Citizens Advice Aylesbury Vale collects evidence of clients’ problems and uses this to campaign for changes in national and local policies and services. We have a key role in speaking up for clients, raising issues brought into our charity, contributing to public debate and informing legislation.

One of our aims as a local Citizens Advice is to improve the policies and practices that affect people’s lives.

Our policy/campaign work covers a huge range of issues including consumer, debt, housing, benefits, immigration, employment, legal matters and health.

We are independent and impartial so policymakers listen to us.

The evidence we collect is in the form of anonymous client cases.

We work on issues:

Clients come to us with problems. We help with the problem and discover the root cause. We may find that policy or practice is contributing to the problem. If so we gather more evidence, analyse it, and use it to push for change. We may take the matter up with the offending company, statutory body or individual. We may also alert the local press and lobby local MPs, and councillors.

If we think the problem is widespread, we also send evidence to our national organisation, Citizens Advice. 

Our national organisation, Citizens Advice, alerts us to current issues and asks us to look for evidence on them. For example, issues around getting paid an employment tribunal award and problems with letting agents.

You may also want to contact your local MP or councillor, yourself, about an issue that concerns you.

Find and contact your local MP by using this link – www.theyworkforyou.com 

or find and contact your local councillor via www.councillor.gov.uk

If there is a local social policy issue that you think that we should be aware of then please contact us.