Sir Gavin Williamson met with the Chief Executive Officer of Citizens Advice Staffordshire South West, Claire Davis, to discuss how they can work together to support local residents.
Sir Gavin visited the Citizens Advice Centre in Stone to learn about the services that the organisation has been providing in the local area. Citizens Advice has been helping 681 people with the cost of living in Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge, where over 18% of people are in a negative budget, meaning their income doesn’t cover essential spending.
Sir Gavin raised his concerns that those needing support might not know how to access it. Claire and the team agreed that people should seek assistance as soon as a problem emerges.
In particular, Citizens Advice Staffordshire South West has been helping residents access support with rent arrears. Often, those needing support contact the team when they are facing eviction, rather than doing so earlier when the team are more able to help.
Sir Gavin said: ‘It was great to meet with Claire and the team at Citizens Advice, a fantastic organisation that provides one-on-one support to over 2 million people each year. I agree that there should be greater awareness of when and how people can access their free advice and I will do what I can to raise awareness throughout Staffordshire.’
Claire Davis, Chief Executive Officer of Citizens Advice Staffordshire South West, said: ‘It was great to meet with Sir Gavin to discuss the issues that are affecting our clients and to discuss how we can work together to help local people.’
