The UK’s leading debt advice charity, Consumer Credit Counselling Service (CCCS), says it is concerned about the personal debt situation in Liverpool. The charity says the number of its clients in Liverpool able to repay their debts has fallen. CCCS says that there has also been a rise in people from Liverpool seeking its help for the second year.
It points to figures from Debt View, a new map on its website that breaks down personal debt by region, area and postcode. The map shows that only 502 of the people from Liverpool debt counselled last year had enough spare income to begin a repayment plan. Debt View also reveals that 1944 people from Liverpool called its helpline last year.
CCCS is urging anyone in Liverpool worried about their debt, or who is struggling to cover the cost of day-to-day expenses, to seek free advice and support. The charity is worried that vulnerable people may use fee-charging advice companies in an attempt to solve their problem which it says will only exacerbate the problem.
Delrory Corinaldi, CCCS External Affairs Director, warns: “The picture is undoubtedly bleak and it seems likely that many more families, including better-off ones, will be increasingly prone to over-indebtedness in the months ahead. It is also not a uniform picture across the country: public sector cuts in terms of jobs, spending and benefits will weigh disproportionately on certain groups of people.
“I am very concerned about the personal debt situation in Liverpool. Not only are there more people from Liverpool contacting us for help with their debts but those who do are in an increasingly worse situation.
“I would urge anyone in Liverpool struggling to repay their debts to seek help from a charity such as CCCS who can provide free advice and support. We have the capacity to help whoever needs it. It doesn’t make sense, when you are already struggling financially, to pay for a service that is available for free.”
The CCCS free-phone helpline (0800 138 1111) is open 8am to 8pm, Monday to Friday and CCCS Debt Remedy, its free, anonymous, online debt counselling is available at www.cccs.co.uk.