Money Advice at The Prentice Centre
Wednesday 14th November, 11am – 2pm
Talk Money Week (previously Financial Capability Week) is the annual celebration of the work thousands of organisations are doing to improve money management across the UK. Continue reading Mind Your Money event at The Prentice Centre
Debt counselling charity Christians Against Poverty (CAP) is launching its third Edinburgh debt help centre in Comely Bank next month.
CAP has partnered with St. Stephen’s Comely Bank Church (above) to extend its award-winning free service to those in need across the city. It joins two other busy centres at Central Church and Holy Trinity Wester Hailes, and brings the total number of CAP centres in Scotland to 22.
Manager of the new Edinburgh centre Claire Baggaley said: “The Church has always been about offering hope and we’re really pleased to be able to give more people a tried-and-tested route out of debt alongside other great free debt agencies in the area.”
“There is a lot in the Bible about looking after the poorest. In our society, a lot of poverty is debt-related so our congregation at St. Stephen’s Comely Bank Church has been working hard to open a CAP centre to help get people back on track.”
CAP offers a uniquely in-depth, caring service to people with spiralling personal debt regardless of their age, gender, faith or background. Every client is visited in their own home; the charity does all the negotiating with creditors and local volunteers offer support to each person face-to-face until the day they are debt free.
Statistics show that one in three callers seeking debt help are feeling suicidal but find huge relief through the non-judgemental service that treats every person as an individual.
The new service will be launched at St Stephen’s on Comely Bank Road on Thurday 10 September.
For debt help call 0800 328 0006 or visit capuk.org
New legislation aims to help the most vulnerable
New legislation comes into force today (Wednesday, April 1) which sees Scotland introduce one of the most modern systems of debt advice and debt management in the world.
The Bankruptcy and Debt Advice (Scotland) Act introduces a suite of measures, including the Minimal Asset Process, which offers debt relief quickly and at less than half the cost of an application for bankruptcy under the previous equivalent scheme for those on low incomes.
Accountant in Bankruptcy will oversee implementation of the new law, which has been designed to balance the rights of those in debt with the needs of creditors and businesses.
The introduction of the legislation is the latest element in the Scottish Government’s vision of a Financial Health Service for Scotland, which commenced with the launch of the Scotland’s Financial Health Service web portal in December 2014. The site is a one-stop shop for advice on a range of money issues, signposting users to organisations offering information and advice on debt, managing money, housing, homelessness and ethical lending.
Other measures as part of the new legislation include:
Business Minister Fergus Ewing said: “This new law places Scotland firmly at the forefront of efforts on how to help some of the most financially vulnerable in society.
“These measures have been developed following years of consultation with experts across the financial advice community and from studying how other nations deal with issues of personal debt.
“It is only proper that we seek to do everything we can to help financially rehabilitate families and individuals on low incomes and with little by way of assets who are struggling with debt, while still offering a fair deal for those owed money.
“Taken as a whole, this pioneering legislation seeks to bring dignity to those people in Scotland seeking to break the cycle of debt once and for all.”
