WEST MIDLANDS AND COVENTRY CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAUX DEBT ADVICE SERVICE

Motion Text

That this House notes that Coventry Citizens Advice Bureau's (CAB) debt advice service is funded by the Government's Financial Inclusion Fund; recognises that the Financial Inclusion Fund was established in areas of deprivation or where there has been difficulty accessing debt advice in the West Midlands and across the UK; further notes with concern that the Financial Inclusion Fund is due to end at the end of March; further notes that this will mean the closure of a service that has helped 7,500 families in the Coventry area in the last five years; further recognises that in the last year alone the Coventry CAB debt team have helped 1,500 families, saved 267 homes and have managed 28 million worth of debt; further notes with concern that Coventry CAB will lose 15 skilled people from the specialist debt team; further notes that the demand for CAB services is increasing and will continue to increase as a result of financial and social change; and calls on the Government to reconsider this decision given its impact on vital services for vulnerable people in Coventry, the West Midlands and across the UK.