A NEW Citizens’ Advice Bureau will be set up in Islington to help struggling residents cope with the Government cutbacks.

Islington Council will put �300,000 a year into the scheme – even though the council is itself having to find �65million to �100million in savings over the next three years.

Councillor Catherine West, leader of the Labour-run Islington Council, said: “It’s a bit of a risk to fund this but people are going to be in desperate need.

“With the cuts the Government is bringing in and the changes to housing benefits, people are going to have a lot of enquiries and are going to be very anxious about their benefits.”

The former Islington Citizens’ Advice Bureau closed in 2007 after suffering financial problems.

At present, the council funds a telephone service but it has no drop-in facilities and cannot undertake casework.

The new Citizens’ Advice Bureau is set to open in Upper Street, Islington, in April and will be funded for four years. It will be run by the Royal Courts of Justice Citizens’ Advice Bureau.