Life

So many people are struggling to survive and get out of debt

Anne Hailes

Anne Hailes

Anne is Northern Ireland's first lady of journalism, having worked in the media since she joined Ulster Television when she was 17. Her columns have been entertaining and informing Irish News readers for 25 years.

Advice NI is hosting a special screening of the new Ken Loach film I, Daniel Blake at Belfast's Dublin Road Movie House cinema on October 17 to mark its 21st birthday
Advice NI is hosting a special screening of the new Ken Loach film I, Daniel Blake at Belfast's Dublin Road Movie House cinema on October 17 to mark its 21st birthday Advice NI is hosting a special screening of the new Ken Loach film I, Daniel Blake at Belfast's Dublin Road Movie House cinema on October 17 to mark its 21st birthday

A 21st birthday is usually a time of celebration but in this case that’s not entirely so. According to Bob Stronge, CEO of citizens adevice organisation Advice NI, although issues are much the same as those in the mid-90s, the profile of people seeking help has changed.


Today people from every class and creed are in trouble, particularly when it comes to debt problems.

“Since the downturn in the economy in 2007/8 we’ve seen austerity hit more people in terms of wages not going as far and more people beginning to rely on tax credits but there’s even been cuts to that,” Bob says. “Families on low incomes are trying their best to survive but there just isn’t the money, people are becoming reliant on the state and we never had the need for food banks back in my day.

“Savings are at a very low ebb – to use an old cliché, only one pay cheque away from the dole and, for some, a couple of pay cheques away from losing their house. This goes up and down the social spectrum.”

Advice NI runs a business debt helpline and it is seeing a lot of small business people and lone traders who have spent personal money to keep their business afloat. Then they begin to borrow and when the business goes bust they go under too.

The celebratory aspect of Advice NI marking its 21st year in operation is that it has been able to help so many people during those years. Its centres see about 150,000 people each year, generally those who have lost employment, been made redundant or are on welfare benefits.

“And we haven’t even seen the welfare reforms come in yet,” says Bob. “From next month they’ll be reassessing 5,000 Disability Living Allowance claims every month for the next 18 months and it’s expected that 20 per cent of disabled people currently on DLA will no longer qualify or will receive a reduced entitlement – many of them having mental health problems. “The Personal Independent Payment which will replace DLA promises to be more stringent when examining the physical and mental conditions of those claiming.”

So is Bob, who has been with the charity for all of its 21 years, optimistic or otherwise about the future? He has no hesitation.

“Pessimistic. I’ve seen so many different schemes come and go and none of them really work. To be honest, we just don’t have enough jobs of the right sort and, on top of that, the system is so complex. The problem is the bureaucracy that people have to go through to claim. We monitored one claim and it took up to 80 days to be processed and it went through around 38 to 40 pairs of hands – we must streamline this.”

Given one wish what would it be?

“I’d abolish the social security system and I’d give every single adult a universal basic income, a certain amount of money for them and for their children and I would stop means testing people. It’s been tried out in places like Holland, parts of the US and Canada and there’s a growing call for it here.”

The question is, what as a society have we done over the last 21 years to improve our situation? Certainly Advice NI has done a lot and made a difference but it seems they are facing an every growing problem.

Advice NI was established in 1995 and to mark 21 years of helping the people of Northern Ireland, the new Ken Loach film, I, Daniel Blake – a good illustration of life for someone struggling on benefits, according to Bob – will be screened at Dublin Road Movie House on October 17 at 7pm. All proceeds go to the SOS Bus.

:: More at www.adviceni.net

A Craftsman To His Fingertips

It can be an interesting experience seeing someone you know out of context. A usually immaculate man, with a tape recorder under his arm and a notebook in his hand, the ultimate professional that was broadcaster Paddy O’Flaherty.

But when I saw him at work in his garage, big sweater, goggles, wood shavings flying and a banister spindle taking shape before my eyes, I saw another aspect of this craftsman who died so suddenly only days ago.

In fact he was just finishing off a model of R2D2 StarWars robot for his grandson and now Paddy’s son Roddy has asked the Men’s Shed colleagues to complete it.

Paddy was a valued member there and a founder member of the Ulster Chapter of the Irish Guild of Woodturners. 

He was also an artist and his painting of Hilden Mill in Lisburn featured on this year’s Men Sheds calendar.

I first met Paddy when I joined BBC Radio Ulster many moons ago. He was kind and supportive to this novice, just a word here and there, all kindly and relevant.

In more recent years we’d meet over lunch at Malone Golf Club as guest of Clem Shaw, an elderly gentleman with a love of butterflies and of Paddy.

The craic was good, with Paddy regaling us stories of people he’d interviewed down through the years, usually ending with a tall tale of his love of fishing.

I’m sad I was on holiday and couldn’t go to his funeral but his son Roddy painted me a picture of St Gerard’s on Belfast’s Antrim Road filled with people shocked at his sudden death and remembering with admiration the man with the golden voice.

“Clem had been on the phone to arrange another lunch but I told him dad wasn’t too good.” Sadly now that lunch won’t happen.

When his wife Brenda passed away 13 years ago, Paddy played a beautiful rendition of An Coulin on his violin, he was played out of St Gerard’s to his own recording of that piece.

According to Roddy, even when he went into hospital, he said: “I am a private man and when I die I’ll die a private man.” 

But without doubt a man well loved, and a man of many parts but always the true and kind professional. Rest in peace Paddy.