News Articles

Advice NI Calls for urgent action to combat digital exclusion and protect vulnerable communities.

Advice NI has said Northern Ireland must follow new Debt Relief Orders (DROs) rules applied this week in England and Wales – transformative measures for those facing the burden of debt. In his spring budget, the Chancellor announced the removal of the £90 administration fee associated with Debt Relief Orders (DROs) and increased the maximum debt threshold from £30,000 to £50,000 – whilst also increasing the allowable value of retained motor vehicles from £2,000 to £4,000 - across England and Wales.

Advice NI is seeking to recruit volunteers from rural communities to deliver on a LINK funded project. As part of LINK's access to cash activities, LINK wishes to support and encourage digital inclusion in the UK, including through initiatives with selected groups and individuals.

Advice NI have partnered with SENAC to deliver a tailored Digital Skills programme for parents of children with additional needs.

Northern Ireland has the highest rate of non-internet users on these islands at 14.7% (Office of National Statistics, 2021. Digital 2021: Ireland).

Advice NI, in partnership with the Special Educational Needs Advice Centre (SENAC), plan to support carers of children with learning difficulties to become more digitally included enabling them to engage with policy and decision makers and to access their rights and entitlements. Funded by the Department of Health, this project will support carers to learn the digital skills to go online safely and to access their rights and entitlements. We will be sharing more updates on this project in our next edition of Advice Matters.

In November 2017, the Northern Ireland Bankruptcy Legislation change and one of these changes meant that a creditor cannot apply to petition a client for personal bankruptcy if the debt is under £5k.

The Open Banking initiative commences on 13th January 2018 and was created by the Competition and Marketing Authority, who identified many customers are paying more than they should for their banking activities.
 

My monthly goals are set for the New Year before Big Ben chimes on New Year’s Eve.  Typically, I set small achievable goals for different areas in my life, so I see small results and I don’t fail by first week in February.  I still like you, assist clients set goals with budgets every day

Michael Lyttle explains how the impact of recession, welfare reform, spending cuts and unemployment is severely effecting the already disadvantaged members of society that we serve. Michael explains some superb Apex initiatives. 

Financial Capability refers to our ability to manage money well day to day, prepare for and manage life events, and deal with financial difficulties. It also focuses on our financial skills and knowledge as well as our attitudes and motivation.

Sometimes useful and sometimes harmful for individuals with short term cash flow issues...... overdrafts explained in a little detail.