Rutland's Citizen's Advice Bureau helped more than 3,000 people last year, as people continue to feel the strain of the cost of living. 

Rising bills across the board from utilities to mortgages and prices in supermarkets have led many to reach out for help and the charity based on Oakham's High Street has been on hand to help people with more than 15,500 separate issues in just 12 months. 

Emma Jefferson, who became the boss of the charity in September after working for an adviser for many years says the advice the charity gives is tailored, 'never is one bit of advice the same as the last – it is specific to each individual'. 

She said: "Everyone who rings us is ringing with an emergency and they are all desperate for help – we have to try and guide them through. We are essential to so many people to help them navigate their way through life because it is not easy.  

"The topic that people are very concerned about is the cost of living and people typing to make ends meet because income has not gone up a lot whereas their costs have. So, their outgoings have gone up a lot of the income does not always meet those day to day living expenses. So that is a big issue, just trying to help their money go a little bit further, trying to help with budgeting and trying to get them onto cheaper tariffs. 

"Ordinarily there is one debt that they come to us for help with, but we don't deal with one debt on its own. We will look at their overall situation and that also knocks into whether they are eligible for any benefits – there might be some universal credit eligibility. So we will give whole holistic advice. I often think we are often a bit like a doctor, but we are looking at the situation and doing an MOT for their day to day living." 

She describes the umbrella term of cost of living in practical terms as people having to tighten their belts. 

"For some people their belts are as tight as they can be and that's what has been a struggle for a lot of advisers and CAB's up and down the country.  

"We always used to be able to go that bit further but recently we have run out of tools to help people and that has been really hard, because we don't like to say there is nothing we can do. We always try and do our best to find a way out of some situation.  

"The main thing is trying to encourage clients to come to us sooner rather than later, because debts don't tend to decrease. Once you have got a debt it just escalates and knocks onto other things and can affect people's health as well. 

"If we can get in quickly with people and help them so the black hole they are looking into does not appear to be inescapable, trying to help them find a way out." 

The charity is funded by a local authority grant – the amount for 2023/24 was £170,000 – and has its own fundraising arm called For Rutland, which funds specialist advisers. It also works in partnership with the Trussell Trust foodbanks and administers food vouchers. 

Emma says that despite its outward affluence poverty exists in Rutland as much as anywhere else and the county has its own specific challenges due its rural nature. 

"Rural Rutland is a great place to live, but it is not easy to live on benefits in a place like this. We have the same issues that people have up and down the country." 

She said the Government's announced changes to benefits, including disability benefits, is causing anxiety and concern for a number of clients.  

Over her years as an adviser, she says people's problems have become more complicated.  

"I think people's problems have become more complex. The advice we go into now covers a lot more advice than we used to. People come in, with just one problem. Everything is more complex. Benefits are harder to navigate your way through. The reduction in statutory services has had a knock-on effect to us. You have to have quite a high bar to be eligible for statutory support from the local authority, so people are coming to us, whereas before they might have had a support worker to help them through things." 

The Rutland CAB is open every weekday from 9am to 5pm apart from Wednesdays when it is open until 1pm. 

If you are worried about a financial issue, or need help you can call the charity on 01572 723 494 or visit https://citizensadvicerutland.org.uk/