Tel: 01395 265070
​​​Citizens Advice first opened 4 September 1939
Citizens Advice Ottery St Mary was approved in November 1939
Citizens Advice Exmouth opened on the 14th June 1960
The need for an information service had been discussed in 1935, but as war loomed in 1938 the National Council of Social Services (the forerunner of today's National Council for Voluntary Organisations) established a group to look at how to meet the needs of the civilian population in war time. "Citizens Advice Bureaux should be established throughout the country, particularly in the large cities and industrial areas where social disorganisation may be acute.".
On the 3rd September 1939, war was declared. The next day 200 “Citizens Advice Bureaux” opened across the country. From the start, volunteers run the service working from public buildings and private houses. Advisers deal with problems relating to the loss of ration books, homelessness and evacuation. They also help locate missing relatives and prisoners of war. Debt quickly becomes a key issue as income reduces due to call-ups.
The number of bureaux peaks at 1,074 during the war, and one even operates out of a converted horse box that parks near bombed areas.
​
In Ottery, at the end of 1939, a Bureau was set up by Ottery Urban District Council to start in early 1940 under the guidance, and from the home of, Mr Badcock.​
The highlights of the next 20 years were noted in a memo and we were very sorry to see Mr Bennett, who succeeded Mr Badcock and was also the Town Clerk, was not only ruffled but also took umbrage!
Despite the success of Citizens Advice Bureaux, funding from the Ministry of Health was cut after the war, and by 1953 the number of bureaux has halved. The service continues thanks to the support of charitable trusts such as the Nuffield Foundation, Carnegie Trust and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.The 1957 Rent Act results in a big increase in enquiries and in 1960 funding from the Government for the national body is restored.
Citizens Advice Exmouth officially started in 1960, however our origins started a little before this. In 1959 a study group looking at about 200 Exmouth families saw the need for the advice service. They decided they wanted to continue their investigation named ‘The Worker and his Environment’ and opened Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) Exmouth. The study group attended lectures to help them better prepare for the venture, formed a committee of representatives from local welfare bodies and began sourcing funding.
CAB Exmouth then opened 2 days a week renting space from the iconic Sailors Rest Building in Exmouth for 10 shillings a week, (equivalent of £8.50 now).At first, only a few people turned up but The Great Exmouth Flood (1960) soon showed the value of the service. This influx of clients helped secure funding from Exmouth Town Council of £25.00 (equivalent of £613.48 today). The Bureau then moved to a space in the Town Hall and opened up 5 days a week.
One of our current members of staff, Janet – who was 12 at the time -tells us that she remembers the flood very well and wanted to go and help but her mother wouldn’t let her in case she caught something!
The office later merged with Citizens Advice Honiton to provide cover to the whole of East Devon and became Citizens Advice East Devon.
During the 1960s over one quarter of the enquiries relate to housing and the number of bureaux has reduced from 1,074 to 416. In 1973 a development grant from the Government is given to the national charity, the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux (NACAB), to extend the network. Economic conditions worsen during the 1970s and two recessions mean a growth in poverty and enquiries rise in line with this. As time goes on changes to the benefit system and work practices generate a large proportion of the enquiries that bureaux receive. In 1999 the national website is launched allowing people to access advice online 24 hours a day.
In 2003 The National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux changes its name to Citizens Advice. Everyone to this day refers to us as CAB or “The Bureau” and we really do not mind! As part of this process Citizens Advice became the first organisation in the advice sector to audit the quality of their advice.
An independently commissioned review of the service by the Office for Public Management concludes that "the Citizens Advice service provides excellent value in return for the public funding it receives. It makes a significant contribution to individuals and communities, as well as to the process of policy-making and service delivery. Its holistic approach, national coverage and independence are to be cherished.”
After a ten year campaign using evidence from Citizens Advice service clients, the Government added an amendment to the Housing Bill to include a tenancy deposit protection scheme. From April 2015 Citizens Advice took on two new services. The Citizens Advice network provides the face-to-face service for Pension Wise. The Citizens Advice Witness Service provides free, independent support for witnesses in criminal courts in England and Wales.
The EU referendum leads to spikes in enquiries about what changes may lay ahead. For the first time, the number of people accessing citizensadvice.org.uk via mobile is higher than those using a laptop and desktop. The government announces a ban on letting agents' fees after years of Citizens Advice campaigning.
Citizens Advice campaigned on problems with the Universal Credit rollout to the government. After months of campaigning, the government announces £1.5 billion in extra funding. The Supreme Court rules that employment tribunal fees are unlawful after years of Citizens Advice campaigning to make fees fairer.Another campaign saw Citizens Advice issue a super-complaint on the 'loyalty penalty' showing loyal customers pay too much for services like broadband. We persuade energy networks to give money back to people in Great Britain after finding that they made £7.5 billion in excess profits.
The coronavirus pandemic causes unprecedented challenges for our service and the people we help. Citizens Advice are well placed to respond rapidly having already established and expanded the phone service, webchat and digital advice online so that they could continue to support people throughout when it became unsafe to deliver face to face support. Local offices rapidly produce new digital content to meet the surge in demand for advice on coronavirus related issues. In the busiest week on record the national website has 2.4 million views.As people slowly navigate their way through life post-lockdowns, the year is another extremely challenging one. Covid-19 support measures largely come to an end in autumn 2021, including the £20 rise in weekly Universal Credit that had been a lifeline for people. Gas prices soar and dozens of energy suppliers fail. Energy bills rise and spark a cost-of-living crisis. People come to us with more urgent and complex problems than ever before, and we experience a huge rise in demand, particularly for energy advice.
Despite these challenges staff and volunteers remain resilient. More than 2.55 million people are helped directly, and our advice website has over 40.6 million visits.
As the cost-of-living crisis deepens, we set up a publicly available data dashboard to track the impact of the crisis, showing how the situation differs by location, and how different demographic groups are affected. Ofgem launches a ban on forced installation of pre-payment meters, something we campaigned for.
In the 2024 General Election Citizens Advice offices throughout the UK are viewed as leaders of the VSCE sector and meet with candidates to discuss issues important to their clients.
In 2023 Citizens Advice East Devon helped nearly 5,000 people. They came to us with over 10,000 different issues, and we had over 2,000 face to face meetings. We are an independent local charity and we have to find all of our own funding. Our two biggest funders are East Devon District Council and Devon County Council, but nearly half of our income is from grant applications and donations.
We helped our clients secure nearly £2million in extra income and debt reduction.
Nearly 600 clients needed a food bank referral and 825 had debt issues that we helped them with. We completed 928 PIP forms and helped over 900 people with housing issues.Each year we save local authorities considerable sums by helping people stay in employment, in relationships and in housing. We see a large number of clients with physical and mental health issues and try to help them find the support they need.
Every £1 we receive from local authorities generates around £18 of savings to public bodies.
We currently have 13 staff, most of whom are part time, and over 50 volunteers. Roles range from General Advisers who can help on any topic, to our Meet and Greet team, Charity Trustees, Admin Support and Researchers. Our training is respected as the most comprehensive advice training available, and while it is a lot of time and effort to complete the training and become an adviser it is very rewarding, and those who do tend to stay with us for many years.
​
Many thanks to David Stevens of Ottery for archive news clippings
​
​