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53 per cent increase in young people seeking charity’s help during economic downturn

26 Rhagfyr 2013

National charity, Citizens Advice, has seen a 53 per cent increase in the number of young people seeking help in key economic problem areas since the start of the economic downturn.

The number of clients aged between seventeen and twenty-four years old visiting a Citizens Advice Bureau about issues including rent arrears and Jobseekers Allowance has risen significantly since 2007.  New figures from the charity also show that in the first two quarters of this year alone, Citizens Advice Bureaux helped 23,083 young people with a debt problem.

Following confirmation of new schemes to give training to young people and a rise in the state pension age in this month’s Autumn Statement, the charity's Chief Executive, Gillian Guy, warns that young people are vital to ensuring the long-term sustainability of pensions and social care.

New data from the charity show that since 2007/08 financial year, when the run on the Northern Rock bank heralded the start of the economic crash, Citizens Advice Bureaux have seen:

  • a 114 per cent increase in the number of people aged seventeen to twenty-four seeking help about a problem with Jobseekers Allowance;
  • an 85 per cent increase in the number of people aged seventeen to twenty-four seeking help about a problem with rent owed to a private landlord;
  • a 56 per cent increase in the number of people aged seventeen to twenty-four seeking help about a problem with rent owed to housing associations;
  • a 53 per cent increase overall in the number of clients aged seventeen to twenty-four

Citizens Advice Chief Executive, Gillian Guy, said:

"We've seen a huge rise in the number of people needing our help since the start of the credit crunch.  Soaring numbers need help keeping a roof over their head, whilst the number of young adults seeking advice on support to get into work has more than doubled.

"The young people we help in our bureaux want a hand up, not a hand out. Of new volunteers in our bureaux last year, 24 per cent were aged under-25. Two-thirds of our young volunteers go on to further education or paid employment. Cutting support targeted at helping young people into work could make the tough task of securing the economic recovery even harder.

“Requirements on young people working hard to find a job are already stringent and if Jobcentres are too quick to withdraw young people’s support then the personal and economic cost could be huge. A system which is all stick and no carrot will make it even harder to secure the economic recovery and deliver future state pension funding.

“Done well, training schemes for young people in Jobcentres could have a positive impact but must not just be an excuse to cut costs. Localised, personal support is exactly what Citizens Advice Bureaux deliver every day and applying these ideas to helping young people into work could have an extremely positive impact. The traineeships that people are required to take must genuinely increase their chances of getting a job and not be a box-ticking exercise.

"The current and future generations of young people face the daunting task of working longer, shouldering the bulk of the burden for rising social care costs and ballooning pensioner spending, all in the face of high youth unemployment. Getting young people into work so they can contribute to the economic recovery must remain at the top of ministers' priorities."


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Notes to editors

  1. 1.From the start of 2007/08 financial year to the end of 2012/13, Citizens Advice Bureaux saw a rise in the number of clients aged 17-24 about: issues with Jobseekers Allowance, from 6,316 to 13,543; issues with rent arrears to private landlords, from 1,583 to 2,986; issues with rent arrears to housing associations, from 2,065 to 3,217; any issue, from 115,846 to 177,729.
  2. The Citizens Advice service comprises a network of local bureaux, all of which are independent charities, the Citizens Advice consumer service and national charity Citizens Advice. Together we help people resolve their money, legal and other problems by providing information and advice and by influencing policymakers. For more see the Citizens Advice website.
  3. The advice provided by the Citizens Advice service is free, independent, confidential, and impartial, and available to everyone regardless of race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, religion, age or nationality.
  4. To find your local bureau in England and Wales, visit www.citizensadvice.org.uk. You can also get advice online at www.adviceguide.org.uk
  5. You can get consumer advice from the Citizens Advice consumer service on 08454 04 05 06 or 08454 04 05 05 for Welsh language speakers
  6. Citizens Advice Bureaux in England and Wales advised 2.1 million clients on 6.6 million problems from April 2012 to March 2013. For full 2012/2013 service statistics see our quarterly publication Advice trends
  7. Citizens Advice service staff are supported by more than 22,000 trained volunteers, working at over 3,000 service outlets across England and Wales.