New advice partners to offer more support
THE Stockport Citizens Advice Bureau has formed a new partnership with other advice services across Greater Manchester.
The Citizens Advice Greater Manchester group will aim to support thousands of people and address some of the region’s biggest challenges in health, employment and crime.
Local advice services already offer a range of support across the region for people. They focus on a wide set of issues including housing, debt and workplace rights. Overall, the charity attempts to improve the polices and practices that affect people’s everyday lives through confidential and impartial advice about people’s rights and responsibilities.
The partnership to help improve services in Greater Manchester involves Salford, Oldham, Stockport, Tameside, Rochdale, Bolton, Bury, Trafford and Wigan.
Last year the Citizens Advice services across the entire region supported around 100,000 people.
This saved a combined total of more than £16 million for the NHS, housing, local authorities and other various public services in Greater Manchester
The group has also already been chosen for the crime pilot programme for the Greater Manchester Police and Crime Commissioner’s Legal and Financial Advice for Vulnerable Victims.
This scheme ensures that those who are the victims of a crime across the Greater Manchester area have access to specialist advice as well as support on issues including benefits, housing, immigration and debt issues.
The group has been created following a new partnership agreement between all the local Citizens Advice services working in the communities across the 10 Greater Manchester boroughs to help people live more independent lives.
Chair of the new group is Alison Haynes, who has been the tax partner at Deloitte for 17 years and has spent a further eight years working out of the firm’s Manchester office.
Alison is hopeful for all the things that the advice partnership will achieve as Manchester continues to develop.
She said: “The new partnership will ensure that we are able to deliver the kind of services and campaigns that will play a role in helping turn the city region into one of the best in the world.”
Gillian Guy, chief executive at Citizen’s Advice, added: “Their expertise and insight means that the Greater Manchester Citizen’s Advice partnership can play an essential role in supporting local people as plans are made for the city’s future.”