In 2026, Citizens Advice Stevenage is celebrating 70 years of supporting people in our community.

Established in 1956, just ten years after Stevenage became the UK's first post-war New Town, Citizens Advice Stevenage was created by a small group of local people who recognised a need within the community.

Seven decades later, that same principle remains at the heart of everything we do: helping people find a way forward when they are facing problems or don't know where to turn.

Over 70 years, Stevenage has changed enormously, and so have the issues facing local people. From housing and employment to benefits, debt, immigration, digital exclusion and the cost of living, our services have continually evolved to respond to what our community needs.

From a Local Bureau to a Modern Advice Charity

Citizens Advice Stevenage began as a small local bureau run by people who wanted to make a difference.

Today, we are an independent charity and member of the national Citizens Advice network, providing free, independent, confidential and impartial advice.

Our work now extends far beyond traditional advice appointments. We provide support by telephone, online and face-to-face, as well as taking our services into community settings and working alongside local organisations.

Our mission remains simple: to help people solve their problems by providing options.

In 2023/24, we directly helped 14,140 people in Stevenage with 57,807 issues, bringing around £6.2 million into people's pockets. More recently, between 2025 and 2026, we helped 13,594 clients, dealt with 46,781 issues and generated £6.7 million in income for clients.

Growing Through Projects and Partnerships

A major part of our development has been the growth of specialist projects and partnerships.

Our core advice service remains central to what we do, but specialist projects allow us to reach people with particular needs and provide more targeted support.

Welfare Benefits Appeals Project

One example is our Stevenage Welfare Benefits Appeals Project, developed in partnership with Hertfordshire Law School at the University of Hertfordshire.

Launched in 2020 as a six-month pilot, the project was funded by the Community Justice Fund and the National Lottery. It was designed to provide advice, casework and advocacy to people appealing welfare benefit decisions at the First-tier Tribunal.

The project also created an opportunity for law students to receive training from Citizens Advice Stevenage and work under the supervision of experienced welfare benefits specialists, gaining practical experience while helping people access justice.

This work reflects an important part of our wider approach: finding innovative ways to increase access to advice while developing the next generation of professionals.

Working Across Hertfordshire

Our work has also grown beyond Stevenage.

Through partnerships and commissioned services, Citizens Advice Stevenage now contributes to projects supporting people across Hertfordshire.

One important example is HertsHelp, which provides information, signposting and referrals to help people access the right support. Citizens Advice Stevenage has been involved in the HertsHelp service alongside other Hertfordshire organisations, helping people navigate the wide range of support available across the county.

Our wider Hertfordshire work also includes specialist support for asylum seekers and refugees, delivered in partnership with Hertfordshire County Council. The service provides free and confidential advice around asylum support, accommodation and related issues.

Supporting People with Debt and Financial Difficulties

Money and debt advice has always been an important part of Citizens Advice work, but the nature and complexity of financial problems have changed considerably.

Today, our services support people with budgeting, benefits, debt, income maximisation and financial wellbeing.

We have also been involved in innovative projects looking at how technology can improve the way debt advice is delivered.

In 2023, Citizens Advice Stevenage worked with PayPoint to trial an Open Banking solution designed to make the process of gathering financial information much quicker.

Previously, advisers could spend weeks gathering and reviewing financial information. The new Financial Information Service tool reduced this process from an average of around three weeks to just minutes, allowing advisers to spend more time supporting clients.

It is an example of how Citizens Advice Stevenage continues to look for new ways of working while keeping the human element of advice at the centre.

Responding to the Cost-of-Living Crisis

The cost-of-living crisis created a huge increase in pressure for households across Stevenage.

Rising energy prices, inflation, rent, food costs and debt all contributed to people finding it increasingly difficult to make ends meet.

Citizens Advice Stevenage responded by providing additional information and support around benefits, debt, energy bills, priority debts and financial assistance.

Our evidence also helped highlight the wider impact of the crisis locally.

This is an important part of our role: we don't just help people deal with individual problems. We use what we hear from our clients to understand what is happening across our community and to campaign for change.

Research That Gives Stevenage a Voice

Research and campaigning have become an increasingly important part of our work.

Every day, our advisers hear about the problems people are experiencing. By bringing this information together, we can identify wider trends and use evidence to highlight issues affecting local residents.

Our research has covered areas including child poverty, food poverty, homelessness, private rental housing, debt collection, debt relief orders, welfare reform, the cost-of-living crisis and PIP and ESA appeals.

We are also currently researching digital exclusion in Stevenage, food insecurity and barriers faced by asylum seekers trying to access Hertfordshire's asylum advice network.

Digital Exclusion

Our Digital Divide research looks at how people who cannot easily access or use digital technology can be disadvantaged.

As more essential services move online — including banking, NHS services and Universal Credit — digital exclusion can make it much harder for people to access the support they need.

Understanding the scale of the problem in Stevenage allows us to give local people a voice and help influence how services are designed.

Working with Local Partners

None of this work happens in isolation.

Over the years, Citizens Advice Stevenage has worked with local authorities, health services, housing organisations, universities, community groups, businesses, funders and other charities.

Our income is made up almost entirely of grants and contracts for services, allowing us to deliver specialist projects and extend the support available to local residents.

Recent funding and commissioning has included government and public-sector funding, charitable funding and partnerships with local organisations.

In December 2025, for example, Citizens Advice Stevenage was awarded a £805,000 contract by Stevenage Borough Council to provide accessible financial advice and specialist housing support across Stevenage. The contract began in April 2026 and runs initially until March 2029, with a possible extension to 2031.

This investment recognises the importance of ensuring local residents can access high-quality advice when they need it.

Our People: Volunteers, Staff and Leadership

While projects and funding make services possible, it is the people behind Citizens Advice who make the biggest difference.

For 70 years, volunteers have played a fundamental role in supporting our work. Today, staff and volunteers continue to work together to provide advice, undertake research, engage with the community and help people find solutions to difficult problems.

Our current leadership also reflects the organisation's ability to develop people within Citizens Advice.

Charlotte Blizzard-Welch, our Chief Executive, joined Citizens Advice Stevenage as a volunteer in 2014 and progressed through a number of roles before becoming CEO in 2019.

Charlotte is currently on maternity leave, and Melanie Bel Haj is serving as Interim Chief Executive Officer.

Melanie has a long history with Citizens Advice Stevenage. She first joined the organisation in 2015 as a Pension Wise Guider and subsequently worked as an Advice Session Supervisor for around three years. After spending several years working for another local Citizens Advice as an Advice Quality and Projects Officer, she returned to Citizens Advice Stevenage in 2021. She has since held senior responsibility for funding, projects, research, campaigns and external engagement.

This progression from volunteering and frontline advice into organisational leadership is a powerful example of the opportunities that Citizens Advice can create for its own people.

A Changing Organisation for a Changing Community

In 2024, Citizens Advice Stevenage launched a new 2024–27 business strategy, Fit for the Future.

The strategy focuses on three key themes: People, Skills and Culture; Tools and Technology; and Process and Structure.

The aim is to make sure that Citizens Advice Stevenage remains resilient, relevant and able to respond to the changing needs of the community.

That means investing in our people, improving technology, strengthening our processes and continuing to develop partnerships that allow us to reach more people.

70 Years of Listening

When we look back over seven decades, the problems people bring to us may look different, but the reason they come through our doors remains remarkably similar.

People need someone to listen.

They need clear information.

They need to understand their rights.

They need to know what options are available.

And sometimes, they simply need someone to help them take the first step.

From the small local bureau established in 1956 to the organisation we are today, that fundamental purpose has remained.

Looking Ahead to the Next 70 Years

Our 70th anniversary isn't simply an opportunity to look backwards.

It is also an opportunity to think about what Stevenage will need over the next 70 years.

Technology will continue to change how people access services. Housing pressures will evolve. The cost of living will continue to affect households. New forms of financial exploitation and scams will emerge. Communities will change, and new barriers to accessing support will develop.

Citizens Advice Stevenage will need to change with them.

Our commitment is to continue listening to the community, using evidence to understand local problems, developing partnerships, attracting funding and designing services that make it easier for people to access the advice they need.

Because after 70 years, one thing hasn't changed.

Citizens Advice Stevenage is here to help people find a way forward.

70 years of advice.

70 years of community.

70 years of making a difference.