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You and Yours: Christmas Debt, Universal Credit, Winter Camping

Christmas Debt, Universal Credit, Winter Camping

18/12/2017

BBC Radio 4 - You and Yours, Christmas Debt, Universal Credit, Winter Camping

Managing Christmas when you are thousands of pounds in debt.

News and discussion of consumer affairs. How the introduction of Universal Credit is affecting people who have mental health problems.

This year money advice charities have been reporting rising levels of debt. They say benefit cuts, inflation and the increase in interest rates have stretched many household budgets to breaking point. The charity, StepChange, says the busiest time of the year for calls to its helplines is after Christmas. Staff took almost two hundred thousand calls in January this year. We'll hear from two of their clients, on how they manage their money over the festive season.

The introduction of the new benefit, Universal Credit, is set to continue next year. It merges six benefits for working-age people into one new payment, which is reduced gradually as you earn more. The mental health charity, Mind, is warning that its roll-out is having a negative effect on claimants who have mental health problems. We'll hear from one man who's affected and also get a response from the Department for Work and Pensions. It says Job Centre work coaches are given special training to help them give the right support, and that helping people with mental health problems is one of their priorities.

And swapping winter sun for a night sleeping under canvas. The Caravan and Motorhome Club says record numbers are heading off to camp sites in the UK during the colder months. In January, February and March this year booking on the sites they own reached record levels. It happened again in November. But what's driving that rise, and what's the appeal?

Presenter: Winifred Robinson
Producer: Jess Quayle.

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