A LAST minute lifeline has been granted to the welfare benefit outreach worker in Tavistock, whose contract was due to expire last week.

Devon County Council has made money available to extend the project working in conjunction with Tavistock CAB for six months. It has been estimated the outreach worker brings in more than £200,000 a year into the Tavistock economy with most of this money spent on essential services locally. The outreach worker helps disabled and elderly people in the outlying areas of Tavistock to claim the benefits they are entitled to.

Tavistock CAB branch manager Alex Wood said the council had accepted their arguments and had made an exception for Tavistock-based outreach worker Pat Newton, who was the only benefit take-up contract worker in the county to have her post saved.

Mrs Newton's contract would have ended on March 31, but now the post will be able to continue for six months, giving the CAB a breathing space to identify alternative sources of funding to ensure a secure long-term future for the outreach work.

Cllr Roy Connelly had been working with Tavistock CAB to pursue alternative sources of funding for the post since social service budget cuts were announced last December. Cllr Connelly described the outreach worker post as 'a crucial service, unique to Tavistock.' He said officers at county level had been 'sensitive' to the concerns of people in Tavistock, and were pleased to be able to safeguard this post.

'Devon County Council has now been able to find the funds to allow the contract to be extended for six months.

'This is a specialist and effective resource allowing people to take up benefits they are rightfully entitled to,' he said.

Mr Wood, the Tavistock CAB branch manager, said: 'The outreach worker has built up two years of expertise, with one-in-four of her cases going to appeal, and the county council has accepted that as well as helping vulnerable people the project makes money, so it makes sense to retain that expertise.'

A Devon County Council spokesman said: 'The county council is delighted, in what has been a very tough budget round, to be able to find the funding to ensure that this important post is supported.'

The spokesman said the council very much valued the voluntary work Citizens Advice Bureaux did in their communities.

A joint working group has also been set up by the county council to promote the welfare benefit take-up campaign throughout Devon.

The spokesmen said: 'We have established an excellent partnership with CAB, and particularly with the Devon Welfare Rights Unit, rolling out a programme of benefit take-up campaigns, and we are learning lessons in each area. I am sure we will want to learn lessons from West Devon to make those campaigns more effective.' It is estimated that £50-million of benefits goes unclaimed in Devon every year.

Okehampton CAB failed in its attempt to save its own community outreach worker and the post had to be terminated at the beginning of last month.

However, Okehampton CAB has secured funding for its core work for the next three years thanks to a multi-million pound investment package for the community and voluntary sector recently announced by Devon County Council.