SIGN OF THE TIMES IN THIS NEO THATCHERITE DICKENSIAN BRITAIN

THOUSANDS more people are getting much-needed advice on money, benefits, employment and relationships at their GP surgery thanks to a successful partnership between Derbyshire GPs and the Citizens Advice Bureau.

Recession-hit times prompted 16,697 people to seek Citizens Advice from their doctor’s surgery at weekly clinics held in 2011 and 2012. This compares to 11,641 in the same period two years ago.

And a total of 5,857 individuals were helped by the service – again significantly more than two years ago, when Citizens Advice Bureau responded to 3,490 new problems.

The number of problems dealt with also shot up in this period – from 18,589 two years ago to 29,673 in the past year.