North of Scotland has highest debt in the country

The north of Scotland has the highest levels of debt in Scotland, according to debt charity StepChange.

According to the charity’s latest Scotland in the Red report, the north-east had the highest levels of debt with an average of £13,774, followed by the Highlands and Islands with £13,755.

The average debt of StepChange clients across Scotland was £12,677.

Sharon Bell, head of the charity, said: “Borrowing is growing rapidly and, for the first time since the economic crisis of 2008, the average amount of debt owed per StepChange client is also rising.

“If this continues, the social economic cost of personal debt will increase even further.

“This makes it all the more important that the Scottish Government commits to extending the Debt Arrangement Scheme to ensure that people with debts can have a fair chance of getting back on their feet.

“Scotland can pride itself on leading the way in the United Kingdom for helping people with debts – but we can and should do more to adapt to the changing nature of debt.”