A “lifesaving” service which provides free support and advice to Petersfield’s neediest residents is facing closure because of a massive drop in town council funding.

Citizens Advice may have to check out of the library as their annual grant from Petersfield Town Council (PTC) has been slashed from £12,000 to £2,000, leaving the service unable to cover leasing costs.

Their chief executive Helen Drake told councillors the town’s vulnerable people would be missing out because of the 83 per cent drop in funding, which was agreed without warning or face-to-face notice.

She said: “We’ve noticed a trend for the most vulnerable people coming in person to the library to speak to us – our face-to-face presence prevents many of them slipping through the net.

“Significant welfare reform is going to make demand for our services even bigger, yet PTC has decided without warning to cut our funding. I was quite upset.

Petersfield Library
Citizens Advice leases an office in Petersfield Library. That may have to end because of the massive 83 per cent drop in funding from Petersfield Town Council. (Shine Radio)

“As chief executive I will have no choice but to consider closing the Petersfield office when our office is up for a break lease later this year.”

Helen also queried the “disproportion” with PTC – which has increased its precept by 16.8 per cent – reducing its community grants by 75 per cent while increasing funding for climate action by 150 per cent.

Citizens Advice is not only the only town institution to face a massive drop in funding with PeCAN’s being cut from £14,981 to £2,930 and the open air pool getting £2,012 instead of last year’s £5,000.

Town mayor, councillor Lesley Farrow, said the council’s “well scrutinised” budget was only finalised a fortnight before last Thursday’s meeting.

She said: “We don’t want to do CA out of anything and we fully appreciate the work you do, but we’ve had to look at wider resources to cover our costs, which are rising.”