Maria met Graham Hatcher, the CAB’s Chief Executive Officer, who briefed her on developments in the service the CAB provides and also on the issues that advisors are most often being asked for help with. Maria also walked around the Bureau to meet other staff and volunteers and hear from them first hand about their experiences.

Maria said: “The Basingstoke Citizens Advice Bureau continues to provide a fantastic service to the people of Basingstoke and I applaud the dedication and commitment of the many volunteers here, who give up their time to contribute in this way.”

Maria added: “I was also really interested to hear about some of the work that the CAB is doing externally, such as preventative work on financial capability, including with schools, to help people avoid getting into debt in the first place, and working with the hospital and housing associations.”