Eastbourne MP urges council to adopt toolkit to help victims of financial abuse
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Mrs Ansell made the plea following a visit to the charity Money Advice Plus (MAP) at its base in Terminus Road with the Cabinet Office minister Jeremy Quin.
The pair visited MAP and met with the charity Surviving Economic Abuse (SEA) to discuss the toolkit they have helped develop.
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Hide AdThe toolkit will be used throughout government to explain best practices when working with people who may be suffering from economic abuse.
Mrs Ansell said: “I would like to thank both MAP and SEA for the tremendous work they have done to create this toolkit, it has been inspired by the many heart-breaking stories they have heard and the lives they have been able to turn around with this more informed approach.
“Economic abuse is a big problem as 16 per cent of adults in the UK (8.7 million people) say they have experienced it. The abuse can manifest in different ways from creating financial dependency by withholding money and access to passwords and account correspondence, using your name to raise loans and make benefit claims, or forcing you to blind sign documents. Too often the perpetrators’ behaviour is subtle enough that the victim may not even recognise it as coercion.
“This toolkit has the capacity to help bring about important change. I’m proud these lead national charities are based in Eastbourne and EBC should be one of the early adopters.”
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Hide AdThe government said the toolkit will help ensure the public sector plays a key role in identifying and supporting people who have experienced, or may be experiencing, economic abuse.
EBC said: “The council welcomes the work being done by MAP and has previously awarded a grant to them to help support residents impacted by the cost of living crisis.
“Economic abuse is a serious issue and one our officers are alive to. We will speak to MAP to see how we can further enhance the way we identify signs of economic abuse.
“The toolkit is an interesting new development and our officers will review its effectiveness in the context of the specialist work done by council teams in this area.”