The Consumer Credit Counselling Service (CCCS) is a registered charity in the United Kingdom which has has followed the creditor funded American model of debt counselling. CCCS is currently the largest debt advice charity in the UK, and is funded entirely by the credit industry. Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Credit counseling (known in the United Kingdom as debt counselling) is a process offering education to consumers about how to avoid incurring debts that cannot be repaid. ...

The stated purpose of the organisation is to assist people who are in financial difficulty by providing free advice and debt management plans to assist individuals with managing unsecured debts. CCCS receives between 10% and 12% voluntary monthly contributions from the credit industry for the services provided. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

The trustees of the charity include Christopher Leslie. The chairman is Malcolm Hurlston who is often quoted in the media on debt issues. Other trustees are Jeremy Burton, Doug Ross, Ann Robinson, Gordon Beesley. The Chief Executive of the charity is Gordon Bell. Christopher Michael Leslie (28 June 1972) is a British politician. ...

History

The charity was started in 1993 with funding from Registry Trust Ltd, Barclaycard and GE Consumer Finance. Vic Ware OBE and Malcolm Hurlston introduced CCCS to the UK as a pilot scheme based in Leeds.[1][2] Leeds is a major city in West Yorkshire, England. ...

In 1996, new centres opened in Nottingham, Birmingham and Cardiff. The introduction of counselling over the telephone proved to be a success and allowed expansion of their services to continue throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s at a relatively low cost. Nottingham is a city (and county town of Nottinghamshire) in the East Midlands of England. ... unga bunga This article is about the English city. ... Cardiff (English:  Welsh: ) is the capital, largest and core city of Wales. ...

The charity has also worked with the Community Channel who filmed 'Unsecured'. This short TV film which first aired in 2005 dealt with a former CCCS client who became a counsellor and her experiences with debt. The story was based on a play shown at the National Theatre as part of the "Headline" series. This play was written by Gregory Burke. Community Channel Community Channel broadcasts across the UK on digital cable (NTL and Telewest) and digital terrestrial television (Freeview), and also both the UK and Republic of Ireland on digital satellite television (Sky). ... Several countries have a National Theatre. ...

Location

The charity's head office is based in Leeds, England. There are also centres in London, Glasgow, Cardiff, Newcastle, Birmingham, Chester, Halifax, Eastbourne, Nottingham and Limavady, Northern Ireland. The Chairman is based in London and also has an office there. Leeds is a major city in West Yorkshire, England. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the King (Queen) England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Unified  -  by Athelstan 967 AD  Area  -  Total 130,395 km²  50,346 sq mi  Population  -  2006 estimate... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Glaswegian redirects here. ... Cardiff (English:  Welsh: ) is the capital, largest and core city of Wales. ... This article is about a city in the United Kingdom. ... unga bunga This article is about the English city. ... For the larger local government district, see Chester City (district). ... Halifax is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England, with a population of about 82,000. ... Shown within East Sussex Geography Status: Borough Region: South East England Historic County: Sussex Admin. ... Nottingham is a city (and county town of Nottinghamshire) in the East Midlands of England. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 55. ... Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom lying in the northeast of the island of Ireland, covering 5,459 square miles (14,139 km², about a sixth of the islands total area). ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ...

Recent Developments

In 2006, CCCS provided in-depth counselling sessions to over 73,000 people, repaid £140.3 million to lenders, set up 35,135 debt management plans, and answered 293,000 calls on the freephone helpline. The average unsecured debt levels of a CCCS client in 2006 was £31,370. In 2006, the charity introduced personal online counselling called CCCS Debt Remedy which is believed to be the only service of its kind in the world.^{[citation needed]}

In April 2007, the charity opened CCCS Voluntary Arrangements (CCCSVA). CCCSVA is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Foundation for Credit Counselling [3], which runs the Consumer Credit Counselling Service. It will covenant its profits to the Foundation.

CCCSVA will serve the percentage of CCCS counselling clients for whom an IVA is one of the best solutions. CCCSVA is based in Leeds, yards away from the headquarters of the Foundation for Credit Counselling. In the United Kingdom, Individual Voluntary Arrangements (IVAs) are a formal alternative for individuals wishing to avoid bankruptcy. ...

This year CCCS expects to carry out 150,000 counselling sessions.

External links

• Consumer Credit Counselling Service
• CCCS Debt Remedy (online debt counselling)