Citizens Advice charity's finances teetering - boss

Citizens Advice Guernsey boss Ali Marquis said the service was hoping to expand

The finances of Citizens Advice Guernsey are "teetering on a fine line" as people ask for help solving "complex" problems, the charity's boss has said.

Ali Marquis, the new chief executive of the charity's Guernsey branch, said volunteers were "spending a lot more time" dealing with issues such as access to affordable housing and rising energy costs.

Ms Marquis said the service was hoping to expand but this was difficult due to costs.

The charity ended 2022 in the red with a loss of more than £63,000.

'Balancing point'

Ms Marquis said the charity's finances were still "on the margins" and "very tight".

"They are still on that fine teetering line," she said.

"We're on a balancing point where we need to invest further in the infrastructure to increase our volunteer base.

"Although we do want to increase our hours and accessibility, that does come at a cost."

She said advisors were spending on average 45 minutes with each client.

"We're finding our inquiries are a lot more complex... we are spending a lot more time."