Decision details

To extend the council's advice contract with the current provider, North & West Gloucestershire
Citizens' Advice, for a period of a further 2 years, subject to Council's approval of relevant
budgets in February 2025. The effect of this decision will mean that the advice contract with
Citizens' Advice will continue from 1st April 2025, terminating on 31st March 2027.

Reasons for the decision:
Cheltenham Borough Council currently commissions Citizens' Advice to provide an Advice and
Inclusion Service to deliver debt and benefits advice, financial inclusion services and housing
rights advice to residents of Cheltenham. This contract began on 1st April 2022. It is a 3 year
contract which is due to end on 31st March 2025, unless a decision is taken to extend the contract
for a further 2 years. The option to extend the contract can be taken subject to satisfactory
performance and finance permitting.
To date the council has received two full years of performance information, plus the first two
quarterly performance data for 2024/25. The following information provides a summary of highlevel outputs and outcomes over this period:
Over 500 debt cases have been advised on, supporting clients with cumulative debts of
over £1,800,000. Households have been helped by way of more affordable repayment plans
following negotiations with creditors. In addition, debts in excess of £0.5m have been written off,
with a further £249,000 of income having been gained, through charitable funding or one-off
grants.
Of the c.1,750 benefits cases advised on, nearly £3m worth of additional income has been
claimed for clients. In addition, many of the cases that Citizens' Advice focus on relate to
reconsiderations, appeals and tribunal hearings — i.e. challenging Department for Works and
Pensions (DWP) decisions that are unfavourable for clients and where Citizens' Advice believes
the decisions taken by the DWP are wrong. These cases can be extremely time consuming. Of
the 291 cases that Citizens' Advice have challenged the DWP on, 90% have resulted in
favourable outcomes for clients.
Citizens' Advice have also reported seeing 750 housing cases. Much of this is one-off
advice, however Citizens' Advice have an important role to play in challenging unfavourable
decisions by landlords, preventing homelessness and finding other successful resolutions. To
date, over 370 cases have either had their homelessness prevented, or have been resolved
successfully in some other way.
Based on the information provided, we are satisfied with the performance to date.
In terms of financing, no additional funding is required other than what is currently available within
existing budgets. The availability of funding for this contract will nevertheless have to be confirmed
by Council when it considers its budgets in February 2025

To retender the advice contract. This is not considered necessary, given Citizens' Advice
performance as set out above.
To cease commissioning debt, benefits and housing rights advice services. This is also rejected
on the basis that this service plays an important role in supporting the council's Housing,
Homelessness & Rough Sleeping Strategy 23-28 by helping to reduce the risks of
homelessness.

Relevant officers within the council have been consulted on and are supportive of this decision.