Opening Hours

General advice and information:

Monday to Friday: 10:00 am - 4:00 pm (Gateway Assessments until 2.30pm) 

When you arrive at the Bureau with a new enquiry, provided the Bureau is adequately staffed, you will be greeted by the Receptionist and invited to wait and see a Gateway Assessor.  The Gateway Assessor will see you for a short interview in order to assess the problem.   Sometimes it will be possible to deal fully with the problem in that interview; sometimes an appointment will be made for you to see a General Adviser or Specialist Adviser at the Bureau at another time, or, you may be referred to another agency who can deal with the problem better than we can.  For some services, such as changes of name, statutory declarations, making a simple will, or if you just want a leaflet, a telephone number, directions to somewhere in the area, the Receptionist will deal with this straight away. 

The Essex Advice Line - 0844 477 0808 - can give an initial telephone assessment during normal opening hours, Monday to Friday, 10:00 am to 4:00pm.  At other times, this telephone number will give automated information, which might be of use to you.  Alternatively, you can access the Citizens Advice information website, Adviceguide, which covers many subjects; to access this, log on to www.adviceguide.org.uk

Saturday morning: 10:00 am - 12:00 noon

These general advice sessions are by appointment only for clients who have had an initial assessment, who:

• live in the borough of Southend, and
• work full time, or
• are full-time carers

Access to our Saturday appointments is through a gateway assessment.  For a gateway assessment for a Saturday appointment, please call into the Bureau between 10:00 am and 2:30pm weekdays, or, the Essex Advice Line - 0844 477 0808 - can give an initial telephone assessment during normal opening hours, Monday to Friday, 10:00 am to 4:00pm.  At other times, this telephone number will give automated information, which might be of use to you.  Alternatively, you can access the Citizens Advice information website, Adviceguide, which covers many subjects, to access this, log on to www.adviceguide.org.uk

Our Saturday appointments are oversubscribed so, if you will not be able to attend, please let us know so we can offer the appointment to someone else.  To cancel a Saturday appointment, please ring, our admin line, 01702 456352 between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm, weekdays.  Please note that advice cannot be given or initial assessments undertaken on this number.   Outside of these hours, please call or text to 07503490246 and leave a message cancelling your appointment.   

For details of closures, including bank and public holidays, please see the bulletin board.