I'm struggling and need advice

In this section...

• Bank Accounts
• Budgeting

Bank Accounts

If you are a Wakefield and District Housing (WDH) tenant, or if you live on a low income in Wakefield there's never been a better time to apply for a bank account.

We have arranged for our partners, White Rose Credit Union and Royal Bank of Scotland (which now owns NatWest), to provide access to current and basic bank accounts to meet your needs, even if you haven't been able to get a bank account in the past.

White Rose Credit Union current bank account

White Rose Credit Union (WRCU) is offering all our tenants the opportunity to open a current bank account and be able to take out affordable loans.

We have just signed up our first tenant to pay rent by direct debit from a WRCU bank account. Until then, this Hemsworth tenant did not have access to a bank account and paid all his bills in cash. Along with all the other benefits, opening a bank account with the credit union means he can pay his utility bills (gas, electricity and water) by direct debit, which will save him over £200 a year.

We will be sending leaflets to tenants soon with more information about WRCU current accounts and low-cost loans.

You can find White Rose Credit Union branches at:

For details about WRCU current accounts, or affordable low-interest loans:

• Contact White Rose Credit Union, email ask:ted using our interactive form or speak to your local Service Access Point (SAP).

NatWest "Step" Account

You'll soon be able to open a basic bank account at your local SAP – or even in the comfort of your own home!

Our employees are trained to open NatWest "step" bank accounts, a basic bank account without borrowing facilities, for tenants at local service access points. They'll be able to go through all the paperwork with you, so you won’t need to visit the bank directly.

We are talking with NatWest to see if it will be possible to open bank accounts with tenants at their own homes.

You can find NatWest branches at:

Budgeting

The best way to stay out of debt, or plan repayments if you're already in debt, is to work out a personal budget and stick to it. A budget will help you to work out how much spare cash you actually have.

A good way to begin is by using an online budget calculator. Just type in your regular bills (for example, rent and council tax) and the calculator will then work out your budget for you.

• Use ask:ted's free Budget calculator.
• Download the budget planner(PDF, 20k) and fill it in by hand. This might be useful if you want to keep a record of what you spend on different things.
• Read a guide to creating a personal budget and managing your money on the DirectGov website.
• Check out Face2Face with Finance, a Royal Bank of Scotland website with tips and tools for budgeting.