THOUSANDS of people in Hampshire are involved in insolvency proceedings after they became unable to pay their debts, figures reveal.

The latest breakdown by council areas shows the number of individual insolvencies in Southampton rose from 344 in 2013 to 385 in 2017.

Winchester, the New Forest and Test Valley also saw rises.

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, show personal insolvency rose from 22 to 34 over four years in Southampton’s Bevois ward, from 18 to 24 in Bitterne Park, from 18 to 34 in Sholing and from 28 to 43 in Woolston.

Redbridge saw a sharp decline in such insolvencies from 48 to 23, while in Swaythling the figure dropped from 28 to 18.

In Winchester, individual insolvencies rose from 125 to 160 over the period. They rose from eight to 25 in the St Luke ward and from eight to 19 in Southwick and Wickham.

In the New Forest, the figure rose for 239 to 264, with individual insolvencies doubling to 30 in Holbury and North Blackfield but falling in many other areas.

Eastleigh saw the figure drop from 210 to 192, with significant falls in Eastleigh Central, Eastleigh South and West End South, where the number dropped from 23 to nine.

Gosport’s figure fell from 187 to 171 and Fareham from 171 to 137.

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, prevents 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 then the number of personal insolvencies in 2013 and 2017.

SOUTHAMPTON

  • Bargate 6, 4
  • Bassett 7, 17
  • Bevois 22, 34
  • Bitterne 39, 41
  • Bitterne Park 18, 24
  • Coxford 23, 25
  • Freemantle 16, 22
  • Harefield 22, 24
  • Millbrook 26, 24
  • Peartree 16, 25
  • Portswood 12, 9
  • Redbridge 48, 23
  • Shirley 15, 18
  • Sholing 18, 34
  • Swaythling 28, 18
  • Woolston 28, 43

WINCHESTER

  • Alresford and Itchen Valley 10, 8
  • Badger Farm and Oliver’s Battery 6, 6
  • Bishop’s Waltham 7, 16
  • Central Meon Valley 10, 10
  • Colden Common and Twyford 4, 4
  • Denmead 6, 10
  • St Barnabas 4, 8
  • St Bartholomew 20, 12
  • St Luke 8, 25
  • St Michael 14, 11
  • St Paul 7, 4
  • Southwick and Wickham 8, 19
  • The Worthys 6, 8
  • Upper Meon Valley 6, 9
  • Whiteley and Shedfield 4, 4
  • Wonston and Micheldever 5, 6

EASTLEIGH

  • Bishopstoke 3, 2
  • Botley 4, 13
  • Bursledon & Hound North 16, 14
  • Chandler’s Ford 9, 12
  • Eastleigh Central 33, 27
  • Eastleigh North 20, 19
  • Eastleigh South 25, 20
  • Fair Oak & Horton Heath 11, 10
  • Hamble & Netley 23, 19
  • Hedge End North 18, 19
  • Hedge End South 15, 16
  • Hiltingbury 7, 4
  • West End North 3, 8
  • West End South 23, 9

GOSPORT

  • Alverstoke 2, 2
  • Anglesey 2, 4
  • Bridgemary North 12, 9
  • Bridgemary South 13, 5
  • Brockhurst 7, 10
  • Christchurch 10, 13
  • Elson 8, 5
  • Forton 23, 10
  • Grange 18, 27
  • Hardway 6 6
  • Lee East 8, 14
  • Lee West 6, 5
  • Leesland 17, 20
  • Peel Common 8, 5
  • Privett 9, 9
  • Rowner & Holbrook 19, 13
  • Town 19, 14

FAREHAM

  • Fareham East 8, 12
  • Fareham North 13, 11
  • Fareham North-West 21, 11
  • Fareham South 14, 25
  • Fareham West 11, 5
  • Hill Head 4, 7
  • Locks Heath 10, 7
  • Park Gate 18, 11
  • Portchester East 18, 17
  • Portchester West 6, 3
  • Sarisbury 10, 7
  • Stubbington 10, 8
  • Titchfield 25, 14
  • Titchfield Common 4, 7
  • Warsash 5, 8

NEW FOREST

  • Ashurst, Copythorne South and Netley Marsh 4, 2
  • Barton 5, 5
  • Bashley 7, 3
  • Becton 2, 4
  • Boldre and Sway 1, 3
  • Bramshaw, Copythorne North and Minstead 3, 0
  • Bransgore and Burley 4, 5
  • Brockenhurst and Forest South East 7
  • Buckland 16, 8
  • Butts Ash and Dibden Purlieu 6, 2
  • Dibden and Hythe East 6, 4
  • Downlands and Forest 2, 3
  • Fawley, Blackfield and Langley 8, 12
  • Fernhill 14, 10
  • Fordingbridge 9, 9
  • Forest North West 2, 1
  • Furzedown and Hardley 3, 12
  • Holbury and North Blackfield 15, 30
  • Hordle 6, 7
  • Hythe West & Langdown 14, 15
  • Lymington Town 5, 7
  • Lyndhurst 5, 7
  • Marchwood 8, 11
  • Milford 5, 1
  • Milton 14, 7
  • Pennington 13, 28
  • Ringwood East and Sopley 1, 5
  • Ringwood North 7, 8
  • Ringwood South 9, 10
  • Totton Central 7, 1
  • Totton East 8, 13
  • Totton North 13, 10
  • Totton South 3, 6
  • Totton West 7, 8

TEST VALLEY

  • Abbey 10, 7
  • Amport 2, 3
  • Alamein 22, 31
  • Ampfield & Braishfield 0, 1
  • Anna 1, 9
  • Blackwater 7, 9
  • Broughton and Stockbridge 2, 6
  • Charlton 2, 0
  • Chilton, Nursling and Rownhams 10, 6
  • Cupernham 4, 6
  • Dun Valley 6, 4
  • Harewood 0
  • Harroway 15, 8
  • Kings Somborne and Michelmersh 0, 2
  • Millway 4, 5
  • North Baddesley 10, 7
  • Over Wallop 2, 3
  • Penton Bellinger 1, 5
  • Romsey Extra 6, 10
  • Tadburn 9, 4
  • St Mary’s 19, 25
  • Winton 17, 7
  • Valley Park 2, 5