RYEDALE Citizens’ Advice Bureau will be unable to continue to operate after next month unless additional resources are made available.

The service, which helped nearly 2,000 people and families last year, faces closure within weeks unless district councillors agree to provide £35,000 at a meeting tonight.

Chief officer Sue Bywater said she, along with chairman Janet Sharp and treasurer David Brown, had given a presentation to members and was “optimistic” the funding would be agreed.

“I have completed a bid for Lottery funding, however this could take up to six months to secure and is not due until April 1 next year,” she said.

“The presentation we gave to the council was well received and I am optimistic they will step in to help in the meantime.”

Ms Bywater stressed that the CAB was not in debt and had the reserves to meet its financial obligations should it be forced to close.

“We have looked at our own budget and cut some of the hours of our paid staff,” she said. “We constantly review our finances to identify further efficiency savings.”

Ms Bywater has told councillors that the CAB, which has operated for more than 30 years, has helped 1,868 people in the past year, made 8,234 contacts, dealt with a 5,479 issues and 2,121 other inquiries.

It has helped clients get £2.4m, written off £260,000 debts and enabled £5,248 repayment debts to be re-scheduled.

Ms Bywater said: “We provide free advice to the residents of Ryedale on a wide range of social issues including housing, welfare benefits and money. If we were to close then that service would have to be provided elsewhere.”

The organisation relies primarily on volunteer staff from the community, who are said to be worth £230,000 a year, with eight part-time paid employees.

She said the organisation works alongside several other partners dealing with such issues as food banks, children’s centres, mental health, tenancies and employment.

In a report to the full council, chief executive Janet Waggott said the CAB would be unable to continue to operate after October unless additional resources are made available.

“The presentation given by the Ryedale CAB made it clear that the current financial position is fragile and that the Ryedale CAB require the additional financial allocation of up to £35,000 in order to maintain the necessary cash flow and the services used and valued by a number of Ryedale residents."

“While efforts have been put in to apply for other sources of core funding, it is not guaranteed. It is therefore possible that the CAB may be in a similar position next year and could need future financial support.”

The council is being asked to provide the £35,000 from its New Homes Bonus scheme – money which is provided by the Government to encourage the building of new homes.

Ms Waggott said council officers were also working on a plan to support funding from the CAB for the future.

“Failure to offer additional financial support to the CAB could result in vulnerable Ryedale residents being unable to access necessary advice, support and services at difficult times of need,” she said Ms Waggott.