David Harker,
Chief Executive | The public trusts the advice from the Citizens Advice service. Our influential policy campaigns help resolve problems, which deny millions their entitlement to income, fair treatment, rights and respect. We treasure this trust and will work to ensure that as many people as possible benefit from the services we offer, delivered by the community for the community. It’s been a busy year for us. The number of locations providing advice increased to over 3,200, our Citizens Connect programme increased accessibility to e-government services and we launched a new service to help people with concerns about the NHS. We have worked with more partners than ever on a number of projects and campaigns. We were pleased to join with Shelter as part of our long standing campaign to protect the deposits of private tenants, and to work with Transport 2000 to highlight rural transport problems. For the past 65 years we have built a solid reputation. We always look forward, and in 2003 we undertook a major consultation within the service and externally, to help shape our future. We are determined to improve access to advice, secure stable and adequate funding and demonstrate our commitment to equality and diversity. Only 23 per cent of the public realise that Citizens Advice and individual bureaux are independent charities. Spreading this message and the need for funds and volunteers will be an important focus in the year ahead. We will continue to build on the relationships we have with local authorities, and with our many other partners, to develop innovative services that reach all communities. Our profile increases every year, which can only be a good thing. |
