London Debt Strategy Group

In the wake of the financial and economic crisis, London's free debt advice services have seen the demand for their help soar to unprecedented levels since 2008 as more and more people face unemployement and difficulties in accessing credit or dealing with their existing debt and creditors.

Based on the London Debt Summit and the report "Up to our neck in it" the London Debt Strategy Group was established by Toynbee Hall and the Deputy Mayor Richard Barnes to strategically and practically consider solutions to the problems facing Londoners in debt.

Bringing together a membership of key stakeholders and policy makers the group meets quarterly to address the issues confronting London's free debt advice services and their clients in the wake of the economic recession.

The data which the Debt Strategy Group bases its decisions on is collated in a unique collaboration by London's biggest providers of free debt advice such as Capitalise, the Citizens Advice Bureaux, the Legal Services Commission, Community Links and others. This provides the most up-to-date analysis of how debt advice services and clients are affected by the rapidly changing economic climate.

Below you can find relevant documents and presentations from past and current meetings of the London Debt Strategy Group:

Meeting in January 2010

Rising unemployment and London's debt advice services - DSG Presentation 2

Meeting in September 2009

The situation of debt advice clients in London - DSG Presentation 1