Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
Council tax bills across England and Wales are expected to rise by an average of 5% as local authority finances are further stretched. Debt charity, StepChange says this will exacerbate existing cost-of-living pressures as household budgets are forced to stretch further. The debt charity is warning that the expected rise in council tax rates will…
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The Enforcement Conduct Board (ECB) has announced new vulnerability standards for enforcement firms and agents. The Standards provide stronger protections for people in vulnerable situations. Over 7 million cases of unpaid debts are sent out for enforcement each year, with the industry recovering over a billion pounds, much of which is for the public purse. The ECB ensures that enforcement is done fairly,…
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The Government has announced that millions of people and businesses who owe money to the Government will benefit from more personalised and affordable repayment support under new plans to improve how debt owed to the public sector is managed. The 2026–2030 Government Debt Management Strategy outlines how departments will better use data and earlier engagement to help people who…
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The Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) new powers to reach further into citizens’ lives must be used effectively and proportionately. In a new report on benefit fraud and error, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) promises continued scrutiny of how the DWP will work to resolve the cases of carers wrongly pursued for overpayment debts,…
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The Enforcement Conduct Board (ECB) has published its first Insight Report, which presents new data on enforcement (bailiff) industry practices, drawing on evidence from its complaints handling service and oversight work. The data showed that the enforcement industry is handling over 7 million cases a year, impacting millions of people, with the industry sector collecting…
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The winners of the 2025 Credit & Collection Technology Awards have been announced following a live in-person event yesterday (Thursday 20th November) at the Midland Hotel in Manchester. The awards are the flagship event for innovative technological professionals working in credit and collections and the eighth annual event honoured the UK’s technological innovators, celebrating outstanding…
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The Government is being urged to act quickly to prevent delays in the County Court Bailiff system and changes to County Court policy that negatively impact the rented housing sector. The call comes as new research shows that the delays are affecting the supply of rental properties and costing landlords thousands of pounds, as well…
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Latest figures published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government show that council tax arrears have increased by over £600 million, with total debt reaching £6.6 billion, an increase of over 80 per cent since before the pandemic. The data reveals 400,000 more households fell into council tax arrears between 2022 and 2024, with 1.8…
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New research has found that the majority of the public opposes the welfare changes announced by the Government this year. Twice as many people feel the Government’s changes were the ‘wrong choice’ (54%) than the ‘right choice’ (26%). Over half (53%) of 2024 Labour voters felt that the Government had made the wrong choice, but…
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The winners of the 2025 Credit & Collection Industry Awards have been announced following a live in-person event yesterday (Thursday 22nd May) at the Milner Hotel in York There were eighteen winners (four of which were partnership wins) from the twenty awards categories, which were presented by awards compare’ Brennan Reece. The Credit & Collections…
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More than £1 billion in incorrect Universal Credit (UC) payments have been blocked by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in a drive to stop people falling into financial difficulties. The milestone was reached after a programme to review payments was ramped up last summer, with more than one million cases now looked at.…
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The annual cost of household bills has risen by £112 on average year-on-year, according to new research by Compare the Market. The research analyses the cost of energy, water, home insurance, motor insurance, and council tax. It reveals that the combined cost of these household bills has risen by 2% on average, compared to 12…
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The Chancellor of Duchy of Lancaster The Rt Hon Pat McFadden has announced that the Government will consult on council tax debt collection practices. This announcement comes as new StepChange polling revealed today finds that over eight in ten (84%) UK adults oppose households having to pay their annual council tax bill in full if…
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