Latest Debt News
Disability charity wants improved debt understanding
24/10/2005 14:51:00
Disabled people are finding themselves struggling with unmanageable debts due to lenders failing to understand the financial difficulties they face.
Research carried out by disability charity Leonard Cheshire shows that the average household of someone with a disability has a debt of £8,750, the Observer reports.
However, the main problem lies in the fact that while the average national income is £24,752, half of disabled people in debt take home just £10,000 a year.
Claire Kober, policy and campaigns manager at Leonard Cheshire, commented: "Lots of disabled people who are in debt have borrowed money as a result of the extra costs they incur through their disability.
"Many have taken out credit cards to pay their fuel bills and their mobility costs, for example. They are also far more likely to live on low incomes and be dependent on benefits."
As creditors are failing to understand the difficulties with debt that disabled people face, the charity wants organisations to have a better idea of how disability can affect debt levels.
It also wants the government to increase the amount of incapacity benefit from its current level of £84 a week.
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