More than 3,500 people have signed a public petition calling on Cornwall Council to abandon plans to cut its grant to Citizens Advice by more than 50%. 

Under the council’s draft budget for 2017/18, Citizens Advice Cornwall would have its funding cut from £356,000 to £153,000 which the charity says will lead to the closure of seven of its nine offices across the county and drastically reduce the number of staff and volunteers available to give advice. 

Chair of Citizens Advice Cornwall Trustees, Sue Swift, said: ‘We are very grateful to all the members of the public who have signed our ongoing petition to the council – it’s great to know we are such a valued service to so many people and we really appreciate all the support we have received so far. 

‘We now need to keep the pressure on the council so we can continue to provide help and advice for the thousands of people who come to us every month struggling with issues such as benefits claims, debt, housing, employment issues and discrimination.’

Last year Citizens Advice Cornwall dealt with 19,000 cases and helped gain £4.2 million in income for people in the county while also writing-off a total of £5.8 million in debt. 

Members of the public can sign the petition on Change.org (search for Citizens Advice Cornwall on their website) or sign the paper version at any of CA Cornwall’s offices in Saltash, Bude, Liskeard, Bodmin, Newquay, St Austell, Truro, Falmouth and Penzance. 

Cornwall Council is carrying out a public consultation on its proposals.