Plymouth tops list for most insolvencies in the UK as household debt soars
- Decade of low pay has driven working families deep into debt, says TUC
- Workers in the South West are £17,000 worse off than if real wages had stayed at 2008 levels
According to recent government figures, Plymouth Moorview has the worst rate of individual insolvencies in the country.
With a rate of 54.9 out of 10,000 adults, the area tops the list of all constituencies in England and Wales.
Plymouth Sutton and Devonport is not too far behind with a rate of 45.6 per 10,000 adults – the highest since records were first recorded in 2002.
Overall, individual insolvencies in the UK are at their highest level since 2010. More than 115,000 people across the country were pushed over the financial cliff edge in 2018. And with numbers already reaching over 93,000 in the first three quarters of 2019, TUC predicts this year will see even more people pushed to the financial brink.
Stagnating wages to blame
According to TUC analysis, a decade of low pay is the leading cause for pushing working families deep into the red.
Real wages in the South West still haven’t recovered to their 2008 levels – the longest pay squeeze in centuries. As a result, the average working person in the South West has lost £17,093 over the last 11 years as wages have not kept pace with rising inflation. Today, that’s £43.05 less per week for people who work in Plymouth.
Household debt has increased by a third since 2010 to a new record of £14,200.
Working people are being pushed to financial breaking point
Commenting on the debt crisis, Nigel Costley, TUC regional secretary of the South West said:
“We are reaching a crisis point. Wages have been plummeting for more than a decade, but the cost of living continues to go up.
It’s no wonder many households are turning to credit just to stay afloat. We all know that’s not sustainable in the long-run.
“But working people are being pushed to financial breaking point – and it’s not their fault.
“Working class families have had enough of a system that’s rigged in favour of the rich. People in Plymouth deserve better than rising debt and low-paid jobs on impossible hours that make it hard to see loved ones.
“Whatever they say, the Conservatives Party’s is all about keeping the wealthy rich at the expense of the hard-working families.”
- Insolvency statistics are taken from the Individual Insolvency Statistics by parliamentary constituencies and local area:
Individual insolvencies include debt relief orders, individual voluntary arrangements, and personal bankruptcy.
- The cumulative real wage loss is calculated using data from the 1997-2019 Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE). The analysis uses median weekly earnings excluding overtime, and calculates real earnings using April 2019 prices, as this is when ASHE data is collected. For each year since 2008, the real pay gap between the year and 2008 is found. The sum of these gaps for the years 2009 from 2019 gives us a cumulative figure, which is multiplied by 52 to give an annual figure.
To compare, we did the same calculations for the 11 years previous: 1997-2008. This is the same methodology but using 1997 as the start year. Wages grew strongly and consistently across this 11-year period. By 2008, the median South West employee was £30,935 better off than they would have been if real wages stayed at 1997 levels.
- Real terms wage loss per area statistics.
- Unsecured debt includes bank loans, payday loans, credit cards, store cards, purchase loans and student loans, but excludes mortgages. The figures are taken from the balance sheet for the household sector, and is taken comprising short-term loans issued by UK (NNRG) and overseas (NNRK) banks and building societies and other (i.e. non-mortgage) long-term lending issued by UK residents (NNRU). Data sources: UK Economic Accounts, table 6.1.11, Office for National Statistics. Household figures are based on the ONS projections issued 16 May 2019
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