Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) has launched a new campaign urging people to get advice if they are worried about money or energy bills ahead of the cost of living crisis putting an extra squeeze on household budgets this autumn.
The ‘Our Advice Adds Up’ initiative is now live and the charity is calling on anyone concerned about their finances to get in touch through its public advice site, interactive self-help tools such as www.moneymap.scot, or through a local Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB). The charity reports that since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, around one in five people who have come to the Citizens Advice network for help have made some form of gain - with the average financial value being more than £4,400.
This has included direct cash payments and benefits such as free school uniforms, although it’s worth highlighting that most local councils in Scotland are offering clothing grants of between £150 and £300 towards school uniforms and footwear - find out more here.
Commenting on the new campaign, CAS chief executive Derek Mitchell, said: “The Citizens Advice network has been helping people in Scotland since the Second World War and we are here to help people during this crisis.
“Advisers in CABs across the country get real results, with one in five people who seek advice seeing some sort of financial gain, the average value of which is over £4,400.”
He continued: “The network helped over 171,000 people last year, and a further 2.5 million people checked our online advice pages.
“The crucial thing to understand is we are for everyone, regardless of background or circumstance. Our advice is confidential, impartial and free. We don’t charge people for advice and we don’t judge either, we just help.”
Find out more on the Citizens Advice Scotland website, here.
To keep up to date with the cost of living crisis, join in the conversation on our Money Saving Scotland Facebook page here, or subscribe to our newsletter which goes out three times each week - sign up here.
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