On Wednesday 9 November, Steve Brine pledged his support for the future of funding for the Citizens Advice service at an event held at Parliament to re-launch the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Citizens Advice, hosted by the Group's new Chair, Stephen Lloyd MP. He was one of 50 MPs who signed the pledge.
Citizens Advice Chair, John Gladwin, called on Parliamentarians to pledge the following: "I will do all I can to ensure that the Citizens Advice service has the funding it needs to continue providing vital and high quality advice and advocacy in my local community and across the country."
Every year Citizens Advice Bureaux help over two million clients with over seven million problems, providing support to people who often have nowhere else to turn, from over 3500 community locations across the UK.
Funding cuts pose a significant threat to the Citizens Advice service and bureaux capacity to provide help to those who need it. This financial year, Citizens Advice Bureaux in England and Wales have already seen a seven per cent drop in the total number of people they were able to help as a direct result of cuts to funding.
Parliamentarians from across the political spectrum work closely with the Citizens Advice service both in their local communities and at a national level. Successive Prime Ministers have expressed their support for the Citizens Advice service. Just last week David Cameron said that the Citizens Advice service does a "fantastic job" and is the charity he works with most closely in his constituency.
Steve said: "In Winchester & Chandler's Ford, working with my local Citizens Advice Bureau, I see on a regular basis how advice really can change people's lives. Even people at a real crisis point can find their situation swiftly improved if they seek advice and I'm delighted to be able to support for the Citizens Advice service. "
Pictured; Steve signs the pledge in the House of Commons