Letters CAB asks for fair treatment
Sir - I find the comments attributed to Goole Town Council in relation to Boothferry Citizens' Advice Bureau naïve, crass and insulting to the many volunteers that work as advisers, receptionists and trustee board members.
Most bureaux nationwide, like Goole, have huge demands placed on their services, especially so in less affluent areas. The service that any bureau is able to provide is therefore largely dependent upon the resources it is able to raise through its funding as well as its volunteer resource. As has been well documented, East Riding's contribution to the CAB in Goole is woefully inadequate (less than £60k pa) for the needs of a bureau that amongst others, provides a service in Goole, Howden, Snaith, Pocklington, Brough and Beverley.
This equates to less than £1 per resident for the area covered by Boothferry CAB. By comparison, Hull City Council provides core funding of more than £5 per resident (and you will still find queues outside their CAB).
In an ideal world, I am sure all at Boothferry CAB would wish that every phone call could be answered within three rings, that there are no queues on Pasture Road and that all users could be seen within half an hour of dropping in to its offices. All of this is possible but there is a price to pay and the current level of funding is completely unrealistic when compared to the expectations of Goole Town Council.
I would therefore suggest to Cllrs O'Neill, Marshall and Boatman that they should visit the service to see the tremendous work being done by its volunteers and workers. With respect, £12,730 barely pays for one part-time worker and does not touch the significant running costs of a bureau.
At a time when the lower paid in society are most in the firing line due to higher fuel prices, increased food costs, more repossessions (due to sub-prime lending), the role of a local CAB becomes even more important. So I say to Goole Town Council - work hard to find a way to help your CAB increase its funding and effectiveness. Being overtly critical will only serve to demoralise those that in many cases give their own free time to help those in our local communities who are so reliant on the service it provides.
Richard Bridge
Market Place,
Snaith
Published on 1st May 2008 in Letters.
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