´óÏó´«Ã½

This week is Advice Week - seven days dedicated to raising the profile of the places people go to for free advice on solving problems before they become crises.

It's a time of celebration - but also of concern - for change is in the air.

The plan is to establish eight Community Legal Advice Networks across Wales starting in Cardiff, the Vale of Glamorgan and Bridgend. Under the CLAN, legal aid funding from the Legal Services Commission will be pooled with local authority money for generalist advice. Organisations will then be asked to bid for the one pot of cash to supply an all-embracing service for the area.

Paul Davies is the director of the Legal Services Commission in Wales. He says that the new networks will deliver a more efficient and integrated system for those in need of advice.

"This is about looking at the client and making sure that they are the centre of what we provide as a service. We believe the client will get better value for money and better services as a direct result."

But critics describe the new approach as one of "winner takes all" that inevitably means that there will be losers too. Phil Jew is from AdviceUK which represents a number of independent, charitable advice providers in the proposed CLAN area.

"This type of competitive commissioning leaves the door wide open for large, often private sector, companies to come in and win the contract and wipe out community-based provision."

This week Eye on Wales investigates a conflict of advice. What is the best way to make help available to those who need it ?