Working in Partnership to Combat Financial Exclusion
Many people in Leicester, particularly those living on low incomes, cannot access mainstream financial products such as
bank accounts and low cost loans – and especially free face to face debt advice.
This financial exclusion imposes real costs on individuals and their families –
often the most vulnerable people in our society. It also has costs for the communities in which they live.
The
Community Law Service is at the forefront of a new initiative – the East Midlands Money Advice (EMMA) project –
that is designed to reduce debt and financial exclusion across the whole of the East Midlands region.
The
EMMA partnership has the primary objective of increasing the availability of free debt advice services across the East Midlands
region, targeting individuals who are excluded from mainstream financial services such as bank accounts and affordable credit.
It is one of sixteen national projects established under the Financial Inclusion Fund Face to Face Advice initiative. To date
the project funding has been used to recruit, train and deploy 50 new debt advisers across the region, making a significant
increase in capacity to the current level of debt advice services available.
With ongoing funding now confirmed up to March 2011, advisers employed under the EMMA Partnership
will be providing free face to face debt advice services to over 7,500 new clients each and every year.
More information about the East Midlands Money Advice initiative
can be found at www.emmapartnership.org.uk
