“Municipal debt relief shoot increasingly fall ‘- AD.nl

By: editorial
14-5-15 – 08:19 Source: Reuters

Research: municipalities handle heavy exclusion criteria

© Photo Archive ANP.

Many people with financial problems are not adequately helped. That’s because of the severe criteria include that they must meet to qualify for debt relief verening by strict criteria that municipalities before handling but also by the behavior and motivation of the individuals themselves.

State Secretary for Social Affairs and Employment Jetta Klijnsma © ANP.

This is contained in a study by the University of Utrecht in collaboration with the NVVK, the association for debt and social banking. According to State Secretary Jetta Klijnsma (Social Affairs), the microphone of the NIS, should anyone be viewed individually in a municipality knocks. Klijnsma advises people who are not helped to go to the city council or the ombudsman.

Exclusion criteria
According to the researchers, many municipalities have the debt in recent years designed and have them (temporary) exclusion criteria included. For example, people who have no income or are registered as self-employed excluded from the Chamber of Commerce. Even people who are doing a rather relying on debt relief or an unrounded separation ineligible. In addition, many municipalities have also started screening for motivation and skills. It is concluded in the report that the policy should be modified and that debtors need intensive support to increase their motivation to maintain the trajectory.

Figures from the NVVK over 2013 shows that in our country when 89,000 filings were for debt and in 2012 84,500. The average debt increased during the year from 33,500 euros to 37,700 euros.

Joke de Kock NVVK speaks of improper grounds on which people are excluded from debt relief. Many other problems are as precisely from its financial problems. Thus, once again causing problems in the family or health.
The research examined the policy criteria of 34 municipalities. Also questioned his debt counselors and debtors.

The site of the NIS says the Association of Dutch Municipalities (VNG) that the intention is viewed by all people who apply for debt relief from case to case, what the municipality can do. Whether this happens in practice, the VNG do not know, said the NIS.