£15 million debts headache
Friday 13th February 2009, 11:50AM GMT.
Shropshire residents struggling to cope with the recession have amassed £15 million of debt, it was revealed today.
Citizens Advice Bureau staff have been so inundated with calls for help they are struggling to cope.
The bureau says that it has taken almost 9,000 debt calls in just nine months. Officials say that they are now planning to extend their opening hours in a bid to deal with the desperate pleas of debt-ridden customers for support and advice.
Liz Warren, service director of the charity, based at College Hill, Shrewsbury, said debt was the largest subject area that the service dealt with, offering free independent advice and casework services.
She said officials were aware some people were facing lengthy delays in order to speak to staff because the service had been bombarded with calls.
Mrs Warren said: “Citizens Advice Shropshire is a local charity currently helping clients to deal with about £15 million of debts. In this time of recession, the demand for our service is high and in the first nine months of this financial year we have dealt with 8,856 inquiries about debt.
“We receive a lot of good feedback from clients whom we have assisted, but are also aware a number of people are finding it difficult to contact us because our telephone advice-line is so busy.
“We will be extending our opening hours in Shrewsbury from next month to try and cope with the high volume of inquiries.”
She said some people also qualified for free advice from solicitors.
Mrs Warren added: “Those who are eligible under the Government’s legal aid scheme can choose either to wait to be seen by our own specialist legal aid debt caseworkers or to go another local supplier such as Howells Williams or Lanyon Bowdler.
“At the moment our waiting time is several weeks and we make sure clients are made fully aware of this and of the alternative local suppliers available to them.”
But Mrs Warren said the bureau could also help people ineligible for free help under the legal aid scheme with their debt problems.
Anybody wanting to contact the bureau can call 08444 991100.
By Russell Roberts
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CAB – why are they scaremongering ? £15m between shropshire residents, much of that debt would eb realted to mortgages on properties, so off that figure you would have to take off what the property is worth, so the nett position would be nowhere near £15m.
Come on CAB stop trying to panic people.
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£15m between cirac half a million people is nothing! Even if we limited the maths to just 5,000 people, the average debt is only £3,000 – that seems normal to me.
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There are over 123000 households in shropshire so the debt is only £122 per family.
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it was bound to happen ,i was brought up if you can`t afford it you can`t have it,start saving
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Should they not also have an Email address?
This would soften some frustration among people seeking help, ‘though I do believe the British public has less computer literate adults than we do in Australia.
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the nation is bust because of gordon brown, these spendthrifts deserve all they get, time for the dole queue you lot and for mr clown brown too, bye bye socialist
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I do think some are living in lala land i do not think the CAB are spooking people just saying the way it is.
As for mortgage debt lalala IF YOU CAN SELL you do not have a problem but speaking to some one who works in a bank the next 12 months will see many in trouble and banking on your house getting you out of it in time is not the answer. Far to many credit card debts , car loans, people need to learn you need to save for it first these people will survive the credit crunch even if they loose there jobs.
I cant believe how many brits have become home owning credit card debt charlies MUGS in my book.
Look at the jobs of people going bankrupt the so called middle earners such as teachers/managers etc etc chickens have come home to roost live with in your means end the fur coat no knickers british culture.
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owch
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I wonder what lovely planet Andrew Finch lives on ?
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Richard IN THE REAL WORLD.
people do not and will not save if they did that times would not be so hard for some .
You do not need a new car, 2 holidays,top of the range gadgets if people who spend on these saved to the same level think how comfortable they would be by the age of 50. I know a couple who were on 12k each no hand outs etc etc through being very frugel after 5 years they had 30k saved .What savings do is give you choices as to if you remain in a job you do not like etc etc how many long term sick proffesionals have we heard suffering from so called stress (work related)who say i cant afford to jack it in ? but they still have the flash new car etc etc etc .
As i have said fur coat no knickers british culture.live with in your means for a better life i say with the knowledge of a little nest egg .
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I get the impression that Andrew Finch would like us to all go back to the dark ages, surely every generation has looked to improve their living standards – though I do agree that the way many people have gone about it has been wreckless.
I totally disagree with his statement that you do not need a car, how does he get about, by public transport, well that is subsidised by the huge taxes collected from car drivers !
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