We held our Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 18th September at the View in Seaford.
MP James McClearly, Councillors Isobel Sharkey, Mary Campbell and Lindsay Stirton joined staff and trustees as we looked back on the achievements and challenges of the previous year.
Members of the staff team presented on their roles sharing insights into their experiences and the situations faced by our clients.
Key statistics
· Last year we helped 1,869 clients with 6,423 issues
· We enabled over £505,000 in financial gains
· Personal Independence Payments were the most common benefit requiring support
· Fuel debt was the largest debt issue
· 62% of people accessing support have a long-term health condition or disability
· 8% of our clients identified as being within a minority ethnic group
Service delivery highlights included an update on our Adviceline
· Local Adviceline established in April 2023
2,454 calls taken to date
Delivered exclusively by fully trained volunteers
· Face-to-Face delivery
Doubled since last reporting period due to our return to delivery in Lewes town & outreach initiatives
We also shared insights into the Value of Volunteering research undertaken by Citizens Advice
Volunteering at Citizens Advice generates value to local Citizens Advice offices, volunteers themselves and other key stakeholders worth at least £100 million.
In Lewes District our volunteers donate over 10,000 hours per year with a value, in terms of activities and improved outcomes, which include developing skills and improved wellbeing, of just under £10,000 per volunteer per year
10,000 hours per year donated by LDCA volunteers
On our work in Research & Campaigns we shared a spotlight on Negative Budgets
In 2023, 4935 people in the Lewes District constituency were in a negative budget (5.19% of the constituency)
We also updated on our 53-week campaign
Universal Credit is calculated monthly on the basis of a 52-week year (364 charging days) and in a year with 53 Mondays, this means that someone on UC will be given 52 weeks of rent but must meet the cost of 53
We are looking forward to another year of supporting the local community, helping residents find a way forward with their problems and campaigning for fairer policies for all.
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