New research commissioned by Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) has found that almost half of people in Scotland have run out of money before payday since Covid-19 restrictions began.
The YouGov poll for CAS reveals that 18 per cent of people running out of money before payday had no financial difficulties before restrictions began but are now facing issues.
A further 12 per cent did have difficulty before restrictions and now those problems are worse.
The research also revealed only 5 per cent of people who were in financial difficulty before restrictions began have seen their circumstances improve.
In response, CAS has launched a new online ‘Money Map’ tool to help people who have taken a Covid hit to their finances.
The unique tool can be found at www.moneymap.scot and brings together all the options on how people can improve their incomes and cut their living costs through issues such as housing, benefits and energy bills and directs them to online sites where they can access these options.
CAS Financial Health spokesperson Myles Fitt said: “The coronavirus pandemic has meant a period of huge economic uncertainty for people across the country.
“Restrictions have been essential to defeat the virus, and frankly these figures would be even worse without a range of responses from policy makers like furlough, financial protections, payment breaks, and increased use of the Scottish Welfare Fund and Council Tax Reduction.”
Mr Fitt assed that there’s a “real risk Covid will push substantial amounts of people into debt and destitution.”
He continued: “That’s why Citizens Advice Scotland is launching our Money Map tool, which brings under one roof all the helpful online advice and options that is out there for people who are feeling the squeeze on their finances. The tool is for anyone and everyone impacted financially by the virus and it covers a whole range of opportunities to increase income, cut costs and get in control of personal and household finances.”
People can still access advice from their local Citizens Advice office through telephone or email. In some cases with vulnerable clients where no other form of advice is possible, some offices will offer socially distanced face to face advice, find out more here.
The Money Map tool is hosted at www.moneymap.scot.
