Surrey funding cuts to Citizens Advice Bureaus 'ridiculous', says councillor

Councillors are undecided on the future of two Citizens Advice Bureaus

Proposals to cut funding for Citizens Advice Bureaus and other charities have been branded "ridiculous".

Guildford Borough Council is considering cutting funds to the Guildford and Ash branches from £300,000 a year to £250,000 by 2023/24.

The bureaus are considering a merger to save money, reports the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

A report outlining the options stated the council was faced with a "challenging financial position".

The two Citizens Advice Bureaus provide services such as information and advice on debt management, welfare, housing and immigration and landlord-tenant disputes to up to 5,000 people a year.

Five options were proposed, including maintaining current funding, cutting all funding, reducing funding in phases or drastically, and finding an alternative way to provide a similar service in-house.

Graham Eyre who represents the borough council on the board of Ash Citizens Advice spoke on behalf of both branches.

He said: "The options in the document before us are ridiculous. Only A is practical [to maintain current funding levels] and B [making cuts] would increase the bureaus' projected deficits. The remainder are just window dressing."

Councillors called for more information into the efficiency of the bureaus so that they could take an informed decision.

A final decision will be made at a later date.

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