by ADRIAN JENKINS
A FREE help service for people in Burton has had 'a very challenging and exciting year', its boss says.
Dawn Trigg, chief executive of East Staffordshire Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB), gives her verdict on the organisation's recent performance in its 2006-07 annual report.
She says the CAB, based in Anson Court, Horninglow Street, in Burton, has maintained the 'growth trend' established the previous year by expanding its size and range of services.
However, Ms Trigg says its work has been influenced by cost-cutting exercises and the need to demonstrate value for money.
The CAB's report shows that in 2006-07 it served 7,456 clients - securing them gains worth £207,068 - and dealt with 10,989 issues.
In doing this, it benefited from 224 volunteer hours each week which, in financial terms, were equivalent to £151,513. Thirty-three volunteers were recruited and five moved into paid employment within the CAB.
To help staff, who received payments worth £220,000 - three quarters of available expenditure - East Staffordshire Borough Council provided £80,184 - a third of the organisation's income - and the CAB attracted an additional £265,159.
During the year, the CAB launched a health trainer service in Winshill, Eton Park, Shobnall, Stapenhill, Anglesey and Uttoxeter with South Staffordshire Primary Care Trust, and Staffordshire County Council commissioned it to provide debt and welfare benefits advice to probationers in Burton and Tamworth.
Other highlights included the launch of a financial advice service in May, 2006, and the CAB website in January, 2007, the employment of a dedicated financial adviser on an 18-month contract, the extension of the CAB's outreach service and Kelly Thompson's receipt of the Young Volunteer of the Year award.
However, treasurer Tricia Walker, explaining the financial constraints hinted at by her boss, says: "Our core funding this year has remained at last year's value without any inflationary increase, which represents a decrease in real terms.
"This means a lot of hard work to search and bid for funding, and additional adminstration and financial control to report each project."
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