As a service we hold a huge amount of insight and data about the problems our clients and their wider communities face.

We can use this insight and data to do several things:

  • To help us research issues further
  • To influence decision makers to change policies and practices
  • To campaign to get decision makers to change policies and practices.

We use our clients’ experience and stories to campaign for positive change.

With over two million clients across the service each year this evidence is hard to ignore. We speak up about the policies and services that cause people problems.

Current campaigns

Talk about abuse

Talk about abuse is a campaign to encourage everyone to look for signs of domestic abuse among their friends and family, and to talk about it.

Last year one in every fifteen women, and one in every 33 men experienced domestic abuse at the hands of their partner or former partner . Around a third of those who are victimised experienced ‘severe force’, and for some this is an almost continuous feature of their lives: three per cent of victims experienced abuse in the previous year “more than 50 times or too many times to count”.

Specialists – in the form of refuges, legal professionals and police, and helplines or support services – play a critical role for many victims. However, many victims don’t engage with these groups, and this is the problem we are addressing.

Dialling down debt

Mobile phones are becoming an essential part of everyday life. Yet despite being described as the “fourth utility”, research conducted by Citizens Advice found that mobile phone debt collection practices in the UK are falling behind when compared to similar markets, such as energy and water. This must change.

View our grid comparing providers.

Citizens Advice is campaigning for fairer debt collection practices across the mobile phone sector that work better for everyone: clients, advisers, and suppliers.

Citizens Advice campaign successes

Over the years we have campaigned on a range of different issues in order to improve the policies and services that affect our clients. These are just a handful of the campaigns we are most proud of.

Employment and support allowance

Ill and disabled people were being let down by Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)…

What was the problem?

Ill and disabled people were being let down by Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) – the benefit that is intended to support people while they are too ill for work.  Many people were facing charges for the medical evidence they needed to support their claim, enduring poor customer service and low quality decision making, and then being left without any financial support if they decided to challenge poor decisions made as a result of this flawed

What happened?

Now, if an ill or disabled person needs to apply for ESA, changes to the form they fill in and the guidance provided around medical evidence should help them get the supporting information they need – for free. The Department for Work and Pensions and a new assessment provider have committed to further training and support to improve the assessment experience and decision making, so claimants should have a better experience and more decisions should be right first time.

Payday loans

Payday loan companies were not treating their customers fairly…

What was the problem?

Payday loan companies were not treating their customers fairly. The payday loan industry was breaking its promise to clean up its behaviour. We called for payday lenders to be properly regulated and to stop irresponsible advertising.

What happened?

From the 1 April 2014, the Financial Conduct Authority introduced tough new rules on payday lenders.

Universal credit

We were concerned that low income families on universal credit were likely to see support for childcare costs decrease…

What was the problem?

We were concerned that low income families on universal credit were likely to see support for childcare costs decrease from a maximum of 95 per cent to 70 per cent. This would mean that most low waged parents with young children wouldn’t be better off in work.

What happened?

The Government announced it would implement one of our key recommendations to increase the support available for childcare costs from 70 per cent to 85 per cent.

Bailiffs

Every year, tens of thousands of people experience unacceptable and sometimes aggressive harassment at the hands of bailiffs…

What was the problem?

Every year, tens of thousands of people experience unacceptable and sometimes aggressive harassment at the hands of bailiffs. We campaigned for tighter regulation of the bailiff industry and to increase awareness of people’s rights regarding bailiffs.

What happened?

Following our campaign the Government published new guidance for local authorities on collecting council tax arrears. This means 1.5 million residents are better protected from aggressive bailiffs and millions more could be once the Government implement mandatory training and certification for all bailiffs in April.

Legal Aid reform

Reforms to legal aid meant that more and more people could not find help when they needed it most…

What was the problem?

Reforms to legal aid meant that more and more people could not find help when they needed it most. We were concerned that further reforms would put access to justice for ordinary people at risk.

What happened?

We campaigned to influence two Ministry of Justice consultations on transforming legal aid and judicial review and secured key concessions on a number of important issues.