Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
Organisations that work with homeless people and give housing support to vulnerable are to benefit from £1.65 million of Scottish Government grant funding. The Housing Sector Voluntary Grant Scheme helps third sector organisations to deliver housing-related projects and services. The 2017/18 allocation will benefit 17 different organisations whose work includes helping older and disabled people…
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The government’s plans for a fresh round of welfare cuts, dubbed ‘Bedroom Tax 2’, threatens to undermine housebuilding projects, increase homelessness, and weaken public sector finances across Scotland, it has been claimed. According to The Herald, payments to help tenants meet their social housing costs will be capped by the UK government for the first time with…
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Scottish students are leaving university with an average debt of more than £10,000 after a 42% rise in borrowing over the past decade, new figures have shown. Recent years have seen a major spike in debt levels as ongoing austerity leaves many students struggling to make ends meet. The Scottish Government insists that debt levels…
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Debt of more than £11.5 million owed to Aberdeen City Council has been written off. The debt relates to 5 years of debt which exact amount is of £11,593,956. The figure relates to uncollectable debt the council has decided not to pursue. It includes council tax, business rates, community charge, housing benefit overpayment and service…
Read moreThe level of outstanding fines in Northern Ireland is “exceptionally high”, according to the Northern Ireland Audit Office. Kieran Donnelly, comptroller and auditor general, reported to the Northern Ireland Assembly on the results of his audit of the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service (NICTS) Trust Statement for 2015-16. The Trust Statement records the collection of…
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Target Group has announced the signing of a new two year contract with the DVLA using their payments collection system. In 2014, Target and the DVLA introduced a newly automated system, which provided consumers with an alternative method of paying their vehicle tax. The payments solution was delivered in 18 weeks and supported the DVLA…
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Universal Credit has caused a 20% rise in rent arrears from East Lothian Council tenants in just three months since it was introduced, a report has found. The report shows that the change to Universal Credit has seen rent arrears rise by £242,000.The net year on year increase, calculated at 12 %, or £157,000, has almost…
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The average rent arrears of a tenant receiving Universal Credit is almost five times the average of those not in receipt of the welfare payment, according to new research. Data provider Housemark carried out a detailed analysis of benchmarking data submitted by its members to examine the impact of changes in welfare benefits on social…
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Millions of households could see their council tax bill increased by almost 4%, after it was revealed nine out of 10 local authorities are planning to increase the charge. A quarter of the 152 top councils in England were surveyed and it was found that 95% intend to increase bills for 2017/2018 by between 3.9%…
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A new study from Citizens Advice reveals the challenges faced by “just about managing families” and says many of the problems are ‘fixable’. The report is based on new analysis of the problems faced by the 700,000 working people helped by Citizens Advice between October 2015 and September 2016. It identifies the most common challenges…
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Councils spent £933m servicing debt owed to the UK Government through loans in the last financial year, according to the political party Scottish Green. Local authorities in Scotland owe a further £8.97 billion to the UK Government through a series of loans. The Scottish Green party published a report into local government debt which highlights…
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Debt collection agency Advanced Collection Systems (ACS) has received support from Innovate UK, the UK’s Innovation Agency and executive arm of the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), to develop and launch an intelligent software solution with the goal of changing the debt recovery model used throughout the sector. The project will be…
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The Treasury should review lessons learned from the sale of former Northern Rock assets and ensure these are shared across government, the Committee of Public Accounts has said. In a new Report, the Committee concludes there are “many positives” from the sale but identifies areas for improvement, “particularly during the preparation phase”. The Committee recommends…
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