Earlier this week, Gerald joined Citizens Advice at an event in Parliament to show his support for the work their staff and volunteers do to assist residents in Wales and across the UK. The event showcased an interactive map of Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney constituency, and revealed the key issues local people are facing.

At the event, Citizens Advice provided data that showed they helped 3,990 people in the area, with a total of 25,229 issues, during 2019. According to the data, the top three problems people needed assistance with were benefits and tax credits, debt, Universal Credit and employment.

According to its latest Impact Report, Citizens Advice helps to solve four in five of people’s problems when they ask for help. This reduces the number of people who turn to public services for support on welfare, health and housing issues.

For every £1 invested in the Citizens Advice service, the government and public services save £2 – amounting to £420 million last year.

Commenting at the event, Gerald said:

“Citizens Advice has been on the frontline helping people for the past 80 years, which means they have incredible insight into the problems people in our area and across Wales and the UK are facing.

 

“I’m always keen to find new and inventive ways of staying informed about the concerns of my constituents and helping local people with issues as effectively as I can, and Citizens Advice’s local data shows strong evidence on which to act.

 

“Thank you to all the hard-working staff and volunteers for your dedication and commitment in helping people in Merthyr Tydfil and the Upper Rhymney Valley and across the country.”