Conwy and Gwynedd Citizens Advice charities to merge

Cymraeg

The Gwynedd and Conwy Citizens Advice charities are to merge on 1st July following decisions by the two Trustee Boards.

The move will build on the success of a shared management structure which has been in place since April 2024, providing greater resilience and sustainability through reducing the administrative tasks involved in maintaining two separate charities. It will provide a stronger dynamic platform for  innovation and improving outcomes for clients by enabling us to focus on the needs of communities across the two counties and securing funding to meet those needs. It will strengthen our financial position as our reserves will be available to the larger organisation to weather the storms of uncertain funding streams and gaps between the end of one funding stream and securing another. The increased level of resilience will enable us to make better use of and provide more certainty to our highly skilled staff.

The two charities agreed a joint Business Plan in June 2024. It  sets out the national strategy and priorities and how we will work to achieve them locally.  A year on, we can point to positive outcomes in terms of improved management across the two organisations, which has led to improvements in quality and a reduction in duplication. But we also recognise that without further integration we are continuing to do many things twice. This is quicker when the same person does both in quick succession but not the same as doing once.

The funding situation faced by the two organisations meant we needed to reduce the staff headcount by April 2025 – and in order to prioritise clients we need to reduce management costs to maximise the resources we can deploy to the front line.

Merger offers the opportunity for us to do the following once instead of twice:

1. Governance – producing quarterly board papers, arranging an Annual General Meeting, engaging with regulators (Companies House, Charity Commission, Financial Conduct Authority and Information Commissioner) and with Citizens Advice at North Wales, Wales and England & Wales levels including external assessment of our leadership
2. Strategy and planning
3. Risk management and compliance
4. Financial governance including annual accounts, quarterly reports, claims and overall management of the payroll and financial management systems
5. People management including policies and procedures, setting pay, undertaking appraisals and performance reviews
6. Operational performance management including needs assessment and reports to the board and external funders each quarter
7. Research and campaigning
8. Equity, Diversity & Inclusion – we will be better able to meet our commitments to achieving equity in outcomes, celebrating diversity and embracing inclusion

In addition we believe that merger will offer the following potential benefits:

1. Bigger Impact, Better Outcomes – with a bigger geographical area, more clients  and more funding we will ensure that we are able to achieve more consistent delivery and quality, increase staffing capacity, adaptability and flexibility, the range of services/specialisms we can offer and better influence wider discussions across the region, across Wales and across England & Wales. 
2. Financial Strength & Sustainability – we will be better able to secure additional funding/larger and longer contracts, reduce duplication of operational costs, long-term stability and growth and ensure a greater share of our resources are directed to the delivery of advice services for clients, reduce the risk of single points of failure and increase our sustainability.
3. Growth & Innovation – opportunity to expand into new markets and service areas, capacity to develop strategic partnerships e.g. health, housing, and employment services, opportunities for investing in digital transformation and AI-driven solutions 
4. Workforce Development & Retention – more career development opportunities, ability to proactively plan for succession, shared and consistent team training, greater staff retention 
5. Stronger Strategic Partnerships – more attractive partner, increasing opportunities for collaboration and new funding streams.  

Local demand for advice has grown significantly in recent years, particularly for help with issues arising from the increased cost of living. The graph below shows how this has increased since 2019. Although many clients are happy to receive advice over the phone, video meeting, webchat or email, there are many clients who struggle with technology and want a face to face appointment – especially where there is complex paperwork involved.

Conwy and Gwynedd residents accessing services across the Citizens Advice network

The merged charity will be committed to maintaining access to face to face appointments for clients across both counties by using a variety of accessible venues, but also to maintaining offices for staff and volunteers to work from in both counties.

The joint business plan for the two charities recognises the high importance of the Welsh language to the people of Gwynedd and Conwy. The Welsh language is central to the daily functioning of the charities, which operate bilingual services and encourage use of the Welsh language wherever possible. We also have access to translation services for a range of other languages including British Sign Language. We are committed to supporting the rural and diverse communities of both counties, including a commitment to the Disability Confident scheme, celebrating LGBTQ+ Pride and Zero Racism pledge.

Merging of the two charities to form a larger organisation will promote interaction and understanding between Welsh and non-Welsh speaking staff members and volunteers, and also between our communities. A larger organisation will be better placed to support staff and volunteers who want to learn and improve their Welsh, affording them the time and resources to do so.

At key governance meetings (i.e. the Trustee Board and formal meetings of the charity), translation facilities are provided so that members feel able to contribute in English or Welsh as they prefer. Agendas and minutes will also be available in both languages.

Welsh Government funding for Advicelink was recently confirmed for three years with the possibility of extension for a further three years and the merged charity will continue to be part of the North Wales delivery of this. In addition to this we rely on support from the local councils, various charitable trusts and donations.If you would like to contribute to our work, either by volunteering or by making a donation please go to cabgwynedd.wales/contribute