CITIZENS ADVICE RICHMOND

What CITIZENS ADVICE RICHMOND does

Citizens Advice Richmond (legal name: Richmond Citizens Advice Bureaux Service) is a local charity affiliated with the national Citizens Advice network, providing free, confidential, impartial, and independent advice to anyone who lives, works, or studies in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Operating from a registered office in Hampton Hill and additional sites in Sheen and Barnes, with outreach services at Hampton, Ham and Whitton libraries, the organization delivers advice across welfare benefits, cost of living support, debt and money management, housing, employment, consumer issues, energy, and grant eligibility. Specialist services include Housing Reviews, Tribunal preparation and representation, and Immigration Appeals, alongside a Financial Resilience Navigator for clients with complex needs. The organization is a company limited by guarantee in England and Wales (registered number 04140012), a registered charity (1085878), is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 617709), and is registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (Ref Z5555024).

The technology footprint is deliberately modest: a WordPress-based website using Visual Composer for page design and Wordfence for security, plus a third-party-powered Benefits Calculator (entitledto.co.uk) and a suite of online enquiry forms. The platform is built to HTML5/CSS3 standards and WCAG 2.0 AA accessibility. No proprietary technology, mobile apps, APIs, or AI/ML capabilities are disclosed. Services are delivered through phone advice (0808 278 7873), in-person drop-ins and appointments, and online enquiry forms, with referral pathways for third-party professionals. The organization also runs a Research and Campaigns function that uses client evidence to inform local and national policy.

Citizens Advice Richmond does not charge clients for advice. Revenue is sourced from government grants, local authority funding, charitable trusts, individual donations, and corporate supporters, with a "Friends of" membership programme suggesting approximately £40 annual donations. The organization operates with a small core staff of around 9 employees, supplemented by volunteers, and holds Advice Quality Standard certification. Funding sources, funder concentration, and financial figures are not publicly disclosed in the available material.

Name

CITIZENS ADVICE RICHMOND

Legal name

Richmond Citizens Advice Bureaux Service

Website

https://citizensadvicerichmond.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Citizens Advice Richmond is a local charity providing free, confidential, and impartial advice on welfare benefits, debt, housing, employment, consumer issues, and grants to residents, workers, and students in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Advice Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (62419)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAEAM

Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Social Services & Community Support (Food, Housing, Family)

SECONDARYBPADAHAE

Migrant & Refugee Legal Aid and Documentation Services

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/Refugee, Migration & Displacement Services

Keywords

• Free advice services
• Debt counseling
• Welfare benefits
• Consumer advice
• Housing advice

Headquarters

HQ city

Hampton Hill

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The organization relies on donations from individuals and corporate supporters. Friends of Citizens Advice Richmond membership suggests annual donation of approximately £40, with options for single or monthly donations.
2. Grant Funding: Funding from various sources including government grants, local authority funding, and charitable trusts to sustain operations and service delivery.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Citizens Advice Richmond provides free, confidential, impartial, and independent advice to residents, workers, and students in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Core services include welfare benefits, debt and money management, housing, employment, consumer issues, energy advice, and grant eligibility support, delivered via phone, in-person, library outreach, and online channels. Specialist services include Housing Reviews, Tribunal preparation and representation, and Immigration Appeals.

Product overview

Citizens Advice Richmond is a local charity offering free, confidential, impartial advice services through multiple channels. The core offering consists of phone advice, face-to-face consultations at offices in Hampton Hill, Sheen and Barnes, and online enquiry services. The organisation provides specialist support in areas including welfare benefits, debt and money management, energy advice, and grant eligibility. Additional services include a Benefits Calculator tool, the Financial Resilience Navigator for clients with complex needs, and a Research and Campaigns function that uses client evidence to influence policy. Services are primarily human-delivered with quality assurance through the Advice Quality Standard.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Phone Advice Service Telephone-based advice service allowing clients to receive confidential guidance on welfare benefits, debt, housing, employment, and other issues via the adviceline (0808 278 7873), free of charge to residents of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.
• Face-to-Face Advice In-person advice consultations at offices in Hampton Hill, Sheen, and Barnes, plus outreach services at Hampton, Ham library, and Whitton library, for residents needing face-to-face support.
• Online Enquiry Form Digital form for submitting enquiries online, with postcode verification to confirm eligibility for residents of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, covering general advice, grant enquiries, and crisis resilience fund applications.
• Money/Debt Advice Specialist guidance on financial matters including debt management, budgeting, and money education workshops, for residents facing financial difficulties.
• Grant Enquiries Assistance with grant applications including the Crisis Resilience Fund for residents facing unexpected financial shocks, and Catalyst Grant referrals.
• Energy Advice Guidance on energy-related matters to help residents manage fuel bills and access available support schemes.
• Financial Resilience Navigator Targeted support service for residents with complex needs including financial hardship, housing insecurity, and mental health challenges who face barriers accessing mainstream advice.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Citizens Advice NationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated with the national Citizens Advice network, utilizing nationally developed resources, training programs, and quality standards while providing local service delivery in the borough of Richmond upon Thames.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• StepChange Debt Charity: UK's largest dedicated debt advice charity, providing free debt advice via phone and online. Comparable as a free, FCA-regulated debt advice provider, but operates at national scale and specialises narrowly in debt rather than full generalist advice.
• Citizens Advice (national body): The national Citizens Advice organisation that Citizens Advice Richmond is affiliated with. Directly comparable as the umbrella network providing training, quality standards, brand and digital tools, but operating at national scale rather than as a single borough provider.
• MoneyHelper (Money & Pensions Service): UK government-backed free money and pensions guidance service offering debt, benefits and budgeting tools online and by phone. Comparable as a free, impartial financial guidance provider competing for the same residents seeking debt and benefits advice.
• Refugee Council: National charity providing advice and advocacy for refugees and asylum seekers. Comparable because Citizens Advice Richmond offers specialist support for refugees, asylum seekers and Ukrainian nationals on housing, benefits and integration — a subset of Refugee Council's work.
• Shelter: National housing advice and homelessness charity. Comparable because Citizens Advice Richmond advises on housing issues and refers complex housing cases externally; Shelter offers the deeper specialist housing advice that the local bureau explicitly does not.

Direct peers

• Law Centres Network: Federation of local Law Centres providing free legal advice and representation on social welfare law. Comparable because Citizens Advice Richmond prepares and represents clients at tribunals and immigration appeals, an area of overlap with Law Centres' welfare-law specialism.
• Citizens Advice Wandsworth: A neighbouring London borough Citizens Advice bureau offering the same free, confidential advice service model across phone, in-person and online channels. Directly comparable as a same-network local charity serving residents with similar welfare, debt, housing and employment advice needs.
• Citizens Advice Merton & Lambeth: Another London Citizens Advice local bureau providing free generalist advice plus grant and outreach services. Directly comparable in operating model, funding mix and target population as a sibling local Citizens Advice charity.
• Age UK Richmond upon Thames: A local charity providing free information and advice services (including benefits, housing and care) to older residents in the same borough. Comparable as a local, free, grant-funded advice charity with overlapping client cohorts on benefits and cost-of-living support.

Regional players

• RASASC (Rape & Sexual Abuse Support Centre): A London-based specialist support charity delivering advice and advocacy for survivors of sexual violence. Comparable as a regional, free, confidential advice and advocacy charity funded by grants and donations, but focused on a distinct specialist use case.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CA_RMD
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/richmond-citizens-advice-bureaux-service

Compliance4 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 RICHMOND