Many people may not be aware of a free online service which can quickly find help with benefits, work, money, housing problems and more in their area, simply by entering a topic to search for and their postcode.
Advicelocal is delivered by the charity, rightsnet,and was developed to help people with social welfare law problems such as benefits and Tax Credits, Council Tax, debt and money advice, housing and homelessness, employment and work issues, disability and social care, or asylum and immigration.
The website explains: “We hope that using advicelocal will help you to find out more about your rights and entitlements, to feel more confident about getting help with the questions you have, and to find local sources of advice and support.”
How does advicelocal work?
To use the free service, just enter a postcode and choose an advice topic to find links to tailored information for your area, including details of independent advice organisations who can help you get the advice and support you need.
You can also use the ‘My advicelocal’ feature which allows users to create their own personalised lists of resources.
Take a look at advicelocal here.
More support and free advice in Scotland
Scotland’s four biggest debt advice charities are urging people across the country to seek free, confidential and impartial support if they are struggling with their finances or finding it hard to keep up with paying bills this winter.
Christians Against Poverty, Citizens Advice Scotland, Money Advice Scotland and Stepchange have united to offer free advice to anyone who is struggling with debt, who may be in problem debt, or who is generally worried about their finances over the coming months.
In a statement on behalf of all four charities, Citizens Advice Scotland’s Financial Health spokesperson Myles Fitt said: “This winter is set to be really challenging for so many families across Scotland. The combination of rising energy bills, the impact on incomes from the end of furlough and the £20 weekly reduction in Universal Credit has created a perfect financial storm for the thousands of households who were already experiencing money problems or who were just managing to get by.
“Together our four charities want to remind people that they are not alone and that support is available. All they have to do is contact any one of us.”
He continued: “Debt is a horrible situation to be in. It can have significant impacts on your mental health and relationships as well as your finances. We understand that it can be hard to seek help, and recognise there can be shame and stigma attached, but we also know there are many advantages to asking for advice sooner.
“If you contact any one of us, we will offer you expert advice, which is non-judgemental, sympathetic, confidential, independent and effective. We can talk to your creditors to give you more time, to reduce repayments or even write off some of your debt. We also provide help on ways to boost your income, make savings and cut the costs of daily living.”
Where to find debt help
Christians Against Poverty (CAP)
CAP is a UK charity determined to reduce UK poverty by delivering debt help, money management education, job clubs and life skills groups.
CAP Scotland provides free, Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) Accredited debt help through their network of 26 Debt Centres across Scotland.
To access their help call 0800 328 0006 or visit www.capscotland.org.
Citizens Advice Scotland
Citizens Advice Scotland, the Extra Help Unit and its 59 member bureaux together form Scotland’s largest independent advice network.
Advice provided by the service is free, independent, confidential, impartial and available to everyone.
They can offer general advice on employment, housing, debt, benefits and consumer issues such as energy bills as well as many other topics.
To access their help call 0800 028 1456 or visit www.cas.org.uk.
Money Advice Scotland
Money Advice Scotland is Scotland’s money charity.
They offer financial guidance to empower people to make informed decisions about their money and provide a digital advice service to help those in the initial stages of seeking help with debt.
To access their help, visit their Website at www.moneyadvicescotland.org.uk or start a conversation on their Webchat page: www.moneyadvicescotland.org.uk/webchat.
StepChange Debt Charity
StepChange Debt Charity is the UK’s largest debt advice charity. The Scottish advice team is based in Glasgow city centre.
They work with over a hundred partner organisations, so they can refer clients for other sources of help while they help get finances back on track.
They provide the UK’s most comprehensive debt advice service, from budgeting tips through to managing debt solutions that enable people to pay off or clear debts.
To access their help call 0800 138 1111 or visit www.stepchange.org.
To keep up to date with the latest social welfare stories, join our Money Saving Scotland Facebook group here, follow Record Money on Twitter here, or subscribe to our twice weekly newsletter here.
