9,000 seek advice from bureau

Guernsey's Citizens' Advice Bureau is stepping up action to help islanders from running up debts.

Expert advisers at the bureau are currently renegotiating repayments on £5m to £7m-worth of unmanagable debt every year.

To avoid future problems, the bureau are taking their money-skills project into local schools in the hope that today's youngsters will not become tomorrow's debtors.

This week the bureau is reminding people in Guernsey and Alderney that free and condidential help on a wide range of problems is at hand. Every year, trained volunteers advise on nearly nine thousand issues.

So far this year the bureau has given advice on 185 employment contracts; 59 private leases; 19 claims for compensation for injury and 210 petty debt procedures. It also gave 129 clients information about writing a will and 74 asked about legal aid. (from CTV)