AN advice service is set to receive a lifeline funding boost.

North Yorkshire County Council has revealed that it will be providing an extra £150,000 of funding, to be split between the eight Citizens Advice Bureaux in the county.

The county council currently provides £300,000 of funding to CABs in the county each year.

It is not yet known how much of this funding Ryedale will receive, as the county council now must work out, using various statistics, which CABs are most in need of help.

However, all CABs will get some portion of the funding.

Sue Bywater, from Ryedale CAB, said the money was urgently needed in Ryedale.

She said: “We are seeing people coming in who have never claimed benefits before, and who simply can’t believe the low level of benefit they will receive.

“They are basically in a state of shock when they find out that the benefit for a single adult is £64.30 a week, out of much must come all bills, food and fuel.”

In North Yorkshire, the number of people claiming Job Seekers Allowances has almost doubled, from 5,148 in February 2008 to 9,791 in February 2009.

In the three months between November 2008 and February 2009, the number went up by more than 3,000. At the same time, the number of job vacancies has fallen by nearly 2,000.

Ms Bywater said: “One of the things we are having difficulty with is the increased number of people who have been on a relatively steady income for some time, and when they lose their jobs they need a lot of advice in a very short period of time.

“It often involves renegotiating with creditors.

“What we would look to do with any new funding we got is to offer crisis intervention assistance, for a period of a few weeks, while people adjust to their new circumstances.”

Ms Bywater said that the CAB is able to suggest a number of money-saving changes that many people who have been on good incomes do not consider.

She also said that the people who have some kind of insurance, such as mortgage protection insurance, tend to fare better than those who don’t.

County Coun Greg White, executive member for economic development, said: “The recession is now starting to have a real and tangible impact on our communities.

“An increasing number of people are turning to the CABs for help with debt, unemployment, and benefits. “We expect that these demands will become even greater as the downturn bites harder.

“This major investment in CABs will hopefully enable North Yorkshire to weather the economic storms ahead.”