As cost of living almost triples, people are seeking urgent help from local charity

With household bills continuing to rise, charity Money Advice Plymouth is offering free advice and making sure that people are supported through any financial hardship.

Money Advice Plymouth is a not-for-profit Independent Advice Agency which has been funded since 2005 to provide a free, expert, independent and confidential debt advice service. In 2011 MAP became part of Homemaker Southwest, and the charity is now funded by the Money and Pensions Service to work across most of South Devon. 

The charity aims for its support to enable people to better manage their financial affairs, and have the confidence and skills to help themselves, and engage with their communities and those around them.

Andrea Carlisle, Director for Money Advice Plymouth, said: ‘I hardly need to tell you that we are experiencing a cost-of-living crisis. Massive increases in utility costs, combined with the high price of fuel at the petrol pumps, a bump in council tax and a 5 per cent rise in the cost of food - just at a time when we are all trying to get back on our feet financially and emotionally following a rocky couple of years.

‘If you find yourself behind with bills, especially priority payments like rent, council tax, utilities, TV licence, or if you're being contacted by credit cards and catalogues who are piling on the interest, the best thing to do is get some independent debt and financial advice. There are plenty of free national services available - Citizens Advice, Stepchange, National Debtline - as well as local services like Money Advice Plymouth - who can offer you an appointment in your home if you feel that this would be the best way to help you.

‘A good debt adviser will talk to you about your wider personal and financial situation, to really try and understand what's going on. We're not here to judge - we know there are lots of reasons why people go through seasons where they're not coping well. We'll look at what you've got coming in and what you've got going out as well as any debts you've got - we can even help people who know they've got debts, but don't really know who with! We'll spot whether you're missing out on benefits or premiums and advise you on grants.’

Andrea continued: ‘We speak to hundreds of people so we have a great feel for whether you might be overpaying for a service. We'll talk through your debt options - everything from making token payments to your creditors of £1 a month to going insolvent. We get that when you're stressed about your debt or other personal circumstances, you might not be able to do everything yourself, so we'll also help you negotiate with your creditors and set things in motion for you.  And this service is free, confidential, and independent.’

All staff share the same ethos and are motivated to get the best conclusion for all their clients, taking time to work through the issues that they are experiencing, breaking things into manageable steps so that clients can be encouraged to engage, grow in confidence, and be involved their solution. They are qualified and licensed to advise on the full range of debt strategies - including budgeting, negotiating with creditors, setting up payment arrangements, producing financial statements, Debt Relief Orders, and bankruptcy.

To get in touch with Money Advice Plymouth, call 01752 208126 or email enquiries@moneyadviceplymouth.org.uk. The team has a 24-hour answer phone, so please do leave a message and they will get back to you as soon as they can.