“Bombed—lost everything”. That was how one London Citizens Advice bureau memorably recorded the nature of the legal problems for the newly dispossessed “streams” of clients approaching the nascent service. War was declared on 3 September 1939 and the first bureau opened its doors the next day.
“Bombed—lost everything”. That was how one London Citizens Advice bureau memorably recorded the nature of the legal problems for the newly dispossessed “streams” of clients approaching the nascent service. War was declared on 3 September 1939 and the first bureau opened its doors the next day.
Happy Birthday?
Citizens Advice was 70 years old last month. You don’t have to stretch the point to connect the urgent demand for such a service in its Blitz-era origins with that of today’s “credit crunch” Britain. Every day the network of 412 bureaux field 9,300 new debt and 8,000 new benefit problems. An increase of 27% and 22% respectively in the three months to the end of June compared with the same period last year.
Professor AL Goodhart provided a contemporary record of how the
