PLANS to restrict opening hours at two South Cheshire advice centres because funding has been slashed, have come under fire.

Cllr Jean Pearson blames Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council's decision to freeze funding of the Citizens Advice Bureau for a decision to close the Crewe and Nantwich offices on Fridays.

CAB trustee Cllr Pearson believes the borough council should have increased its grant to the CAB, to make up for the shortfall left by Nantwich Town Council's decision to drop its funding.

She said: 'The CAB do excellent work and it is very sad that they have been forced to reduce their opening hours because of lack of finance.

'The borough council has not increased its grant to the CAB, but they can find an extra £700,000 a year for social, community and cultural development.

'It should be encour-aging self-help and voluntary bodies like the CAB. It should have shouldered Nantwich Town Council's share of the funding when that was withdrawn.

'I think there's been the most frightful outcry from the public.

'The CAB handles all sorts of problems and people need advice every day of the week.

'It's such a wonderful organisation and it does not say much for modern society that it does not get the appreciation that it deserves.'

CAB workers see an increasing number of people turn to them for help each year.

They deal with an average of 1,000 enquiries each month, with benefits, debt, employment, housing and relationships being the main lines of enquiry.

At a time when they need more hours to deal with mounting casework, they are being forced to reduce hours.

A CAB spokesman said: 'The decision to close for a day a week has reluctantly been taken to reflect cuts in funding.

'The organisation, a long-standing charity, relies on grants and donations for the running of its service.

'Although the workforce is made up almost entirely of volunteers, there are associated costs such as the support workers' salaries, stationery, telephone and heating.'

The CAB advises individuals on their rights and responsibilities, and is the only free advice agency that offers holistic advice on a wide range of issues. Borough council leader Peter Kent said: 'We don't take account of grants given by other authorities and we are not there to bail anyone out.

'Decisions like this are taken by a working group which looks at how each organisation works within the borough as a whole.' He continued: 'The CAB is an excellent organisation and we have been generous in the past.'