Louise Broadbent of Citizens Advice Barnet on their looming funding challenge

Two members of staff for Barnet charity Citizens Advice Barnet, sitting at desks working on computers — Citzens Advice Barnet staff hard at work (Credit – Citizens Advice Barnet)

Despite an increase in demand for our services, we are being forced to close or drastically cut back on some of our casework because of funding cuts.

Unless further funding is found in the next few months, we will have to almost halve our immigration casework capacity and stop providing employment and welfare benefits casework altogether.

Thanks to funding from trusts and foundations, we’ve been able to add significant value to our council-commissioned and funded community advice service through casework but this is now under threat. We are particularly grateful to Barnet Council for their support at this time: their funding enables the continuation of our core service, which underpins everything else that we do.

The loss of funding comes at a time when, due to the ongoing cost of living crisis, demand for our advice services has never been higher and policy changes to immigration, employment and welfare benefits herald further need. Last year we helped over 13,500 people in Barnet regain control of their lives with free, confidential, independent and impartial advice and we expect this number to be just as high, if not higher, this year.

Currently there is no other free provision in the borough for such in-depth casework, apart from the services offered by Citizens Advice Barnet.

Barnet’s advice sector has already suffered significant cuts. In 2014, Barnet Law Centre closed down due to lack of funding and we took on some of its functions and staff, including three caseworkers who still work with us today but are now facing redundancy.

Since our grant for employment and immigration casework came to an end, we have been funding these casework services from our own reserves whilst seeking alternative funding but we cannot continue to do so beyond March. We have also been unable to secure continued funding for our welfare benefits casework, which ends in January.

Our work in these areas provides vital advice and support for Barnet residents, supporting those with no other means to do so to access the pay they’re entitled to, redress for unlawful dismissal and discrimination at work; end-to-end support with immigration applications, such as leave to remain; and expert support with complex welfare benefits problems, such as appealing unfavourable decisions.

In the 15 years I’ve been a professional fundraiser, I have never known such a challenging landscape. Many trusts have closed or changed their strategic priorities, and they consistently tell us they have significantly less funds available and many more requests for funding.

We are actively lobbying current and prospective funders and are appealing to anyone in our community to contact us if they can help, either themselves or through their connections.

To do so, you can get in touch with me by emailing [email protected]. Thank you.

Louise Broadbent is head of business development and research and campaigns lead at Citizens Advice Barnet

No news is bad news

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.

The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.

Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.

Monthly direct debit

Annual direct debit

£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else. £84 annual supporters get a print copy by post and a digital copy of each month's before anyone else.