The Debt

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It is estimated to owe to People in Stoke-on-Trent £80m to high cost lenders

every 200 adults in Stoke-on-Trent insolvency in 2018 - the highest rate in England and Wales . The BBC spoke to some That Manage to claw their Way Out of Debt , and those with a contribution to the fight against the epidemic.

haunted face of a new client arriving at the door. a familiar sight for Anne Riddle

"are you frightened, and, in General, carry a great bag - Very occasionally with a suitcase of unopened letters. Letters to detect The Shape and color or the print, so That you have not opened them. Because That is Very often what happens - their Heads buried. "

, The Independent financial adviser has seen its client list rise above Stoke in the last 10 years, more and more People in The City , smothered by Debt . You also lost a few: those who could see only One Way Out .

"self-murder is as bad as it is, if People can not live, because it is just too much. "

For two years running, Stoke-on-Trent, the largest proportion of People who go bankrupt had to pay unable to your debts - Anywhere in England and Wales .

Debt adviser Anne Riddle says, talking about Debt with family members is an important first step In 2018, almost 52 10 ' 000 adults in The City - a total of 1,029 People - had either an individual voluntary arrangement, a Debt relief order (DRO) or going bankrupt. Scarborough had adults the next highest rate of bankruptcy, with almost 48 Out of 10,000 adults, followed by Torbay in Devon, with almost 46 10 ' 000.

Clare, a nursing assistant was on a basic wage, insolvent, and took Out loan after loan to make ends meet. By the time you went to Anne riddle, you don't even know how many thousands of pounds of Debt had mounted. She lives near Bentilee , in The Most disadvantaged parish of Stoke-on-Trent, where 45% of households have an income of under £15,000. Your problems started with a loan, if you are a single mom, in her early 20s.

"they say you can borrow £50, and if you pay for it, That you can back you borrow £100. It goes up to. And I thought I could do it, but then I realized That I could do it. "

a panic, as the interest she owed rose, Clare took Out more loans to try to pay off your excessive Debt .

" If you have a little bit of " un who comes home from school saying, 'we go on this journey, can I go?', You do what you have to do. It was Very easy to get more credit. And I used to ignore how bad it was always. I couldn't sleep with the thought of it made me sick. And Then I had to take time from Work - it was a circle, I could not Get Out . "

Getty image insolvency in Stoke -

The City has the highest rate in England and Wales

1,029 People insolvent in 2018

52in wing every 10,000 adults

27%above the average for England and Wales

223were women aged 25-34, The Group with The Most bankruptcies

source: The insolvency ServiceA candid report, in Stoke, The Debt situation, the estimates by the Financial inclusion group (FIG) That about 100,000 People in the Region, guilty of a total of £80m to high-cost, short-term loan lenders. It is low wages, poverty, poor health and low literacy, writing, numeracy and IT skills Will strengthen "financial exclusion, trapping far too many People in a spiral of Debt and loneliness".

"The Debt and General personal financial situation of many People in Stoke is extremely sensitive," said Alan Turley, a former Stoke city council-chief and FIG member.

"Many People live on the edge of financial disaster. "

What to do if you with Debt there are Many Reasons why Stoke in particular has suffered are struggling financially. For decades, it was driven by the industry with tens of thousands working in the coal mining and pottery. But if the mines and factories closed, the generations of People who skipped Work to create a culture, to Work , has passed through "the third, fourth generations of People ," says Ms puzzle.

in place of the industry lost, the minimum-wage-payment-distribution-centers are characterized as a large employer. The average full-time salary for the workers in The City is £24,907, almost £5,000 Less than The National average. Many People who earn just enough to stay afloat, according to Julie Prendergast of The City 's Citizen Advice Bureau who sees People Every Day with money.

"It's all credit cards and unsecured loans, but Now we see more and more People , says not enough money for the priorities - so it is the mortgage arrears, council tax arrears," She Said .

"Changes to the benefits, have not helped. Even if someone has a job, you can't always Manage the basics. "

More from the We are from Stoke-on-Trent-project:

Joe knows the feeling. The 22-year-old warehouse operative, it was tried through a kind of lenders That many payday loan companies - a replaced, together with his employer.

"It was so easy," he says. "I applied to a place where I worked for a loan, That would be my salary and at the end of the week, I had 3000 pounds in my bank. "

Joe fixed his car and took his first vacation. But then he started to have more money to borrow, until such time as its Debt grew to over £8,500 of lies.

"This is where my problems really were, because when I found myself struggling to pay back to you, if you really increased. I was not That My Family knows That I'm in Debt ; I was really on My Own , because I was embarrassed. Every morning, I would be worried to Wake up, I'd figured it Out . "

every 200 adults in Stoke-on-Trent insolvency in 2018 Clare's family only to the extent of realized your problems, after having suffered a stroke, caused by poor health at the age of 45 years - it was at this point she began to open the many threatening letters That came through your letter.

"you said:" you Do Something about it' and so I met Anne," She Said . "I don't know how I got along without you. Many of my friends are in the same situation and I just said, That you, you need to get help.

"I'm so relieved, Now I can't sleep, and I'm a quiet person. It was a terrible time, and I hope That it Will become not so bad. "

Hans and Klara, both of them finally sought help, and both of the customers are of the Ms puzzle. Now you have The Debt relief orders, which could finally see, what you Will Debt written off, although this Will have an impact on to your credit rating.

It was five years ago That the Financial Conduct Authority introduced stricter affordability of payday loan customer checks.

There is also a price cap, the reduced the typical rate of interest, and said That no One should ever pay back More Than double the amount borrowed. The result was an immediate contraction in the industry, which saw a number of outfits collapse,

But this created a gap in the market for more sinister lender, says Ms puzzle.

"By the closure of a lot of these down, we have loan sharks back in business again, the Very heavy-handed on The Black market That is not regulated and it is a Very dangerous situation for the People . "

at Stoke, the age group with the highest rise in personal insolvency in 2018 was 25-34, and 58% of those in the insolvency women. Many fit on a "low wages, low reading and writing skills" profile, while others are of A Generation That is impatient and overspends, says Ms puzzle. "People have more lightly on the borrowing. I think there is a more serious problem it is today. to have

"So many People a culture of borrowing without responsibility seem. Younger People want it Now , you would rather pay for it and have it Now than save it and get it later. "

The Rev Malcolm Mycock, fell into this trap. In 2007, when he was 36, he left behind a career with animals, to zoos, to run his own company, the provision of equipment. His attitude to money at the time cost him his business and he lost almost everything.

"The Business grew and quickly developed, and was quite successful, [but] Very quickly, I realized, Even Money made me happy not.

"to find I started to spend more and more happiness. I lived A Life beyond my means - not for the payment of tax On Time , not paying the VAT On Time , in General, more expenditure in the budget, too many holidays.

"I think it would be Very successful if it was not for me. "

After two years, Mr. Mycock is no other choice than to go bankrupt, and he was declared bankrupt, had. He says it is a misconception That it is a simple way to wipe The Debt clear.

"This is not the case. Often, The Debt Will follow, or you Will be redirected to your spouse, my wife in this case. We still had to pay The Money back. "

'Bold, innovative' action after to get his life back on track, he embarked on a new career in The Church . He is Now Bentilee , the Deputy, where many of them live in the Community , in Debt .

stoke-on-trent, long reads, payday lenders, personal debt

Source of news: bbc.com