HUNDREDS of new clients in Pocklington have been able to get free help and advice after extra funding was pumped into the Citizens Advice Bureau.
The East Yorkshire branch of the support service said they received a share of a £10 million boost from the Government, which they say was channelled to Goole and Pocklington.
The Citizens Advice service has seen a large increase in inquiries li
nked to the economic downturn, with a sharp rise in people seeking advice on debt, redundancy, benefits, mortgage and fuel arrears.
The service announced that between July and September last year debt problems were up by 26 per cent compared with the same three months in 2008.
A CAB spokesperson said: "The extra funding we received from the Government has helped us provide advice services to a lot more clients over the last few months than we would normally have the capacity to see.
"The period after Christmas can be a particularly difficult time for people, so if you are struggling with debt or other problems now is the time to get help.
"We will continue to provide our extended service for the immediate future and are committed to seeing as many people as we possibly can."
The project has been so successful the Government recently announced an additional £5m of funding for the project, to extend it until the autumn.
As a result of extending its opening hours, the service is also looking for more volunteers to help with the increase in clients. As well as becoming advisers, volunteers can also help out with reception, IT, admin, marketing, fundraising and social policy duties.
Anyone interested in volunteering with East Yorkshire bureau, please call (01405) 720866.
For advice, the drop-in service at Pocklington Youth Centre on New Street is on Tuesdays between 9.30am and 12.30pm.
