Richmondshire Citizens Advice Bureau
has joined forces with bureaus from across York and North Yorkshire
to introduce Adviceline - a single telephone number for people to
use to access advice services.
The new line - 08444 111 444 - was launched
yesterday (Monday November 15). It will be open from 9.30am – 4pm
each weekday; from 4 -4.30pm on Tuesdays and 5.30 –6pm on
Wednesdays.
“The single telephone number will provide
access to the Citizens Advice Bureau 86 hours per week - a
vast improvement on the existing telephone services, access to
which is patchy and unpredictable,” said Angie House, manager at
Richmondshire CAB.
“The new system relies on all nine bureaux in
York and North Yorkshire staffing a rota. Initially callers may be
speaking to an office outside their area, but the service they
receive will be of a standard high quality.
“Once a caller is through to Adviceline they
will be given a number of options. They can speak to an
adviser who will offer an initial assessment and direct them to an
appropriate service for the particular help they need, or make a
referral to a CAB office in their own locality, where they will be
offered an appointment - or arrangements will be made for an
adviser to call them back.”
She said that nationally Citizens Advice
Bureaux assisted over two million people resolve their problems in
2009/10 and demand for the service is expected to increase as more
people are faced with job losses and the comprehensive overhaul of
the benefit system.
“The launch of Adviceline is our collective
way of increasing access to our services, particularly for people
in rural locations and those who find it difficult to reach our
offices.”
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