Ask Us Wirral, Citizens Advice Wirral's free benefits, debt and housing advice line, will run until March 2028 after councillors approved a £1.66m extension.

Ask Us Wirral, the borough’s free advice service on benefits, debt and housing, will keep running until at least March 2028. Councillors approved a one-year extension of the contract with Citizens Advice Wirral on Tuesday 13 October, and the council announced it on Thursday 5 November (Service helping thousands of residents has contract extended, Wirral View).

The free helpline is 0808 278 7848. If the line is busy, the council says to leave a message and the team will call you back (Get advice about debt or changes to income, Wirral Council).

What the extension costs

The committee report puts the cost of the extra year, 1 April 2027 to 31 March 2028, at £1,655,066 (Information and Advice Service contract extension, Adult Social Care and Public Health Committee, 13 October 2026). It is paid for by:

Funder Amount
Wirral Council Public Health £1,192,066
NHS Cheshire and Merseyside £386,000
Wirral Council Children’s services £42,000
Wirral Council Housing £35,000

The contract began on 1 April 2024 for three years, with the option of two one-year extensions. This is the first. The report says the Public Health grant for 2027/28 is only indicative, so the amounts could change if the grant is cut.

What the service did last year

The report gives these figures for 2025/26:

  • 143,214 contacts, against a target of 60,000
  • 14,347 residents engaged and 11,627 given advice
  • 2,720 complex cases and tribunals supported
  • 83.8% of referred residents contacted within three days
  • 82% of the ESA and PIP appeals it supported were successful

Since the service began, the council says it has helped residents secure £25.2 million in benefits and manage or write off £27 million of debt. Ask Us Wirral has run since 2016, so this is its tenth year.

The report says 65% of the people using it live in the Birkenhead and Wallasey constituencies.

The council considered bringing the service in-house, or retendering it now, and rejected both.

What it means for you

  • Ask Us Wirral helps with benefits, debt, housing, employment, energy costs, and health and wellbeing. It is free and open to every Wirral resident.
  • Call 0808 278 7848. Leave a message if the line is busy.
  • If you have lost your job or your self-employed income has changed, Citizens Advice Wirral’s Help to Claim team is on 0800 144 8444.
  • If you are in a financial emergency, the council’s emergency financial support page lists the other help on offer.

If you are worried about your bills, our Wirral council tax bands page sets out what each band pays this year.