Unfortunately, the staff in a parliamentary office are not trained to give financial advice. There are, however, a number of organisations that have trained advisors that can review your circumstances and help you plan a path out of debt. Being in debt can feel crushing, but with the right plan, it is possible to improve your circumstances.
There is also plenty of support out there to help you manage your money. It can be tricky to balance a household budget, especially in light of uncertainty about prices, but a number of organisations do offer help and guidance with budgeting.
A good first point of call would be East Riding Council, which has a super Money Advice service.
Any organisations listed below provide support for free and will treat your details with absolute confidence. Your details won't be shared with anyone, and anything you discuss will be kept confidential.
- Money Helper is a government-backed organisation that provide free advice about your financial circumstances. Have a look at their website here, or at their debt support section here.
- Money Helper also have a brilliant budget planner that can help you visualise your outgoings and income. Check it out here.
- The Debt Advice Foundation are a charity that provide advice and education to anyone worried about loans, credit, and general debt. Check out their website here.
- Step Change are another organisation that provide support with debt, including recommending the best solutions for your circumstances. Have a look at their website here.
- Citizen's Advice have an excellent support hub that provides you with information about managing money and getting help with your debt. You can view their support hub here.
Gov.uk has a list of options for paying off your debts if you are really struggling to pay them off. The organisations listed above should be able to support you in pursuing these paths, including checking your eligibility for them, but if you'd like to read more about them yourself, you can do so here.
Debt Advice
In May 2021, the Government introduced the Breathing Space scheme providing valuable respite to people in problem debt. You may be able to get up to 60 days respite from interest, fees, and court action to reduce stress and give you more time to deal with your money problems.
Anyone in England and Wales can get free debt advice and find a debt adviser via the Government funded MoneyHelper website.
The Government has also released £100 million of dormant assets to Fair4All Finance: a not for profit helping to scale up community finance initiatives, especially those finding it hard to access mainstream finance products.
If you have problems with money – get advice as soon as possible.