FINANCIAL difficulties facing Skipton's Citizens' Advice Bureau has meant drastic action has been taken to cut opening hours.

The bureau based at St Andrew's Church Hall has seen a huge increase in the number of clients needing advice but it cannot help them all on the funding it has been awarded.

Each of the three paid staff will lose three hours a week each to try to make ends meet.

The CAB receives its core funding from Craven District Council and North Yorkshire County Council but the money has only been increased at the rate of inflation.

Bureau manager Sylvia Valentine said: "We understand they have their own financial problems but this does affect our ability to deliver our services. We know it is going to hit our clients, but unless we can raise £5,000 or £6,000 there is nothing we can do."

Mrs Valentine said the CAB had made contact with an estimated 7,000 people and dealt with 15,000 enquiries. She thought that the decrease in office hours would mean staff could only help three quarters of this amount next year.

"The only reason we are doing this is financial. More and more people are coming to us for advice and guidance and it is very frustrating," she added.

As a last-ditch attempt Mrs Valentine is hoping to set up a friends of the CAB to undertake some fundraising on its behalf.

She said she was appealing to anyone who would like to organise the group or any money making events to contact her as soon as possible at the CAB on 01756 700210.

From April the revised office opening hours will be Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9.30and until 3pm, with a telephone service on Tuesday from 9.30am to midday.

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