Credit Connect has published the annual 2026 Credit & Collections Industry Awards Review. The annual review highlights why the judges decided the winners at this year’s Industry Awards, which were announced in May in York. The review provides background and context for the award results, recognising companies for advancing industry standards and excellence. The review…
Read moreCouncil tax arrears in the UK have reached £9.3 billion after rising by £1 billion over the past year, a 12% increase. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government reported that England accounts for £7.4 billion of the total, with Scotland at £1.6 billion and Wales at £320 million. In the past five years,…
Read moreFraudsters and debtors who refuse to pay face tough new consequences, including direct deductions from bank accounts, as new laws come into force. People who have stopped receiving benefits but still refuse to repay money owed to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) could also be banned from driving under the new rules. The…
Read moreCredit Connect has announced its 2026 Industry Leaders list. The Leaders list was announced as part of the inaugural Industry Leaders Dinner at the Eastwood Hall in Nottingham, which is part of the Credit Connect Spring series event. The Spring event series also includes the Commercial Credit & Collections Conference, Credit & Collections Think Tank…
Read moreThe Credit Services Association (CSA) has set out ten challenges for how public sector recoveries and collections could evolve, to better support people in financial difficulty and improve outcomes for taxpayers. The new paper, published by the CSA, is titled ‘Ten key discussions in the debate around modernising public sector collections.’ The trade body for…
Read moreThe Government has announced that is it modernising rules around council tax debt collection, as the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government responded to their modernisation consultation. The Government announced that the timeframe before a person loses the right to pay in instalments will be extended from one missed payment to three, and at…
Read moreCredit Connect has announced the shortlist of companies and partnerships for this year’s third annual Credit & Collections Industry Awards. The finalists for this year’s awards consist of 108 entrants (whittled down from nearly 115 entries) from nearly 80 companies within the shortlist. There are over 20 partnership entries in the running to win across…
Read moreCouncil 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…
Read moreThe 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,…
Read moreThe 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…
Read moreThe 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,…
Read moreThe 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…
Read moreThe 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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