What Citizens Advice Cambridge & District does

Citizens Advice Cambridge & District (legal name: Cambridge and District Citizens Advice Bureau) is a registered charity (no. 1056102) and registered company (no. 3191085) founded in 1939, operating as one of approximately 320 local offices within the national Citizens Advice network in England and Wales. It delivers free, confidential, impartial advice to residents of Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire across ten practice areas: benefits, debt, employment, housing, consumer rights, immigration, family, health, tax, and legal matters. The organization is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN617537) and audited by National Citizens Advice under Advice Quality Standard (AQS) accreditation.

The service is delivered through an omnichannel advice stack: a freephone Adviceline (0808 278 7808), email enquiries (including a dedicated Crisis and Resilience Fund application), self-serve online help, video call appointments, and in-person appointments at the main Devonshire Road office plus five community locations (Mandela House, South Cambridgeshire Hall, Job Centre Plus, Meadows Community Centre, and John Huntingdon's Charity in Sawston). Core technology is built on Microsoft 365 and the shared Casebook case management system (jointly controlled with National Citizens Advice), supplemented by 10to8 for online appointment booking (notably for the specialist Energy Telephone Appointment service), Sign In Solutions for scheduling and visitor management, LiveChat for webchat advice, TextAnywhere for SMS, and WhatsApp for client messaging. Specialized service lines include Help to Claim (Universal Credit application support) and the Crisis and Resilience Fund (emergency financial support via vouchers, appliances, and food).

The business model is grant-dependent rather than commercial: nearly £1 million in annual operating costs is funded primarily by fixed-term grants from local government (Cambridge City Council, South Cambridgeshire District Council, Cambridgeshire County Council) and philanthropic bodies (Big Lottery Fund, Cambridge Community Foundation, Power Family Foundation), supplemented by individual donations (CAF portal, text giving, Gift Aid), legacy gifts, and a small commercial revenue stream from meeting room and office space hire at the Devonshire Road headquarters (£200–£300/day for room hire, with discounts for non-profits). The organization employs approximately 23 staff, supplemented by trained volunteer advisers, and is governed by a Board of Trustees chaired by Heather Du Quesnay CBE with day-to-day operations led by CEO Helen Cook.

Name

Citizens Advice Cambridge & District

Legal name

Cambridge and District Citizens Advice Bureau

Website

https://cambridgecab.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1939

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Citizens Advice Cambridge & District is a registered charity founded in 1939 that delivers free, FCA-regulated advice on benefits, debt, housing, employment, and consumer issues to residents of Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire through phone, email, online, and in-person channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Free Community Advice Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Financial Assistance & Benefits Navigation Services (BPAGAEAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM)

Keywords

• Free legal advice
• Debt counselling
• Welfare benefits advice
• Housing rights support
• Community charity services

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: Fixed-term grants from philanthropic organisations and local government bodies including Cambridge City Council, South Cambridgeshire District Council, Cambridgeshire County Council, and Big Lottery Fund. No long-term funding sources of scale.
2. Donations: One-off and regular donations through CAF donate portal, text giving (ADVICE to 70085), and cheque donations. Includes Gift Aid for UK taxpayers.
3. Office Space Rental: Meeting room hire (David Livesey room up to 18 people) and desk/office space rental. Provides additional revenue stream with discounted rates for tenants and non-profit organisations.
4. Legacies: Legacy donations from supporters leaving gifts in wills to support ongoing operations

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Citizens Advice Cambridge & District is a registered charity that delivers free, confidential, and impartial advice on benefits, debt, housing, employment, consumer rights, immigration, family law, health, tax, and legal matters to residents of Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire. Advice is delivered through multiple channels including a freephone Adviceline, email, online resources, video calls, and face-to-face appointments at community venues. Specialized services include the Crisis and Resilience Fund (emergency financial support), Help to Claim (Universal Credit assistance), and Energy Telephone Appointments, with supplementary revenue from meeting room and office space hire at the Cambridge headquarters.

Product overview

Citizens Advice Cambridge & District offers a single integrated advice service accessible through multiple channels: telephone (Adviceline 0808 278 7808), email, online resources, video calls, and face-to-face appointments. The core offering combines universal advice on benefits, debt, employment, housing, consumer rights, and immigration with specialized services including the Crisis and Resilience Fund (emergency financial support), Help to Claim (Universal Credit application assistance), and Energy Telephone Appointments. The organization also generates supplementary revenue through meeting room and office space hire at its Cambridge location. Advice is delivered by trained volunteers and staff, with services regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and audited by National Citizens Advice.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Adviceline (Telephone Helpline) Free telephone helpline providing advice on benefits, debt, housing, employment, consumer, immigration, family, health, tax and law matters. Available Monday to Friday 9am-4pm on Freephone 0808 278 7808, staffed by trained volunteer advisers who assess situations and provide advice or refer to further support. Aimed at residents of Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire.
• Email Advice Service Email-based advice service for Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire residents. Clients submit enquiries via online forms covering general advice requests and Crisis and Resilience Fund applications, with cases handled by advisers and recorded in the Casebook case management system.
• Online Help Portal Self-service online advice portal providing topic-based navigation to Citizens Advice national resources covering Benefits, Work, Debt & Money, Consumer, Family, Housing, Law & Courts, Immigration, Health, Tax, Education, and Template Letters. Accessible to anyone seeking free, self-directed guidance without contacting an adviser.
• Face-to-Face Appointments Pre-booked in-person advice appointments at the main office (66 Devonshire Road, Cambridge) and at community venues including South Cambs Council (Cambourne), Mandela House, Cambridge Job Centre Plus, Meadows Community Centre, and John Huntingdon's Charity (Sawston). Reserved for residents needing in-depth support.
• Video Call Appointments Pre-booked video call appointments using the organization's IT equipment for clients who need advice but cannot visit in person. Limited availability, reserved for those who need it most, and delivered alongside face-to-face and telephone channels.
• Energy Telephone Appointment Pre-booked 60-minute telephone appointments for residents of Cambridge or South Cambridgeshire with energy-related issues including energy costs, smart meter issues, energy switches, energy debt, and warm home discount access. Booked online via the 10to8 self-service booking platform.
• Help to Claim (Universal Credit Support) Dedicated Citizens Advice service supporting individuals in the early stages of a Universal Credit claim, from application through to first payment. Includes help gathering evidence and preparing for work coach appointments. Free, independent, and confidential, accessed via freephone 0800 144 8444.
• Crisis and Resilience Fund Emergency financial support scheme for residents of Cambridge or South Cambridgeshire facing unexpected financial difficulties such as job loss, benefit changes, or essential appliance breakdown. Provides one-off vouchers and practical assistance including food vouchers, furniture, appliances, clothing, and help with energy costs. Applications processed via dedicated online form with detailed financial disclosures and evidence requirements.
• Meeting Room Hire (David Livesey Room) Hire of the David Livesey meeting room at 66 Devonshire Road, Cambridge, for up to 18 people, equipped with interactive display, HDMI/wireless display, audio-visual equipment, and whiteboard. Commercial rate £300 full day / £250 half day; non-profit rate £200 full day / £150 half day; refreshments at £3 per delegate.
• Office and Desk Space Rental Short-term and long-term office and desk space rental at 66 Devonshire Road, Cambridge CB1 2BL. Includes furniture, utilities, cleaning, shared meeting room, kitchen, and cycle parking. Discounted rates available for 6+ desk rentals. Located in CB1 postcode, 5 minutes from Cambridge Rail Station.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Cambridge City CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal government funder and partner providing support for advice services to Cambridge residents
• South Cambridgeshire District CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal government partner providing venue at South Cambridgeshire Hall and funding support
• Cambridgeshire County CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCounty council providing funding and support for advice services across Cambridgeshire
• National Citizens AdvicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational network body that regulates and audits local Citizens Advice offices. Provides Casebook system, quality standards, and national policy support.
• John Huntingdon's CharitysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharitable trust providing referral-only debt advice appointments at their centre in Sawston
• Cambridge City FoodbanksupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFoodbank partner providing emergency food support alongside advice services
• Department for Work and PensionssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment department providing Digital Inclusion appointments at Cambridge Job Centre Plus
• Mandela House Community CentresupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCommunity venue partner hosting drop-in advice sessions every other Wednesday
• Meadows Community CentresupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCommunity venue partner hosting Benefits form filling appointments on Wednesday mornings
• Anglia Ruskin University (ARU)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerHigher education partner in Cambridge providing potential collaboration opportunities

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Citizens Advice Southend: Another local Citizens Advice office delivering free, FCA-regulated advice to a defined UK catchment. Closely comparable in service mix (benefits, debt, housing, employment) and reliance on local-authority and lottery grant funding.
• StepChange Debt Charity: National debt advice charity offering free, FCA-regulated debt advice through phone and online channels. Closely comparable in the debt-advice vertical and operates via a similar mix of grant funding and donations.
• Shelter (Cambridge area services): National housing and homelessness charity providing free housing advice, overlapping directly with Citizens Advice Cambridge's housing advice vertical. Comparable as a grant-funded free advice provider with national brand and local service delivery.
• Citizens Advice Manchester: A local Citizens Advice member providing free advice on benefits, debt, housing, and employment to Manchester residents. Directly comparable as a sister local office of the same national network with identical service categories, FCA-regulated debt advice, and grant-based funding model.
• Money Advice Trust: UK charity providing money advice through National Debtline and Business Debtline. Comparable as a free, FCA-regulated advice provider funded by grants and donations, with multi-channel (phone, web, self-serve) delivery.
• Christians Against Poverty (CAP): UK charity offering free debt counselling, money management courses, and poverty-relief services through local church partnerships. Comparable as a free, FCA-regulated debt advice charity funded by donations and grants.

Emerging players

• National Energy Action (NEA): National charity tackling fuel poverty and cold homes, with overlapping energy-advice expertise including warm home discount support. Comparable in the specialist energy advice niche that Citizens Advice Cambridge & District funds through its Energy Telephone Appointment service.
• Cambridge House Legal Advice (Cambridge Law Centre area): Cambridge-based legal advice charity providing free legal services to people in Cambridgeshire. Comparable as a same-city, free, specialist advice provider with overlapping social-welfare law and benefits expertise.

Broad incumbents

• Citizens Advice (national body): National umbrella body for the Citizens Advice network, providing the Casebook system, quality standards, and the public-facing advice website. Comparable as the regulator/incumbent of the network that Citizens Advice Cambridge & District operates within.

Regional players

• Age UK Cambridgeshire and Peterborough: Local Age UK charity providing free information and advice on benefits, housing, and care for older people in the same Cambridgeshire geography. Comparable as a regional free advice charity with overlapping benefits-navigation and casework services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights1 record

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cambridge-district-citizens-advice-bureau

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Cambridge & District