Our History

The first Citizens Advice Bureaus opened in 1939 just one day after the outbreak of World War 2. This was in response to the need for somewhere to go to find advice, support and practical help in war time. Many of these initial Bureaus were run by ‘people of standing their respective communities’ and venues included cafés, church halls, private homes, mobile vehicles, and air raid shelters. Many of the issues dealt with were related to the effects of the conflict, these included tracing of missing service men and women and prisoners of war, evacuations, pensions, housing, and the fledgling social welfare system.

As a charity, the organisation is reliant on funding and has a unique working relationship with the government. The service is guided by four main principles:

• Free
• Confidential
• Impartial
• Independent

Bournemouth Citizens Advice was founded in 1940 and later merged, firstly with Poole Citizens advice in 2017 and then with Christchurch in 2019 to become Citizens Advice Bournemouth Christchurch & Poole.