Blyth Residents Facing Debt Or Legal Issues Shouldn't Suffer Alone

Posted by DAWN Advice on Jan 26, 12 11:13 AM in Bloggers

The Chief Executive of a telephone advice service is urging anyone from Blyth struggling with legal or financial problems to pick up the phone and join the hundreds of people from the town who have already turned their lives around by asking for help.

The Northumberland Single Telephone Advice Line, which was launched in autumn 2010, is now receiving on average 400 calls a month with around 50 calls being referred to the Blyth Citizens Advice Bureau(CAB) for further assistance.

Liz Chadwick, Chief Executive of DAWN Advice, which manages the Northumberland Single Telephone Advice Line, said she expects the number of enquiries which the advice line receives to carry on rising as Northumberland towns, such as Blyth, continue to feel the pressures.

She said: "Over the past 14 months we have received a huge response to the Northumberland Single Telephone Advice Line from people living in Blyth. We have already helped over 600 Blyth residents worried about legal matters to improve their situation, but as we continue into 2012 there has never been a greater need for people to be able to access quality legal and financial advice quickly.

"Our advisers and Blyth CAB are regularly contacted by individuals who have found themselves in difficult situations through no fault of their own - often it is as a result of a job loss or a relationship breakdown. Unfortunately there just doesn't seem to be an end in sight."

Bernard Pidcock, Manager of Blyth Citizens Advice Bureau, added: "Prior to the introduction of the Northumberland Single Telephone Advice Line people would often feel frustrated by our phone service simply because of how busy the bureau could become.

"The new advice line is now helping people to access support quickly and is also alleviating the growing pressures being felt by CAB teams by reducing our waiting lists - allowing us to focus on helping the individuals who require face-to-face advice. For us it is like having two teams, one answering the phone and the other dealing with face-to-face problems from our offices in Blyth, Cramlington and Seaton Delaval."

The Northumberland Single Telephone Advice Line is designed to bring together a series of legal services offered by Citizens Advice Bureaux and their partner organisations to ensure that residents receive the most appropriate support to help with their circumstances.

People reliant on public transport or those living in rural areas do not always have easy access to face-to-face services so the telephone advice line allows advisers to conduct an initial assessment of the client's needs over the telephone so their local CAB can then arrange an appointment with a specialist caseworker.

Anyone living in Blyth with legal or debt worries should contact the Northumberland Single Telephone Advice Line on 0844 4111 309 for free, confidential and impartial advice.

We'd like to hear from you.
Send your stories, pics and videos to northumberland@ncjmedia.co.uk