Quarter of south-east will struggle to afford Christmas - survey

Almost one in four (24%) people in the south-east of England will struggle to afford Christmas this year, data has revealed.

Vikki Brownridge, the chief executive of debt counselling charity StepChange, says the public "feel pressured" to spend money at Christmas time.

"This can encourage people to spend more than they can afford," she said.

Their survey found that 7% of people in the region will have to borrow on credit to cover their festive costs.

"Against a backdrop of almost two years of high inflation, it's very likely that relying too heavily on credit at Christmas could lead to debt problems in the New Year," Ms Brownridge said.

"Many adverts around this time of year imply that spending is the way to create a happy Christmas, but in reality, people would prefer their loved ones to be free from financial worries and problem debt.

"We would urge those who are thinking about borrowing to cover festive costs to always carefully consider whether those credit repayments will be comfortably affordable when the New Year comes around."

Across England, Scotland and Wales, 75% of people cited the higher cost of living as the need to rely on credit to fund their Christmas this year.

The charity revealed that January 2023 was their busiest month for more than two years, with a 32% rise in demand compared to the previous January.

The number of people going through debt advice at StepChange has risen by more than 10% year on year, the YouGov poll revealed.

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