Money Advice Trust calls for more help for fuel poor as fuel debts double
Advice charities have seen fuel debts rocket in recent years with National Debtline (which is part of the charity Money Advice Trust, see notes to editors), which helped over 100,000 people in 2007, seeing the proportion of its callers with fuel debt problems almost doubling in the past two years. Speaking after participating in a fuel poverty summit hosted by Ofgem this morning with a number of ministers and Chief Executives of power companies, Joanna Elson Chief Executive of the Money Advice Trust commented, “With fuel prices increasing at their current rate, it is not surprising that the advice community is seeing many more calls for help, with a significant number in the over 75 age group for whom utility debt is the major debt problem”. She continues, “I called for some very practical action to help this morning including better funding for the advice sector from utilities companies and additional resource to help the 2,500 money advisers we train annually to be in a better position to help the fuel poor. I would also like to see improved arrangements for people in difficulty when Energywatch disappears later this year. I look forward to working with the participants to ensure the best possible help is available for these vulnerable consumers”.
If you would like any further information about the Money Advice Trust, please contact:
Beccy Boden Wilks on 0121 410 6277
or email beccybw@nationaldebtline.co.uk
(Press Officer)
Please contact our press office who can:
 Provide you with the necessary case studies.
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Note to Editors
The Money Advice Trust (MAT) is a charity formed in 1991 to increase the quality and availability of money advice in the UK. MAT’s vision is to contribute to reducing unmanageable debt of UK consumers and its mission is to support individuals in the UK with unmanageable debts and to improve the capacity, quality and efficient delivery of free-to-client independent money advice, through:
Co-ordination
Influence
Direct service provision
Training
Research
Information provision.
The Rt. Hon Ian McCartney MP was appointed MAT’s President (unpaid) in November 2007. Ian McCartney has been a campaigner against illegal money lending and has introduced various government initiatives including the then Department of Trade and Industry’s (now Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform) loan shark projects.
MAT has the following trustees:-
Martin Hall MVO MBE (Chairman)
Margaret Bloom CBE (Deputy Chair)
Garry Hunter
Eva Lomnicka
Brian Pomeroy CBE
John Saunders
Ian Mullen
Jenny Watson
MAT’s activities cover:
a) Support to the debt advice sector through:-
i) Training
ii) Second tier support
iii) Quality assurance developments, e.g. accreditation
iv) Policy, research and evaluation
v) Fundraising, facilitation and strategy development
b) Direct service provision (National Debtline and Business Debtline)
National Debtline (NDL) (www.nationaldebtline.co.uk) is part of the Money Advice Trust (MAT) (www.moneyadvicetrust.org), a charity formed in 1991 to increase the quality and availability of free, independent money advice in the UK. MAT also runs Business Debtline (BDL) (www.bdl.org.uk). BDL and NDL are under the same roof and benefit from the sharing of experience, knowledge and technology.
c) Facts about MAT and its services:
- BDL started in 1992 at the Birmingham Settlement and went national in 2000. MAT took over running the service in 2005.
- NDL first started in 1987 under the name Housing Debtline and consisted of only two advisers and one phone.
- During 2007 NDL dealt with a record number of enquires and helped approximately 115,000.
- MAT offers over 5000 training places each year to money advisers who give free-to-the-client advice.
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