CITIZENS Advice Bureaux across the Fylde could soon turn into legal eagles.

Following a meeting of the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux (NACAB) and Fylde councillors, plans have arisen to implement increased working hours for CAB employees while offering free legal advice to those in need.

Manager of St Annes CAB, Lynda McKenna, told the Citizen: "Additional to our core grant funding from Fylde Borough Council we are also hoping to receive additional funds of £1,100 to enable us to increase the hours of deputies from 16 to 20.

"This will mean we can complete more case work and reach more members of the public who need our help in such matters as consumer debt and welfare benefits.

"Also we are putting a bid in to the Legal Aid Board to set up a Legal Aid Franchise on the Fylde Coast which will be of a huge benefit to those in need, but we do need another qualified paid worker to shoulder the load and point people in the right direction.

"We are meeting with the policy and resources committee on April 12, so we are just waiting to get the go ahead to make a bid to the Legal Aid Panel at the end of May and hope to be up and running by January 2000."

Fylde borough treasurer Robin Bramhall backed the scheme saying: "We had put some money aside from the 1999/2000 budget in anticipation of additional funds for the CAB and have been approached by NACAB on the legal aid issue, which is something that will certainly be good for the community."

The Citizens Advice Bureau is open 10am until 4pm Monday to Friday with a later closing time of 7pm on Thursdays.

Monday and Tuesday are open door sessions while all day Wednesday, plus Thursday and Friday mornings, are telephone enquiries only.

Contact the CAB on St Annes 01253 720710 or Blackpool 01253 622067.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.