Local experience highlights debt consequences

Recording a dramatic leap in the debts it has negotiated on behalf of its clients in Ely during the past year, the Ely CAB says local families are all paying the price.

In total debts now amount to £3 million, an increase of 76 per cent in the last 12 months, making personal debt the biggest single problem for Ely residents.

“Day in and day out we see the devastating impact on people’s lives and the desperation people feel about their situation,” Beverley Howard, manager of the Ely CAB, told the Cambridge Evening News.

“Families break up, people lose their homes and often suffer long-term depression as a result of the worry involved.”

Most of the debts are due to people overspending on credit cards, often exacerbating problems with meeting regular mortgage, council tax and rent payments.

Britain’s personal debt recently passed the £1.1 trillion mark, prompting commentators to express concern over the country’s desire to spend money it cannot afford.