Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
Research from Indesser, a joint debt management venture between the Cabinet Office and TDX Group, shows 39% of people’s finances have been negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with Generation Zers feeling the sharpest impact (44%). The survey reveals the toll of the pandemic on people’s sense of financial stability, with 43% admitting they worry…
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Two thirds of the public think that vital public services, such as social care, are put at risk when people who can pay their council tax don’t, according to a new YouGov survey. Over 80 per cent of the public think that this would continue or get worse if local councils didn’t use bailiffs to recover…
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The Money Advice Trust, the charity that runs National Debtline and Business Debtline, has responded to new official figures that show £3.6 billion in council tax was owed before the Covid-19 outbreak, by urging central government to make changes to the way local authorities are able to collect council tax debt. The call comes as…
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CIVEA, the principal trade association representing over 95% of civil enforcement agencies in England and Wales, has released two new videos to help explain why the pending return to enforcement is both safe and fair. The animations are available now and are free to view by local authorities (LAs) and the general public on the…
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Universal Credit is ‘failing millions of people’ especially the vulnerable, according to a new report from the Lords’ Economic Affairs Committee which said it agreed with the government’s aim for the scheme to bring together multiple benefits into one payment. The Committee proposals for reform’, which calls on the Government to make substantial changes to…
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The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has set out new best practice guidance for firms to do more to protect vulnerable consumers. The second consultation is its revised guidance for firms on the fair treatment of customers in vulnerable circumstances, alongside new research on the experiences of vulnerable consumers. More than 24 million people display one…
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The Government must act to prevent council tax loading £158 million in bailiff and court fees on to people who can’t pay following the pandemic according to debt charity StepChange. Bailiff visits, often used to enforce debt owed to local authorities in the form of unpaid council tax, will start up again from 23rd August,…
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The Government has announced that it has launched a comprehensive new funding package for councils to help address coronavirus pressures and cover lost income during the pandemic. The government says that it has delivered an unprecedented package of support to councils over recent months, and councils in England will now receive a further £500 million…
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The UK’s three largest debt charities – Citizens Advice, Money Advice Trust and Stepchange – have today written to the Local Government Minister to call for urgent action on council tax. The charities are urging the government to implement simple measures that could protect millions of people from the prospect of spiralling council tax debt Following legislation…
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Qualco has been appointed to support the HM Government in the delivery of Crown Commercial Service’s (CCS) Debt Management Services (DMS) Framework for a fixed period of 30 months. The DMS Framework is a new government initiative that will offer all public sector organisations access to private sector debt management services. Framework users will gain…
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The Ministry of Justice has announced that it will allow enforcement visits to recommence from 24th August 2020. Responding to the announcement, debt charity StepChange says that it believes this is unsafe, and deeply troubling when compared with the more careful approaches being taken in other sectors where regulators are closely overseeing the practices of…
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Councils in deprived and affluent areas face serious financial risks from the COVID-19 crisis as incomes fall and costs grow. A new report from IFS researchers and funded by UK Research and Innovation says that the government has provided an additional £3.2 billion of general-purpose funding to English councils to help support them through the…
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New research has found that those working in leadership roles within the public sector are the least aware of new money laundering regulations. Money laundering costs UK businesses, citizens and the government upwards of £190 billion each year. In January 2020, in an effort to tackle the rising levels of fraud and eliminate money laundering,…
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