UNCERTAINTY over the future of the South Worcestershire Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) has been ended after Evesham’s and Pershore’s MPs stepped in.
Harriett Baldwin along with Mid-Worcestershire MP Sir Peter Luff were both lobbied by CAB bosses after it emerged the South Worcestershire branch was set to receive £25,000 less a year – a 50 per cent drop – from the Government-backed Money
Advice Service (MAS) which planned to redistribute funds to areas which were considered to be higher in need.
It prompted Les Kinmond, chief executive of South Worcestershire CAB, to write to both MPs who in turn called on the Treasury department to investigate the matter.
Now the MAS has confirmed the changes have been reversed and the local CAB budgets to offer debt advice will be untouched.
Mrs Baldwin said: “I am grateful to Les for raising this issue and pleased that we were able to help the national bodies to re-
visit the decision and see sense.
“The MAS was quick to see that this was an unfortunate oversight and reversed the decision in a matter of days.”
Mr Kinmond said: “This funding is essential to the amount of help we can provide for people with money problems, since the demand is such that we cannot meet it just with our volunteer advisers without additional professional support.”
