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Bishop calls for debt health
02/05/2008 18:17:00
The Bishop of Newcastle has spoken of the need for better personal finance education to help those who would otherwise turn to loan sharks for help.
Speaking in the House of Lords, the Right Rev Martin Wharton said the government needs to do more to raise people out of poverty and educate them how to manage their money.
He warned that some families in Newcastle and elsewhere did not have the means to pay for basics like food and heating, and were turning to expensive doorstep enders for help, reports local newspaper the Journal.
"On one estate in Newcastle, 87 per cent of 142 households were paying doorstep lenders an average of one-third of their total weekly income," he stated.
The bishop also said that local authorities, charities and churches need to work together more closely to overcome "social evils" like bad debt poverty.
Last week, Dr Rowan Williams the Archbishop of Canterbury, called on the government to do more to protect the poor from the economic downturn in the UK.
He recommended improving financial education and fostering "responsible alternatives" to doorstep lending.
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