Picture: Daniel Forsyth. Image No.042131
AGENCIES within Moray are hoping to highlight what services are available to those who may be struggling to make ends meet. The agencies include Moray Foodbank, Rural Environmental Action Project (REAP), the Moray Council income maximisation team, the Moray Council financial inclusion team, Scottish Welfare Fund, Forres Area Credit Union, Christians Against Poverty, Moray CAB, the Department of Work and Pensions and Moray School Bank. The group are a subcommittee of the Fairer Moray Forum and is hoping to let people know where to go when their pay cheques do not stretch far enough and to raise awareness of the services that are available. One of the newest group helping tackle poverty is the income maximisation team at Moray Council. The team was set up in February 2017, jointly funded by both Moray Council and the European Social Fund. In the first 18 months of its existence, they have already have had 996 clients that they help by providing free and confidential advice with benefits, money or debt problems.
Norma Matheson, a benefits manager who is part of the team, said: “The income maximisation team is trying to help people at the first point of protocol and help people up front before it gets to the stage. “We help them deal with crisis situations, we help people to maximise their income so we look at the range of benefits that are available, which can be complex for people. Our staff do go and visit people in
their own home and see what they may be entitled to. “We also do personal budgeting, this is where we pick up where maybe somebody could be paying more on fuel than they need to, and we can also refer to other services within the council. “Because we can provide a home visiting service that works really well, especially for those who live in rural areas as they do feel isolated
and for some they cannot afford to come into Elgin for a meeting.” Another agency within the council which helps with advice for those in debts is the financial inclusion team. They can also negotiate payments with creditors at a lower amount and sometimes arrange payment breaks. As they are also approved advisers it means they can discuss statutory options such
as the Debt Arrangement Scheme (DAS) which is a formal payment plan where creditors must freeze interest and charges, and also bankruptcy. Another aim of the meeting was to also explore opportunities and to maximise resources that are already there. Lorna Creswell, chairwoman of the Forres Area Credit Union, is appealing for those who may need to borrow short loans to not use unethical loan sharks but to use the local credit union instead. Ms Creswell said: “You can join with a pound and then you own part of that co-operative, we cover Moray and Nairn and because we are based in Forres people don’t understand that we do cover the whole of Moray “We do have money to lend which is something we do have to tell our members about because it is a membership. “It is word of mouth trying to get people engaged with it.” Ms Creswell added that the credit union have been lobbying the government to look at unethical lenders as in certain cases it can lead the circumstances of people in debt becoming worse. To get in touch with income advice teams, call 0300 1234563 or to get in touch with the credit union phone (01309) 676735.