WEST Dunbartonshire Citizens Advice Bureau (WDCAB) has avoided having its funding cut. 

The decision was announced at West Dunbartonshire Council’s (WDC) budget-setting meeting on Wednesday, March 6. 

We previously reported that WDCAB receives more than £261k per year from the local authority to help provide an “essential service” to the region including advising on debt, benefits, and consumer rights.

A proposal to cut this budget by between 25 to 100 per cent was presented to councillors on Wednesday as they worked to plug the council's remaining £8.3m budget gap. 

However, Councillor Martin Rooney, leader of WDC, confirmed that this proposal had been rejected. 

It was one of 18 money-saving options to be rejected at the meeting. 

Prior to this decision, the charity had hit out at the council for proposing to slash its budget during ‘the worst cost-of-living-crisis it has ever seen’.

Joe McCormack, manager at WDCAB, told the Post the decision ‘made no sense’ and that “West Dunbartonshire people need access to local independent advice – WDCAB provides that".

It is understood that the charity also receives funding from the Dumbarton Common Good Fund (£40k per year) which is part of its £261k in council-provided funding. 

Over the past 12 months, WDCAB helped over 5000 people and advised on more than 36,000 issues.