Personal insolvencies on the rise: Here's how many there were where you live

The latest breakdown by council areas shows the number of personal insolvencies in the county rose slightly from 1,312 in 2013 to 1,324 between 2013 and 2017.

In Bournemouth, the figure rose from 328 to 370.

Last year, it was revealed that the number of people in the UK facing insolvency was on course to reach its highest level for more than a decade by the end of 2019.

Duncan Swift, president of the insolvency and restructuring body R3, said then that the figures were a “worrying insight into the state of personal finances” and that low wage rises had left households vulnerable.

The 2017 figures, broken down by council ward, reveal insolvencies rose from 12 to 25 in the Winton East ward of the former Bournemouth council. They rose from five to 14 in East Southbourne and Tuckton, from 16 to 24 in Talbot and Branksome Woods and from 18 to 26 in West Southbourne.

In Poole, insolvencies fell from 242 to 221, but they rose from 24 to 30 in Newtown, 23 to 27 in Poole Town, from 12 to 18 in Penn Hill and from 20 to 23 in Parkstone.

There were sharp drops in insolvencies in Branksome West (from 19 to 10), Canford Heath West (15 to five) and Hamworthy East (15 to eight).

In Christchurch, insolvencies fell from 72 to 63 in the four years in question. In East Dorset, the number fell from 135 to 110, with a sharp Ferndown Central from 31 to 11,though the figure for Wimborne Minster rose from 10 to 15.

In North Dorset, insolvencies rose only slightly from 92 to 94 over, dropping sharply in Gillingham Town from 17 to nine and in Blandford Central from 13 to nine.

In Purbeck, insolvencies rose from 70 to 79. Swanage North saw its insolvency cases quadruple from two to eight, while Lulworth and Winfrith saw the number rise from two to seven. In Bere Regis the numbered doubled to eight.

Around half of the insolvency cases in most areas were individual voluntary arrangements (IVAs). IVAs involve the insolvent person offering a repayment plan, which usually sees them pay less than they owe. Such plans have to be backed by three quarters of creditors voting at a meeting.

The other two kinds of insolvency proceedings are debt relief orders and bankruptcy.

Bankruptcy has a long-term affect on a person’s life and disqualifies them from being a company director or borrowing more than £500 without telling the lender about their bankruptcy.

A debt relief order, for people with debts under £20,000 and few assets, prevent creditors recovering their money without permission from a court. The borrower is usually discharged from their debts after 12 months.

The full list for each area follows.

First comes the name of the council ward, as it existed before the local government shake-up of 2019, then the number of personal insolvencies in 2013 and 2017.

POOLE

• Alderney 12, 29
• Branksome East 13, 14
• Branksome West 19, 10
• Canford Cliffs 10, 5
• Canford Heath East 13, 10
• Canford Heath west 15, 5
• Creekmoor 14, 13
• Hamworthy East 15, 8
• Hamworthy East 19, 13
• Merley & Bearwood 12, 6
• Newtown 24, 30
• Oakdale 21, 10
• Parkstone 20, 23
• Penn Hill 12, 18
• Poole Town 23, 27

BOURNEMOUTH

• Boscombe East 19, 23
• Boscombe West 26, 28
• Central 18, 22
• East Cliff & Springbourne 26, 24
• East Southbourne & Tuckton 5, 14
• Kinson North 20, 17
• Kinson South 35, 38
• Littlewood & Iford 15, 11
• Moordown 14, 15
• Queens Park 21, 15
• Redhill & Northbourne 15, 11
• Strouden 23, 21
• Talbot & Branksome Woods 16, 24
• Throop & Muscliff 13, 14
• Wallisdown & Winton West 20, 14
• West Southbourne 18, 26
• Westbourne and West Cliff 12, 28
• Winton East 12, 25

CHRISTCHURCH

• Burton & Winkton 8, 8
• Grange 15, 19
• Jumpers 5, 7
• Mudeford & Friars Cliff 5, 4
• Portfield 15, 4
• Purewell & Stanpit 10, 11
• St Catherine’s & Hurn 2, 2
• Town Centre 4, 5
• West Highcliffe 4, 1
• North Highcliffe & Walkford 4, 2

EAST DORSET

• Alderholt 4, 7
• Ameysford 5, 1
• Colehill E 4, 6
• Colehill W 1, 1
• Corfe Mullen 17, 13
• Crane 1, 8
• Ferndown Central 31, 11
• Hampreston & Longham 5, 4
• Hadley Vale 4, 3
• Parley 8, 1
• St Leonards 5, 13
• Stour 6, 6
• Verwood East 10, 5
• Verwood West 11 6
• West Moors & Holt 13, 10
• Wimborne Minster 10, 15

NORTH DORSET

• Abbey 8, 5
• Blackmore 1, 6
• Blandford Central 13, 9
• Blandford Langton St Leonards 1, 4
• Blandford Old Town 7, 5
• Bulbarrow 2, 4
• Gillingham Rural 2, 1
• Gillingham Town 17, 9
• Hill Forts 6, 7
• Lower Tarrant 3, 0
• Lydden Vale 2, 5
• Motcombe and Bourton 3, 3
• Riversdale and Portman 5, 8
• Shaftesbury East 9, 10
• Shaftesbury West 5, 5
• Sturminster Newton 5, 8
• The Beacon 3, 1
• The Stours and Marnhull 0, 4

PURBECK

• Bere Regis 4, 8
• Castle 2, 2
• Creech Barrow 4, 1
• Langton 2, 2
• Lulworth & Winfrith 2, 7
• Lytchett Matravers 7, 3
• Lytchett Minster & Upton East 2, 9
• Lytchett Minster & Upton West 5, 5
• St Martin 6, 6
• Swanage North 2, 8
• Swanage South 9, 12
• Wareham 7, 8
• Wool 18, 8

WEST DORSET

• Beaminster 14, 5
• Bridport North 15, 19
• Bridport South 9, 7
• Broadmayne &Crossways 7, 6
• Broadwindsor 1, 3
• Burton Bradstock 4, 2
• Cerne Valley 15, 8
• Chickerell & Chesil Bank 11, 19
• Chideock & Symondsbury 1, 1
• Dorchester East 26, 16
• Dorchester North 25, 24
• Dorchester South 6, 3
• Dorchester West 13, 24
• Frome Valley 5, 9
• Lyme Regis & Charmouth 7, 13
• Maiden Newton 8, 7
• Netherbury 1, 2
• Piddle Valley 9, 4
• Puddletown 11, 4
• Queen Thorne 5, 3
• Sherborne East 14, 13
• Sherborne West 8, 12
• Winterborne St Martin 12, 8
• Yetminster & Cam Vale 5, 11

WEYMOUTH & PORTLAND

• Littlemoor 10, 13
• Melcombe Regis 21, 16
• Preston 9, 4
• Radipole 5, 5
• Tophill East 8, 4
• Tophill West 5m 14
• Underhill 13, 21
• Upwey & Broadwey 7, 12
• Westham East 9, 8
• Westham North 14, 11
• Westham West 10 3
• Wey Valley 5, 7
• Weymouth East 5, 14
• Weymouth West 12, 13
• Wyke Regis 8, 10