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Financial Inclusion Partnership

Many people, particularly those living on low income, cannot access mainstream financial products such as bank accounts and low cost loans.They are more likely to use the alternative credit market and pay higher levels of interest, leading to financial and social exclusion and poverty.

The West Midlands is one of the areas across the country with significant numbers of people who do not have access to mainstream financial advice, affordable credit or banking.

In order to tackle these problems Birmingham City Council established a Financial Inclusion Partnership to tackle the problem of financial exclusion by working in partnership with key organisations such as Citizens Advice Bureau, Consumer Credit Counselling Service, Trading Standards, Job Centre Plus, Credit Unions, Housing Associations, Banks and Utilities.

The aim of the Partnership is to improve financial inclusion in the city; in particular to promote a more co-ordinated, partnership approach to debt recovery, access to financial services, prevention of problem debt and the provision of money advice. The Financial Inclusion Partnership has coordinated the delivery of four related strands of work, which together form the cornerstones of Birmingham Financial Inclusion strategy addressing the needs of the four priority areas as highlighted below:

  • Financial Literacy Develop a programme of community education
    to support improved financial literacy.

  • Access to Financial Services Develop and implement a strategy to
    promote responsible borrowing, including increased access to
    appropriate banking and affordable credit including Credit Unions.

  • Money AdviceDevelop and implement a strategy to co-ordinate
    the provision of benefit/money advice across the city to ensure that
    resources are maximised and duplication avoided.

  • Debt Recovery Develop a corporate debt protocol.

The organisations within the partnership are working to encourage more people to use the range of services that are available across the City. Please use the headings above to navigate to each strand and associated web links, which may help and assist you.

The Partnership hopes that you find the information beneficial to you. If you have any comments or wish to request further information, please e-mail financialinclusionpartnership@birmingham.gov.uk or fill in the feedback form accessible from the menu. For more information on the partnership take a look at our newsletter attached below.

Jacqui Kennedy
Financial Inclusion Lead Officer
Birmingham City Council

Visit the Partnership's Money and Young People webpage for information on money and how you spend it, links to websites and interactive learning games.

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