Responding to the Recession

Taking action on the Recession has been recognised as a priority for the West Berkshire Partnership Board. Reports, monthly commentary and the Action Plan can be found on this page.

At the West Berkshire Partnership meeting held on 19^thFebruary 2009, the Board agreed that the Partnership would adopt the  Tackling the Economic Downturn Action Plan, endorsed by West Berkshire Council and part of its commitment to delivering the Sustainable Community Strategy.

If you are having money problems and want to speak to someone, you can ask your local Citizens Advice Bureau, Money Advice Unit or Housing Officer for help, or ring the National Debtline on 0808 808 4000. A Minicom facility for the deaf and hard of hearing is available on 0844 800 6778.

UK Insolvency Helpline

The UK Insolvency Helpline is a national telephone helpline for people with debt problems in England, Scotland and Wales. The service is free, confidential and independent. The service has existed since 1984 and was set up in conjunction with the credit industry. The service provides self-help advice to its callers and also produces written self-help packs and fact sheets to back this up. The service can also assist callers with the setting up of Debt Management Plans and Individual Voluntary Arrangements for England & Wales or Scotland.

Helpline: 0800 074 6918

TV Licensing

If you would like to spread the cost of your TV Licence, you can do so by setting up a Direct Debit, which lets you pay in manageable instalments of less than £12 a month or £35 a quarter. Or, if you prefer, you can use a cash payment plan, which lets you pay in even more manageable instalments of as little as £5.50 a week.

More information is available through visiting http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/and selecting "Ways to Pay".

If you have any questions about TV Licences, you can call 0844 800 6733.

Debt Advice Foundation

If you require advice on debt or need to talk to someone confidentially about your options, the Debt Advice Foundation's advisors are available Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm and Saturday 9am to 5pm on 0800 043 40 50. The Debt Advice Foundation, is a registered national debt advice charity (number 1095705).

More information on dealing with the economic downturn can be found on the Dealing with the Economic Downturn webpage on the West Berkshire Council website.