Abacus Daily Debt News

Number of debt strugglers ‘continues to increase’

The number of people asking for help as a result of the recession continues to rise, it has been suggested.

Jill Sinclair, interim manager at a Citizens Advice Bureau in Newmarket, told Newmarket Weekly News so many consumers have been struggling with debt since the recession took hold that her centre found itself unable to cope.

It needed £30,000 of extra funding and support from local authorities and charities in order to reorganise its structure to deal with the surge in enquiries.

"We are terribly busy and getting busier all the time," Ms Sinclair commented.

Debt problems account for 25 per cent of all the work carried out by the bureau, the second biggest segment behind benefits (28 per cent). Employment issues such as redundancy generate 13 per cent of the work load.

At the start of September, the Citizens Advice network revealed it was dealing with record numbers of problems linked to the recession, such as debt and job loss.

By Chris Trimble