Bayram: Sector under immense pressure
Nine in 10 advice agencies are experiencing rising demand, but almost two-thirds say they are likely to cut services due to financial challenges.
The report by Advice UK, a charity which has 699 advice agency members delivering services to around 1.7m clients, is part of a campaign launched this week to highlight their work and “urge policymakers to act now, before it’s too late”.
Researchers said 90% of agencies reported increasing demand for their services in the past year, with six out of 10 saying it had increased “significantly”.
However, 61% said they were likely to cut services due to “financial and operational challenges” – with 23% very or extremely likely to do so. Only a quarter said they were “not at all likely” to make cuts.
Researchers based their Advice Saves Research Report on responses from 247 organisations delivering free legal advice.
A majority of agencies, 54%, said they were not confident that they had sufficient capacity in terms of staff and resources to meet demand, while over a third were not confident they had funding secured to cover the service over the next 12 months. Most agencies found recruiting and retaining staff a challenge.
Liz Bayram, chief executive of AdviceUK, commented: “Our survey results reveal a sector under immense pressure.
“Overstretched, dedicated staff are working tirelessly to offer a lifeline to people in crisis, but a lack of sustainable funding means they are at breaking point.
“Without urgent investment, thousands of people who rely on these services for support with debt, housing, health, and more could be left with nowhere to turn. This will push many into deeper crisis.
“We know that catching problems early before they escalate is cost effective and can save money for the public purse before individuals present to other overburdened services such as the NHS, local authorities and the criminal justice system.”
AdviceUK’s Advice Saves campaign aimed to “spotlight the life-saving work independent advice organisations do and urge policymakers to act now, before it’s too late”.
The campaign is calling for “sustainable funding solutions”, including “mandated local authority support” to secure the future of advice services.
Other proposed solutions are a “cross-departmental advice sector strategy to ensure free, independent accessible advice throughout the UK” and a “workforce development strategy to support staff recruitment, development and retention”.
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