HUNDREDS of people are being turned away from the Citizens Advice Bureau every week because they cannot cope with the huge numbers of people needing help. But, as Bryan Henesey reports, there could be hope for the charity's hard-working volunteers if the county council pumps in extra cash.

County councillors will decide tomorrow night whether to sanction an extra £137,400 for the region's Citizens Advice Bureau.

For the charity's legion of volunteers, the money can't come soon enough,

They have been inundated with people worried about redundancy and needing help with their finances.

In the last six months, the local bureaus have seen a 52% increase in queries about redundancy and a 47% increase in mortgage and secured loan problems. This is the reality of the nation's economic downturn.

One of the county's seven main bureaus is so busy that it is unable to help as many as 100 people a week. Appointments with free advice at other centres are also fully booked for the next six weeks.

This money would be in addition to the £285,615 the authority is already giving to the CAB towards its running costs for 2009/10.

And the charity's local branches are sharing an extra £235,000 in Government funding, and will use this cash to train more volunteers and extend opening times. The Government funding will help pay for 60 new volunteers in Notts, although it takes up to six months for them to be fully trained.

The influx in volunteers means the network will be able to see 12,500 more people across Notts – and thousands more will be helped if the councillors vote to give extra the cash tomorrow evening.

The local bureaus are entirely reliant on donations from councils, government and individuals – as well as applications for grants - and the majority of staff are volunteers. And even though this extra money is welcome, managers say even more is needed to cope with demand.

Sue Maslowska, manager at Citizens Advice Broxtowe in Beeston, said: "We are not coping with the volume.

"We are turning around 100 people per week away just from Beeston which is a huge problem for us."

The situation has resulted in tensions rising at the bureau, Ms Maslowska said.

"We had two nasty incidents recently involving clients who became aggressive after being turned away.

"The people were just so upset. They had come to us as they did not know where to turn, then we turn them away and can offer them nowhere to go."

The seven main bureaus in Notts offer free, impartial advice to those seeking help with their finances.

And with the possibility of the extra cash from Notts County Council, the future may not be so daunting.

Councillor Glynn Gilfoyle, Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Partnerships, said: "With the current financial situation, many more people are turning to their local Citizens Advice Bureau for help. If the funding is approved, this package of measures will help bureaus to offer even more vital services to their communities in this time of need."

Trish Eaton, manager at the bureau's Nottingham office in Carrington Street, also said staff were having problems, but that the extra funding would help.

"Demand for advice is way beyond what we can actually deal with," she said.