Our Citizens Advice Bureau

Sadly, this is about to close.

This amazing facility is being deserted by everyone as far as I can see. Though four of our Town Councillors have been alerted to the problem, they have been persuaded that a solution has been found.

 It hasn't. I've researched the situation thoroughly and the trustees at their last AGM which I attended, are resolved to close it down . John Dersley their chair decided that there was no hope as far back as last June and ceased to try to save it. He has persuaded his fellow trustees that there is no future in it's present form and that people will have to put up with a remote call centre. The way this has been handled is in my opinion an absolute scandal.  A deliberate policy has been to keep what was happening quiet. Even now Dersley claims that a millionaire may appear or that the government may change their policy - they might - but not if we stand back and do nothing.

After trying , with Roger Lindsay - who did a web site - to raise awareness to the problem we've almost accepted defeat. However I have to make one last try.

I'm going to try to persuade Tim Farron MP to get involved, so I'm going to see him at his surgery in Grange tomorrow morning.

However as I see the situation, the real solution is for Ulverstonians to make a commitment to keep this place open. I've pledged ten pounds a month, indefinitely to this end - if we were joined by others, (one other, Gladys Hobson has) I'm sure this would work.

There is an alternative organisation - Cumbria Rural who would take the Ulverston CAB under their wing and I'm sure they would welcome support from Ulverstonians.

I visited and talked to Tim Farron this morning. I introduced the topic without spelling out which precise topic I had come about. Tim and I are old contacts going back five years and it seems that we have a fair bit of mutual respect. He listened carefully and then showed by his comments that he had a detailed knowledge of what had been happening having been briefed by John Dersley in the last month or so. He fully agreed with me that more need to be done to save what is both Kendal and Ulverston CABs because the Face- to face drop in service was essential to the  needy public who came to CABs required. Sadly the whole operation is dictated to by the leadership of the trustees. His hands are tied but he will approach the SLDC to encourage them to get more involved.