A Northampton man who faced more than £41,000 in debt has described getting help from the Community Law Service as a “massive release” and is encouraging others in financial crisis to ask for support.
Sean Saunders, 47, built up significant debts after losing his job, suffering a family bereavement and experiencing anxiety and depression. He said he felt unable to manage the situation alone.
“I couldn’t have coped doing this on my own at that point because of what I was going through,” he said.
The charity successfully applied for a Debt Relief Order (DRO) on his behalf. A DRO is a simple form of insolvency for people on low incomes with few assets. Once approved, debts are frozen for 12 months and then written off.
“I did feel like the world had come off my shoulders once that was finally complete, so now it’s all hopefully onward and upward,” Mr Saunders added.
He has been living in temporary accommodation for two years and has recently started bidding for council homes. He said: “I think anyone who comes in, yes, they’re going to feel nervous at first, but within minutes you’re going to feel safe and fine.”
According to the Community Law Service, 90% of people it helped in court who were at risk of losing their homes had not sought advice before their hearing.
Chief Executive Sarah Hayle said: “Many of our clients have never been in financial difficulty before.
“Some are embarrassed to ask for help but we want to help and all our services are free so we are urging people to get in touch.”
A spokesperson for The One Stop Money Shop commented: “There is too much pressure on consumers today, with heavy advertising on social media for credit cards and loans – and it is so easy to get into a position of revolving credit, but practically no advertising on how to get out of it. It leaves consumers wracking up huge sums of debt that they cannot get out of. Options like Debt Relief Orders should be better advertised and more available to the general public.”
“The work of Community Law Service is so vital for people like Sean and thousands of others in the UK in similar positions.”
Recent analysis by the BBC found mortgage repossession orders in England and Wales reached 10,853 in 2024–25, the highest level in five years. Experts linked the rise to higher interest rates and the increased cost of living. Councils also reported that homelessness caused by mortgage repossession has doubled in the past two years.
Paul Shepherd, Debt Advice Manager at the charity, said: “I want to see somebody walk out of here knowing what’s going to happen and knowing that if they follow our advice, they are going to be either debt free through insolvency or they are going to be entering into an affordable repayment plan that they can actually maintain to bring the debt down.”
He warned that many people only seek help after receiving a bailiff letter, by which point extra court and enforcement costs have been added.
“A lot of the time with debt, if you can try and get some advice, perhaps even before you start to fall into difficulties and things, then it can not only make the process a lot less stressful, but it can save money.”
Article written by Jack Harris
