Head of advice charity calls for multi-year funding to secure staff

The head of Scotland’s biggest free advice network has called for multi-year funding models to offer security to staff.

Derek Mitchell, chief executive of Citizens Advice Scotland, told a conference on the cost-of-living crisis in Glasgow on Thursday that short-term funding allocations lead to “stop and start contracts” for workers offering advice to some of the most vulnerable in society.

“These are tough jobs, so when there is insecurity around the future of them, because a funder can’t guarantee money beyond a certain date and people end up working without contracts, it’s morally unacceptable,” he said.

“We shouldn’t have people advising the public on employment rights when they themselves don’t know if they will have a job in a few months because funders don’t offer certainty. That is unacceptable, regardless of who the funder is.

“My hope is in the years to come we can move beyond the short-term, insecure funding arrangements that many agencies are at the mercy of, and governments at all levels see advice services as being the essential service they are, empowering people, unlocking wealth, protecting rights in communities all across the country.”

According to the Citizens Advice Scotland website, the charity is core funded by the UK Government through the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills – a department that has since been broken up – but the Scottish Government has also provided funding in recent years.

Mr Mitchell’s comments come after a report to the Scottish Government from the Scottish Energy Insights and Co-ordination Group, which said Scottish ministers had “direct influence over the funding of the energy advice sector” and that there is “strong evidence that short-term funding is detracting from service delivery”.

The report added: “While we appreciate both that this is not a new problem, and that UK Treasury rules limit action in Scotland, the current energy crisis highlights its impact.

“We are aware that in some cases the Scottish Government has made multi-year funding available, and we believe strongly that the Scottish Government should also take this approach in the energy advice sector.”

Welfare and Debt Advice Minister Paul McLennan MSP said: “Advice services play a critical role, helping people to access the support and information they need.

“We are investing £11.7 million this year in advice services to provide free income maximisation, welfare and debt advice.

“While the Scottish Government is one of the biggest single funders of advice services in Scotland, the primary funder of these services remains local authorities.

“Scottish Ministers recognise these are challenging times for local authorities with budgets across the public sector hit by high inflation.”

A UK Government spokesperson said: “We have committed to provide financial support of over £2.8 million to Citizens Advice Scotland both this year and next, enabling them to offer vital services and guidance to people across Scotland.

“We do not fund the local Citizens Advice Bureau network, which is composed of individual charities which receive local authority funding.”