CAB workload

9072 clients sought help from West Berkshire Citizens Advice Bureau

Volunteers gave 18,564 free advice hours

Advisers helped with over 13,415 enquiries

3,715 third parties were contacted on clients' behalf

9 people completed a 9 month adviser training course and a further 4 started it

More than 1200 client enquiries were answered by our Carers Advice Service

We also achieved:

	Quality of Advice assessed as being in the top 10% of Bureaux in the country
	Renegotiated new three year funding agreement with West Berkshire Council
	Incorporation of West Berkshire Citizens Advice Bureau
	100% of all staff trained and competent to use electronic case recording system
	The design and initial implementation of a new database of local organisations

Chairman's report 2006 / 07

This has been a short year! Our 2006 AGM was in September to allow us to complete our Incorporation as a Company Limited by Guarantee and allow registration as a new Charity. We now revert to our normal July date for the 2007 AGM with our financial year returning to its traditional April - March cycle. Looking back we have coped very well through this period of change and extra work not least because of the sterling work of the Hon Treasurer and the New Chief Executive. I am indebted, too, to the huge support given by the whole Trustee Board who have coped with extra meetings and new Strategy Planning Days to try to ensure the Bureau has the leadership and clear sense of direction that any good Organisation needs. However whilst the Trustees and CE have been attending to the infrastructure of the company and the Charity, the core business of the Bureau, to provide quality information and advice, has been quietly but very effectively driven forward by the Management Team and our army of volunteer advisors.

In fact, the Advice Team, managers and volunteers, and those that support them have had an exceptional year. Their clients' problems have not got less; rather the reverse; but this very experienced, loyal, and hugely competent and well trained group have now even proved to Independent Inspectors, what we already knew, that the quality of their advice and support to clients puts them in the top 10% of Bureau in the UK. West Berkshire is indeed fortunate to have such a valuable resource to help deal with the considerable deprivation and other problems that are to be found in what is normally seen as a very affluent community.

If the Bureau was not able to find, train and keep so many Volunteers the cost of our Service would be many times higher. We are grateful to West Berkshire Council and other funders for their support but we really need more financial help if we are going to continue to provide the present level of excellent service and meet the needs which are all too evident if you join the drop-in queue at 16 Bartholomew Street most mornings. We will be hoping to use our recently increased social policy resource and a higher profile for the Bureau to win some new friends and new supporters.

Anthony Allen
Chair, Trustee Board, West Berkshire CAB

If you would like to be sent a full copy of the latest Annual Report please contact us.