Gerry McLaughlin

A new service which aims to help the public with changes to benefits is being introduced.

Cultenhove Opportunities and Stirling District Citizens Advice Bureau are set to launch the new community led project, Universally Ready, next week.

The new advice access service aims to assist local people who are on benefits through the transition to Universal Credit, with one to one support from trained advisers and volunteers. Its introduction is set to begin in the Stirling area from the end of this month.

Universal Credit is where those on benefits will receive single monthly payment, and replaces benefits and tax credits such as Job Seeker’s Allowance and Child Tax Credit.

Gerry McLaughlin, chair of Cultenhove Opportunities said:“We welcome this new project as these services are vital to help the people of Cultenhove deal with the changes to the social security system.”

The new service will be launched at the Hillview Centre, 13 Cultenhove Place, St Ninians FK7 9DU at 3pm on Wednesday (June 14).

The aim of the Universally Ready- an Access Advice Service is to provide wide ranging CAB advice to disadvantaged and isolated people via outreach surgeries and home visiting, thereby allowing informed, empowered and enabled decision making.

The service will also provide a home visiting advice service for to up to 50 households - for those housebound by virtue of rural, economic and social isolation.

A weekly work club will also be launched in Cultenhove , based in the Hillview Centre, to help local people find work, move them closer to getting a job, to help them better understand computers to help the community be more digitally included and to reduce the number of benefit sanctions.