"Now Let's Talk Money"
Date posted: 13th November

Above: New Progress's Welfare Benefits Adviser

New Progress recently hosted a Financial Inclusion forum meeting for Lancashire Registered Social Landlords, arranged by the "Now Let's Talk Money" Campaign Manager, Ciara Morrison.

The Now Let's Talk Money campaign is designed to raise awareness of initiatives to promote financial inclusion - how to get access to basic bank accounts, credit unions, sources of loans that are cheaper than doorstep lenders, free face to face debt advice, as well as budgeting advice and how to save money.

Typically people who need such services are also tenants of Registered Social Landlords because of their low incomes and high reliance on benefit income.

Attendee, Franco Barnowski, New Progress' Welfare Benefits Adviser, said: "It was a great opportunity to meet people from other RSLs and organisations such as local councils, CAB, and the NLTM campaign, and to share ideas and good practice about what we can do to raise the access of our tenants to services that they often fail to get simply because of where they live or because of their low income. It was also good to see that a lot of what we already do, or are about to do, does try to improve access to such services.

This includes arranging free debt advice via CAB and Preston City Council Debt Advice, promoting loans for financially excluded people via Preston Moneyline, and in the near future acting as introducers to Barclays basic bank accounts." It's hoped that future meetings will include agencies such as a credit union and Preston Moneyline. (Click on the link to view Preston Moneyline's external website, please note this is a seperate website.)

To learn more about benefits advice from New Progress click here.

Back to Latest News