A debt helpline to support Londoners struggling with the spiralling cost of living has been extended to a 24-hour service thanks to funding from the Mayor of London.
The Mayor has provided £200,000 to extend Debt Free London’s service as surging food, energy and fuel costs put more pressure on Londoners. Recent polling showed that 34 per cent of Londoners have struggled to pay their household bills in the last six months, with 13 per cent struggling to make ends meet, going without essentials or relying on credit.
Debt Free London, which is a partnership of 19 charities led by Toynbee Hall and funded by the Money and Pensions Service, provides support to Londoners in person or on the phone, via video call, WhatsApp message and live web chat. The free confidential and impartial advice deals with a range of problem debts, including rent arrears, council tax arrears, utility bills, credit card debt, and loan repayments.
The service has already helped more than 250,000 Londoners with free advice since 2006, and in the last year has helped 44,000 Londoners. The number of Londoners contacting the service has increased 250 per cent in the last 12 months, and the Mayor’s funding will mean that it will be able to respond to this increasing demand and help Londoners 24-hours a day from February until May.
Following funding from the Mayor and ThriveLDN - a citywide movement to improve the mental health and wellbeing of all Londoners - Debt Free London also was able to run for 24-hours a day between January and March last year, helping more than 1,000 families with financial concerns.
The Mayor continues to do all he can to support Londoners and bring down the cost of living in the capital, including starting record numbers of affordable homes, quadrupling the number of Living Wage accredited employers and continuing the TfL Hopper fare. He also urges the Government to do more to tackle the rising cost of living and help those most in need.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said: “The spiralling cost of living is having a huge impact on Londoners, and with bills set to rise further in the coming weeks, this burden is going to become even greater for some of the most vulnerable people in our city.
“That’s why I’m funding Debt Free London to ensure that anyone struggling can get free advice at any time. This service has already helped tens of thousands of Londoners to better manage their debt and will be invaluable as living costs continue to rise.
“But sadly, the growing need for this service highlights the significant size of the national problem that we are facing. I will continue to do all I can to support Londoners, but we need the Government to step forward with urgent measures to help people through this crisis.”
Head of Debt Free London, Matt Dronfield said: “We want to help as many people as we can who need our support. By extending our hours we are more accessible to people who might otherwise struggle to contact us, especially those who work multiple jobs, shift work or have childcare responsibilities. Confidential advice will be available to anyone who reaches out.”
TV presenter and co-host of The Martin Lewis Money Show on ITV, Angellica Bell said: “I’m really pleased to be supporting Debt Free London with this initiative and I think it’s amazing that the phoneline will be helping some of London's poorest communities, offering people assistance and advice. The conversation around money and debt needs to be much more open to allow people to have the confidence to come forward and ask for help. It's also necessary that people feel that there are solutions too which can be given confidentially and for free."
Photo by Shayan Barjesteh van Waalwijk van Doorn, Wikimedia commons.