After just three months of the new CAB outreach service starting in Ross-on-Wye, more than £126,929.56 has been returned to members of the local community.

Mark Calvin, Vice-chairman, and Dawne Shepherd, the interim Chief Officer of Herefordshire CAB told members of Ross Town Council that it was a really good news story for the town. Mark said, “It is a terrific success and one that could be replicated in other towns across the county.” He said that thanks to the £5,000 the Town Council invested in providing the service, they had achieved a valuable return. He outlined the results and some of the cases that had been dealt with at the appointments which take place on alternate Mondays at Ross Library.

Mark explained that there had been 56 initial contacts made. Some of these were issues which could be resolved there and then, others were passed on to a volunteer or paid advisors who work with the clients. Councillor Richard Mayo queried why, if there are 24 appointments available, only 13 had been booked. Dawne explained that not every caller needs an appointment but they would be looking into publicising the service more extensively.

Mark also referred to the significant human stories behind the figures. He said they show that, as well as financial help, their advisors can also help deal with bureaucracy and bring peace of mind, "not a tangible monetary value, but valuable none the less", he added.

Councillor Caroline Bennett asked if there had been a breakdown of postcodes to show where clients had come from. Dawne said that all clients had been from the HR9 area but Councillor David Ravenscroft asked that if there could be a further breakdown into parishes, he said this would strengthen the Town Council’s case for asking other parishes to support the CAB.

He said that the Market Towns Forum had also been impressed with the figures, as they want to know what they will get for their investment. Mark said they have already achieved a return of over £100,000, it is a "no brainer".

Councillor Caroline Utting thanked Mark and Dawne for the work the CAB had done and said, “It is a great benefit to the town.”

To contact the CAB, call 0344 826 9685. This service is available on Monday and Wednesday, between 10am and 3pm.