StepChange Scotland has revealed a rise in the proportion of people struggling to keep up with their energy bills, Council Tax and mortgage payments at the outset of 2025.
Data for the final quarter of 2024 showed over one in five (21%) of the charity’s clients who are paying a mortgage are in arrears, up from 14% in the same quarter of 2023.
A similar trend was seen for the proportion of clients in arrears with their Council Tax (36%), up by three percentage points year-on-year.
Meanwhile, the proportion of clients with electricity (35%) and gas (30%) arrears has increased by five percentage points each year-on-year.
Sharon Bell, head of StepChange Scotland, said: “Unfortunately, the new year can be particularly hard for people struggling with problem debt – Christmas puts a lot of pressure on our finances and January itself often proves to be an expensive month.
“This is a time when we see more people than usual coming to the charity seeking help with their finances.
“However, this January we’re also faced with a rise in the energy price cap and the same steep costs for rent, mortgage and council tax bills that have dominated the past few years.
“We’ve already started to see the proportion of clients coming to us with priority debts like energy and council tax creep up, so it’s important that both the Scottish and UK Governments ensure financially vulnerable households are properly supported.
“If you are worried about debt this January, or at any time, it’s never too soon to reach out for help.
“StepChange offers free and non-judgemental advice online, with expert advisors on hand to support over the phone.
“You don’t have to suffer in silence if you’re dealing with problem debt.”
