Over the past year the level of personal debt in York, as in many other places, has soared, as a rising number of households struggle with their finances and end up replying on credit to pay for everyday purchases and pay bills. This has resulted in an increase in the number of people that have debt that they are struggling to repay, and many have ended up seeking advice about how to best deal with their debts.

However, concern has now arisen over the possibility of many people struggling to even get advice on how they can try and address their debt issues following news that the debt advice service at the York Citizen’s Advice Bureau faces being axed. Between the start of April and the start of October this year the debt advice service at the York CAB is said to have received enquiries for help from 2876 people, and this compared to 2027 people looking for help during the same period a year earlier.

Over the six month period the total amount of debt that was addressed by the York CAB came to more than £10 million. The waiting time for people to get the advice and help that they need has also increased as a result of the higher demand for debt advice, and has increased to around five weeks, whereas a few years ago it was just ten days. There are now concerns that the decision to cut the service could seriously affect the lives and health of those facing financial difficulty.

One official said: “What the debt team at the CAB has found, and this is backed up psychological research, is that debt is bad for your mental health. One-in-two adults in debt have some form of mental health condition. Whether the debt problem causes the health problem, or the other way round, is often difficult to determine, but we know that as well as helping clients with their debts, we see a marked improvement in their mood, ability to cope and plan for the future.”