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Advice Centres (Barnsley and Sheffield)

I think that we agreed earlier that there are different sources of funding for advice services. That is why I am meeting other Ministers from across the Government to make sure that, as we think through the next few years, we recognise those sorts of issues. The hon. Lady talked about Sheffield city council, which, like many other local authorities, has had a tough settlement. It has to make some tough decisions and no one pretends otherwise. We cannot get out of the massive deficit that we are in, in any sensible way, without taking some difficult decisions. I will not second-guess the decisions that Sheffield city council are taking. The hon. Lady has pointed out a number of times that Chapel Green and Stocksbridge advice centres have been given funding for only the first six months of this financial year, but my understanding is that Sheffield city council—the same is true of a number of local authorities throughout the country—is doing a review of the provision of advice within the city and looking to move to a new commissioning process later this year. Of course, that entails a degree of uncertainty in the short term, but the objective, as I understand it, is to make sure that advice services can get support over the forthcoming years, and get it in the most effective way possible. Nationally, we are reviewing the way in which advice is provided, and I do not think it unreasonable that local authorities are reviewing that, too. I certainly hope that, when they have made those reviews, they will be in a position whereby they can stably fund their local advice centres. One of the issues that always comes up in my area—our council has responded to this—is the need to help the voluntary sector in general and the CAB in particular know their budgets for, ideally, about three years. Sometimes, however, an initial strategic review is needed to arrive at that certainty. It is up to Sheffield city council how it does its review and which new commissioning process to undertake. My understanding is that the review looks at the whole of the advice sector in Sheffield city council and that all independent advice providers, as well as the CAB, will be eligible to apply in the new process. There is a local, independent consortium of advice agencies in the south Yorkshire area. Advice Sheffield includes the CAB and independent providers and it is looking at how it can reshape advice provision in Sheffield to ensure that the services are available to those who need them. It is interesting that that consortium of advice agencies also wants to see how it can improve the provision of its advice. Although it recognises that we are in difficult financial times as we try to tackle the deficit, it is doing its best for local people. It is right that advice providers, as well as local authorities, think strategically. I want to make sure that I answer some of the hon. Lady's core questions. She made an important point about the support that advice surgeries give to people who need to claim benefits, often making them realise that they are entitled to benefits in the first place. It is certainly important that they secure many benefit deals. I do not think, certainly from the evidence that our Department is receiving, that those sorts of services will be taken away from people. I assure the hon. Lady that we are looking at the issue closely. The evidence that we are getting is that budgets are tight and there is absolutely no dispute about that, but what we are not seeing—I pay tribute to the local authorities that are playing a key role in this—is a whole set of bureaux closing. We want to make sure that they can continue. We are taking a lot of other long-term decisions. I have mentioned debt advice, but we are also undertaking a consumer landscape review—we published a consultation in either May or June—which will address the consumer space, which has a whole range of different national and regional organisations. We want to see whether we can get better value for money for consumers and citizens from the confusing plethora of fragmented aspects of the sector. The organisation that we have asked to lead that is the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux. That involves not just the national organisation, where a lot of the national work will be done, but its relationship with local bureaux, which are, in many ways, the front line for consumers and citizens to make sure that they have the information they need and that they can register their concerns and complaints and get advice or redress in relation to their benefit claims.