Background to the East London Debt Strategic Partnership
Why does debt and financial exclusion matter?
It is now widely recognised that debt and financial exclusion causes problems to individuals, communities, the public sector and the wider economy.
People on low incomes face different problems to those that get into debt through 'life events' such as losing their job or relationship breakdown. Being in debt can in turn trigger further problems with health or re-offending and in some cases can lead to court action, homelessness or even imprisonment - potentially causing a cycle of social exclusion for individuals and the communities they live in.
East London as an area contains many of the highest levels of deprivation and excluded communities in the country.
About the Partnership
The East London Debt Strategic Partnership (ELDSP) was established in 2002. It evolved out of work carried out by local Community Legal Service Partnerships with a desire to tackle the high levels of interlinking problems caused by debt in East London.
The Partnership has grown from working in three boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Newham and Waltham Forest to include all seven East London boroughs. It is a highly proactive and high profile Partnership, bringing together a number of stakeholders who have an interest in tackling debt or financial exclusion such as:
the legal advice sector - community advice providers, Citizens Advice Bureaux and Law Centres plus solicitors in private practice
various departments of local authorities
regeneration initiatives such as Sure Start or Early Start and New Deal for Communities areas
financial inclusion initiatives such as Credit Unions
statutory organisations such as Jobcentre Plus and the Pensions Service
funders and policy-makers of advice services such as the Legal Services Commission and the Association of London Government
Our aims
to co-ordinate the planning, development, funding and delivery of a range of services that will reduce indebtedness
to increase the scope and access to a network of high quality information, education, advice and appropriate financial services
to increase levels of social and financial inclusion in East London
How do we deliver our aims?
The Partnership does this in many ways:
researching the need for local services and producing strategies that will lead to measurable improvements in provision
working together to develop and secure resources for new sub-regional projects
informing each others' planning and service delivery to aid co-ordinated access for service users
promoting access and take-up of national resources
endorsing and promoting adoption of good practice, for example in debt prevention and collection methods
Partnership action and achievements
The Partnership researched and produced a long-term East London Debt Strategy in 2002. ELFI was established in 2004 to deliver many of the key recommendations in this strategy, particularly in relation to promoting education, early intervention and debt prevention.
In the lifetime of the Partnership, partner organisations, particularly independent advice providers and Citizens Advice Bureaux working individually or collectively, have developed over 35 new local projects or services in East London that contribute towards better meeting the needs of individuals and communities.
These new services encompass a wide and innovative spectrum including:
financial education and money management
promoting access to basic bank accounts and savings initiatives
benefit take-up and income maximisation projects
debt counselling
community-based advice outreach for vulnerable and hard to reach groups
advice outreach alongside statutory services
affordable credit initiatives, such as Credit Unions
Money advice outreach
Specialist Legal Help provision in Debt, Welfare Benefits and Housing plus Housing Duty Possession Schemes at County Courts
Terms of Reference
Download the Partnership's
Terms of Reference (downloadable pdf, size approx 120 Kb).
The Terms of Reference contains further details of our structures and membership. It also contains our conflicts of interest policy and details of who to contact if you have a complaint or grievance with ELFI or the East London Debt Strategic Partnership.
Strategy Update
Download the
Debt Strategy Update Report 2004 (pdf, size approx 760 Kb).
The Strategy Update Report contains details of our research into unmet needs, maps local provision and initiatives and outlines our priorities for future work.
We will be producing our next strategy by March 2007.
Partnership structures
ELFI co-ordinates and supports the work of the Partnership. The Partnership has a Steering Group which meets at least four times a year.
Current membership of the Steering Group
Legal advice sector
Barking & Dagenham CAB
Bow County Court Advice Scheme
Community Links
East End CAB
Edwards Duthie Solicitors
Hackney Community Law Centre
Hackney Information & Advice Consortium
Havering CAB
Hoxton Legal Advice Trust
Island Advice Centre
Leytonstone CAB
Redbridge CAB
Walthamstow CAB
Financial inclusion initiatives
ELFI
Services Against Financial Exclusion (SAFE)
Local authorities
London Borough of Barking & Dagenham
London Borough of Hackney
London Borough of Havering
London Borough of Newham
London Borough of Redbridge
London Borough of Tower Hamlets
London Borough of Waltham Forest
Statutory organisations and funders
Jobcentre Plus
HM Revenue and Customs
Legal Services Commission (London)
Pensions Service
Chair, Vice-Chair and partnership governance
The Steering Group's Chair is Ros Dillon from the London Borough of Newham's Social Regeneration Unit.
Our Vice-Chair is Jo Ellis from Island Advice Centre, an independent advice provider in Tower Hamlets.
The Partnership's Executive Committee comprises of the Chair and Vice-Chair plus:
Hackney representative: Nicholas McShee, London Borough of Hackney
Waltham Forest representative: Andy Munton, Leytonstone CAB
Full details are provided in our Terms of Reference.
Steering Group meetings are facilitated by ELFI's Director.
Links to the wider sector and stakeholders
Partners maintain two-way communication and links with other structures and other parts of the sector in a variety of ways, for example:
Local Strategic Partnerships
Community Legal Service Partnerships in Tower Hamlets, Newham, Barking & Dagenham and Havering
Advice Provider Fora in Hackney and Waltham Forest
the regional Financial Inclusion Forum co-ordinated by SAFE
Are you interested in getting involved?
If you are interested to find out more about the East London Debt Strategic Partnership or you are keen to establish links to some of the organisations involved, please contact the ELFI team - we will be happy to provide you with more information or put you in touch with relevant contacts.
If you are specifically interested in the work of the Steering Group, please contact the
ELFI Director.
Full contact details for the team are provided in the About Us/Contact Team section of this website.