Citizens Advice extends debt help service

Citizens Advice has revealed it is extending opening hours in order to offer more debt help to the beleaguered British public.

The charity is making use of a £10 million government cash injection to boost its services, which include offering people guidance on debts, job losses and benefits.

It will allow bureaux to remain open for an extra 170,000 hours, which will benefit approximately 600,000 customers over a 14-month period.

The organisation noted that it has seen a rise in enquiries since the onset of the economic downturn, with mortgage arrears, bankruptcy and redundancy among the key topics for which people are seeking advice.

“As people on low and moderate incomes are struggling to make ends meet at a time of increasing uncertainty … access to reliable, high quality, free, independent advice has never been more vital,” commented chief executive David Harker.

Meanwhile, the Financial Services Authority has published a report reminding businesses to treat people fairly in the recession and outlining the need for impartial debt advice.

By Jamie Price