THE boss of Halton CAB has stepped up a campaign to safeguard the service by making a statement to the leader of the House of Commons.
CAB chief executive Hitesh Patel was at a Labour Party fundraising dinner last Thursday when he had a chance to raise the charity's financial plight with Jack Straw.
The MP responded with an official Government statement after Mr Patel spelled out in detail how crucial the service is to thousands of Halton people who are living on the breadline.
He told Mr Straw a range of rights introduced by the Government was pointless if people could not seek independent advice to find out about them.
Mr Patel said: 'In the past 10 years or so, we have seen a massive improvement in our legal rights. We've got the minimum wage, statutory rights, better consumer rights and tax credits to help people in low-paid jobs.
'And in April, legislation is kicking in which will protect tenants from unscrupulous landlords who withhold their rent deposit bond.
'But it's no good having all these rights if people don't get the help they need to enforce their rights.'
The CAB is bracing itself for bad news when Mr Patel meets council officials on March 16 to discover the amount of cash which is to be allocated to the charity from Halton council's budget. He fears the grant will be reduced by at least £30,000 and could force at best a major downsizing of his organisation.
Last week saw the launch of a consultation drive asking for views on how the service might be reduced with minimum impact on those seeking help.
Mr Patel said he is delighted with the 200 responses received so far.
