EK CAB there to help

Support is vital

East Kilbride Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) helped those struggling with their finances to the tune of nearly half-a-million pounds in the last year.

The vast majority of cases related to benefits and debt issues, according to new figures published by the charity.

Advisors helped residents with a range of problems including benefit entitlements, unpaid wages and helping them to manage their debt more effectively.

A new report has revealed East Kilbride CAB saw more than 2141 clients over the year who brought 4947 enquires, raising 9528 issues.

The number of cases relating to benefits has steadily risen along with the number of referrals to local food banks as families struggle to make ends meet.

Manager Michelle Campbell said: “If we help one family to get compensation, and another to get a benefit they had been refused, these amounts of money add up over time.

“And last year that total was £477,000.

“That money is a lifeline for each of those individual families.

“But a lot of it also goes into the East Kilbride community – the shops, businesses, buses and housing associations.

“It helps keep the families out of debt and it also keeps others in work. That’s a winwin situation if ever there was one.”

These figures come as the national Citizens Advice service across Scotland reveals that it gave out one million pieces of advice last year – helping over 310,000 individuals gain a total of £120 million.