Councils join together in fight payday lenders

Websites for payday lenders will be blocked at libraries across Yorkshire after six councils joined together to take action.
Kirklees Council leader Mehboob Kahn has joined the fight against payday lenders.Kirklees Council leader Mehboob Kahn has joined the fight against payday lenders.
Kirklees Council leader Mehboob Kahn has joined the fight against payday lenders.

Kirklees Council has joined Bradford, Calderdale, Leeds, Wakefield and York to try to protect vulnerable people from the sites.

The councils, which represent 2.4m residents and employ 67,000 employees, have blocked the websites of all known payday lenders from all council terminals – including those in libraries and face-to-face customer contact centres as well as all staff computers. It’s the single biggest initiative in the campaign against as predatory lenders.

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Anyone attempting to access payday lender websites will get a message to say that the site has been blocked.

Coun Mehboob Khan, Leader of Kirklees Council, said: “I am happy that we are taking this step to help prevent vulnerable people falling into debt through the use of payday lenders.

“Such debts cause serious problems for people who are trying to make ends meet and already suffering from the effects of the recession. It is only right that there should be more controls on the lenders.”