Financial inclusion campaign thinks ahead to Christmas

Birmingham  City  Council is leading the way in a campaign aimed at
raising the  profile  of  community  credit  unions  for  those who
struggle to get mainstream loans.

The Financial Inclusion Partnership, led by the city council and
comprising housing associations, Citizens Advice Bureau, credit unions,
Department for Work  and  Pensions  and  other partners, is running the
campaign alongside BRMB.

Launching  on  Monday,  it  will  encourage people to text a message to
the radio station. Messages will then be passed onto the partnership
which will be  able  to  offer  appropriate  advice and put people in
touch with their local credit union.

Jacqui   Kennedy,  the  council  lead  on  financial  inclusion,
alongside Councillor Ayoub Khan, said: "We're starting this campaign now because soon people will start to think about Christmas and how they will be
able to pay for presents.

"To  get  a loan from a credit union you have to have been saving with
them for  a  minimum  of  13 weeks so it's important people start
thinking about this  now.  They  offer  competitive rates of interest
and accept low-level savings for those who just want to put away a small
amount.

"We  also  want  to show that credit unions are an important alternative
to mainstream  loan  companies,  particularly  for  people who struggle
to get credit from high street banks and building societies and may
otherwise fall into debt or become victims of loan sharks."

Those  interested  should text 'credit' and their postcode to 81156 and
the campaign will run for two weeks on BRMB.

For further information on the Financial Inclusion Partnership visit www.birmingham.gov.uk/financialinclusion

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