A PLACE offering free advice to people with financial issues is set to close after nearly 50 years.
The West Somerset Advice Bureau (also known as Citizens Advice West Somerset) is closing on Thursday, April 30, after serving the local community for 48 years.
The reasoning of the bureau's closure is due to "challenging funding environment and unsustainable rising costs", the organisation's chair has said.
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The West Somerset charity was started up as a small, agile group of specialists and volunteers that responded creatively to the varied needs of the local community.
Formed in 1979 as a response to a "lack of free advice support" in the West Somerset area, the organisation believed it was important to design a service to meet the requirements of this complex rural area.
An open-access office in Minehead was subsequently opened, which the bureau says is visited by approximately 2,300+ people each year.
In a statement this month (April 2026), Chair of trustees for The West Somerset Advice Bureau, Barbara 0' Keefe said: "This is an incredibly disappointing day for everyone involved with the West Somerset Advice Bureau.
"We are immensely proud of what our staff, volunteers, and partners have achieved. While this chapter ends, we are proud of the lasting impact we have made on so many of the people in our community."
According to the trustees, West Somerset Advice Bureau will focus on redirecting clients to other support organisations for assistance during the final period of operation.
Ms O'Keefe added: "We want to thank our volunteers, staff, supporters, donors, and partners for their dedication. We are working closely with partner organisations to manage this transition."
Since opening, the West Somerset charity has supported people who found it challenging to engage with the telephone or internet-based customer relationship systems by attending more than 100 outreach surgeries each year and just under 100 home visits each year to assist vulnerable people unable to travel.
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