Member Article

Citizens Advice Darlington offers advice following Brexit vote

Citizens Advice Darlington is highlighting that the referendum vote to leave the EU does not mean any immediate changes to consumer rights, employment law or rules around immigration.

The local charity says it is reasonable to expect the government to legislate in light of leaving the EU but it will be sometime before that happens.

A new Citizens Advice webpage giving people information about how Brexit might affect them was set up and in the week following the referendum and the information was viewed more than 65,000 times and the advice also reached 230,000 people on Facebook and 232,000 via Twitter.

In the first 10 days since the EU referendum immigration, citizenship and what laws will change were also at the forefront of people’s minds.

Analysis of people seeking online help from Citizens Advice in the first 24 hours following shows immigration was the top search term, with citizenship third. Brexit was the seventh most popular search.

Citizens Advice Darlington has also received queries about how Brexit will affect employment.

The local charity is encouraging people to seek advice if they are unsure about their rights or feel they have experienced discrimination.

Neeraj Sharma, at Citizens Advice Darlington, said: “People have lots of questions about what leaving the EU means for their day to day lives.

“For some people it is as significant as what country they can call home. For others it is about their rights at work or personal finances. It is important to remember nothing changes yet and that for the time being all rights remain the same. It is likely to be several years before any changes to the law come into effect.

“We are here to help anyone who has a query about their rights and encourage people to come to us if they think they have been treated unfairly or discriminated against.”

Citizens Advice Darlington is open for drop in from 10am until noon, Monday to Friday, or you can call our Adviceline on 03444 111 444. Information about your rights around work, claiming benefits and life in the UK in the light of the EU referendum result can also be found at www.darlingtoncab.co.uk

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Citizens Advice Darlington .