Last month I talked about the ending of the Tang Hall Big Local Project . That prompted some disappointment.

I can reassure people that we are, in conjunction with the former Tang Hall Big Local team, trying to get funding to keep this service going. Meanwhile, I can now report that, over the whole ten-year project, we were able to put back £1,309,262 into the pockets of people we helped, with well over £250,000 of debts written off.

This was a massive boost for one of the most deprived areas in the UK.

I thought I would share how we helped one person, Daisy, (not her real name) in Tang Hall.

Daisy, 23, came to us as she had been assisted to move to York from Cornwall after surviving a severely abusive relationship. She brought her seven-year-old daughter with her.

They are living in temporary council accommodation, (a hostel). Daisy had debt issues, for which the debt team helped her obtain a debt relief order, freeing up around £120 per week in extra income. This means that Daisy and her daughter can now eat three meals per day.

Due to the nature of her relationship, she had been moved around a lot and she hadn’t been able to see a dentist since she was 13. This, combined with her lifestyle choices, had resulted in poor oral hygiene with many rotten and broken teeth. She was in permanent pain and could only eat soft foods.

She had gone on the waiting list for a dentist, but there were over 1,000 people ahead of her.

She was desperate for help. We advised Daisy to get an NHS Dental Referral via her GP,. The GP initially refused to help, but following a letter of support from us, he agreed to make the referral.

Three months later Daisy let us know that she had been treated by a dentist who had removed all of her teeth and had fitted dentures. Daisy was 'beyond happy' with the outcome.

Although Daisy was delighted with the result, as a society, we have to ask ourselves are we happy that a good result for a 23-year-old woman is to have all of her natural teeth removed and live with dentures for the rest of her life?

Nationally the picture is not much better: four million children live in poverty in the UK, over 6,000 of them in York. In real terms living in poverty means that they don’t have suitable accommodation, often don’t have a proper bed -or have to share it with up to four people - and regularly go hungry.

They go to school with no breakfast and come home to no food or just cold food. Nice clothes and adequate school uniforms are way down the list of options for them and treats and toys are a non-existent prospect.

We hear of the phenomenon of 'scrounge week' - the last week before benefits are paid where families have to beg and borrow from friends and family to get by.

When Beveridge set up the welfare service, he considered 'disruption of earnings' through sickness, old age and bereavement. He didn’t consider the current situation of endemic poor pay, public services on their knees through lack of funding and the huge inequality of wealth we see in the UK today.

However, we have a new government, so we must hope for a new future where lives improve for the majority of the population and not the few. Benefits did rise in line with inflation under the last Government. If you are struggling, please come and talk to us to see if we can help, like we did for Daisy.

This is another reason that York residents have never needed us at Citizens Advice more. Year on year, we have seen an increase of nearly 1,500 clients and more than 4,000 more problems they have come to us for help with.

We could not do this without your ongoing support. We thank you; we have served the community since 1967, we have seen economic and cultural shocks from wars to pandemics and have kept going to ensure no one in York is without help, support and understanding when they need it most.

Citizens Advice York

Citizens Advice York is a small independent charity providing support and advice to York residents. Whilst City of York Council remain consistent and generous funders, we still have to raise £80,000 to £90,000 each and every year (and sometimes more) to cover the full cost of this important service. We could not operate without the generosity of donations to fill this gap.

We know that times are hard, but if you are able to help please donate so we can keep on helping others. You can make a one off donation or become a “Friend of Citizens Advice York” and make a monthly subscription. You will receive a quarterly newsletter and an invitation to our AGM and annual fundraising event.

More information from www.citizensadviceyork.org.uk/donate/

  • Fiona McCulloch is chief officer of Citizens Advice York