The CAB network began helping people at the outbreak of the Second World War.
The Scottish Parliament will celebrate 80 years of the Citizens Advice network in a special debate today.
Lodged by Labour MSP Anas Sarwar, the debate is expected to attract speakers from all parties, with members paying tribute to their own local Citizens Advice Bureau.
The CAB network was established at the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939, when it was felt that people needed a free, confidential and independent source of advice on issues like rationing.
As the war progressed people increasingly needed help with housing and health issues, and after the war the service gradually became a permanent feature as the new welfare state was introduced and people needed help to navigate it.
Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS), the 59 member Citizen Advice Bureaux (CAB) and the Extra Help Unit based (EHU), form Scotland’s largest independent advice network.
Citizens Advice Bureaux deliver frontline advice services in over 280 service points across the country, from city centres to island communities. The EHU has a team of caseworkers based in Glasgow who assist vulnerable consumers from across Scotland, England and Wales with energy and postal service complaints.
Speaking ahead of the debate, CAS chief executive Derek Mitchell said: “We are extremely proud of our network and of what it does for people across Scotland. We help hundreds of thousands of people every year with our free, confidential and impartial advice.
“We’re here to help everyone, from employment and housing advice, to social security and consumer issues. Many of the people who turn to us for help are in really desperate situations, on the verge of being made homeless or drowning in debt. With a footprint in every community people know they can turn to us for help, and we’ve been a trusted provider of advice for 80 years now.
“In addition to our Citizens Advice Bureaux and our online presence, we also have specific services which offer dedicated advice to particular groups in society, like the armed forces, or people in debt, or EU citizens who want to settle here permanently after Brexit.”
The debate motion notes that the CAB network assisted nearly 262,000 clients with almost 766,000 issues in 2018.
Advisors helped people complete over 44,100 official forms, with claims totalling nearly £138 million during the year, according to CAB statistics.
Mr Mitchell said: “If the CAB network in Scotland didn’t exist, someone would have to invent us. People need good quality, impartial advice now more than ever.
“We are proud of our network and we intend to be here for a long time to come. We are modernising all the time, offering more and more ways for people to access our service while keeping the same holistic face-to-face offer for those who prefer it. Here’s to the next 80 years!”
