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stella41b -> 70 years ago (9/11/2009 11:16:37 PM)
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It was seventy years ago this month that the Second World War broke out: on the 1st Nazi Germany started their invasion of Poland, on the 2nd Britain and France issued an ultimatum to Hitler to withdarw from Poland, on the 3rd Britain together with France, Australia and New Zealand declared war on Nazi Germany, joined on the 10th by Canada, the 17th was when the Soviet Union invaded Poland from the east and the 27th when the capital of Poland, Warsaw fell.
However in the previous year in Britain when it became clear that Britain could soon be at war, the National Council of Social Services (which was to become the National Council of Voluntary Organizations) established a group to look at how to meet the war time needs of the civilian population. The group recommended that advice centres be set up particularly in the larger cities where 'social disorganization may be acute'.
On the 4th September 1939, a day after Britain declared war on Nazi Germany, the first 200 branches of the Citizen's Advice Bureau opened their doors to the British public. the arrangements for these bureaux varied widely, one even being operated from a horsebox. Seven decades later 3,300 Citizens Advice Bureau offices advise two million clients each year on roughly six million different problems.
The concept was very simple 'Inform, advise and support.' Almost anyone could be involved. One lady described how her husband, a solicitor ineligible for military service, came home from his office in London and announced that they were going to open a Citizen's Advice Bureau in their living room the next day. She was given a copy of the Citizens Advice Notes, some government leaflets and circulars, and told to get on with it.
Of the 27,000 people who work in these Citizens Advice centres, 21,000 of them are volunteers. The Citizens Advice service provides free, confidential and impartial advice to help people resolve their problems. It is the biggest provider of advice in the United Kingdom and is equipped to deal with any issue from anyone. Nearly half the population has used this service at some point in their lives and in the last year alone the Citizens Advice service helped 1.9 million people solve some six million problems. The CAB as it is commonly known isn't just there in times of crisis, but will also anonymously use clients' stories to campaign for policy changes to benefit millions, often without them realizing it.
During the Second World War The Blitz caused chaos, which was repeated three years later with the flying bomb attacks. The Citizens Advice Bureaux administered the Red Cross Message Scheme, helping many with claims for war damage relief, helping people find relatives and lost ones who had survived the bombings, and answering many questions on rationing, some of which continued after the war. In fact it was evidence compiled by the Citizens Advice Bureau which influenced Government rationing policy resulting in extra clothing coupons for pregnant women and extra cheese for gardeners.
However after the Second World War the NHS was set up in 1948 to provide free medical treatment to everyone but many people were unfamiliar with how it worked. Here the Citizens Advice Bureaux proved to be invaluable, and also again when the Rent Act 1957 was introduced lifting restrictions on rent bringing an increase in housing problems. Also throughout the 1950's as popularity in hire purchase and credit agreements exploded the Citizens Advice Bureaux were on hand to provide advice to consumers. It was the CAB's knowledge of consumer problems which helped it submit key evidence to the Moloney Committee set up in 1959 to consider consumer protection.
As rents rocketed on renewal of agreements and homelessness started to grow through the 1960's the Divorce Reform Act and Leasehold Reform Act also generated enquiries such as 'How can I make sure that I have access to my children if I divorce my husband?' The CAB supplied evidence to the Ministry of Housing on the failure of local authorities to relieve hardship caused by rate increases which led Parliament to insist on 'relief in certain circumstances' with an offer to share the cost with the Exchequer.
Throughout the 1970's and the setting up of the Office of Fair Trading, the Citizens Advice Bureaux expanded on its consumer advice in order to solve a widespread number of problems relating to everything from electrical goods to footwear. Also the introduction of redundancies meant contracts could be legitimately terminated for economic reasons, not just for competence or conduct issues, which led to further expansion and development of advice concerning employment rights.
The 1980's saw two recessions lead to a dramatic rise in inequality, debt and welfare benefit enquiries which doubled in line with unemployment. Concessions are made to amendments in Housing Benefit regulations and after the Citizens Advice Bureau presents evidence in Parliament a review is undertaken.
Throughout the 1990's the Disability Discrimination Act generated enquiries from people who had been denied 'reasonable adjustments'. Changing employment patterns brought in the zero hour contract and the Habitual Residence Test denied many asylum seekers financial assistance as well as threatening to deny some British citizens some of their basic rights after spending long periods of living abroad. The Citizens Advice Bureaux influenced tighter controls on private bailiffs and after publishing the first evidence report relating to immigration issues establishes liaison with the Immigration and Nationality Department.
More recently freely available credit combined with a lack of affordable housing caused unprecedented levels of debt with bankruptcy and repossessions soaring, and many enquiries were generated from widely overpaid tax credits being reclaimed. However a new law comes into force to protect tenants' rental deposits after years of campaigning and the Ministry of Justice responds to CAB evidence by announcing tough new measures to enforce payment of Employment Tribunal awards.
What other positive changes or things have come out of times of adversity either nationally, in your region, city or community?
How have these things or organizations affected you or changed the way you see the world today?
Sources:
Guardian Online
The Citizens Advice Bureau website
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