No funding – Harlow Advice Centre to close
News / Mon 27th Jan 2025 at 09:21am
FIFTY years since the first welfare rights officer was appointed in Harlow – one of the first of
such posts in the country – Harlow Advice Centre is now set for closure 31st January.
“While there is an increasing need for the charity’s services and Harlow Advice Centre has brought millions of pounds to the town just in the past couple of years, this is a hard time in terms of charity funding,” Mag Barrett, trustee of Harlow Advice Centre explains. “We have done everything we can that’s reasonable to save the charity, but without funding, there is no viable option for us to continue.
“Staff are in the process of writing to all of our current clients to explain what has happened and options for going forward. We would like to thank all those who have supported Harlow Advice Centre over the years. We must remember our CEO Sue Jones, who died last year. She fought cuts to core funding, and mounted legal challenges in the early 2010s to ensure Harlow Advice Centre continued to stand up for the people of Harlow. She kept the service delivering and motivated a dedicated team. We are sorry that there is no further funding option available to us to continue into the future.”
In 1975, Head of Community Services at Harlow Council, Dr Derek Hawes, explained to councillors why specialist welfare rights advice was important: “First, to make sure the people of Harlow were fully informed about what benefits they could claim. Second, to help people fight for
their rights with…ruthless determination.” Plans were agreed to build Harlow Advice Centre, which was officially opened by Roy Hattersley, Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Affairs, in August 1978.
Throughout the years, the charity has fought for the people of Harlow, bringing millions of pounds to the town in monies owed, enabling people to keep the wolves from the door and avoid hardships such as homelessness.
In earlier years, advice, representation and information were available on consumer rights and employment, alongside comprehensive information and general advice on most of life’s daily challenges.
Harlow Advice Centre was a key organisation involved in the Harlow Partnership Against Poverty set up in the 1980s, whose members represented the main service providers in the town, and policy work contributed to the council of the time’s anti-poverty strategy. It was also an active player in Harlow Community Legal Services Partnership which brought together numerous advice and support agencies and strengthened services to local people.
More recently, the service has supported clients with specialist advice and representation on issues related to benefits, housing and debt.
Gary Roberts
2025-01-27 10:22:49
If Dan Swords lets this invaluable service die this week then he deserves to be kicked out at the next election. So many people in this town need this face to face service. People' debt problems are increasing and this would mean they have nowhere to go. The CAB wouldn't be able to handle it sadly.
JB
2025-01-27 10:25:26
Sad to hear this. It's a vital service for many people, especially vulnerable and underprivileged. It's a disgrace that it isn't funded by government or local council. I'd rather have advice when I need it, than another revamp or the market square.
Nostradamus
2025-01-27 12:12:21
Both Labour and Conservatives have failed locally and nationally: the Harlow experience is mirrored across the country. The closure of this valuable service says that both locally and nationally these parties accept food banks, inadequate housing and child poverty as norms. Advice Centres such as these should be active and well resourced in every town independent but funded by government. The need is demonstrated in many ways for example: The Labour Government cut fuel allowance exposing the fact that governments had totally failed millions of pensioners by failing to ensure they receive benefits they are due eg Pension Credit. Such advice save money because without benefits there's many who would fail to pay rent or other essential bills and as a result get evicted or end up in court. The cost to local government of dealing with such cases would be many times that of keeping free Advice Centres running.
Stuart
2025-01-27 13:13:37
More sunlit uplands - Mr Swords must be very proud.
gary roberts
2025-01-27 13:32:07
And I forgot to add my thanks to all of the current and past staff for their dedicated service to the people of Harlow. Dan Swords are you listening? I suspect not!
Seamus
2025-01-27 14:20:48
Such a shame. The advice centre has probably served the people of Harlow far better than any of it's elected officials. A great resource for those who have no other access to the services they offered. Thank you to all of the staff both present and past.
LCS
2025-01-27 14:59:51
I am exceptionally sad about the void this will create, HAC and HWRA helped so many people in the town over the years, there are families that had assistance 30+ years ago that without that assistance would likely not have been in a safe enough position to take minor risks that will have completely shaped them.
David Forman
2025-01-27 15:19:10
A sad day. Harlow Welfare Rights & Advice helped me when I was suffering from depression, anxiety and undiagnosed PTSD. I could not work and suffered bailiffs at the front door. Harlow Welfare Rights took the stress away and saved me from certain suicide. Many of us mourn the passing of Sue Jones, who was the glue that held together Harlow Advice Centre, a newly created charity after the last Labour Council removed funding for Harlow Welfare Rights & Advice in 2012. A reminder of Labour's vandalism: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-21290752
David Forman
2025-01-27 16:09:27
All the more necessary for Harlow Advice Centre to continue given Sir Keir Starmer's disgusting comments in The Sun newspaper recently about attacking the benefits system.
Marie
2025-01-27 16:19:13
Yes David I remember the way labour treated our welfare rights and advice staff. They were in that building on a peppercorn lease costing next to nothing. The staff were invaluable to many. But they were treated disgracefully by labour. I remember this as I worked at the advice centre back then. They fought tooth and nail to provide a service to the ppl of Harlow those that were desperately In need and even when they were practically thrown out of the building they continued to help ppl in a much smaller capacity. They put in their own time to help ppl. Labour should be totally ashamed of the way these brilliant ppl were treated. Sue Jones was an amazing lady and I agree wholeheartedly She fought for Harlow ppl along with her colleagues to help those in need. Now we have pensioners struggling due to labour cutting the heating allowance, those less fortunate who are struggling to pay bills and are having to rely on food banks. Ppl who are in desperate need of advice and help and yet another kick in the teeth. Shame on you labour for the way these good decent and dedicated ppl were treated and shows what you really think of Harlow ppl and those who are in need. It speaks volumes !!
Nicholas Taylor
2025-01-27 18:22:47
A really sad day for Harlow. I wonder how much money was needed to kep it open? The previous government banged on about "levelling up", instead of spending hundreds of thousands of pounds repaving the town centre (just how long is this going to take, its going at a snails pace and looks little different from what was there before) the Advice Centre could have been saved, to the benefit of those living in Harlow who are most in need.
Guy Flegman
2025-01-28 10:28:32
It’s a charity. If you donate to it, it will survive, if you don’t it dies. Unfortunately due to the recession and successive gov red tape and taxation taking up a bigger slice of donations, charities are finding life very difficult at the moment and this will not be the last charity to close.
Garjo
2025-01-28 12:58:03
It’s heartbreaking to hear this, the Advice Centre represented everything which was great about Harlow, the spirit of caring and helping each other Over the years many thousands of local residents were helped, through recessions, mass unemployment, debt crisis- the advice centre was there. Sad news.
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