Repossessions soar

Dec 3 2008 by Sue McCann, Bromborough and Bebington News

ALARMING figures reveal the number of families in Birkenhead losing their homes has soared in the last year.

Repossession orders rose 59% between July and September compared to the same period last year, according to the Ministry of Justice.

Nationally, 11,300 homeowners were evicted in the third quarter of this year, although the real figure is higher when homes with personal loans secured against them are taken into account.

Alec McFadden, secretary of Mersey Advice Centre, Birkenhead, said the figures came as no surprise and called for the Government to do more to help.

He said: “Over the last 18 months we’ve seen a gradual decline in the quality of people’s lives and increasing numbers of people having their homes repossessed.

“The problems in Birkenhead have been worse and we do see more people from here than other parts of Wirral because it has the greatest amount of poverty and places like West Wirral are relatively affluent.

“The problem with repossession is that it doesn’t just affect adults. Kids often end up having to change schools - there are all sorts of social consequences.”

Mr McFadden, who is also president of Merseyside TUC, chaired a regional credit crisis conference at Wallasey Town Hall in September.

He said: “Welfare advisers said the biggest problem is that there isn’t sufficient money in the welfare benefits system.

“If someone loses their job and is at risk of losing their house you have to be unemployed for 39 weeks to get assistance.”

Mersey Advice Centre is at 4, St Anne Street, Birkenhead, and can be contacted on 666 1999.