Woking MP hopeful Chris Took to take local action on problem debt
Debt charity receives more than 300 calls from people in Woking since 2013
Candidates standing to become the MP for Woking in May's General Election are facing calls to make promoting free debt advice a priority, after a debt charity revealed it has received more than 300 calls for help from people with debt problems in the constituency since 2013.
A total of 314 calls for help from people in Woking were received by National Debtline, the free advice service run by charity the Money Advice Trust, during 2013 and 2014.
In addition, the charity's Business Debtline service, which advises the self-employed and other small business owners, received 19 calls from businesses in the constituency last year.
With research showing that only 17 percent of people with unmanageable debt in the UK seek advice, the need for debt help in Woking is likely to be far higher than these figures suggest. The Money Advice Trust says that higher awareness of free debt advice in and around Woking could "mean the difference between financial recovery and financial disaster" for thousands of people. After contacting National Debtline, 82 percent of people say they feel more in control and knowledgeable in managing their money.
MPs are often contacted by constituents about unmanageable debt, including problems with credit cards, personal loans, mortgage debts, payday loans, council tax arrears, rent arrears bailiffs and county court judgments (CCJs). As well as signposting these constituents to seek advice from charity-run services such as National Debtline and Business Debtline, many MPs take a pro-active role in promoting debt advice charities in their communities.
Speaking following the launch of the figures, Lib Dem candidate for Woking Chris Took said,
For any individual or business faced with problem debt the key is to speak to someone before things get out of hand. More often or not we have a misplaced sense of pride when problems begin, thinking that we can cope on our own. In actual fact the sooner we seek professional advice the easier it is to resolve.
Joanna Elson OBE, chief executive of the Money Advice Trust, the charity that runs National Debtline and Business Debtline, said:
"Whoever is elected as Member of Parliament for Woking on 7th May needs to put promoting free debt advice in the area near the top of their to-do list after the General Election. While National Debtline has given more than 300 advice sessions to people in Woking in the last two years, we know that potentially thousands more are suffering in silence.
"MPs can play a crucial role in the fight against problem debt - not only by directing people who come to them for help to the free advice they need, but also through raising awareness of services such as National Debtline in the local community.
"Our message to anyone in Woking who is struggling to cope with problem debt is simple: seek free advice from a debt charity such as National Debtline as soon as possible. The earlier you seek advice, the quicker and easier the problem will be to solve."
National Debtline offers free advice via 0808 808 4000 or www.nationaldebtline.org. Its sister service Business Debtline can be contacted via 0800 197 6026 or www.businessdebtline.org