Financial Inclusion Services

There is some good news hidden away in the business section of tonight’s Star. Financial Inclusion Services Yorkshire (FISY) have been awarded £18,000 from Barclay’s Bank. I am a member of Sheffield Credit Union, and you can see me here outside the office on the balcony by Castle Market. The Credit Union is an excellent way to save, and if you need a loan you can borrow much smaller amounts than the banks will lend you, at a much lower rate of interest. Many people in our area fall victim to loan sharks. These come in various guises- the old fashioned caller at the door who offers you cash in hand when you need it most, but then continues to demand repayments at ridiculous rates of interest- or the modern shop that looks totally legitimate, who encourage you to buy stuff you can’t really afford, and when you read the small print you realise that by the time you have finished paying for the goods you will have paid three or four times the value of the item. Please don’t do business with these people! If you need a loan and the bank can’t help you, Moneyline should be your first point of call- they will charge a higher rate of interest than the Credit Union, but much lower than the doorstep loan sharks. Even better, start saving a little bit each week with the Credit Union, then when you do need to borrow you will be able to access the lower rates of interest from the Credit Union.
Find out more about FISY here.

Good to see Vote Green posters going up around the ward. Thank you! If you haven’t got a poster but want one, please email me your address. No sign of any electoral activity from the other parties as yet. If you get a leaflet from one of the other parties please pass it on to me as they often miss my house out!