At a time of banking bail-outs and bankruptcies it's tempting to quote Gordon Gecko from the 1980s film Wall Street who said: "The most valuable commodity I know of is information."

A lack of information eventually brought about his downfall, but unlike the fictional Mr Gecko, we have access to many free and independent information resources and are not relying on industrial espionage!

Losing your job?

In times of economic uncertainty firms operating in the United Kingdom still have to follow strict rules about how they remove people from their workforce.

In particular, if an organisation wishes to make employees redundant they have to show that the job (not the employee) is no longer required, and that it was not reasonable to offer the employee another position in the organisation.

As always there are exceptions and caveats, so it is important to receive independent information as soon as you find yourself in this position.

The ACAS website describes the rights and obligations of both employees and employers, as does the TUC Worksmart website.

Both sites can tell you how redundancy selection should occur, if you are entitled to any redundancy payments, and how to enforce your rights if necessary.

Employment advice is available from all Citizens Advice Bureaux (CABx) in North West Wales, although how you contact them depends on where you live. Face-to-face advice is available from the Bangor-based Intercultural Skills Link, and the contact details for both organisations are shown below.

Getting into debt?

The loss of your job is one obvious cause of debt, although there are many others. It's important to remember the law is there to prosecute those who will not pay, not those who cannot pay, so it'is essential to get advice as soon as you know there's a problem.

Most advice agencies follow debt management guidelines developed by the Money Advice Trust which are on the National Debtline website.

Amongst other things, these will help you develop a realistic budget for essential living expenses, identify which debts are priorities (eg. rent or mortgage arrears), and which debts may be renegotiated.

Advice agencies can also assist in dealing with debt collectors (who have no legal powers) and bailiffs (who can only enter your property or remove possessions after you have been taken to court).

Again the Citizens Advice Bureau provides debt advice in all its bureaux. As debt is also a cause of homelessness, the housing charity Shelter provides face-to-face advice based in Bangor Job centre. This service is open to everyone (not just those with housing problems) and contact details are provided below.

Having housing problems?

Housing issues are often the most distressing as you may be living in unsuitable accommodation or you may be in danger of losing your home. If you're renting your home your rights are very dependent on the type of lease you have. It doesn't matter if you don't have a written contract, but the type of lease will determine how easy it is to remove you.

Conversely your lease may give you many rights, but may also make it relatively easy to remove you if you try to enforce them. Home owners who are in danger of eviction are actually dealing with a complex debt situation and need specialist advice. Whatever the situation it is critical that you get accurate information before you make a decision!

The housing charity Shelter provides both initial and specialist housing advice. Citizens advice bureaux can provide similar services, as can the Intercultural skills link in Bangor.

And finally?

I've touched on three topics where people may need free independent advice, but there are of course many other questions that can occur. The AdviceNow website is a good place to start looking, as is the Citizens Advice AdviceGuide website. The legal services commission also provide general legal advice on their Community Legal Advice website.

Contact details

Generalist face-to-face advice can be obtained from the Intercultural Skills Link in Bangor. No appointment is needed and the current opening times can be found at www.ahthomas.co.uk

Similarly, no appointment's needed for the Bangor-based Shelter Debt Advice service. For opening times call 01248 671005 between 10am and 2pm Monday to Friday. Housing advice can be arranged by calling the same number.

In North West Wales some Citizens Advice Bureaux operate a telephone service whilst others operate a face-to-face drop-in service. The Citizens Advice website will give you up to date information on services near you.
By Adrian Thomas