Citizens Advice Bureau

Manager of the Endwell Road CAB, Glen Jopson said the main problems the bureau are encountering are from people who are unemployed, and who are suffering the effects of a mixture of housing and debt related problems.

He said: "It's hard times for anyone to get work, there's not a lot of industry and a lot of people need somewhere to live. There's not a huge rental market in the area, and landlords are reluctant to take people who are on benefits."

With 2,000 extra contacts since last year, the dedicated team of the mainly voluntary staff, at Bexhill's CAB, have been kept busy dealing with 2.25 million of debt and 0.5 million of bankruptcy.

Glen added: "Bankruptcy is a lot more popular than it was and the amount of debts are quite high. We support people through the process and help them to negotiate with debtors."

Thanks to the support from Rother district council's extra funding, Bexhill's CAB were able to take on more staff to help with the increase of financial related enquiries, and Glen said the new recruits received not only the basic councillor training but in addition specialist training to deal with financial problems.

"The demand for our services is quite high at the moment, and it can be quite stressful dealing with peoples problems. We receive a lot of support from Rother council; they recognise we offer a valuable service to the community."

Many of Glen's volunteers have been with the bureau for many years and the expertise and knowledge his staff offer continues to benefit local residents.

He said he has an exceptional team of loyal volunteers working alongside him:

Glen said: "I'm very lucky that the volunteers stay for a long time."

For more information on the CAB visit the website at: www.rotherdistrictcab.org.uk or call (01424) 215055