Five years ago, my fourth column highlighted the contribution of Citizens Advice, and printed on 1st November 2018 with the opening remarks:

" Whoever you are, whatever your problem, we’re here to help. This is the mission statement of Citizens Advice East Devon, the local charity that runs the comprehensive Citizens Advice service for East Devon, which also refers people in need to The Exmouth Food Bank."

This was contributed by Hilary Nelson, then CEO of CA East Devon; Dean Stewart, present CEO, continues with an update:-

Five years on, Citizens Advice East Devon are still here for the people of Exmouth and you will get the same response. Whoever you are and whatever your question, CA will listen and try to help.

The world is very different after Covid but people generally have the same problems. The benefits system is complex and often seems unfair and daunting; there are still thousands of visitors every year who need support in order to get a fair deal.

People have health and fitness issues and are in new and frightening circumstances. CA helps them make sense of the help that is available to give them a way forward.

Families fall out. Employees and employers don’t always get along. Neighbours can be, well… unneighbourly! Not everyone can afford a lawyer and when the system seems stacked against you, CA can sometimes break the deadlock. Families still have electricity bills and rent to pay. Mortgages are going up and people who own their houses are now as likely as anyone to have a negative budget every month.

The average client used to be in their mid fifties; they are now around 40. There are more people struggling, both in work and home owners. Covid changed the way CA meets people. A phone and e-mail system was set up after lockdown and walk in customers decreased from around 90% to 5%. This is now reverting, with shop visitors accounting for about 20%.

Visitors are down on pre pandemic levels, but have more issues and presenting late makes problems harder to solve. Government relief schemes have masked a lot of issues over the last few years. While the summer was quiet, winter brings a little dread as those schemes have finished. People will see bigger bills while inflation means all their costs are rising. Inflation “falling” only means things are going up a little more slowly.

Food and energy are the biggest contributors to inflation and they are a huge percentage of many people’s’ expenditure. CA work with many groups through NHS bodies and we note the movement of key services away from the NHS to local community groups and charities. This is not sustainable and it is a worry that poor physical and mental health will make simple everyday problems harder for people to deal with.

Some of the worst issues could be prevented if people just had better information and support, with intervention before they start to lose control There are many vulnerable people who struggle with simple budgeting and life administration; when government support disappears, they will be the hardest hit.

The last five years have been anything but ordinary. The voluntary sector in East Devon is impressive, with many people giving up their time to help and support our community. More and more are volunteers going to be needed.

Will you volunteer - perhaps you already do.