Kent County Council has run a pilot financial education programme with a view to rolling out the service to all its 46,000-strong workforce.

The seminars, held in Maidstone, were conducted by the Financial Services Authority and were attended by about 160 council staff.

The council held the seminars to provide staff with the information to make the right financial decisions and to help them alleviate stress caused by money problems.

Jane Vivier, reward adviser at the council, said: “Even though there is a credit crunch and debt may be an issue for employees going forward, we didn’t want to play it that way to staff. We wanted to give them the tools and information to make positive decisions about making the most of their money.”

Following the pilot in June, 98% of attendees felt their understanding of money matters had improved and 86% said they intended to take positive action on their personal finances.

As a result, the council is investigating the possibility of carrying out financial education on a larger scale later in the
year for its employees throughout the county.

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