Citizen's Advice Bureaux
Three Citizens' Advice Bureaux, funded by a local authority in a mixed urban and rural area, were under pressure from the local authority to amalgamate and make greater use of information technology to deliver advice and information services. Common Knowledge was commissioned by the three bureaux to undertake a review. The work was jointly funded by the local authority and the National Association of Citizen's Advice Bureaux (NACAB).
The review found that amalgamation would be an innovation too far, resulting in no significant gains to actual or potential service users, and no significant financial savings, if any. There was the potential to make greater use of information technology vis a vis inter-bureau offices, but little practical application for it in respect of actual or potential services users given the current state of technology, its cost, and experience of it in use by other agencies.
A full costing of the service was undertaken including calculating a monetary value on the significant volunteer labour force - £260,000 per annum - without which the services could not run. The review found that the actual cost of the service was relatively low. In addition, the review confirmed that the larger CAB in particular offered an exemplary service.
Outcome: the broad conclusions of Common Knowledge's report were accepted. The three bureaux's Council funding was secured, and a long-standing difficulty over rental costs resolved.
