Earlier this year, there was an outcry when Scarborough and District Citizens Advice Bureau withdrew its regular drop-in sessions at the Evron Centre when the call-centre closed.

But now the advice service has resumed at Filey Children’s Centre, very few people are using it.

Sarah Peake, who is available to provide benefit-related and financial advice every Monday between 10am and noon, said not enough people seemed to know the service existed. And now she is on a mission to ensure people get what they are due.

She said: “There tends to be a lack of awareness of what people are entitled to. For example, elderly and disabled people sometimes don’t know about attendance allowance.

“A lot of people don’t know what they’re getting, and sometimes it’s worth asking if what they’re getting is right. It used to be just Income Support, but there are so many different kinds of benefits now, like Child Tax Credit, and a lot of people who come in get a combination.”

Over the 2007/08 financial year, the CAB helped people across the borough claim £660,000 in benenfits they were not receiving before.

“We’ve had sessions in Whitby where we’ve been turning people away. And we get quite a few people from Filey who go through to Scarborough. I can’t believe there aren’t more people in Filey who could be coming here.”

The service is funded by Scarborough Council, which is also keen to ensure people are not missing out. Nearly everyone on a low income and modest savings can qualify for some help towards paying their council tax and there are a range of tax credits available.

According to the council, confusion about the benefits system is a major barrier and previous bad experiences can put people off. Making claims can also be a complicated and lengthy process and some people feel uncomfortable accepting what they see as handouts.

Ms Peake, who started working for the CAB about a year ago but has been a voluntary advisor for much longer, said if she could not help with a problem, she could at least point people in the right direction.