Exeter CAB sees increase in mortgage arrears and housing enquiries
Local charity Exeter Citizens Advice Bureau today publishes its latest advice trend statistics for June 2014 which shows that it helped 1,515 clients directly with advice in the first three months of the financial year.
The amount of advice that the charity has been able to provide has increased in the following areas compared to the same period the previous year:
Welfare Benefit enquires:
- 20.2% increase in enquires about tax credits
- 19.8% increase in enquiries about housing benefit
Debt enquiries
- 246.1% increase in enquiries about mortgage arrears
- 137.7% increase in enquiries about debt relief orders and bankruptcy
- 112.5% increase in enquiries about payday loans
- 76.4% increase in enquiries about local authority rent arrears
- 31.7% increase in enquiries about council tax arrears
- 15.9% increase in enquires about telephone and broadband
Employment enquiries
- 60% increase in enquiries about pay and entitlements
- 41.6% increase in enquires about dismissal
Housing enquiries
- 260% increase in enquiries about owner occupier properties
- 183.3% increase in enquiries about problems with housing association properties
- 112.8% increase in enquiries about problems with private sector properties
Exeter CAB Chief Executive Steve Barriball said: “As we add additional advice services, we are able to help even more people with their advice needs. On this basis, we would expect to see increases in the number of enquiries that we deal with.
"This is particularly true for the Exeter Money Advice Partnership service which is delivered by ourselves and Homemaker Southwest in partnership with Exeter City Council in their Customer Service Centre. However, some of the increases we have seen are not so easily explained.
"It’s good news that things are looking up on the economic front, but for many individuals and families the legacy of recession remains.
"The combination of squeezed wages, the impact of welfare reform, and rising energy and childcare costs will not be erased overnight. Pressures on household budgets are continuing to make things difficulty for our clients. An increase of 246% in enquires about mortgage arrears tells its own story about the concerns of some homeowners.
“We are committed to continue to provide the advice people need for the problems they face. However, we can only continue to do this if we have the necessary resources and we need to increase public and business donations. Anyone wishing to support our work can donate on-line by going to the Donation Support section of our website.”
Alternatively, donations can be made in person at the Bureau offices on King William Street in Exeter.
