Citizens Advice Ashfield are changing the way they support people in debt.
Due to the increasing demand for debt advice and an increase in clients missing appointments they have decided to offer drop in debt advice sessions every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 9.30-12.30 pm from February 25th 2019.
Kathryn Stacey, CEO explains ‘debt is increasing in Ashfield and the surrounding area and it’s frustrating that some people don’t turn up to pre arranged appointments, leaving our caseworkers with downtime which is very inefficient. By offering drop in sessions in addition to appointments we can help more people, avoiding a wait before they can see a caseworker.
*Latest government statistics show a six year high on all Insolvency cases in the UK. These include bankruptcy, individual voluntary arrangements (IVA) and debt relief orders (DRO)
Ashfield and Newark & Sherwood are in the UK top 10 authorities for bankruptcy, both with over 5 in 10,000 of the adult population needing to go bankrupt in 2017 buking the national trend.
This compares to Rushcliffe which has the lowest insolvency of all authorities in the UK recording on 102 cases for the whole of 2017 compared to Ashfield registering 254 cases in the same period and Mansfield area registering 243
*Information source – Insolvency demographics – The Insolvency Service (Nov 18)
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/insolvency-demographics
Jane came to see our debt team after a messy divorce which found her and her two young children on benefits, in rented accommodation after her property was repossessed and dealing with the huge debts from her former relationship.
She was in crisis and nowhere else to turn.
Our specialist caseworkers discussed the various options with her having gone through a financial assessment. Jane opted for bankruptcy feeling this was the best option for her health and a new start for her family. We helped Jane fill in the online forms as she didn’t feel confident in doing so and her bankruptcy came through shortly after.
Jane is like many clients we help through a debt problem, giving them advice, support and helping them get on with their lives.
Anyone needing debt advice please call the team on 01623 784385 or email [email protected]