Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
New figures released by the Consumer Council for Water (CCW) reveal that complaints escalated to the watchdog by household customers in England and Wales rose for the third year running, up 3% to 8,235 in 2024-25 from 7,977 in 2023-24 – the highest level in nine years. This was despite a more encouraging 8% fall in…
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The number of customers falling behind on their electricity bills with no repayment plan in place has more than tripled from 300,000 in 2012 to over one million at the end of 2024, with the number of customers falling behind on their gas bill also tripling from 300,000 to 900,000 over this period according to…
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Ofwat has announced the appointments of Chris Walters as its new interim Chief Executive and Helen Campbell as the new interim Executive Director, Delivery. Walters was previously the Senior Director for the Price Review, and Campbell was previously Senior Director for Sector Performance at Ofwat. In his role as interim Chief Executive, Walters will provide…
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Gas and electricity prices will rise by 2% for millions of households under the latest cap announced by energy regulator Ofgem. The energy price cap will rise by £35 per year for a typical household from October. While the rise is small, it underscores the fact that energy costs remain stubbornly high. With energy debt…
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Cornwall Insight has published its final October price cap forecast, predicting a 1% increase in energy costs. The forecast for the October–December 2025 predicts the cap will rise to £1,737 a year for a typical dual fuel household2 this winter. This would represent an increase of £17 and 1% from the current price cap which…
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Average energy arrears among people seeking debt advice from StepChange Scotland have surged by 42% year on year, leaping from £2,464 in the first half of 2024 to £3,499 in the first half of 2025. This sharp increase raises serious concerns about the ability of households to heat their homes this winter while repaying built…
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The Government has issued a reminder to eligible households encouraged to check they are named on their electricity bill to automatically benefit from the Warm Home Discount this winter. Millions could save £150 on their electricity bills this winter. Every household where the billpayer receives an eligible means-tested benefit will now be in line for…
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Water regulator, Ofwat has announced that Chief Executive Officer (CEO) David Black is stepping down at the end of the month. The news follows the Defra announcement that Ofwat is to be transferred into a new, integrated water regulator. Black will be standing down at the end of August with an interim appointment will be…
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The Government has announced that Ofwat will be abolished and will b e replaced by one single water regulator responsible for the entire water system. In a speech at Kingfisher Wharf, the Secretary of State for the Environment, Steve Reed pledged to strengthen regulation, clean up the country’s s rivers and protect the public from…
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The system of regulating water companies needs “a complete overhaul” as the sector hikes customer bills to expand failing infrastructure and tackle pollution, according to a new report by the Government’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC). The report says that the water system has been left to sink for too long, with hikes in customer bills…
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Ofgem has ordered Octopus Energy to pay £1.5 million in refunds and compensation, after an investigation found thousands of errors on prepayment meter bills. An investigation by the energy regulator, has found that ver 34,000 prepayment meter customer accounts with Octopus between 2016 and October 2023 did not receive final bills within six weeks, as…
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Cornwall Insight has forecasted that the energy price cap will fall to £1,698 a year for a typical dual fuel consumer in October. Thi is £22 lower than the July 2025 cap of £1,720 and a slight decrease on the prediction released in May. Although a drop of just 1%, the forecast offers some relief…
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Rising energy prices over the last two decades have squeezed incomes for low-and-middle income families and contributed to a ‘comfort crunch’ as more of their budgets are spent on household essentials, according to new Resolution Foundation research. The report notes that non-housing essentials – food and drink, utility bills, clothing and footwear, childcare, and road,…
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