Citizens Advice New Forest

What Citizens Advice New Forest does

Citizens Advice New Forest is a local independent charity and company limited by guarantee (registered charity 1132425, company number 6983394) that provides free, confidential, and impartial advice to residents of the New Forest district in Hampshire, England. It operates as part of the national Citizens Advice network under a local governance model, with Citizens Advice acting as joint data controller for GDPR purposes. The organisation is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN: 617673) for its debt and financial guidance activities. It is headquartered at Lymington Town Hall and operates additional service points including a co-located office within Hampshire County Council's Ringwood library.

The organisation delivers advice across eight core service lines: benefits, debt and money, family, health, housing, work and employment, consumer, and immigration/law and courts. Delivery is multi-channel — in-person at local offices and community drop-in sessions, by telephone via a freephone adviceline (0808 278 78 60), by email, and via web chat routed through the national Citizens Advice platform. Specialist programmes include the Trussell Financial Inclusion Project (delivered alongside Trussell Trust food banks) and participation in the New Forest Cost of Living Steering Group. There are no proprietary technology platforms; service delivery relies on standard case management systems, volunteer advisers, and the national Citizens Advice digital infrastructure.

Revenue is derived entirely from non-commercial sources: ongoing grants from New Forest District Council, contributions from Hampshire County Council, the Russell Trust, the Rotary Club of Ringwood, Ringwood Town Council, local Parish Councils, Co-op Local Community Fund awards, and public donations. All services are provided free to end clients. Marketing and outreach are conducted via a content-rich website, a monthly 'Impact in Focus' newsletter, organic social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram), and earned media appearances by the Chief Officer on BBC Radio Solent.

Name

Citizens Advice New Forest

Legal name

Citizens Advice New Forest

Website

https://newforestcab.org.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Citizens Advice New Forest is a local independent charity providing free, confidential advice on benefits, debt, housing, employment, and consumer issues to residents of the New Forest district in Hampshire, England. It is part of the national Citizens Advice network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Lymington

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations and Fundraising: As a registered charity, Citizens Advice New Forest relies on donations from the public, fundraising activities, and community support to maintain free service delivery.
2. Grants and Local Authority Funding: Ongoing funding from New Forest District Council and other local funders to deliver Citizens Advice services across the New Forest district.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Citizens Advice New Forest provides free, confidential, and impartial advice to residents of the New Forest district across nine core practice areas: benefits, consumer, debt and money, family, health, housing, immigration, law and courts, and work. Services are delivered through in-person appointments, telephone, email, and web chat, and are funded by grants, donations, and local authority support rather than fees to clients.

Product overview

Citizens Advice New Forest is a local independent charity providing free, confidential, and impartial advice services to residents of the New Forest area. The organization operates as a single integrated service offering advice across multiple areas: Benefits advice, Debt & Money advice, Family advice, Health advice, Housing advice, Work & Employment advice, and Consumer advice. Additional support services include food bank referrals, pension credit guidance, and cost of living assistance through the Cost of Living Steering Group. Specialist services include the Trussell Financial Inclusion Project, which provides financial guidance to food bank users. The organization also communicates with supporters through its 'Impact in Focus' newsletter. Advice is delivered through local offices, telephone adviceline (0808 278 78 60), email, drop-in sessions, and web chat, with services available in person, by phone, or online.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Benefits Advice Free, impartial advice on welfare benefits entitlement, claims, and appeals for New Forest residents.
• Consumer Advice Free advice on consumer rights, disputes with traders, refunds, and contractual problems for local residents.
• Debt and Money Advice Free, confidential advice on debt management, budgeting, and money problems for individuals experiencing financial difficulty.
• Family Advice Free advice on family matters including relationship breakdown, childcare, and related legal issues for New Forest residents.
• Health Advice Free advice on health-related rights, NHS complaints, and access to health and social care services.
• Housing Advice Free advice on housing issues including tenancies, eviction, deposits, disrepair, and homelessness for local residents.
• Immigration Advice Free, general immigration advice and signposting for New Forest residents on visas, status, and related issues.
• Law and Courts Advice Free advice on legal rights, court processes, and access to justice for members of the public in the New Forest.
• Work Advice Free advice on employment rights, pay, workplace disputes, and redundancy for workers and job seekers.
• Telephone, Email, and Web Chat Advice Service Remote-channel access to the same free, impartial advice for clients who cannot attend in person, available by phone, email, and web chat.
• Outreach Drop-in Advice Sessions Free, in-person advice delivered at community drop-in sessions in locations such as Fordingbridge, New Milton, and Hythe to extend reach beyond the main offices.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hampshire County Council Library ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 November 2018Hampshire Library Service completed a £17,000 refurbishment project at Ringwood library enabling Citizens Advice and library staff to share a new customer helpdesk, creating a community hub providing books, learning, IT, activities, and advice services.
• Co-op Local Community FundminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2018The Co-op Local Community Fund awarded Citizens Advice New Forest £2,666.68 raised by Co-op member shoppers through purchasing Co-op branded products and services to support the work of the CA New Forest New Milton office.
• Trussell TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrussell has food banks across Ringwood, Fordingbridge, Verwood, and Waterside. They have teamed up with Citizens Advice New Forest to offer the Trussell Financial Inclusion Project providing extra help to regular food bank users with benefits advice, debt management, and budgeting.
• New Forest District CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew Forest District Council provides ongoing funding support to deliver Citizens Advice services across New Forest district.
• Age Concern HampshireminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAge Concern Hampshire offers services for people aged 50+ and operates two Care and Wellbeing Centres in the New Forest (The Horrill Care and Wellbeing Centre in Dibden/Hythe and Gore Grange Care and Wellbeing Centre in New Milton).
• Hitting the Cold Spots (Hampshire County Council)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFree impartial energy advice programme for Hampshire residents, including pensioners, to help keep homes warm and energy bills down.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Citizens Advice: The national umbrella charity of which Citizens Advice New Forest is a local member. Operates the same advice categories, brand, and digital platform, but at a national scale with policy, training, and infrastructure functions.

Direct peers

• Shelter: UK national housing advice and homelessness charity. Directly comparable on the housing advice category and on free, regulated advice delivery to vulnerable residents.
• Law Centres Network: Federation of local Law Centres providing free legal advice and representation. Comparable on free, regulated advice to vulnerable communities in defined geographies.
• Christians Against Poverty: UK debt counselling charity providing free debt advice, budget coaching, and money management courses. Comparable on FCA-regulated debt advice and community-based delivery.
• StepChange Debt Charity: UK national debt advice charity providing free, confidential debt advice via phone and online. Highly comparable on debt and money advice services and the FCA-regulated debt advice space.
• Money Advice Plus: UK money and pension advice charity offering telephone and webchat advice. Comparable on free money, debt, and benefits guidance delivered remotely.
• Citizens Advice Test Valley: Neighbouring local Citizens Advice office serving Test Valley in Hampshire. Closest functional peer — same brand, same services, same funding model, adjacent geography.
• National Debtline: Free, confidential debt advice service funded by the Money Advice Trust. Comparable as a phone-and-online debt advice provider for UK consumers.

Regional players

• Citizens Advice Hampshire: Local Citizens Advice delivery bodies across Hampshire. Direct peer operating the same advice framework in adjacent geographies within the same county.
• Age UK Hampshire: Regional arm of Age UK delivering advice, information, and wellbeing services for over-50s in Hampshire. Comparable as a Hampshire-based local advice provider with overlapping pension and benefits advice.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php?id=61574633774574
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/citizens-advice-new-forest
• Instagraminstagram.com/citizensadvicenewforest
• Xx.com/cabnewforest

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Citizens Advice New Forest