Watford MP Dean Russell volunteered to work a shift at Citizens Advice Watford as part of his ‘Put Dean on Your Team’ initiative.
Dean started this programme so that he could spend time working on the ground with local businesses, charities and organisations in order to get a greater understanding of their challenges, but to also promote their work.
Citizens Advice Watford is an independent local charity giving free advice to people in the local community. They operate both a walk-in service and a telephone adviceline, and can offer specialist services in debt and money, welfare benefits and employment.
Established in 1939 as an emergency war service, the Citizens Advice service has developed into the UK’s largest independent advice provider. They now have more than 350 affiliated branches nationally and help more than 2 million people annually with a wide range of problems, including debt, benefits, employment, housing and immigration.
Speaking after his visit Dean said “It was really useful to spend a few hours with Citizens Advice Watford so that I could better understand what sort of issues local residents are raising with them. The free service that they offer is useful to so many. The make a real difference to people’s lives, last year helping 5,494 people with 11,256 problems.
I know that the cost-of-living crisis is at the forefront of most minds right now, with the prices of fuel, food, energy, clothing etc. all rising so it is important that people are aware of what help is out there for them. I am grateful to Citizens Advice Watford, particularly their volunteers, who give a lot of time in order to help others.”
Emma Burgham, Chief Officer at Citizens Advice Watford, said “We are grateful to Dean for his support for our charity. None of us know when problems will come our way. Our aim is to help people find a way forward with the issues they are facing, and we are working exceptionally hard to meet the needs of our community as they face unprecedented pressures on household costs”.
