Subject: News from Citizens Advice Mid Suffolk From: "Manager (Mid Suffolk CAB)" Date: 23/12/2019, 14:55 To: "'pc.ringshall@gmail.com'" Dear Dave Smith,   For the attention of the Parish Councillors of Ringshall Parish Council   Citizens Advice Mid Suffolk is an independent charity, reliant on local authority grants and donations. We are very grateful that many Parish Councils have provided financial support in the past, which has enabled us to provide our service to over 2,700 clients since the beginning of this financial year.  This is an increase of 15% compared to the previous year.    Between April 2018 to February 2019 we had saw 14 individual clients from Ringshall parish.  We helped your parishioners with a total of 72 issues.  Please note that we may have helped one client with several problems over the year, and with several issues related to each of these problems.   In addition to our core service providing free, confidential and impartial advice to everyone in need on all issues relating to; benefits, debt, employment, housing, consumer rights, legal, relationship and family problems, health and education, we also:   •                Organise food parcels for clients and their families -  in the last financial year we organised 181 food parcels •                Provide a Family Law Advice Clinic every month which provides clients with a free half hour session with a solicitor to assess family law problems and the options available to them. •                Home visits for benefit clients that have difficulties leaving their homes. •                Employment & Benefit Tribunal Representation with our Specialists. •                Run a Multiple Sclerosis project, for families affected by MS.   As you may recall, in 2018 Suffolk County Council announced a plan to withdraw funding from the Citizens Advice network in Suffolk.  We have been working closely with the Council and we were relieved this week when they announced that they would offer us funding for 3 years, albeit at a third of the level that they previously funded Citizens Advice.  Fortunately, the Ipswich and East Suffolk Clinical Commissioning Group (IESCCG) will provide some funding in 2020/21, so the reduction in our income from this source altogether will be around 17.5%.  It is uncertain what will happen with the IESCCG funding in 2021/22.    Your continued support is vital and we would appreciate a donation in 2019/20 toward running costs to ensure that we continue to deliver this free, confidential and impartial advice service to everyone in need.  We will keep you informed of significant developments.   We continually seek to develop our advice services to ensure that we are meeting the needs of the most vulnerable within our communities. We therefore welcome your thoughts and invite you to come to our Advice Centre to see us at work and help us develop our advice service provision for the future.  Please do refer any of your residents who are in need to us.    If you would like further information relating to our work or have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us.   May I take this opportunity to wish you a very Happy Christmas.   Kind regards,   Carol Eagles Manager   Citizens Advice Mid Suffolk 5 Milton Road South, Stowmarket, Suffolk. IP14 1EZ Tel: 01449 673186 Working days: Monday to Thursday   Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority FRN: 617667   Citizens Advice Mid Suffolk has a complaints handling procedure. Please email supervisor@midsuffolkcab.org.uk to request a copy of the complaints leaflet to be either posted or emailed to you.   We are registered with the Information Commissioner's Office under Z7288513 and will process your personal data in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation and Data Protection Act 2018. Please refer to our online Privacy Policy at www.midsuffolkcab.org.uk for more information on how your personal data will be processed and stored.   Charity Number 1107152       Company Registration Number 5296023 Twitter : @midsuffolkcab  www.twitter.com/midsuffolkcab   This email and its attachments may be confidential and are intended solely for the use of the individual to whom it is addressed. If you are not the intended recipient of this email and its attachments, you must take no action based upon them, nor must you copy or show them to anyone. Please contact the sender if you believe you have received this email in error.   Please support us by joining TheGivingMachine, a charity that raises free funds for charities.  Shop via TheGivingMachine at 1000s of shops such as Amazon, Argos and John Lewis, and raise a cash donation for Citizens Advice Mid Suffolk, at no cost to you. https://www.thegivingmachine.co.uk/causes/citizens-advice-mid-suffolk/     P please consider the environment - do you really need to print this email?