Pictured: Tom Fox, Manager of Thame Citizens Advice Bureau
IN the midst of the economic down-turn effecting most towns, the Manager of Thame’s Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) has been explaining how a marked increase in redundancy and income problems is hitting the local community and putting a strain on his volunteer advisors.
Tom Fox, speaking to Thamenews.net, explained: “In January 2008 we had one client seeking advice on dismissal or redundancy. In January this year the number was 31. Immediately after the new year, it was quiet but then began a steady stream of people who had lost their jobs or were expecting to loose their jobs.
“The increase had been noticeable from the end of 2008. During the quarter from October to December, 2008, redundancy/dismissal enquiries increased to 49 from 28 in the same period in 2007.”
The chart pictured shows the increase in client numbers year on year (CAB’s year starts in April).
Tom continued: “The issue is not only unemployment; it is a cocktail of job and income problems, personal debt that has been accumulating over the past few years and people starting to face up to their situation.
“This is putting a significant strain on our advisers who are all unpaid volunteers. It takes about a year to train a new adviser so it is not possible to just turn a tap on and off. Everyone is working harder and trying to work smarter.
“We have a group of about 30 unsung recession heroes trying to give the town a soft landing.”
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