COST OF LIVING CRISIS: New Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) campaign, Our Advice Adds Up, says some people up to £4400 better off after seeking help
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A new campaign has been launched by Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) encouraging people to seek advice as the cost of living crisis continues to squeeze household budgets.
Our Advice Adds Up has been introduced as consumers are set to face a huge increase in energy bills, soaring inflation and the impact of higher interest rates this autumn..
Research published by the charity suggests over 1.2 million people in Scotland have less than £125 left after covering essential monthly expenses.
CAS is encouraging people to seek advice from across the Citizens Advice network, by visiting Our Advice Adds Up
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People can find information through the public advice site, interactive self-help tools like Moneymap.scot, or from their local Citizens Advice Bureau.
Since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic in 2020, around one in five people who have gone to the Citizens Advice network in Scotland for help have made some sort of gain, the average financial value being over £4400.
This includes direct cash in people’s pockets and benefits in kind, like free school uniforms. This does not include debt advice, which can help people financially by reducing their repayments, or people who have benefited from understanding and enforcing their rights in a non-financial sense.
CAS chief executive Derek Mitchell said the Citizens Advice network had been helping people in Scotland since World War II and was there 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 £4400," he said.
"That can be life changing for people – the advice really does add up.
"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.
"This crisis is on the scale of the pandemic, and need to see a similar sort of response to it in the coming days from policy makers.
"Meanwhile, CABs in communities across Scotland will be on the frontline of this crisis helping people."
