New Community Legal Advice Office Opens in Beverley

Next week, residents get the chance to step inside their new local advice office for the first time.

The doors of the East Riding Community Legal Advice Network office at 100 Lairgate will be open to the public between 10am and 4pm on Wednesday (13 October). will be able to learn more about the services on offer from East Yorkshire Citizens Advice Bureau and Yorkshire solicitors Switalskis, who run the advice service.

The new Beverley office is the latest stage in the development of the East Riding network, which has been operational since March. It sees the service move from its temporary location of Morley’s Yard in the town to these larger, permanent premises at 100 Lairgate. Funded by the Legal Services Commission, the central government body which runs legal aid, and , the network will receive £1.89m over three years.

The network offers all levels of legal help and advice, from basic information to representation at court, from its three permanent sites in Beverley, Goole and Bridlington. Advice is also provided from ten outreach locations for those people living in more remote parts of the area.

Since the spring, more than three thousand people have contacted the network for help on a range of issues such as debt, welfare benefits, housing, community care and employment.  With 36 new volunteers recruited and in training so far, the network is going from strength to strength.

Thanks to the network’s staff, in the first six months over £5m pounds of debt has been managed for clients and at least £150k extra welfare benefits have been claimed by local people.

In a survey 99% of clients said they were satisfied or better with the help they had received.

People can also tap into the service by telephone (on 0300 33 00 88) or through the Council’s CitizenLink video-conferencing network. CitizenLink can be accessed either in any of the Council’s customer service centres throughout the East Riding or in the booths situated in some villages.

“The opening of a centre in Beverley is a major milestone,” said East Yorkshire Citzens Advice Bureau CEO, Lesley Thornley. “For some time the town has had the benefits of advice from the Cherry Tree Centre, but this new service is different in two ways. Firstly, it can offer a wider range of specialist and general advice, and, secondly, it enables us to extend our services across Beverley and the surrounding area, in a way we were unable to before.”

The new office officially opened for last week with a launch event (October 6th) for partners, hosted by Lesley Thornley on behalf of the network and the providers. Cllr Jonathan Owen, Deputy Leader of East Riding of Yorkshire Council, and Denise McConnell, National Relationship Director at the Legal Services Commission both spoke at the event, celebrating the achievements of the service so far and supporting the successes still to come.

“The network is fantastic news for people in the area,” said Denise McConnell, “and I am delighted to see first-hand the success it has already enjoyed.  Working in partnership with the Council in this joined-up way really helps us reach those people who most need legal help and advice.”

Councillor Owen said: “This service represents a significant step forward in the way advice is made available to residents. For the first time people can get support on a whole range of issues in the same place. By joining up funding from the Council and the Legal Service Commission, and by delivering the service through organisations with the experience and reputation of the Citizens Advice Bureau and Switalskis, we have a service that is of great benefit to all residents of the East Riding. It is a great example of how public and voluntary sector organisations can work together to deliver services.”



More From HU17.net

This article has 2 Comments

  1. Is this advice centre only going to be open on wednesdays ?? What about the people who work 9-5 ??

  2. Why as a long distance lorry driver can’t I get advice over the phone I can not get in to the office

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *