Proposal to Move CASWS and HOPPA out of TCC

Citizens Advice South West Surrey (CASWS)

CASWS receives a £150,000 pa grant from the coCouncilThis supports the delivery of effective information and advice services for vulnerable people and housing tenants.

 CASWS supported 4,378 clients in 2022-23 and 4,592 clients in 2023- 24. Due to the continued cost-of-living crisis, Waverley Council anticipates that it will continue to see an increased demand for support and advice.

 Although the Council has no statutory obligation to fund Citizens Advice services or any other community groups, it believes demand for its services would increase markedly without their advice and support.

A considerable proportion of people accessing their service will be referrals from the CoCouncil, and many will be its tenants. Additionally, CASWS provides information, advice, and welfare support schemes not offered by the CoCouncil. CAWS was formed after the June 2023 merger of Citizens Advice Waverley and Citizens Advice Guildford and Ash. Waverley’s funding continues to support only Waverley residents, and the new organisation has undertaken a service review to ensure the delivery of its ambition to provide a better service for clients with its resources.

 Receives funding of £250,000 from Guildford Borough Council to deliver an information and advice service for Guildford residents through a three-year Service Level Agreement arrangement that expires on 31 March 2025. Given the Councils’ collaboration and merger of the two Citizens Advice Bureaus to deliver the same service across both boroughs, it seems sensible for Waverley and Guildford Councils to align their funding arrangements in future. Funding would continue to acknowledge the sovereignty of local borough needs.

 To support the collaboration principles, we propose to transfer the current funding to CASWS from the TCCF to direct Council budgets from 1 April 2025 and support the delivery of their identified services through a three-year grant Funding Agreement arrangement in future.

Hoppa

 Hoppa receives a grant of £95,000 per year from the TCCF. The funding supports the delivery of Hoppa’s dial-a-ride service only. The overall cost to deliver this service in 2023-2024 was £243,244, and the financial gap is subsidised through passenger fare income and securing contracted services.

Dial-a-ride passenger trips increased from 14,541 in 2023-2024 to 17,485 in 2023-2024, a 20% increase. Total mileage travelled during 2023-2024 was 67,195.

 Given that Waverley has the poorest connectivity in Surrey and is rural, it can be difficult for people without transport to get around, particularly those older or vulnerable.

Anybody can use Hoppa services without access to other means of affordable transport. It has 1,750 registered users with an average age of 76 years. These people rely on the service to get to appointments, the shops and social activities. As the CoCounciloes does not deliver its community transport service, Hoppa plays a vital role in supporting people in getting out and about in their local community, thereby reducing social isolation and enabling people to live at home for longer. With the population of Waverley continuing to age well, demand is expected to increase.

Waverley Council intends to transfer the current funding from the TCCF to Hoppa to direct Council budgets from 1 April 2025 and support the delivery of their identified services through a three-year grant Funding Agreement arrangement in the future.