About Us

About Us

About Citizens Advice Solent East

Citizens Advice Solent East is an independent charity and a member of the national Citizens Advice network, providing free, confidential, impartial, and independent advice to everyone across the Solent East region. We are committed to helping people find a way forward with the problems they face, from money and debt worries to housing, employment, and family issues.

Our organisation was formed through strategic mergers that brought together three established branches with rich histories of serving their local communities. On 1st October 2024, Citizens Advice Portsmouth and Citizens Advice Havant merged to create Citizens Advice Solent East, initially operating as a unified organisation with 2 branches. This was followed on 1st July 2025, when Citizens Advice Gosport merged with Citizens Advice Solent East, bringing together all three branches under one umbrella organisation.

Today, Citizens Advice Solent East operates through three branches — Citizens Advice Gosport, Citizens Advice Havant, and Citizens Advice Portsmouth — each with its own unique history and deep roots in their respective communities. Together, we form a stronger, more resilient organisation that can better serve the diverse needs of people across the Solent East region.

We are committed to valuing diversity, promoting equality, and challenging discrimination. Everything we do is built around the needs of our clients — ensuring they remain at the heart of our service. Our dedicated teams of skilled volunteers and experienced staff deliver core frontline services, with every member receiving comprehensive training to meet the National Advice Quality Standard, ensuring we provide consistent, professional, and high-quality support to everyone who comes to us.

We take great pride in fostering a supportive and inclusive environment, where everyone — staff, volunteers, and clients alike — feels valued and respected. It is through their commitment, compassion, and expertise that we are able to make a real difference in our communities.

At Citizens Advice Solent East, we believe in empowering people through knowledge and support. Every conversation, piece of advice, and partnership is guided by our belief in fairness, dignity, and opportunity for all. We also use our insight and evidence to influence wider policy and bring about positive change both locally and nationally.

Our services are accessible through face-to-face appointments, telephone advice, and online support, ensuring that help is available to everyone, regardless of their circumstances or location. We work in partnership with local authorities, community organisations, and other service providers to ensure comprehensive support for those who need it most.

Citizens Advice Gosport

Citizens Advice Solent East is an independent charity, with Citizens Advice Gosport proudly serving as one of its key branches. Together, we are part of the national Citizens Advice network, providing free, confidential, and impartial advice to everyone in our community.

Citizens Advice Gosport was established in 1943, continuing the important work of providing free, confidential, and impartial advice that began with the first Citizens Advice bureaux in 1939. On 1st July 2025, Citizens Advice Gosport merged with Citizens Advice Solent East, bringing together all three branches (Gosport, Havant, and Portsmouth) under one unified organisation. We are committed to valuing diversity, promoting equality, and challenging discrimination. Everything we do is built around the needs of our clients — ensuring they remain at the heart of our service.

Our work helps people find a way forward with the problems they face, from money and debt worries to housing, employment, and family issues. We also use our insight and evidence to influence wider policy and bring about positive change both locally and nationally.

At the heart of Citizens Advice Gosport is our dedicated team of skilled volunteers and experienced staff, who deliver the core frontline services of the organisation. Every member of our team receives comprehensive training to meet the National Advice Quality Standard, ensuring we provide consistent, professional, and high-quality support to everyone who comes to us.

We take great pride in fostering a supportive and inclusive environment, where everyone — staff, volunteers, and clients alike — feels valued and respected. It is through their commitment, compassion, and expertise that we are able to make a real difference in our community.

Based at Martin Snape House in Gosport, our branch offers face-to-face, telephone, and online advice to make our services as accessible as possible.

At Citizens Advice Gosport, a branch of Citizens Advice Solent East, we believe in empowering people through knowledge and support. Every conversation, piece of advice, and partnership is guided by our belief in fairness, dignity, and opportunity for all.

Citizens Advice Havant

Citizens Advice Solent East is an independent charity, with Citizens Advice Havant proudly serving as one of its key branches. Together, we are part of the national Citizens Advice network, providing free, confidential, and impartial advice to everyone in our community.

Citizens Advice Havant was incorporated on 25th July 2005 as Havant and District Citizens Advice Bureau, and changed its name to Citizens Advice Havant on 6th March 2018. On 1st October 2024, Citizens Advice Havant merged with Citizens Advice Portsmouth to become Citizens Advice Solent East, continuing our mission to offer free, confidential, independent and impartial advice to everyone who lives or works in the Borough of Havant. We support people facing a wide range of issues — including benefit and welfare rights, debt and money worries, housing, employment, consumer problems and more.

Our main service hub is in Havant, and we extend our reach through outreach sessions at Waterlooville Library, Hayling Island Community Centre and other local venues.

Our work is made possible through part-funding from Havant Borough Council and the support of many other partners, volunteers and donors committed to helping our community.

At Citizens Advice Havant, a branch of Citizens Advice Solent East, we believe in empowering people through the information and advice they need to take control of their problems and move forward with confidence.

Citizens Advice Portsmouth

Citizens Advice Solent East is an independent charity, with Citizens Advice Portsmouth proudly serving as one of its key branches. Together, we are part of the national Citizens Advice network, providing free, confidential, and impartial advice to everyone in our community.

Citizens Advice Portsmouth started operation on 4th September 1939 and was one of the initial 20 Local Citizens Advice, set up to give an emergency service at the beginning of the Second World War. By 1942 there were over 1000 Local Citizens Advice staffed entirely by volunteers and supported by local councils. A government grant was made to individual Local Citizens Advice via the Ministry of Health which also funded travelling officers who worked from the national council of social service and a central office.

After the end of the War national funding for Local Citizens Advice was cut and in 1950 all central government help was stopped, three years later the number of Local Citizens Advice had fallen to a half of the 1948 figure. A central support service was able to continue with grants from charitable trusts, such as the Joseph Rowntree foundation.

In 1957 the Rent Act greatly increased the number of enquiries at and in 1960 government funding was re-introduced. In 1973 the government gave a grant to help with the increasing number of consumer enquiries, as a result more local Citizens Advice were opened and the DTI funded the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux which later became simply Citizens Advice.

Citizens Advice Cosham opened its doors in 1963 and operated separately from the Portsmouth branch until the district was formed in the nineties.

Each Citizens Advice is an autonomous independent Charity, but we are a member of the association, subscribing to the National Policies and Principles. Citizens Advice Portsmouth became a Company Limited by Guarantee in 1994.

On 1st October 2024, Citizens Advice Portsmouth merged with Citizens Advice Havant to form Citizens Advice Solent East, creating a unified organisation with 2 branches serving the Solent East region.

At Citizens Advice Portsmouth, a branch of Citizens Advice Solent East, we continue to serve our community with the same commitment to providing free, confidential, and impartial advice that has been our foundation since 1939.

Timeline:

• 1935: The government is considering the need for an information service linked to the fledging social welfare service.
• 1938: The prospect of a world war looms so the National Council of Social Services (the forerunner of today's National Council of Voluntary Organisations) establishes a group to look at how to meet the needs of the civilian population in war time. "Citizens Advice Bureaux should be established throughout the country, particularly in the large cities and industrial areas where social disorganisation may be acute."
• 3 September 1939: War is declared.
• 4 September 1939: The first 200 bureaux open.
• From the start: Volunteers run the service working from public buildings and private houses. Advisers deal with problems relating to the loss of ration books, homelessness and evacuation. They also help locate missing relatives and prisoners of war. Debt quickly becomes a key issue as income reduces due to call-ups.
• 1942: The number of bureaux peaks at 1,074, with one even operating out of a converted horse box that parks near bombed areas.
• 1943: Citizens Advice Gosport is established, continuing the important work of providing free, confidential, and impartial advice to the local community.
• 1945: By the end of the war, nearly 1,000 Citizens Advice Bureaux had been established across the country, staffed by 10,000 volunteers. The Times of that year noted, "Nowhere in the world… is there a parallel for this voluntary movement by the people for the people."
• 1950s: Despite the success of Citizens Advice Bureaux, funding from the Ministry of Health is cut after the war, and by 1953 the number of bureaux has halved. The service continues thanks to the support of charitable trusts such as the Nuffield Foundation, Carnegie Trust and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
• 1957: The Rent Act results in a big increase in enquiries
• 1960: Funding from the Government for the national body is restored.
• 1960s: A quarter of enquiries relate to housing and the number of bureaux has reduced from 1,074 to 416.
• 1965: The national total for enquiries reaches 1.25 million.
• 1970s: Consumer protection becomes a priority.
• 1973: A development grant from the Government is given to the national charity, the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux (NACAB), to extend the network.
• 1980s: Two recessions mean a growth in poverty and enquiries rise in line with this.
• 1990s: Changes to the benefit system and work practices generate a large proportion of the enquiries bureaux receive.
• 1999: www.adviceguide.org.uk is launched, allowing people to access advice online 24 hours a day. The service celebrates its Diamond Jubilee and launches Advice Week.
• 2000s: Debt, housing and employment continue to be key problems that Citizens Advice Bureaux deal with, particularly in relation to asylum issues.
• 2002: The service receives a £20 million grant from the Government's Capital Modernisation Fund to provide IT infrastructure to roll out e-government services to Citizens Advice service clients.
• 2003: Our Adviceguide self-help content is made available in Welsh, Bengali, Chinese, Gujarati, Punjabi and Urdu and visits continue to increase, extending access to our advice to those who cannot use our local service.
• 2003: The National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux changes its name to Citizens Advice and, in Wales, to Citizens Advice Cymru (Cyngor ar Bopeth Cymru).
• 2003: Citizens Advice Bureaux become the first in the advice sector to audit the quality of their advice.
• 2003: An independently commissioned review of the service by the Office for Public Management concludes that "the Citizens Advice service provides excellent value in return for the public funding it receives. It makes a significant contribution to individuals and communities, as well as to the process of policy-making and service delivery. Its holistic approach, national coverage and independence are to be cherished."
• 2004: After a ten year campaign using evidence from Citizens Advice service clients, the Government added an amendment to the Housing Bill to include a tenancy deposit protection scheme.
• 25 July 2005: Citizens Advice Havant is incorporated as Havant and District Citizens Advice Bureau.
• 6 March 2018: Havant and District Citizens Advice Bureau changes its name to Citizens Advice Havant.
• 4 September 2009: Citizens Advice service celebrates its 70th birthday.
• 2011/12: Citizens Advice Bureaux deliver advice services from over 3,400 community locations in England and Wales, run by 360 registered charities, helping people to resolve their legal, money and other problems by providing free advice and information, and by influencing policymakers. The network relies on 22,200 trained volunteers to keep the service running, and provides advice from in person in bureaux as well as by phone, in people's homes and via the internet. Visits to our Adviceguide self-help website, have risen to over 11 million.
• 2012/13: More than two million people came to our service for face-to-face or phone advice. More than 12 million people used our digital services. We launched our first equality strategy – Stand up for equality that will ensure we place equality at the centre of everything we do.
• April 2014: Consumer Futures (formerly Consumer Focus), which is responsible for representing consumers of regulated industries (energy and post), transferred to Citizens Advice.
• 4 September 2014: Citizens Advice service celebrates its 75th birthday.
• April 2015: Citizens Advice took on 2 new services. The Citizens Advice network provides the face-to-face service for Pension Wise. The Citizens Advice Witness Service provides free, independent support for witnesses in criminal courts in England and Wales.
• 4 September 2019: Citizens Advice service celebrates its 80th birthday and we'd like your help to show the difference those years of advice have made. Whether it was in the 1940s or yesterday, we want to hear your Citizens Advice story, and how our advice helped you.
• 4 September 2024: Citizens Advice service celebrates its 85th birthday, marking over eight decades of providing free, confidential, and impartial advice to communities across the country.
• 1 October 2024: Citizens Advice Portsmouth and Citizens Advice Havant merge to become Citizens Advice Solent East, creating a unified organisation with 2 branches serving the Solent East region.
• 1 July 2025: Citizens Advice Solent East and Citizens Advice Gosport merge, bringing together all three branches (Gosport, Havant, and Portsmouth) under the Citizens Advice Solent East umbrella.