18 July 2008
The government has to step in and ensure that personal debt cannot get out of hand again in the future, a politician has claimed in response to new unemployment figures. Statistics for Wales released by the Office for National Statistics stated that 6,000 more people lost their jobs in June and that total jobless figures are 76,000, reports News Wales. MP for Cardiff Central and Liberal Democrat Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Jenny Willot suggested that the "economic reality" ought to be gleaned by those in power. For years people racked up personal debt - partly on personal loans - Ms Willot asserted and now this is beginning to have an impact. She commented: "Gordon Brown allowed both personal debt and house prices to spiral hopelessly out of control and now the hangover is starting to kick in." Moreover, the politician suggested, such an unstable economy could never cope with fresh problems such as the credit crunch. Debt problems in Devon are growing with over £2 million in arrears reported there in the past year, the Citizens Advice Bureau has said.