What Citizens Advice North Nottinghamshire does

Citizens Advice North Nottinghamshire (CANNS) is an independent charity operating as the trading name of Bassetlaw Citizens Advice Bureau, founded in 1976 and headquartered at 100-102 Bridge Street, Worksop. The charity delivers free, confidential, and impartial advice to residents of North Nottinghamshire across a broad portfolio of practice areas including benefits, debt, energy, housing, employment, consumer rights, family matters, legal questions, and immigration queries. CANNS is one of 280 Local Citizens Advice offices that operate under the umbrella of the national Citizens Advice network, which provides the underlying information systems, quality standards, and brand framework used in advice delivery. The organisation employs 13 paid staff, supplemented by trained volunteers consistent with the national network's 21,600 volunteer base.

The organisation runs a hub-and-spoke service model anchored on three physical offices — Worksop (headquarters), Mansfield, and Retford — with structured opening hours. Service delivery extends beyond the physical footprint through a phone helpline (0300 561 2800), email and online advice request forms, a WhatsApp messaging channel (+447935340568), and a dedicated partner referral portal used by NHS staff, local authorities, elected officials, and food banks. Specialised services include Debt & Money Advice, Energy Support (including support for clients at risk of disconnection), Macmillan Benefits (cancer-related welfare rights), plus generalist benefits, housing, employment, and consumer advice. The organisation is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN: 617503) for its financial advice activities and holds GDPR-compliant data handling practices.

CANNS is a non-commercial entity with no revenue-generating products or pricing model; all services are provided free of charge. Funding is entirely grant- and donation-based, sourced from a diversified portfolio of public sector and charitable funders including Bassetlaw District Council, Mansfield District Council, Nottinghamshire County Council, the National Lottery, the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), the Energy Redress scheme, Money and Pensions Service, Macmillan, the Trussell Trust food bank network, East Midlands Money Advice, BCVS, and NHS-funded staff placements. The underlying technology stack is non-proprietary, relying on standard charity case management and advice delivery systems consistent with the Citizens Advice national network. There is no parent company, no venture or private equity ownership, and no subsidiaries.

Name

Citizens Advice North Nottinghamshire

Legal name

Bassetlaw Citizens Advice Bureau

Website

https://canns.org.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Citizens Advice North Nottinghamshire is an independent charity providing free, confidential advice on benefits, debt, energy, housing, employment, and consumer issues to residents of North Nottinghamshire via three offices, phone, online, and partner referrals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Advisory Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Other Individual and Family Services (62419)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Financial Assistance & Benefits Navigation Services (BPAGAEAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Housing Assistance & Homeless Services (BPAGAEAB), Financial Hardship & Forbearance Assistance (FSAEAFAJ)

Keywords

• Free advice services
• Debt counselling
• Benefits advisory
• Consumer rights
• Welfare advice

Headquarters

HQ city

Worksop

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: Citizens Advice North Nottinghamshire is an independent charity completely dependent on donations and grants. Funding is received from multiple public sector and charitable sources including local authorities, national lottery, and specialized grant programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Citizens Advice North Nottinghamshire delivers free, confidential, and impartial advice to residents across North Nottinghamshire on benefits, debt, energy, housing, employment, consumer issues, family matters, legal questions, and immigration queries. Services include practical assistance with form filling, letter writing, and creditor negotiations, delivered via physical offices, phone, email, online forms, WhatsApp, and a partner referral portal. The charity also operates FCA-regulated (FRN: 617503) debt and money advice, alongside specialized Macmillan cancer-benefits support and energy advice services.

Product overview

Citizens Advice North Nottinghamshire is a single-service charity providing free, confidential, impartial advice across multiple practice areas. The organization operates through a hub-and-spoke model with offices in Worksop, Mansfield, and Retford, offering specialized services including Debt & Money Advice, Energy Support, and Macmillan Benefits (cancer support). Clients can access services via the referral portal (for partner organizations), direct phone/email contact, or in-person visits. The service portfolio includes benefits advice, housing advice, employment advice, and consumer advice, all supported by trained volunteers and paid staff.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Debt & Money Advice FCA-authorized (FRN: 617503) expert guidance on debt and money issues for North Nottinghamshire residents, including help managing creditors, debt collection processes, and financial challenges.
• Energy Support Specialized advice and support on energy and fuel needs for clients in North Nottinghamshire, including assistance for those at risk of disconnection or self-disconnection, funded via the Energy Redress scheme.
• Macmillan Benefits Advice Specialized benefits and financial advice service for anyone affected by cancer, delivered in partnership with Macmillan.
• Benefits Advice Free expert advice on welfare benefits entitlements and support with welfare rights, including practical help with form filling, for North Nottinghamshire residents.
• Housing Advice Advisory services covering housing problems and related issues for residents of North Nottinghamshire.
• Employment Advice Expert guidance on employment problems and workplace rights for residents of North Nottinghamshire.
• Consumer Advice Advice and support on consumer rights issues and queries for residents of North Nottinghamshire.
• Partner Referral Portal Dedicated online portal that enables partner organizations (local authorities, NHS primary care staff, elected officials, food banks, and other community partners) to refer clients directly into specialized services including Debt & Money Advice, Energy Support, Macmillan Benefits, and council staff referrals.

Quantifiable outcome

• Free advice provided to anyone in North Nottinghamshire area

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Bassetlaw District CouncilcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal authority funder providing financial support to enable delivery of advice services in the Bassetlaw district area.
• Nottinghamshire County CouncilcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCounty council funder providing financial support for advice services across Nottinghamshire.
• Mansfield District CouncilcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal authority funder providing financial support for advice services in Mansfield area.
• Money and Pensions ServicemajorGTM or Marketing PartnerNational body providing funding for debt and money advice services.
• MacmillanmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership providing benefits advice services for people affected by cancer.
• NHScoreGTM or Marketing PartnerNHS-funded staff across Bassetlaw referring patients to advice services via Primary Care Professionals referral portal.
• The Trussell TrustmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with food bank network to provide advice referrals to clients in crisis.
• East Midlands Money AdviceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional partnership for money advice services.
• BCVSminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBassetlaw Community and Voluntary Service partnership.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• PayPlan: Free, regulated debt advice and management service operating across the UK. Comparable in offering free debt counselling, formal debt solutions, and referral partnerships with public-sector bodies.
• StepChange Debt Charity: National UK charity providing free, regulated debt advice - one of CANNS's core service lines. Comparable business model (free, FCA-authorised, partnership-funded) and overlapping client base of financially struggling households.
• Money Wellness: UK organisation providing free debt advice, money guidance, and benefits support. Comparable service portfolio (debt, benefits, money guidance) and similar reliance on referral partnerships with local authorities and funders.
• Christians Against Poverty: UK debt advice charity delivering free face-to-face and remote debt counselling via a network of local partner centres. Comparable hub-and-spoke delivery model, free service, and reliance on donations and grants.
• Citizens Advice Ashfield: Adjacent local Citizens Advice office also serving parts of Nottinghamshire. Operates the same advice model, channels, and FCA status; competes for the same regional funder pool and overlapping client base in bordering districts.

Others

• Macmillan Cancer Support: National cancer charity that funds CANNS's Macmillan Benefits service. Not a direct competitor but a key strategic partner and comparator for the 'specialist advice embedded within a national charity' service model.
• Money and Pensions Service (MaPS): UK government-backed body that funds free debt and money advice services - including funding CANNS. Acts as a sector commissioner rather than direct delivery competitor, but shapes the funding landscape in which CANNS operates.

Broad incumbents

• Shelter: National UK housing charity providing free housing advice and support. Overlaps with CANNS's housing advice service line but operates at national scale with significantly larger resourcing and brand presence.
• Citizens Advice: National umbrella network of which CANNS is a member. Operates the same advice delivery model, shared information systems, and quality standards across 2,500 locations in England and Wales. Directly comparable service portfolio (benefits, debt, housing, employment, consumer).
• Age UK: National charity for older people providing free advice on benefits, housing, and care - overlaps with several of CANNS's service areas. Operates through a federated local-branch model similar to Citizens Advice, with grant-funded local advice services.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/citizensadvicenorthnottinghamshire

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 North Nottinghamshire