MOUNTING family debts and low incomes have been highlighted in a report by North Yorkshire County Council.

Representatives of the Citizens Advice Bureaux, voluntary organisations, welfare benefits units and the Legal Services Commission met the council to discuss the problem.

Hugh Williamson, the council's head of scrutiny and corporate performance, said: "The issue of unmanageable debt and financial exclusion is a major concern that blights the lives of so many of our people - individuals, families and whole communities."

He said the meeting had probed the level of concern in the community about the corrosive effects of debt, how the problem could be tackled, and whether there should be inter-agency strategies for helping to overcome money problems.

One answer, said Mr Williamson, was to set up credit unions, but that was difficult in rural areas because populations were scattered.

Support for people living on low incomes in North Yorkshire is more difficult than helping those with similar problems in the urban areas of south and West Yorkshire, he said.