Advice Scotland

12/06/2024

We have published a briefing paper on Water and Sewage Charges in Scotland. A type of debt that is often overlooked.
We are calling for the to increase the relief available under the Water Charge Reduction Scheme. Download below 👇
https://www.advicescotland.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Dropping-the-Debt-Water-and-Sewage-Charges.pdf

11/04/2024

Since January: free advice and assistance to over 300 Scots on evictions/ repossessions/ bank/ wage arrestments. 7 days a week often at night.
20k+ visitors to our site.
Not to mention our social policy and campaigning work.
Public funding £0.00

Debt help, advice and information. Advice Scotland is a leading Scottish blog on getting help,advice and information on dealing with your debt.

02/04/2024

Tonight I spoke with Mike Dailly and John McGovern on The Ordinary Elite Podcast
https://open.spotify.com/episode/5BWfh3GyLzjyIXK396bu6N?si=frbBr1n6RNy6W3OS0UvrBw

Listen to this episode from The Ordinary Elite on Spotify. The Ordinary Elite is a Scottish podcast series brought to you from Glasgow by John McGovern and Mike Dailly. Both are Solicitor Advocates - John a criminal defence practitioner and Mike a civil litigation practitioner and social justice cam...

13/03/2024

Last year we carried out a survey on our website to hear the lived experience of our visitors in relation to wage arrestments. Here's what they told us 👇
Support Colin Smyth MSP amendment to the Bankruptcy and Diligence Bill to increase the Protected Minimum Amount to £1k a month

22/12/2023

The decision to cut the Fuel Poverty Fund is a mistake. All Councillors/MSPs/MPs need to sit up and take note. After April when their constituents get disconnected and are sitting in the cold, there may be literally nothing advice agencies can do

Matt Kerr Thursday, December 21, 2023 Fuel poverty cash axed in Scottish budget Deputy First Minister Shona Robison as she outlines the draft budget for 2024-25 in a statement to MSPs in the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh, December 19, 2023. × This is the last article you can read this month You ca...

21/12/2023

04/12/2023

Its a brutal fact that this weekend people will have went hungry and cold in Scotland and will this winter. Despite all the food bank and fuel bank provision, its limited and many have exhausted their entitlement already. There just isn't enough.

29/11/2023

As I pointed out to the Economy Committee of the Scottish Parliament, we don't know enough about what the new mental health moratorium being proposed by the Scottish Government will do. Therefore the announcement by the Scottish Government of a snap consultation and that draft regulations will be published before the new Bankruptcy and Diligence Bill is passed is to be welcomed.

07/11/2023

My article in this month's Journal of the Law Society of Scotland on how we need to re-examine how debts are recovered using the Law of Diligence.

Proposed diligence reforms fail to address basic questions around the private sector model, council tax debt and penal forms of recovery

27/10/2023

In this part of my evidence to the Economy Committee of the Scottish Parliament on the Bankruptcy and Diligence Bill I explain why there is no justification for preventing poor people using the Minimum Asset Bankruptcy Process again after 5 years and making them wait 10 years.

26/10/2023

I explained to the Economy Committee of the Scottish Parliament how the Minimum Protected Amount in wage arrestments has not held its value since 1987 and how even if we increase it to £1,000 from £655.83, its still only 60% of the National Minimum Wage

26/10/2023

My response to Maggie Chapman (MSP)'s question on whether I would support a mental health debt moratorium if it froze interest and charges