The staff were helpful, friendly and extremely knowledgable
Mission Statement
The Citizens Advice service provides advice to everyone on their rights and responsibilities. It values diversity, promotes equality and challenges discrimintation.
The service aims:
- To provide the advice people need for the problems they face
- To improve the policies and practices that affect people lives
The CAB service is based on 4 principles. We are
- Independent - we will always act in the interests of our clients, without influence from any outside bodies
- Impartial - we don't judge our clients or make assumptions about them. Our service is open to everyone, and we treat everyone equally
- Confidential - we don't pass on anything a client tells us - or even the fact that they've visited us - without their permission
- Free - no-one has to pay for any part of the service we provide
Putting these principles into action enables us to provide a vital service to the people who turn to us for help each year.
Campaigning for Changes in Policies and Services
We record every enquiry brought to us. This adds up to a huge wealth of information about the problems people experience. We work proactively to prevent similar problems happening to others.
National Campaigning
We use this evidence to highlight the effects that policies have on real people in the real world, and to suggest where improvements can be made to the policies and services of national and local government and businesses. We aim to stop problems at their source, using the direct experience of the communities that CAB service.
We send information about the problems brought to us (but not about clients) to the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux. Evidence is collated to help social policy officers identify national trends. CAB can then present evidence to policy makers by writing reports and submissions and participating in consultations to improve policies.
Local and Regional Campaigning
With local or regional issues, bureaux may act individually or join forces with other CAB branches and outside agencies, using their client evidence to lobby MPs, Assembly Members (AMs), councillors, local authorities and others, as well as presenting their findings in the media.
The CAB service is respected for its impartiality and independent analysis, and is listened to at all levels of government. Councillors, MPs, Ams and Ministers all consult the CAB service on a wide range of issues. This enables us to effectively campaign for social justice and get laws and policies changed for the better.