The Observer - 11.08.2019

• The Observer
  Cash 11.08.19 57

development, the standards were

launched recently. The MMHPI is

now running a pilot with Lloyds

Bank, assessing all of its personal

banking products.

Mortgages, credit cards, loans,

overdrafts and more are all being

measured against the standards to

see how easy it is for customers to get

access to and manage their products.

At the end of the pilot, Undy hopes,

the standards will be rolled out

more widely.

This is only the start when it

comes to improving essential ser-

vices. Earlier this year, research from

Citizens Advice found that mentally

ill people pay on average £1,110 to

£1,550 more for services per year,

largely because of the so-called “loy-

alty penalty” – the cost of not shop-

ping around for different products.

This is partly an accessibility issue

• people practically struggling to
  switch. But if you are in a desperate
  situation, Undy points out, switch-
  ing your contents insurance “is really
  not top of your priority list”. Firms
  need to ensure people are not being
  penalised.
  Debt charity StepChange is also
  campaigning for a comprehensive
  system of support for those strug-
  gling with distressing life events –
  this, they argue, could prevent people
  from getting into fi nancial problems
  to begin with.
  After 20 years struggling with debt,
  Dickens’ credit rating has returned
  to normal, though money “still gives
  him anxiety”.
  He fi rmly believes that essential
  services should be doing more to sup-
  port people with mental health prob-
  lems. As the accessibility standards
  suggest, he wants to see staff prop-
  erly trained in mental health prob-
  lems and how they can manifest, and
  for fi rms to advertise more promi-
  nently the features they have in place
  for support.
  “And they need to understand that
  mental illness can be disabling – that
  it can physically stop you from act-
  ing,” he says. “They need to treat peo-
  ple like people.”

Under the ‘club’ scheme tenants, many

of them vulnerable, had no rights.

mediation company. Diarmaid Ward,

Islington Council’s executive mem-

ber for housing and development,

said: “This is a major victory for pri-

vate tenants, not just in Islington but

right across the country. Our deter-

mined trading standards team has

led to a landmark prosecution send-

ing a clear message – simply chang-

ing a few words in the paperwork

does not put you above the law.”

In March, Lifestyle Club LSC was

fi ned £22,299 and its director Tiina

Lehtla separately fi ned £7,983.33 in

a court case brought by neighbour-

ing Camden Council.

The company was found guilty of

ignoring a statutory requirement to

supply the council with details of the

property management and the ten-

ancy contracts for two unlicensed,

unsafe multi-occupancy homes in

London.

In his summing up, the judge

accused the defendants of put-

ting safety at risk to maximise reve-

nue. “They did not apply for licences

in the hope of avoiding an inspec-

tion, which would have resulted in

expense to bring the properties up

to standard,” he said. “The tenants

were from abroad and the most in

need. They were given ‘member-

ship’ agreements instead of tenancy

agreements in an attempt to curtail

their rights.

“The obstruction of the local

authority, by not returning the stat-

utory notices, was deliberate, and a

commercial decision to try and frus-

trate the investigation by environ-

mental health offi cers.”

Lifestyle Club Ltd went into vol-

untary liquidation in February and

Lifestyle Club LSC faces being struck

off the Companies House register.

‘There are so many pin numbers,

secret names, passwords. Many

people are essentially locked out’

Helen Undy, MMHPI

Andrew Dickens

was caught in

a circle of debt

when his mental

health issues

prevented him

dealing with his

problems.

Photograph by

Dan Wilton/the

Obvserver

One in three people regularly

worries about money to the

extent that it has a negative

impact on their mental health.

Th is has prompted charities

and consumer groups to urge

those in debt to seek help early in

order to avoid a downward spiral

in their health.

Debt is often a major factor for

those suff ering with stress and

anxiety, and the two issues can

feed into each other, creating a

vicious cycle.

National Debtline says one in

seven callers cites mental health

problems as the reason they got

into debt.

However, many wait for up

to a year before contacting the

relevant services, making their

problem worse.

Talking through the problem

with a family member, debt

adviser or work colleague can

often be the turning point.

Getting help early

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