Funding to keep financial advice services in Nottingham running amid high demand
Nottingham city centre
By Joe Locker, Local Democracy Reporter
Slightly more than £1.2m will be spent providing free advice and support for Nottingham households amid high rates of unemployment, benefit dependency, and unmanageable debt.
Advice Nottingham is a consortium of six advice agencies based in the city. It is led by the Nottingham and District Citizens Advice Bureau.
Funding for the service is due to end at the end of September, and city councillors are expected to approve a further £1.2m to keep it running for another three years.
Nottingham City Council says demand for advice services remains high, with 6.3 per cent of the city population now claiming out-of-work benefits – up by another two per cent since before the Covid pandemic.
Lower income households now make up almost a quarter of the city population, council documents also show.
The funding is expected to be approved at a Commissioning and Procurement Executive Committee meeting on Tuesday (April 15).
“Advice Nottingham will be grant funded to deliver a service which will … prevent financial difficulty from occurring, reduce or resolve immediate financial problems, and avoid or better manage future financial difficulty [for individuals],” documents published ahead of the meeting say.
“Upon the grant being awarded, we will work with the Advice Nottingham to guide their delivery plan based on the proposed outcomes of the grant award and how they are to be achieved.
“Local data tells us that many people in Nottingham experience deprivation and poor health and wellbeing.
“Financial vulnerability is a particular risk factor for poor health outcomes. Half of adults in problem debt also have a mental health problem, and almost 30 per cent of adults living in persistent poverty are in poor health.
“The health benefits of advice services are well evidenced, improving health through addressing financial issues and other wider determinants of health such as employment, housing, and education.
“Evidence shows advice services improve mental health outcomes – including reductions in stress, depression and anxiety – and wellbeing through reduced social isolation, better family relationships, and improved home environment.
“The objectives of this grant funding are to provide timely, targeted and effective information, advice and assistance for citizens who are experiencing
or at risk of financial difficulty.”
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