Founded | 1939 |
---|---|
Type | Charity |
Registration no. | Scotland (SC038195) |
Location |
|
Volunteers | 270+ |
Website | www |
Citizens Advice Edinburgh (CAE), is a registered charity (number SC038195), based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded in 1939, Citizens Advice Edinburgh is a member of the Scottish Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux, and provides free, confidential, independent and impartial advice to Edinburgh residents.
Citizens Advice Edinburgh operates from five main offices around Edinburgh, with the support of over 270 trained volunteers which comprise over 90% of the advisers, receptionists and administrators. CAE has offices in Leith, Dundas Street, Gorgie, Pilton and Portobello. In 2013/14 it assisted with over 27,000 enquiries and 43,000 issues [1]
Citizens Advice Edinburgh is a charity and a company limited by guarantee. [2] It is run by a Board of volunteers with a wide range of charity, business, legal, media and financial experience. The board adheres to the National Council for Voluntary Organisations's good governance code.
Citizens Advice Edinburgh was one of the first Citizens Advice Bureaus established in the United Kingdom in the initial days of World War II in September 1939. Originally based in Charlotte Lane and Queen Street in Edinburgh, Citizens Advice Bureaus across the country were part of the domestic strategy to help the population during wartime. Bureaux were initially intended as a short term measure, but it was evident when the war ended there were many more problems for the population as the government tackled re-housing, employment and re-deployment, training and education, and the introduction of welfare benefits. [3]
Although originally each of the five citizens advice bureaux in Edinburgh were independent registered charities, the decision was taken in 2007 to merge the governance of each into one larger charity in order to consolidate and maximise resources in Edinburgh.
Citizens Advice Edinburgh celebrated its 75th anniversary of supporting Edinburgh with community based free, independent, impartial and confidential advice in 2014/2015. [4]
CAE provides generalist advice services through five main bureau locations and over 25 outreach locations around Edinburgh.
Dundas Street Bureau is the oldest premises currently operated by CAE, having existed as a Citizens Advice Bureau since 1962. Dundas Street is also the largest bureau in Edinburgh with the highest number of enquiries per week, partly due to the central Edinburgh location of this bureau.
Gorgie/Dalry bureau opened in 1983, before moving to its current location in Fountainbridge Library in 1996.
Leith Citizens Advice Bureau is the second largest Bureau in Edinburgh and also serves as an administrative base for CAE.
Pilton Citizens Advice Bureau opened in 1979.
Portobello Citizens Advice Bureau opened in 1976. Originally co-located with Portobello Baptist Church, it soon after moved to its current location on Bath Street. [5]
Citizens Advice Edinburgh offers generalist advice on virtually any topic. All advice given is free, independent, impartial and confidential. Advice areas include:
The majority of advice work carried out by Citizens Advice Edinburgh is in relation to three specific areas; benefits advice, debt advice, and employment advice. [6]
Midlothian is a historic county, registration county, lieutenancy area and one of 32 council areas of Scotland used for local government. Midlothian lies in the east-central Lowlands, bordering the City of Edinburgh council area, East Lothian and the Scottish Borders.
Citizens Advice is an independent organisation specialising in confidential information and advice to assist people with legal, debt, consumer, housing and other problems in the United Kingdom.
Portobello is a coastal suburb of Edinburgh in eastern central Scotland. It lies 3 miles (5 km) east of the city centre, facing the Firth of Forth, between the suburbs of Joppa and Craigentinny. Although historically it was a town in its own right, it is officially a residential suburb of Edinburgh. The promenade fronts onto a wide sandy beach.
Edinburgh West is a burgh constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, first contested at the 1885 general election.
Gorgie is a densely populated area of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located to the west of the city centre, and borders Murrayfield, Ardmillan and Dalry.
The Scottish Charity Regulator is a non-ministerial department of the Scottish Government with responsibility for the regulation of charities in Scotland.
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Sighthill is a suburb in the west of Edinburgh, Scotland. The area is bordered by Broomhouse and Parkhead to the east, South Gyle to the north, the industrial suburb of Bankhead and the Calders neighbourhood to the west, and Wester Hailes to the south. It is sometimes included in the Wester Hailes area, while the Calders, Bankhead and Parkhead are sometimes considered parts of Sighthill. Administratively it has formed a core part of the City of Edinburgh Council's Sighthill/Gorgie ward since 2007.
Granton is a district in the north of Edinburgh, Scotland. Granton forms part of Edinburgh's waterfront along the Firth of Forth and is, historically, an industrial area having a large harbour. Granton is part of Edinburgh's large scale waterfront regeneration programme.
Niddrie is a residential suburb in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is situated in the south-east of the city, south-west of the seaside area of Portobello, and west of Musselburgh in East Lothian near Fort Kinnaird retail park. The western section of Niddrie is also known by the alternative name of Craigmillar.
The Edinburgh Suburban and Southside Junction Railway was a railway company that built an east-west railway on the southern margin of Edinburgh, Scotland, primarily to facilitate the operation of heavy goods and mineral traffic across the city. The line opened in 1884. Although its route was rural at the time, suburban development quickly caught up and passenger carryings on the line were buoyant; the passenger service operated on a circular basis through Edinburgh Waverley railway station.
Voluntary Service Aberdeen (VSA) Since the charity was first established in 1870, Aberdeen Association of Social Services (VSA) has helped thousands of the most vulnerable people and their families living in communities across the North East of Scotland.
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Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS) is a registered charity that provides the country's only hospice services for children and young people with life-shortening conditions, and services across children’s homes and hospitals. The first hospice was built thanks to the late editor-in chief of the Daily Record and Sunday Mail, Endell Laird, who launched a reader appeal which raised £4million. CHAS offers children’s hospice services, free of charge, to every child, young person and their families who needs and wants them.
Ebenezer James MacRae was a Scottish architect serving as City Architect for Edinburgh for most of his active life.
Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS), formally the Scottish Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux (SACAB), is a registered charity. Based in Edinburgh it comprises 61 member bureaux, including a national helpline. Together these free local and national services provide legal advice, practical help and information on consumer and political rights across Scotland.
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The Bridgend Farmhouse Community Project in Edinburgh, Scotland is a community-owned and community-run charitable organisation. The project restored an 18th-century farmhouse to provide a community meeting place, café, garden and workshops. The project runs classes, workshops and training courses in a variety of crafts and skills aimed at all age groups. It also provides facilities for performances, gatherings, talks, entertainment and small conferences. Given charitable status under the title Bridgend Inspiring Growth (BIG), the project was one of the first in Scotland to achieve community ownership in an urban setting. In 2018 it became the first organisation in Scotland to transfer from a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) to a Community Benefit Society with charitable status.