens Advice Lincolnshire will be in attendance to present the report)

Consideration was given to a report from Citizens Advice Lincolnshire (CAL), which provided the Committee with an update on the performance of Citizens Advice services across Lincolnshire during 2022/23.

The Chairman invited Monica Stark, Chair of Trustees, Citizens Advice South Lincolnshire and Jenny Barnett, Chief Executive Officer, Citizens Advice Lindsey to present the item to the Committee.

Detailed at Appendix A was a CAL Health Presentation; and Appendix B provided the Committee with details of CAL 2022/23 dashboard.

During the presentation, the Committee noted that 2022/23 had been the most challenging year in the history of Citizens Advice nationally, due to the impact of high inflation. It was highlighted that a total of 15,021 people living in Lincolnshire had turned to Citizens Advice for help, and that the service was able to resolve 76,934 issues.  It was highlighted further that demand on the Lincolnshire Adviceline was projected to have risen to 43,246 calls, it was however noted that the service had only been able to answer 34% of the calls due to a lack of resources. Reference was also made to specialist services, partnership working, the value of the service to society and feedback received from clients who had used the CAL service.

Page 31 (Appendix B) of the report pack provided an overall breakdown of the number of people helped and the types of issues the service had assisted with.

The Committee was invited to review and comment on the contents of the annual report, and during consideration thereon, the following points were noted:

·       Support was extended for the first class high quality service provided by Citizen’s Advice Lincolnshire;

·       The Committee noted that historically there had been more separate Citizen’s Advice charities across Lincolnshire. Currently however, there were three separately constituted Citizens Advice charities across Lincolnshire working in partnership as one: Citizens Advice Lincolnshire.  No guarantee could be given that in the future this presence might be reduced to a presence of two a North and a South charity, or even one for the County.  The Committee noted that the service needed to find a structure to support local communities across the County;

·       It was reported that the number of missed calls were recorded, and that reporting was able to provide details of when clients had rung more than once.  The Committee noted that when a call was unable to be answered locally it was routed to be answered in Gateshead at an overflow centre. It was however highlighted that some clients were not getting through.  It was also reported that after one hour the call was ceased automatically.  It was reported further that call data was available and that the service was working to address such issues;

·       Confirmation was given that CAL were being charged rent and service charges;

·       The effect high inflation was having, and the societal changes that were now impacting most people for example, the need for a mobile phone, an essential item for keeping individuals connected allowing them to access funds, pay bills, and claim benefits etc.  The Committee was advised that the service would not be able to get involved in a re-use scheme, as this would result in resources being diverted, undermining the core purpose of the service; 

·       Some concern was raised regarding the impact the cost of living was having on the residents of Lincolnshire and the choices they were having to make because of it.  One member felt that more funding should be made available from the County Council’s underspend to CAL, to help families in real poverty.  The Committee was advised that the funding from the County Council to the Citizens Advice groups was purely for back office services and to keep running costs going. It was highlighted that the Council gave as much money as it could, as it valued the service being provided.  It was noted that a further report would be considered by the Committee at its October meeting concerning the Citizens Advice Lincolnshire Grant Funding Agreement;

·       The Committee noted that savings had been made by CAL but unfortunately, these figures were not available to be shared with members at the meeting;

·       It was reported that CAL were constantly advertising for staff as the service continued to grow, so recruitment was a continual process.  It was highlighted that staff did leave; therefore, consideration was being given to the salaries being paid and that these were now being reviewed twice yearly.  It was highlighted further that recruitment was a problem to meet the ongoing demand on the service;

·       Whether there was any duplication of services being provided, an example given was benefits advice.  The Committee noted that when a client approached CAL and they were in debt, part of the process would be to look at their overall income and expenditure, and making sure the client was claiming all benefits they were entitled to.  There was recognition that some duplication happened with what a District Council did.  It was reported that some of these services formed part of the District Council funded projects, to support clients that needed help and support. Some concern was expressed that the duplication might be taking the service away from its core role.  It was reported that CAL had good working relationships with District Councils, and they worked with them to support clients.  Some District Councils also provided core funding to CAL and also provided additional funding for specific projects such as benefits advice;  

·       There was recognition that more could be done to achieve a higher level of satisfaction (85%), but it was highlighted that 85% from a national Citizens Advice perspective was a good acceptable level of achievement;

·       Confirmation was given that there was no known conflict arising between volunteers and paid staff.  It was highlighted that people volunteered for a whole range of reasons.  It was noted that some people who had volunteered did then chose to go into paid roles.  It was noted that around 50% of paid staff started as volunteers.  It was noted further that CAL was working with universities to encourage younger people to get involved.  The Committee noted the process undertaken for someone to become a volunteer. Praise was extended to all volunteers and to the impact they had on society;

·       It was reported that the East Lindsey area was very busy one, as it had a different population to other districts, having coastal deprivation, seasonal deprivation, rural deprivation, and lots of other challenges.  It was noted that the service worked very closely with the District Council to support clients;

·       Clarification was given that a client was never turned away, in the cases of a cross border client, they would be referred on to their local Citizens Advice;

·       Confirmation was given that Adviceline was the main route into the service.  It was noted that there was however 24/7 access through a self-referral application on the website; and

·       Clarification was given that a ‘unique’ client was one individual who could come back to the service twice regarding two issues.

The Chairman on behalf of the Committee extended his thanks to the presenters.

RESOLVED

1.      That the Citizens Advice Lincolnshire Annual report and presentation be received.

2.      That the comments and suggestions made in relation to the report be received and be taken into consideration by relevant officers and partners in Citizens Advice.