Advice please on paying off loan while on mat leave!

[cathcart]

I need to reduce my monthly outgoings while on mat leave and have just come into some inheritence. My main problem is my bank loan which I pay off at £210 a month.
Would it be better to pay a large chunk of my loan off which would bring my payments down to £140 a month(I've asked the bank) but keep the same time period (another 10 years , or would it be better to put the inheritence to one side and use it to pay off the £210 a month? I know that in the long term it would be better to pay off a lump and keep my monthly payments the same but I just can't afford that at the moment!
Sorry if this sounds thick but my mind is full of figures with trying to sort my whole finances out.
Any advice would be helpful Thanks!

How much is the inheritance? Is it a lump sum? How much is left to pay off the loan?

the inheritence is £5000, i still have £15000 to pay...

Speak to your bank and see if you can take a break from the payments. If you pay off a large chunk, they might let you... If you don't ask, you definitely won't get...

Well...do you know for certain what your wages/income will be when your maternity leave will end? Would you prefer no payments whilst your off, or reduced paymnets for the entire loan length...

To be honest I think that reducing the payments may well save you money over the term...but i haven't done the maths yet...

PS - paying off a large chunk will reduce the amount of interest you ultimately pay so you will end up paying less if you do this...

Have asked for a payment break but its a no-no, think you are probably right about paying the £5k off though - in one hand and straight out the other!
thanks for your input