Steep rise in number of Melton people with debt problems

Melton and District Money Advice Centre (MADMAC) registered 101 new clients between June and August and many more people are expected to seek support in the coming months as the cost of living crisis continues to bite.

The organisation has worked with 1,247 people living in the Melton area in the short time it has been in existence and founder Amanda Heath anticipates she will be even busier as people need to heat their homes in winter.

She told the Melton Times: “Here at MADMAC we have seen a 60 per cent increase in the last three months for our services.

"More and more people are struggling to meet basic essential bills and are fearful of the winter and how things will get worse.

"We have just seen one lady become debt free and went to close her case but now her utility bill has increased by around £250 a month to £350 a month and she has no way of paying this so is in debt again.”

The energy price cap is set to rise again soon meaning households will be faced with annual energy use bills thousands of pounds higher than they pay at present.

New Prime Minister Liz Truss has already indicated she will address the crisis to help vulnerable people meet their payments for gas and electricity.

But Amanda said some of her clients had already resorted to desperate methods of cutting their bills.

She said: “Clients are looking at how they can stop using so much electricity such as not using hair dryers or hair straighteners, more requests for fridges as they have broken and they have been trying to keep milk cool in buckets of water in the recent heat that we have had.

"I do think this is a new time and season when we need to serve and be kind to each other, see communities coming together again, check on neighbours, share where we can, be creative in how we can use less and spend less.

"We want to do all we can to help people not live in fear but live in hope as we navigate this winter.”