As a result, financial gains for clients exceeded £26.8 million, representing a £17.32 return for every £1 allocated to these services by the council.

Members of the Corporate Resources Committee, when presented with the annual performance report last week, praised the work of council-funded advice and information services and the high level of commitment demonstrated in assisting Highland residents.

The report illustrated that a total of £9.562m of debt (including £1.132m relating to mortgage/other secured loans) was presented by households seeking support to prioritise their bills, reduce and manage their debts, and wherever possible to lower the interest charges they were due to pay.

Chair of the Corporate Resources Committee, Councillor Derek Louden, commented: “The positive collaboration between the council’s Welfare Support Team and council-funded advice services provided by Citizens Advice has once again successfully enabled service delivery to provide effective responses to the changing and increasingly complex needs of the client base.”

He continued: “Even as inflation begins to settle at a rate much closer to the levels seen prior to the ‘cost of living’ crisis, the significant and sharp increases seen in prior years are continuing to have a profound financial impact upon Highland households.

“The positive impact of the council’s funding of advice continues to present value for money and makes a key contribution to the council’s commitment to reduce poverty and inequalities for the people of the Highlands.”

Alasdair Christie, general manager of Inverness Badenoch and Strathspey Citizens Advice Bureau and Highland Council’s leader of the opposition, said: “The working relationship between the council and Citizens Advice Bureau is an excellent example of how powerful partnerships work to provide positive outcomes for our communities.

“Within the context of reducing poverty and inequalities, we advocate an emphasis on early intervention and prevention across our combined services with the aim of avoiding people from reaching crisis points. Crises, even when managed, have more long-lasting consequences for individuals and their families. By working together, the Council’s Welfare Team and Citizens Advice provide positive impacts for customers’ overall health and wellbeing, and it is also important to recognise the wider social and economic benefits that such services provide for the local economy.”

Households seeking support are encouraged to make early contact with the council’s Welfare Support Team on 0800 090 1040 or local Citizens Advice.