Citizen’s Advice reorganisation

The Island’s Citizens Advice service, a charity that gives free, independent, impartial and confidential advice to anyone who needs it, has been forced to reorganise its services resulting in a number of cutbacks and redundancies.

Announcing the changes, trustee and former High Sheriff, Gioia Minghella-Giddens, said: “There has been some talk nationally about the squeeze on funding for Citizens Advice across the country.

“We know how vital our service is to Island residents, and that they might worry about how this will affect our local service. We want to reassure them that we are working hard to ensure the future of our charity through turbulent times.

“It is true that, like all charities, we have experienced a squeeze on funding over the last few years. Inflation has compounded the impact. Despite all that, we know how much our service is needed so we are taking the steps necessary to secure our future. It is a challenge, and dealing with it requires some tough, but necessary, decisions.

“We have reluctantly had to make the difficult move to reorganise our service, and this has resulted, very sadly, in a number of redundancies and considerable distress to the individuals concerned. We understand and share their distress. Having explored all other options, however, we were left with no other choice.

“Even so, our overall position is strong. We would like to offer Islanders the reassurance that we have a clear focus on sustainability and the quality of the service we can offer. We are very proud of our staff, for whom this remains a very worrying and uncertain phase, particularly as the reorganisation has had to take place over an extended period of time.

“We are committed to a future in which CAIW is there for those who need us. Not everyone realises that Citizens Advice is an independent charity, reliant on gifts, donations and grants. If anyone would like to donate to the service or get involved as a volunteer, we can assure you of a warm welcome and the reward of being part of one of the most important and respected organisations of the Isle of Wight.

“My mother, Gloria, was a passionate advocate for the mission and values of Citizens Advice and was chairman of the board for many years. Like her, and my fellow trustees, I am privileged to be able to give service to the Island through this most important of charities.”