HOPES that Andover Citizens Advice Bureau could extend and improve its services have been dashed as Test Valley Borough Councillors have frozen their grant.

The CAB has seen its income fall by more than £50,000 over the last few months after six years of lottery funding ended and it has been forced to make economies.

It has slashed its outreach services and by cutting back on the amount of space it rents from the Borough Council at Wessex Chambers in South Street it has reduced its costs by more than £11,000.

It asked Test Valley Borough Council for additional funding so that it could employ two new members of staff on a part-time basis - one to expand the outreach service and another to specialise in housing problems.

Councillors were told that although the two new posts would make a positive impact on the services provided, the added value had to be weighted against the additional cost of the posts and it was not felt that sufficient additional benefit would be gained.

Similarly allowing the CAB to re-use the first floor at Wessex Chambers would prevent the council from obtaining a rent from a commercial tenant.

For the full story see Friday's Andover Advertiser.