Help in Troubled Times

Our Annual report is now available for all to read – please scroll down for the full report.

I would like to start by acknowledging what an incredibly challenging time it has been over thefinancial year 2022/23. It has been challenging for our clients in having to cope with increases in energy, food and housing costs, which pushed many people to the limit and beyond. Our expert team of volunteers and paid staff have spent a good proportion of their time in directly responding to this cost of living crisis and it is all credit to them that our clients, partners andstakeholders have all expressed their appreciation of the outcomes obtained for local residents.I would therefore like to offer my sincere thanks to them all for the work they have delivered under the banner of Citizens Advice Central Dorset. Of course, it has also been challenging for those volunteers and paid staff by the fact that they too have had to deal with the increase in living costs and of course, they have been under additional strain through the sheer volume of work that has been required.

When life is so hard for so many people, assisting them to achieve financial outcomes becomes even more important. Over the year in question, our team helped clients achieve over £5.3m in both welfare benefits and other income gains. Every pound makes a real difference and this additional income for clients has gone towards paying those basic bills of food, energy and housing.

Daniel Cadisch, Chief Officer