It’s difficult not to have some degree of empathy for the Chancellor ahead of Wednesday’s Budget. After all, when everything is broken, when everything seems to be in crisis, where do you start?

I empathise because that kind of bleak choice is exactly what our network of advisers deal with every day: people with rising debt, not enough income and ever-increasing bills.

The way a CAB adviser approaches each person’s circumstances is the same: they first prioritise the harm, and then identify the actions that are needed to find solutions for a better future.

If the Chancellor wants to know where harm is most pronounced, the data from Scottish Citizens Advice network is clear: inadequate social security, stagnant incomes against a backdrop of rising bills (especially........

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