“It’s time for urgent action to help tackle the Cost-Of-Living crisis” says Citizens Advice Medway

Recognising that our digital channels such as email are not suited for every client or situation they face, Citizens Advice Medway is taking steps to ensure everyone can get the help they need by changing our opening hours to Monday-Thursday 8am-8pm. This will enable those who need to engage with us face-to-face or over the phone but may work 9am-5pm Monday-Friday have ample opportunity to reach out and get the support they need either before or after their working hours which would have prevented them from having face-to-face or telephone from us support under our previous 9-5 hours.

 The cost-of-living crisis is impacting everyone, including those who may work full time jobs. This means we need to adapt and respond to make sure the residents of Medway have the best chance to get the help they need to make it through these difficult times.

 The team at Citizens Advice Medway have been inundated with enquiries about what people can do to manage the increasing cost of food, utilities, and other essential bills. We want to make sure people can access us in a way and at a time that best suits them.

 Citizens Advice Medway’s CEO Dan McDonald said: “It’s time for urgent action on the cost of living. The scale of this crisis is unlike anything we’ve seen, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. We need to be adaptable and dynamic in our response as the crisis is changing all the time. By changing our operating hours and starting a new range of Outreaches, we hope this will give the people of Medway the best chance to ensure they’re getting the help they need”.

 Citizens Advice Medway has also launched a range of new Outreach services to ensure people can access advice face-to-face without having to come to our Kingsley House office. We’re aware that travel costs are going up and want to ensure people are not left out of pocket by seeking the help they need.

 Our Outreaches are:

• St Augustine's Church, 192 Rock Avenue, Gillingham, ME7 5PW - Sessions held on the third Wednesday of every month from 9am-11am.
• St Margaret's Church, High Street, Rainham, ME8 8AN - Sessions held on the first Tuesday of every month from 9am-11am.
• The Salvation Army, Church Street, Chatham, ME4 4BT - Sessions held every Wednesday from 10am-12:30pm.
• St Peter's Church, Delce Road, Rochester, ME1 2EH - Sessions held on the first and third Tuesday of every month from 10am-11am.
• Twydall Library and Community Hub, 13-15 Twydall Green, Gillingham, ME8 6JY - Sessions held on the second Thursday of every month from 1pm-4pm.

Even with the current government support measures, 1 in 5 people (21%) in the UK were unable to pay their energy bills in October. This could jump to 1 in 3 (36%) when the cap increases in January 2023.

Given the rising costs of all other outgoings and purchases people make, our debt service is anticipating a significant surge in demand. The number of debt clients we’re dealing with began to increase in October and has been on a gradual upward trend ever since. Our new opening hours will ensure we have the appropriate capacity to cope with the crisis and help the people of Medway.

Please contact us for support now on our usual channels:

•      PHONE – 01634 383 760
•      EMAIL – info@medwayadvice.org.uk
•      WEBSITE – www.medwayadvice.org.uk

 

Notes to editors

• Citizens Advice includes the national charity; the network of independent local Citizens Advice charities across England and Wales; the Citizens Advice consumer service; and the Witness Service.
• Citizens Advice is the statutory consumer advocate for energy and post. We provide supplier performance information to consumers and policy analysis to decision makers.
• Citizens Advice’s services are free, independent, confidential and impartial, and available to all regardless of race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, religion, age or nationality.
• To get advice you can call Citizens Advice Medway on 01634 383 760.
• Citizens Advice staff are supported by over 23,000 trained volunteers, working at over 2,500 locations in England and Wales.