Anyone experiencing financial difficulties in Derry has been urged to seek help “as soon as possible.”
Local Sinn Fein Councillor Sandra Duffy said the levels of personal debt in the North were “very worrying.”
Cllr Duffy was speaking a report by charity, StepChange, revealed almost 2,000 people sought help from the charity in the first six months of this year.
She added she was “very concerned” more and more people were turning to money lenders who charge exorbitant interest rates.
She added: “That locks them into crippling repayments and even more debt.
“This situation will only get worse for people in Derry and across the north if the drastic welfare cuts proposed by the Tory-led government are implemented.
“Sinn Féin are opposing these Tory cuts to protect people from spiralling cycles of debt where they are at the mercy of money lenders and modern-day gombeen men.
Cllr Duffy concluded: “I would urge anyone in Derry experiencing financial difficulty to seek help as soon as possible by speaking to independent debt charities.”
Tags: