CAB advice ‘saves Scotland £60m’

Help provided by Citizens Advice Bureaux saves Scotland’s economy more than £60 million a year, a new report has found.

The study found the advice people were given reduced the benefits bill, saved the NHS money and also reduced the amount of cash spent dealing with homelessness.

The research, which was carried out by the Fraser of Allander economic think-tank, also revealed advice from CAB in Scotland increased people’s incomes by £63 million in 2011-12.

Margaret Lynch, the chief executive of Citizens Advice Scotland, said the figures were “quite remarkable”.

There are more than 250 CABs across Scotland with staff and volunteers providing advice to those in need.

The study is thought to be the first to try to assess the economic impact of the help they give Scots and examined the five main areas the CAB provides advice on – benefits, debt, employment, housing and relationships.

The study found advice from the CAB resulted in savings of £14.5 million in health spending and reduced the bill for unemployment benefits by £12.9 million.

The report stressed it had used “conservative assumptions” and said the figures were “a minimum estimate of the impact of advisory services”.

Ms Lynch said: “We have always known that CAB advice has an economic value as well as a social value. It stands to reason that if you prevent someone from becoming homeless or getting ill, that will save the taxpayer the money that would otherwise have been spent to support that person in the long run.

“But this is the first time the amount of money has been calculated by an independent study, and the figures are quite remarkable.”