“It just doesn’t let up,” said adviser Kerry Gavin. “We’ve had to increase the size of our team, we’ve had to increase the work hours, we’ve had to increase training... our phones are constantly [ringing].”
The mother of two has worked with the advice team leader at the CFINE support services charity in Aberdeen for 10 years, first entering its doors while looking for support. The organisation offers essential advice on topics like welfare, finances and debt to the Scottish city’s residents, alongside emergency food packages.
A decade since she joined the team, demand for support services like hers is higher than ever – while funding struggles to keep up.
Research from AdviceUK, which represents over 700 independent advice providers, finds that demand for these services has gone up by 40 per cent since 2018-2019, before the dual pressures of the Covid pandemic and subsequent cost of living crisis.
Considering how her work has changed, Ms Gavin said: “It’s the increase in working families that are just not able to provide food to the end of the month, or they have to forgo certain toiletries or cleaning products. And every bill is increasing, from housing costs to council tax, gas, electricity, and travel costs.
“So if everything’s going up, even by a small margin, but the incomes or benefit rates aren’t increasing in line with that, then people are having to make sacrifices left, right and centre.”
The rise in demand means 88 per cent of organisations are now finding recruiting and retaining staff a significant issue, while nearly two-thirds (61 per cent) say they are likely to reduce or cut services due to financial constraints.
The 43-year-old added: “There’s a high burnout rate, these advisers are often working morning to night, very emotive cases ... We’ve currently got one person that’s been off for a year and a half long-term sick.”
Michael Denton, 43, general manager at Advice Mid Wales said funding for his centre is currently “hand to mouth” despite having served residents across three Welsh counties for more than 40 years.
Funding for these services largely comes from a mix of short-term charitable grants (30 per cent) and local authority spending (19.8 per cent). But the competitive nature of these grants and the instability of council budgets mean their future is often uncertain.
“We're often the first people that people go to in times of crisis. So to have that taken away and that reassurance in terms of social value, not just economic value – it would be catastrophic for a lot of people,” Mr Denton said.
“They're always going to need that help that we offer. And if we're not offering it, I don't know that anybody else would be able to fill those gaps in.”
As with many advice centres in the UK, most of those working at Advice Mid Wales are either voluntary or part-time. One adviser works three jobs, Mr Denton said, while he is a pub landlord alongside managing the service.
The UK cost of living crisis began in late 2021, when rapid inflation saw prices quickly rise beyond affordable levels for millions. The CPI reached a peak of 11.1 per cent in October 2022, before dropping to an average of 3 per cent by mid-2024 – sitting at 3.4 per cent in December last year.
This rate remains higher than pre-pandemic levels and the Bank of England’s 2 per cent target. For many, the price of food, household bills and other essentials still remains far too high.
Liz Bayram, AdviceUK’s chief executive, told The Independent: “The cost of energy, and all the things that we rely on, isn't reducing ... despite this theory that the cost of living crisis is easing.
“And the welfare system that so many people rely on is challenging to navigate, so it’s difficult to ensure that you get the resources you need.”
Research commissioned by the charity last year found that every £1 invested in free, specialist advice saves £2.71 in public costs by preventing the need for intervention at the crisis stage. Mr Denton estimates that the services provided by Advice Mid Wales alone have helped bring £948,000 back to the local community since last April.
“It's the missed opportunity by not doing this well,” Ms Bayram said. “Because it stops people ending up in court, it stops people becoming homeless, stops people ending up relying on overstretched public services, stops them ending up being in hospital.
“It needs to be seen as a central part of how government fixes its cost of living crisis.”
The group has lent its support to a campaign launched last week by the National Association of Welfare Rights Advisers (NAWRA) to make social welfare advice a statutory duty, meaning local authorities would have to ensure its continued provision.
The campaign is also backed by Marsha de Cordova, MP for Battersea, who told The Independent: “Throughout my career, from working in the third sector to becoming an MP, the importance of welfare rights advisors has been clear.
“The complexity of our social security system means that welfare rights advice is vital but often hampered by poor funding and delays. That's why I'm supporting NAWRA's campaign to introduce a statutory duty to provide social welfare advice, making it equally accessible to all who need it.”
A government spokesperson said: “We recognise the vital role of advice services in supporting people across the country and have made £78 billion available this year for councils to help local leaders fund local services, including advice centres.
“We are tackling the cost of living head on, increasing the national living wage - worth £900 a year from next year for a full-time worker - and taking £150 off average energy bills from April, giving low-income families the support they need.”
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