Abacus Daily Debt News

Debtors to be urged to seek help now

A series of adverts are to appear across Bolton urging those in financial difficulty to take action before their problems spiral out of control.

The Bolton News, which will also carry the warnings, reported the case of a local man who found himself unable to cope after leaving it too long before he went to seek help.

Leon Black, a father of three, was made unemployed in the run up to the recession and when the economic downturn took hold he found it impossible to find work.

He did not claim any benefits and waited six months until he sought expert advice, by which time he was too far in debt to stop his home from being repossessed. An IVA or debt management plan may have saved his property.

The story emerged as Advice Week 2009 was launched by the charities making up the Working Together for Advice project.

In a statement issued by Citizens Advice to mark the event, Youth Access director Barbara Rayment said people who put off asking for help “can make their problems much harder to resolve by the time they reach a professional adviser”.

By Chris Trimble