The use of bailiffs to collect debts owed to local authorities in England and Wales has risen by 7 percent in two years, driven by a surge in the use of bailiffs to collect parking debts, according to new research by the Money Advice Trust, the charity that runs National Debtline and Business Debtline. More than 2.6 million…
New TUC analysis has shown that unsecured debt per household has risen to record levels. The average household debt rose to £15,880 in the first quarter of 2019, up £1,160 on a year earlier. With over half of households report having unsecured debt, most commonly in the form of credit card debt (60%), overdraft (28%),…
Citizens Advice Scotland has called for action to reduce the ‘five week wait’ that claimants of Universal Credit (UC) face before receiving their first payment. In the run-up to the UK government’s spending review later this week, CAS has published a new ‘Voices From the Frontline’ briefing which summarises the impact this delay has on people,…
Citizens Advice has revealed that it has seen an increase in the number of people turning to its advisors for help with consumer and benefits problems this year compared to last, as well as an overall increase in demand. The charity is celebrating 80 years of service on 4th September 2019. The charity was formed…
Bereaved families who struggle with funeral costs are taking on an average of £1,990 debt to pay for a funeral, according to the 2019 Royal London National Funeral Cost Index. The total amount of funeral debt in the UK has risen to £147m, a 12% increase from last year. The report found 12% of people struggled…
New data from Citizens Advice shows 49% of benefit claimants affected by the benefits freeze have struggled to meet essential costs such as rent, household bills and food while 40% have lost sleep due to money worries in the past 12 months. The findings are worse for Universal Credit claimants, with over half (55%) having…
Here is an overview of The Money Charity’s latest statistics for August 2019: Personal debt in the UK People in the UK owed £1,642 billion at the end of June 2019. This is up from £1,596 billion at the end of June 2018, an extra £887 per UK adult over the year. The average total…
Spending on UK credit cards hit an all-time high in July according to new figures from the trade body for UK banking and financial services UK Finance The figures show credit card spending totalled £12 billion in July – the highest on record, an increase of 8.2% on July 2018. The findings may fuel fears…
Universal Credit is causing tenants to get behind with their rent according to new research for the Residential Landlords Association (RLA). It reports that 54 per cent of those private landlords who have let to tenants on Universal Credit in the past 12 months have seen them fall into rent arrears. Of these, 82 per…
Almost half of adults admit they still rely on ‘The Bank of Mum and Dad’ for cash, a new study by Virgin Media has found. Over the course of the last year, adult children have ‘borrowed’ a total of £708 from their mums and dads to help with university fees, bills and home improvements. Others…