Struggling with debt? You're not alone
Our aim is to help you regain control of your finances.
Our trained debt advisers will help you explore your debt problems, look at ways of increasing your income and reduce outgoings, and explain your options for dealing with debt to give you a fresh start.
We can help with most kinds of debt including fines, county court judgments (CCJs) parking charges, rent and mortgage arrears, council tax arrears, car finance/HP arrears, gas, electricity and water arrears, credit cards, loans, overdrafts and benefit overpayments.
We can help you deal with any emergencies such as bailiff action, the threat of eviction or disconnection any other legal action that need immediate attention including court hearings.
We can assist you in making applications to Court and responding to court claims.
We can advise on the different options available to you to deal with your debt problems and the possible outcomes of different courses of action. Examples include bankruptcy, Debt Relief Orders (DRO) and Breathing Space.
Getting help
How we will support you
Calls and Webchat:
- Before you contact us for debt advice over the phone or chat it is best to have some information to hand on who you owe, how much you owe them plus your monthly income and expenditure. This will help our advisers to understand your situation and provide you with the best advice and support possible.
- You can find most of the information you need from recent letters from the people you owe (creditors), your bank statements or by logging on to your bank. We will use this information to work out a household budget for you, understand which payments you need to prioritise and explain all the solutions that are available to you.
- Once you have chosen your preferred solution, we can help you put that into place. For example, if your chosen solution is a debt relief order (DRO) because you cannot pay your debts, we can refer you into our team of skilled DRO Advisers for further support
DRO Process:
- We aim to send you a welcome email within 5 to 7 days of receipt of your referral requesting any further information needed from you to progress your case. At this time, we will carry out a series of checks to ensure that you remain eligible for a DRO and meet the insolvency criteria.
- Your case will then be passed to a qualified DRO Adviser who will email or phone you to ensure that a DRO is right for you by providing information on how a DRO affects you and what you must do to comply with the official receiver at the Insolvency Service.
- Once all checks have been satisfied, your DRO Adviser will then email you a copy of your draft application and arrange a telephone appointment with you to submit your application to the Insolvency Service, who will make the decision on whether to approve your application.
We’re here, whenever you’re ready.
How can we help you?
Many people face debt at some point. We offer free, confidential advice and practical help to reduce your financial stress.
Contact us
Contact us on: 0800 240 4420
Lines are open 9am to 8pm Monday to Friday and 9.30am to 1pm Saturday.
Lines are closed on bank holidays.
Calls from mobiles and landlines are free.
Relay UK – if you can’t hear or speak on the phone, you can type what you want to say: 18001 then 0800 240 4420
You can use our online web chat service 9am to 8pm Monday to Friday and 9.30am to 1pm Saturday using the button below:
Consumer
Our consumer team consists of two departments; General Consumer and Energy. We are here to support you whether you are a business or private individual and can help with any issues you may face relating to goods, services or energy.
Core Services
We are currently offering a multitude of different services to support the people of Staffordshire North and Stoke-on-Trent. This ranges from support around benefit issues, through to legal support, as well as much more.
Money Advice
We are a friendly, experienced team of debt advisors. All our advisors have been trained in line with the Money and Pensions Service’s requirements, so you can be sure that the advice you receive will be of high quality, impartial and tailored to your circumstances.
Outreach
We offer multiple outreach services to support you around Staffordshire North and Stoke-on-Trent, to ensure wherever you are you can receive support.
"Since using your service, I have felt so much better in myself … I didn’t know where else to go, now my issue is totally resolved. It’s like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders.”
Service User
The guy I spoke to was called Chris he was very thorough and listened to my problems with empathy, he gave me some information immediately but said he would check out some further advice and call me back, he rang me back within the hour and took the time to convey the information and explained things very well.
Thank you.
Telephone User
"I am very happy with the outcome I have managed to get from the trader and wanted to thank all involved."
Consumer User
"It's really wonderful you have someone to turn to, as I wouldn't pursue things without Citizens Advice help. Everything is difficult to do these days (forms/paperwork, especially). It is great to be seen by a friendly face and receive the help and information I need."
Service User
"I found the whole process of seeking advice to be simple and stress-free. The staff were pleasant and informative."