Need for debt help ‘will increase’ as job losses rise

The amount of people needing debt help is set to rise this year as job losses increase, it has been predicted.

Joseph Surtees, a policy and research officer for the Consumer Credit Counselling Service (CCCS), said that the charity is expecting the number of enquiries to climb in the coming months as the recession deepens.

And he urged those in difficulty to seek debt advice as soon as possible, adding that the sooner they do this, “the sooner you will be able to live your life normally again”.

The CCCS is currently the busiest that it has ever been, Mr Surtees revealed, adding that it is preparing for higher levels of people in mortgage arrears to contact it for help as unemployment worsens.

He noted that around two-thirds of individuals who will lose their jobs in the coming months live in owner-occupied houses.

Recently, the CCCS stated that 90 per cent of its clients’ debts are accrued through credit cards and personal loans.

By Jamie Price