Rochdale Borough Council

​​​​​​​​​​​Manage your money

Use the internet for the best deals for your fuel and other bills. Find money advice at:

• The Money Advice Service - has tools for you to budget and plan your money.

Improve your skills

Local training providers offer courses to help you improve your money management skills along with the skills you need for a job. Getting a job is the best way of preventing the impact of the benefit cuts. See our jobs and training page.

Start saving money now

Saving money, even a little each week, is the best way to help you deal with unexpected problems. 

• Start saving today with Manchester Credit Union
• Contact your bank for help setting up a savings account
  

Financial help in an emergency

If the unexpected happens and you suddenly find yourself in difficulties you may get help through the Discretionary Crisis Fund.

If you need to borrow money, make sure you do this at an affordable rate. Good deals for people living and working in the Rochdale borough are available from Manchester Credit Union.

Don't use loan sharks, they're illegal moneylenders who often charge very high interest rates. Find out more about spotting or reporting loan sharks.

Don't get into debt you can’t manage. Too much debt can cause problems in the long term so take care when thinking about a loan. Make sure that you can afford to keep up the repayments and that the interest rate is affordable.

Take the Money Advice Service debt test to find out how likely you are to have problems with your borrowing over the next year or so.

Fair For Yo​u is a ​registered charity that helps people from lower income families gain access to affordable credit to purchase goods for the home.​ You buy directly from the manufacturer and take out a loan from Fair For You, t​hen pay later in weekly, fortnightly or​ monthly instalments.

​​​​Get help - talk to someone

Contact local or national organisations for money, benefits and debt advice. 

Free training for unemployed adults

View the many local training organisations who offer free accredited training to unemployed adults.

Ways to save money

• Your Lin​​k4Life - a card scheme which enables you​ to save money on a wide range of sport and leisure activities at Link4Life centres across the borough of Rochdale.​
• Reduce your fuel bi​​l​​​​​ls - energy-savin​g improvements can reduce your energy bills, heating costs and make your home more energy efficient.
•  Check if you qualify for a FREE or discounted boiler and insulation - you need to be on certain​ benefits and own your​ home or rent from a private landlord​.​​​
• ​Help with improvements and repairs to your home​ - find out if you're eligible for help towards the cost of your home.
• FREE use of computers and internet access in all our libraries - computers are equipped with word processing and spreadsheet programs. Printing is available at a small charge.

Things to do (and see) in Rochdale - on a budget

• Things to do in Rochdale - read our list if you're not sure what you want to do.
• Things to know about Rochdale - ​​​​the Rochdale borough has a rich heritage.