Hounslow Residents Up To GBP20k In The Red

Tue, 23 Jun 2009

Growing numbers of residents in Hounslow, West London, are seeking free advice to help them deal with their mounting debts, according to a new report.

The "Up to our neck in it" report revealed that many people in the area have non-mortgage debts of up to £20,000 and warned that Hounslow would be one of the worst affected boroughs if free help with managing debt was no longer available.

The findings were presented at London’s first ever debt summit at City Hall, organised by debt advice charity Capitalise and the Mayor of London .

Capitalise revealed that people from Hounslow who have contacted them for help are trying to manage an average debt of £19,898 on an average monthly income of £866 – around a third of the UK average and just over a quarter of the average income for London .

Graham Fisher, chief executive officer of Toynbee Hall which is heading the Capitalise partnership, said: "Our advisers report that creditors are reacting to the debt crisis by passing on more cases to debt collection agencies and resorting to court actions or bailiffs ."

"We’re calling for an integrated approach between local and central government and the voluntary sector in order to tackle the increase in personal debt caused by the recession, and more intervention where creditors are acting unreasonably."

He added: "Employers also have an important role to play in preparing their workforce for potential redundancy and helping them to take preventative measures to stop them sliding into debt ."
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