Debt owed by Watford residents has fallen slightly says StepChange Debt Charity

4:31pm Tuesday 8th January 2013 in News Photograph of the Author By Mike Wright, Chief Reporter

The amount of debt owed by people in Watford contacting a crisis charity dropped slightly last year.

StepChange Debt Charity said the average sum owed by people in the town contacting its help line declined from £21,914 in 2011, to £20,733 in 2012.

Despite the slight decline the charity is warning people about the dangers of consolidating multiple debts into a large single one.

StepChange said consolidation loans could look like an attractive solution but could lead to longer repayment terms and ultimately higher levels of debt.

The warning comes after the festive period when the charity said it can see a surge in people seeking help under the weight of multiple debts including credit cards, overdrafts and payday loans.

Delroy Corinaldi, external affairs director of StepChange Debt Charity, said: "While the fall in average debt levels is welcome, many families are still struggling financially under the burden of low wage growth and rising living costs.

"To anyone struggling financially, debt consolidation can seem to offer a quick fix, but borrowing more is rarely a good way to deal with a debt problem.

"We would encourage anyone who is struggling with problem debt to immediately seek free and impartial help from an organisation like StepChange Debt Charity, who can help by recommending a debt management solution that is tailored specifically to a person’s individual circumstances".

Comments(29)

Mohandas says...
7:25am Wed 9 Jan 13

Who really believes we are all in it together? It’s reputed that Rebecca Brooks ‘compensation’ is worth £10.8m upon leaving News Corp at the height of the phone - hacking scandal. Perhaps the EU and Chief Executives should consider slashing their unrelenting gravy train for their fat cats who are so insulated from families struggling with low wage growth and rising living costs to bring a bit of realism into their cosy world. The doctor recommends a strong dose of their own medicine which they have been flogging to Joe Bloggs.

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Mike Watford says...
9:13am Wed 9 Jan 13

Not sure what this has to do with the EU though?!

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Watfordengineer says...
9:54am Wed 9 Jan 13

If we all didn't buy the Sun newspaper and enjoy the stores about celebrities then they wouldnt have the money to give her £10 million.

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Mohandas says...
10:49am Wed 9 Jan 13

Try this connection Mike.
A family’s budgetary problems are connected to unplanned costs eg motorists are paying out more than £1 billion on repairs to rectify the damage caused by the increasing number of potholes. A new study shows that every year as many as eight million vehicles suffer steering and suspension damage which may be attributed to poorly maintained road surfaces. This is hurting a lot of struggling hardworking families.
Rectifying the damage caused by potholes costs an average of £135 according to Halfords Autocentres, which commissioned the study. The company's Rory Carlin said: "Even hitting a small pothole can easily damage wheels, tyres and affect steering alignment but serious suspension damage is becoming a more common occurrence.
The big freeze in 2010 left a lot of the UK with potholes and problems with road surfaces. This can potentially cause vehicle problems and cost the owner a lot of money if damage has been caused as a result of road reapirs not being carried out.
The Public Account Committee has estimated that motorists would spend more money on repairs when cuts to budgets take effect. People who already own vehicles are paying higher tax, car insurance, fuel, and extra repair bills as a result of the roads not being maintained properly by councils will be an unwelcomed extra cost.
Councils were given £3bn for road maintenance between 2011 and 2015. The European commission's planned Budget is €1,053.2bn . Britain's net contribution in 2011 stood at £7.3bn, compared with £6.5bn for France and £11bn for Germany; without the rebate Britain would pay £10.9bn.

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Sanity 750 says...
11:41am Wed 9 Jan 13

Mohandas (Councillor Meerabux) are you courting UKIP now?

Not sure even they would have you.

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Mohandas says...
4:59pm Wed 9 Jan 13

Feeling a little dejected today Walter Mitty, INSANITY / MKHAN, Smeagol, U R even unsure about UR ethnicity and gender as by Ur login names. U even refuse to recognise U R miserable little Andrew Mortimer who lost a majority of over 600 in a supposedly safe Tory area of NASCOT. OMG WHAT HAPPENED? The voters thought u were _ _ _ _ or wasn’t criminal Oakley – a close friend of yours from the same stable - there to abuse them again. I’ve invited U to the Rookery or the pub outside to enjoy the crack but Wat Con Assoc is more your thing with BLUE SKY BOY WONDER. Hasn’t WCA sought to gag U yet because UR limited rantings need more attitude. I warned U that I’m a bit of an anorak bordering on being a geek. Yes, I’ve done bit of allotment digging which I enjoy. Is this Cllr character concreted in your desolate head? Happy dreams. U seem to build him up all the time as having lots of logins Razor Sharp, me, maybe theturpster, Sara, etc. I admire Beckett, Spartacus, Gandhi, Emily Davidson, Booth etc – not your type.
The Suffragettes faced down wretched people like U – the so called great and the good – and WON. Bring it on Smeagol – U will only get mullered.

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razor sharpe says...
5:21pm Wed 9 Jan 13

Mohandas (Councillor Meerabux) you do seem very irrational to be one of our towns Councillors.

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theturpster says...
6:28pm Wed 9 Jan 13

I only have two log ins, one tied to a Facebook account, the other to another email address, only used when I deactivate Facebook from time to time. I declare myself as Andy Turpie, IT manager and no connection to any councillor or politician...

Hope that clears things up....


Carry on as you were lol.

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Nascot says...
8:37pm Wed 9 Jan 13

Mohandas wrote:
Feeling a little dejected today Walter Mitty, INSANITY / MKHAN, Smeagol, U R even unsure about UR ethnicity and gender as by Ur login names. U even refuse to recognise U R miserable little Andrew Mortimer who lost a majority of over 600 in a supposedly safe Tory area of NASCOT. OMG WHAT HAPPENED? The voters thought u were _ _ _ _ or wasn’t criminal Oakley – a close friend of yours from the same stable - there to abuse them again. I’ve invited U to the Rookery or the pub outside to enjoy the crack but Wat Con Assoc is more your thing with BLUE SKY BOY WONDER. Hasn’t WCA sought to gag U yet because UR limited rantings need more attitude. I warned U that I’m a bit of an anorak bordering on being a geek. Yes, I’ve done bit of allotment digging which I enjoy. Is this Cllr character concreted in your desolate head? Happy dreams. U seem to build him up all the time as having lots of logins Razor Sharp, me, maybe theturpster, Sara, etc. I admire Beckett, Spartacus, Gandhi, Emily Davidson, Booth etc – not your type.
The Suffragettes faced down wretched people like U – the so called great and the good – and WON. Bring it on Smeagol – U will only get mullered.
Anyone understand? Bad drugs day?

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razor sharpe says...
9:10pm Wed 9 Jan 13

Councillor Meerabux (Mohandas) has "issues".

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mkhan1 says...
9:44pm Wed 9 Jan 13

Cllr Meercat is very disturbed indeed ! By the way are you going to stand for county..............
...

I did like your post about the squirrel though ! ;-) xxx

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LSC says...
9:50pm Wed 9 Jan 13

Wow. I'm getting some popcorn to watch this play out.

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mkhan1 says...
9:56pm Wed 9 Jan 13

LSC wrote:
Wow. I'm getting some popcorn to watch this play out.
I'm sure you will cllr meercat. How many log ins do you actually have lmfao

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razor sharpe says...
10:24pm Wed 9 Jan 13

I have been told he was thrown out of the Tory party. Poor Mohandas what an awful situation. How humiliating.

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Sanity 750 says...
10:32pm Wed 9 Jan 13

I believe Councillor Meerabux (Mohandas) was the only Councillor in the last few years to be thrown out of the Tory party at a national level. If you read his rants you start to understand why.

What a distinction.

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LSC says...
10:37pm Wed 9 Jan 13

mkhan1 wrote:
LSC wrote:
Wow. I'm getting some popcorn to watch this play out.
I'm sure you will cllr meercat. How many log ins do you actually have lmfao
You think he is me! I hope the other regulars on this site will re-assure you that is definately not the case.
It did make me chuckle though.

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razor sharpe says...
10:47pm Wed 9 Jan 13

Must of been really bad what he did to get thrown out of the Tory party.

Does anyone know-I can keep a secret.

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Mohandas says...
11:06pm Wed 9 Jan 13

Don't sleep yet KHAN (ethnic man ?), Nascot, INsanity failed Mortimer. U can run but u can't hide. I see U have raised ur IQ reinventing into razor sharpe. Hope Razor Sharp is watching because the cuts u took must still be weeping. I actually felt sorry for what was left ur pride. I did begin to wonder if you were simple and didn't have a thought U could write. Please now explode with that suppressed anger welling up inside u every waking minute. After all Smeagol never sleeps always plotting. Release or relieve UR self old man before it's too late. Come on meet me at the Rookery and U can tell me how u lost 700 Con voters. U must have at least one thought in what's left of that hermit shell of yours. Seriously R U jealous, sad, miserable? Wasting ur remaing life away eh. Please use more login names as I'm the reason u live and U add so little.

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Sanity 750 says...
11:29pm Wed 9 Jan 13

Thank goodness the Tories got rid of you.

You really have lost it.

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LSC says...
12:23am Thu 10 Jan 13

This is starting to get less amusing and more like witnessing a mental breakdown, which isn't fun, or it is just someone typing words at random for mischief.

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LSC says...
12:44am Thu 10 Jan 13

In hindsight, I suspect a troll. Who could honestly type this sentence without their tongue firmly in cheek:

"I did begin to wonder if you were simple and didn't have a thought U could write."

I suspect we are part of some new TV programme. Nobody on the planet would accuse someone of writing badly by writing badly themselves. That would be stupid.

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Sanity 750 says...
8:11am Thu 10 Jan 13

I wish it was a spoof but unfortunately Councillor Meerabux does exists. He really does think he is being clever with his comments.

The positive thing is he is totally irrelevant locally and has just over a year left as a Councillor.

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razor sharpe says...
8:46am Thu 10 Jan 13

Is he really a Councillor in our town?

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Sanity 750 says...
9:58am Thu 10 Jan 13

For the record Councillor Meerabux has lost twice as many elections as he has won.

Not a record to shout about.

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razor sharpe says...
10:34am Thu 10 Jan 13

So how many elections has he lost?

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mkhan1 says...
11:36am Thu 10 Jan 13

razor sharpe wrote:
So how many elections has he lost?
http://www.watford.g
ov.uk/ccm/content/le
gal-and-democratic/e
lections/election-re
sults---borough-1-ma
y-2008.en?page=8

His losing streak started in 2008

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Sanity 750 says...
1:37pm Thu 10 Jan 13

Thank you for the information.

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mkhan1 says...
4:31pm Thu 10 Jan 13

Cllr Meerabux, Will you be standing for re election, if you haven't been sectioned by then .......

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razor sharpe says...
9:06pm Fri 11 Jan 13

He hasnt got the bottle to stand.

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