Nearly one in every 10 households spend a quarter of their annual income on unsecured loan repayments.

Debt charity the Consumer Credit Counselling Service (CCCS) has revealed a huge divide between the north and south of England when it comes to debt repayments.

According to a recent report from the charity, the number of individuals who have contacted them for help has more than doubled between 2005 and 2010, with the north of England, Wales and Scotland seeing the most considerable increases.

CCCS chairman, Lord Stevenson has said that households are struggling up and down the UK, but it is the northern regions that are struggling the most.

Individuals who are having difficulty controlling their finances should not delay in getting help. The earlier action is taken to in terms of talking through options with creditors and consolidating debts the better.

CSSS advise individuals who are worrying about debts not to bury their head in the sand.

If you have credit card bills to pay off then you may be able to negotiate a freeze on the interest and reduced monthly repayments so you have more of a chance to catch up. Mortgage lenders will also have various options available which could help you to get on top of debts. For example, you may be able to spread your mortgage over a longer term or reduce your monthly payments.

Financial problems can often lead onto psychological issues such as stress, anxiety and depression. If you feel that your money worries are beginning to effect you on an emotional level, visit our debt page to find out how counselling may be able to help you.

For additional practical advice about debt, visit the CCCS website.

View and comment on the original Mirror article.

2012 looks set to be the year of austerity, with 49% of Brits vowing to take control of their accounts this January.

The figures were compiled by price comparison website Gocompare.com from a survey of 3,000 people across the UK.

The traditional resolutions of getting fit and losing weight have been eclipsed by the wide-spread effects of the country’s recession.

The most popular resolutions this year were:

1. Sorting out finances and reducing outgoings
2. Getting fit and exercising more
3. Losing weight
4. Changing diet and eating more healthily
5. Beginning a new hobby or sport
6. Stopping smoking or reducing smoking
7. Spending more time with family and friends
8. Finding a new job
9. Giving up or reducing drinking

According to the survey, finance-related resolutions included paying off debt, saving money in a deposit account, increasing pension payments and investing in the stock market.

John Miles, business development director of Gocompare.com has said: “unlike some of the health and lifestyle resolutions, there are several easy, practical steps people can take to make a real change to their finances in 2012.”

Of the 26 million Britons set to make New Year’s resolutions this year, a staggering 40% of them will have given them up by the end of January. 87% of them will have given up by June.

If you would like further advice about managing debts, please visit our Debt Management page. Here you can find out how a counsellor could help you to manage debt and financial problems. Seeing a counsellor could be the first step towards keeping your New Year’s resolution this year.

View and comment on the original Sacbee article. 

NUS warns that more and more students in England are turning to dangerous methods in order to afford the £9000 a year University fees.

According to the English Collective of Prostitutes, which runs a helpline for people working in the sex industry, the number of calls it receives from students has at least doubled over the last year.

Research from the University of Kingston suggests that 20% of women working as lap dancers are students and 16% of all students asked said they would consider working in the sex industry.

Sarah Walker, who works for a prostitute helpline, has noticed an increase in calls since the government announced the planned rise in tuition fees. She told the BBC: “they [government ministers] know that the cuts they’re making are driving women into things like sex work. It’s a survival strategy so we would hold the government responsible for that.”

One young woman has revealed how she started working as an escort when she was 17 in order to fund her £70 weekly travel expenses to college.

The woman decided that in order to complete her A levels and eventually make it to University, she would have to find a job that didn’t clash with her study hours. In the end a friend encouraged her to work for his escort agency and she accepted.

According to the BBC, the young woman now thoroughly regrets her decision and has lost self-confidence and trust in others as a result. She encourages other young people in her position to find out as much as possible about available grants and benefits before making such life-changing decisions.

In light of these worrying reports, the Department of Education has released plans to offer £180 million worth of financial support to the most vulnerable 16-19 year olds hoping to go to University.

If you have worked or are working in the sex industry and you want to speak with a counsellor, you can find out more about the help on offer by visiting Types of Distress. Alternatively you can search for a counsellor using the search tool on the Counselling Directory homepage. 

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According to a YouGov survey conducted on behalf of Macmillan Cancer, a large percentage of cancer patients are troubled by their current financial status, with some even sacrificing meals in a bid to save money.

Cancer is a very expensive disease to treat, not only for the NHS but also for the patients themselves.

As it stands there is a web of financial support in position so that patients who are unable to work whilst undergoing treatment receive Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). However, even with this financial provision, many patients are still finding that it is simply not enough to cover their basic living costs. In addition, the government are considering making some changes to the Welfare Reform Bill, putting thousands of cancer patients at risk of losing out on ESA.

According to the survey of 1,550 patients, 17% of those facing financial woe felt forced to cut back on everyday essentials such as food, 5% reported skipping meals to cut costs, 7% feared they may lose their home, 29% had spent all of their savings, and 9% had to borrow money.

Under the new changes to the Employment and Support Allowance, patients with savings above £16,000, or whose partner earned more than £149 a week or worked for more than 24 hours would lose their ESA.

According to Macmillan, these changes could result in 7,000 cancer patients being up to £94 per week worse off, leaving them alone to deal with the cost of increasing household expenses and visits to the hospital.

According to Macmillan Cancer Support chief executive, Ciaran Devane:”Cancer is an expensive disease to live with, but this research shows just how close to the breadline many cancer patients really are.

“While we understand the benefits system is in need of reform, certain changes in the Welfare Reform Bill could have catastrophic effects on many families who are already struggling.”

Ideally Macmillan would like to see the new policy amended so that patients who are eligible for the ESA will receive it for as long as they need.

Financial concerns add stress and upset to our lives at the best of times, let alone when we are undergoing treatment or in recovery from a serious disease. If you find yourself in a similar situation then you may benefit from consulting a debt management counseller.

A counsellor specialising in this area could help you to understand your current financial situation from a different perspective, whilst also assisting you in putting together a strategy of how you will manage your money more effectively. If this sounds like something that could be of interest to you, please visit our Debt Management factsheet to find out more.

In addition, cancer patients and/or their friends and family may find our Cancer fact-sheet to be of use.

View and comment on the original BBC News article.

The Relationships Foundation has released details of a large study revealing that rising levels of debt, poverty and long unsocial working hours means Britain ranks among the worst countries in Europe for families.

The Family Pressure Gauge report found that money worries, poor living conditions and a lack of support from parents all played a part in British families being among the most pressured in Europe, with one in every five families struggling to break even.

Additional significant findings from the report included the following:

-14 per cent of families in the UK are suffering from ‘critical’ debt levels compared to 1 per cent of Swedish, Finnish and Norwegian households.

-Almost one quarter of the average UK working family’s income is spent on childcare costs. This is double the amount french families spend and three times more than German families spend.

-One in seven families use over 40 per cent of their income to pay their rent or mortgage.

-Britain is the second worst country in Europe for giving maternity and paternity leave.

-One in 20 families are living in what is considered to be ‘severe housing deprivation’, overcrowded houses which are in poor condition such as without a toilet. This is a significantly higher amount than in other European countries and is notably 12 times more than in the Netherlands.

The report paints a picture of how British families are coping in comparison to 26 other European countries and is based on the analysis of 25 key factors including pressures of money, parenting, living conditions and work.

The report highlights that very little has been done since the Childhood and Families task force was set up last June and executive director of the Relationships Foundation, Michael Trend, has said that the Government really needs to get its act together on family policy.

If you are struggling to cope with any issues mentioned in the above article then please visit our Types of Distress section where you can find detailed information about the various areas in which counselling and psychotherapy may be able to help you.

View the original Independent article.

We already know there has been a huge increase in the number of individuals seeking debt advice during unsocial hours, but now even more recent research has revealed that financial insecurity could be fuelling a rise in depression among Brits.

According to figures obtained by the BBC, the number of prescriptions for anti-depressant drugs such as prozac have increased by more than 40 per cent during the past four years.

Charities and health professionals alike believe part of the reason could be linked to individuals feeling pressured by job insecurities and an increase in financial strain.

Chief executive of the charity Depression Alliance UK, Emer O’Neill, said: “There is an increase in the number of people suffering from depression certainly, and the economic downturn has had an impact on that.

However, she also commented that part of the increase could be attributed to the stigma of depression having lifted significantly during the past few years, with individuals now having access to better information than ever before and with more and more people feeling comfortable enough to come forward and talk about mental health.

The sharp rise saw referrals for talking therapies rise four-fold last year and has prompted the government to increase access to therapies which would slow the demand for antidepressants.

According to figures from the NHS Prescription Services, the number of prescriptions for selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors rose by 43 per cent to just under 23 million a year between 2006 and 2010. The same figures also showed an increase in the prescriptions of various other drugs.

Paul Burstow, care services minister has said that the recession has left many facing difficult financial times, but if they do experience any mental health problems the NHS is well placed to help.

“We’re boosting funding for talking therapies by £400m over the next four years. This will ensure that modern, evidence-based therapies are available to all who need them, whether their depression or anxiety are caused by economic worries or anything else.”

For further information on debt counselling and counselling for depression please visit the relevant fact-sheets. Alternatively visit our homepage and use the search tool to find a counsellor in your local area.

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According to debt management charity the Consumer Credit Counselling Service, in 2010 almost 50,000 individuals logged onto their website to seek advice between midnight and 7am.

The debt charity suspects that people are logging on in the middle of the night either because they have been lying awake thinking about their debts, or because they are trying to hide their debt from their spouse or partner.

According to the Post Office around one in three people try to mask the severity of their financial problems from their family, with many burying their head in the sand about the money they owe during the day.

Those who are trying to hide their problems may not have the opportunity to search online for help and advice in the day, so throughout the night when they lie awake worrying they often turn to the internet for help and advice.

A spokesperson for CCCS said: ‘Debt problems are very emotive and often leave people feeling ashamed that they cannot keep up with their credit commitments. Dealing with debt is incredibly stressful so it is not surprising that many people, unable to sleep, seek debt counselling in the middle of the night’.

Out of a total 49,826 individuals who sought help from the charity, approximately 15,000 did so between midnight and 1am and around 3,500 did so between 4am and 5am.

According to the charity, a typical CCCS client has debts of £24,364, an amount just below the average yearly earning of a typical worker, and once paying all their bills a typical client has just £43 disposable income a month.

For information about Debt Management Counselling and how it may be able to stabilise your financial situation please visit our fact-sheet.

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The Consumer Credit Counselling Service (CCCS) predicts that this year will see an increase in the number of households unable to repay their debts.

The charity analysed the data they recorded from the 418,000 individuals they helped with debt problems in 2010, and found that over half of the people seeking help had cited either losing their job or a fall in income as the reason they were not able to keep up repayments.

In addition, a third of the people who sought help from CCCS were unable to find the money to cover even their basic living costs, and had not nearly enough to pay off their debts.

CCCS believe that the most vulnerable families are those with two children, who have an average of £62 a month left to repay any debts once they have covered their essential monthly outgoings such as rent and bills.

Furthermore, families who had more than three children actually needed an extra £45 per month to cover their cost of living, showing that the gap between income and outgoings is growing ever wider for some.

Approximately 55 per cent of individuals who got in touch with CCCS last year for help and advice received some form of benefit or tax credit which made up around a third of their household income.

Chairman of CCCS Lord Stevenson said: “The picture is undoubtedly bleak and it seems likely that many more families, including better-off ones, will be increasingly prone to over-indebtedness in the months ahead.

If you are struggling with your finances and would like to find out about how counselling could help with debt management then view our fact-sheet for more information. Alternatively if you would like to contact a practitioner to discuss this matter directly, please use the search tool located on the homepage to locate a qualified counsellor in your local area.

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The booklet addresses the affects mental health can have on debt, and vice versa, containing information, guidance and support for both individuals and carers. The guide also includes comments, stories and suggestions from members of MoneySavingExpert forums who wanted to share their concerns, successes, suggestions and experiences with others. Advice is given on a varying topics, ranging from analysing your problems right through to a page of useful contacts.

The booklet was written with help and guidance from mental health charity Mind, Citizens Advice Bureau, Consumer Credit Counselling Service, Christians Against Poverty, rethink and Consumer Financial Education Body.

If you would like to download this booklet, click here to visit MoneySavingExpert where you can download the PDF.

In January 2011 the CCCS online Debt Remedy tool was used by 8,591 people, a 50 per cent rise on the number of people counselled online during December 2010 and higher than for any month during the previous year.

Overall 65,825 individuals sought debt counselling through CCCS Debt Remedy in 2010, and the charity is expecting even more people to use their services in 2011 as the recession continues to effect household budgets.

However, the charity has expressed concern over uncertainty about public funding for free debt counselling, which if stopped may mean that in the future those struggling with debt may have to pay to receive debt advice from organisations.

If you are struggling to cope with debt then there are many organisations which offer free advice (Consumer Credit Counselling Service and National Debtline or Citizens’ Advice Bureaux) to help you get a handle on your finances. Counselling for Debt Management is also an effective method of exploring and releasing the psychological aspects of debt such as stress and guilt, and will help individuals to see and understand that it is possible for them to rebuild their lives.

Visit our Debt Management fact-sheet for further information, or if you would like to discuss this matter directly with a counsellor, please use the search tool located on the homepage to locate a qualified professional in your local area.