Financial Problems

Whether you’ve come straight from 6th form or are studying on a part-time basis whilst also trying to work, money is always a problem. It’s about learning to budget for your expenditure and balancing the amount of money you spend on rent, fees or bills with the amount that you spend on socialising.

The Student Union Advice Centre has a wide range of leaflets from different agencies explaining how to create a budget, what to do if you get into debt and balancing your workload with part-time employment. If you need any information about the changes in Higher Education and Tuition Fees then there’s information to pick up and read.

You could book a meeting with one of the Advice Workers to talk about whether you should be paying Council Tax or your legal rights in regards to debt. Just pop into the Student Union Advice Centre and see what’s on offer to aid you in balancing your budget. In addition to the Advice Workers, the Welfare Officer, Ruth Stone, is available to discuss financial problems with you at su.welfare@uea.ac.uk

Some Useful Contacts

Come to the Student Union Advice Centre for general leaflets and/or to book an appointment with an Advice Worker. Here are some links and numbers to contact for further advice on specific issues:

Credit action – 0800 138 1111
(Freephone number, advice on struggling with debt and money problems)
www.creditaction.org.uk

National Debtline – 0808 8084000
(Freephone number, Free, independent advice on all money issues)
www.nationaldebtline.co.uk

Community Legal Service Direct – 0845 345 4 345
(Free legal advice on a range of financial issues)
www.clsdirect.org.uk

Consumer Credit Counselling Service – 0800 138 1111
(Step by step assessment of your needs. Free service provided by the charity)
www.cccs.co.uk

Energy Watch – 0845 9060708
(For problems with both gas and electricity companies)
www.energywatch.org.uk

Ofcom – 0845 456 3000
(For problems with communications companies)
www.oftel.gov.uk

Office of Fair Trading – 0845 7224 499
(For problems with credit, loans and hire purchase)
www.oft.gov.uk