PETITION TO INCOMMUNITIES EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP

 

Target: Rachael Dennis, Chief Executive Officer, Incommunities

Location: Canterbury Advice Centre, 1–3 Ringwood Road, Bradford, BD5 9LB

Subject: Urgent Call to Protect Frontline Advice Provision and Maintain Community Facilities

 

PETITION STATEMENT

We, the undersigned residents, service users, and community stakeholders, call upon Incommunities to halt any proposed closure of the Canterbury Advice Centre and to secure the ongoing delivery of essential face-to-face advice services at 1–3 Ringwood Road, Bradford, BD5 9LB.

 

BACKGROUND & CONTEXT

For over 40 years, the Canterbury Advice Centre has operated as an essential frontline facility, delivering free, independent, and confidential guidance to the residents of Canterbury, Little Horton and south Bradford. Since its establishment, the Centre has assisted over 30,000 individuals, providing crucial support across key areas including:

Housing Security & Homelessness Prevention: Assisting residents with tenancy sustainability, rent arrears management, and housing rights.
Welfare Benefits & Income Maximisation: Guiding vulnerable individuals through complex benefit applications, mandatory reconsiderations, and statutory appeals.
Debt Management & Financial Hardship: Offering expert caseworker support to address debt escalation and living cost pressures.
Digital Inclusion & Community Access: Ensuring face-to-face advice remains available for elderly, isolated, or digitally excluded residents unable to access online-only services.
 

CONSEQUENCES OF SERVICE WITHDRAWAL

With rising living costs, high levels of localized poverty, and increasing pressures on household stability across the BD5 area, the demand for accessible advice services is critical. The removal of this local facility would result in immediate negative impacts:

Increased Risk of Crisis: Unassisted housing and debt issues will escalate, leading to preventable evictions, statutory homelessness, and court interventions.
Exclusion of Vulnerable Groups: Removing local, in-person access will disproportionately affect elderly residents, people with disabilities, and individuals without digital access or literacy.
Displaced Burden on Public Services: The loss of early-intervention advice will increase acute strain on local NHS healthcare services, adult social care, and local authority crisis funds.
 

ACTION REQUIRED

We formally request that Incommunities executive management take the following four measures:

Halt Closure Proposals: Immediately suspend any operational plans to close the Canterbury Advice Centre or withdraw community advice services from the area.
Preserve the Building for Community Use: Maintain 1–3 Ringwood Road as a dedicated, accessible venue for frontline service delivery.
Conduct Transparent Stakeholder Consultation: Engage in open, structured dialogue with local residents, service users, and community representatives regarding the future of the facility.
Pursue Collaborative Sustainability Solutions: Work alongside local advice providers, statutory agencies, and third-sector partners to identify sustainable funding frameworks that safeguard the centre for future generations.
 

CALL TO ACTION

Local communities require accessible, trusted, and independent support. We urge Incommunities leadership to listen to the residents who rely on this service and uphold its social responsibilities to the Bradford community.

 

Please add your signature below to support the retention of the Canterbury Advice Centre, otherwise the Centre will close on 30 September 2026.