CHESTER-le-Street District Citizens Advice Bureau is introducing personal appointments.

The bureau, in Front Street, is facing an increasing workload due to the recession Currently people are first seen at open sessions, for which an appointment is not needed, and then seen again by arrangement.

The bureau also holds outreach sessions at Ouston and Grange Villa that have proved popular.

From Friday November 13 people will also be able to book their first face to face meeting with an advisor by appointment.

CAB manager Susan Phelan said people would be able to call the bureau on its appointment booking line, 0191-389 3000, on Friday mornings between 9am and midday to arrange a meeting on any day during the week.

"What we haven’t done is give people appointments. They came in on the day and were seen at open sessions.

"Because of the growing number of clients we are seeing people on different days and giving them appointments.

"We are very busy indeed. We are seeing people every day of the week. It is debt, welfare benefits, unemployment - those are the kinds of issues where we have an increase.

"People are still losing their jobs and though central government says that things are improving that will be slow to go round the country.’’ On Mondays open outreach sessions are held from 9.30am to 12.30pm in Grange Villa Community Enterprise Centre and on Wednesdays at Ouston Community centre between the same times.

Open sessions are held at the main bureau in Chester-le-Street on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10am.

The bureau says that more families may be able to get help with their rent thanks to a change in Housing Benefit rules.

It has worked out that a single parent with two children, for example, who previously just missed out on getting help towards paying the rent could now be entitled to Housing Benefit of up to £21.58 a week.

The rule change also means some parents already receiving Housing Benefit will automatically see the amount they are entitled to go up and more people will also become eligible for help in paying their Council Tax bills.

Since Monday (2 November) income from Child Benefit has no longer been taken into account when calculating entitlement to Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit.