Debt hits hundreds of residents in Milton Keynes

Charity Citizens Advice raised concerns that more people have built up arrears in the last year due to the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

People who take out formal insolvency measures, such as bankruptcy or a voluntary arrangement to pay off their debt, are added to the Individual Insolvency Register – meaning they are formally in debt.

Insolvency Service data shows that 519 people fell into debt in Milton Keynes in 2019.

At the latest count, the insolvency rate for men was 25.7 per 10,000 adults, higher than the rate of 25.6 for women.

It contrasted with the picture across England and Wales as a whole, where the rate was higher for women – 27.8 – compared to 24.1 for men.

Of those that were in debt in Milton Keynes, 387 entered into an individual voluntary agreement with their creditors to pay off their debts, while 70 went bankrupt.

A further 62 people applied for a debt relief order, at a rate of 4.7 women per 10,000 adults compared to 1.4 men.

A debt relief order can be used by people who owe up to £20,000 and have no valuable assets. It allows those who cannot afford to pay their debt to stop paying them for a period, generally 12 months, after which the debt is written off.

Across England and Wales 121,900 people were insolvent in 2019 – equating to a rate of 27.8 insolvencies per 10,000 adults for women and 24.1 for men.

And Citizens Advice estimates that around one in seven people across the country has fallen behind on their bills during the pandemic.

A spokesman said: "The number of people Citizens Advice helps with debt is climbing as economic hardship worsens and protections for people unable to pay essential bills have weakened since the first lockdown.

"The Government should focus on council tax and rent arrears where the consequences for non-payment are most severe and the levels of debts are greatest."

Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson, director at the Women's Budget Group, said that nationally, women are at greater risk of experiencing poverty.

She said: "The reason a higher proportion of women were insolvent is because women do the majority of unpaid work, which means they have less time for paid work so they earn less, own less and are more likely to be poor.

"In particular, women are 90% of single parents who are particularly likely to be living in poverty."

She added that women were more likely to have been adversely affected by the pandemic because they were at greater risk of being furloughed or working in sectors badly hit by job losses, such as high street retail.