CAB reports surge in redundancy enquiries

Posted 18/06/2009

A growing number of people are seeking financial advice after losing their jobs, a charity group has revealed.

According to the Citizens Advice Bureau’s Northampton branch, 116 consumers made enquiries into dealing with redundancy during the first quarter of the year.

This is up from 41 between April and June 2008, and the group believes the issue of job losses is now dominating the work it does, reports the Northampton Chronicle.

Martin Lord, chief executive of the Northampton Citizens Advice Bureau, commented: “It doesn’t require both adults in a household becoming unemployed to tip the family into some sort of financial crisis.”

Local MP Brian Binley added that he fears that job losses will continue to take place “for quite some time”.

He stated that even if the economy does start to pick up next year, it is likely that redundancies will still occur.

Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat work and pensions spokesman Steve Webb has said he believes the government’s pledge to end high unemployment is “in tatters”.

He added that the recent rise in the number of people who have been out of work for at least six months is “most worrying”.