| THE official website of the Church of England this week launched an online resource to help those struggling with debt.
The average UK household debt now totals £8985, and the area on the website, which is part of the Church’s Matter of Life and Debt campaign, includes a downloadable spreadsheet to calculate income and expenditure.
The national stewardship officer for the Church of England, Dr John Preston, said that the “over-easy access” to credit cards in the UK had led to the spiralling numbers of those in debt.
“Debt is everywhere, it’s rural, urban, and affects people on all levels of income. Until recently, many credit-card companies did not check how many credit cards someone had when applying for credit.
“The big issue is to persuade people to take action sooner rather than later, because the issue won’t go away. People don’t like to budget as it involves discipline, but it helps to take a rain check on your spending and income.”
Dr Preston also said that he had encountered clergy struggling with debt during the course of his work. “I would say a smaller amount of clergy are in debt than the population at large, but they are susceptible to debt, as everyone is.”
There are money-saving tips and prayers includedon the website.
www.cofe.anglican.org/debt
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