Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
Ahead of household energy bills rising by 4% from 1st October, Cornwall Insight have released new forecasts which suggest a bigger increase is on the way in the new year. The price cap is expected to rise by 16% compared to October, reaching £1,999 a year for a typical dual-fuel household¹ in January 2027, an…
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Citizens Advice has warned that while energy supplier customer service is slowly improving, suppliers must go further to support households ahead of a challenging winter. The charity’s latest Star Rating, covering April to June 2026, shows a small improvement across the board. The median score sits at 3.4 out of 5 – up from 3.26…
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Ofgem’s latest social obligations (debt and arrears) report has revealed that total domestic customer debt and arrears, across a period of more than 91 days, now top £5 billion among households in Britain. This marks a 4.8% increase from Q1 2026 and a 13% year-on-year increase. This comes as StepChange data further illustrates the pressures…
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A new IFS and LSE report, published as part of the IFS Green Budget and funded by the Nuffield Foundation, has suggested that the Government could ease cost-of-living pressures caused by high electricity prices by promoting time-varying electricity tariffs. The report says that. the Government should promote the take-up of contracts with time-varying electricity prices…
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New analysis from debt advice provider PayPlan has found that the average person seeking debt advice in 2026 is juggling 10 separate unsecured debts (such as credit cards, personal loans and overdrafts) totalling £22,717 – and is left with just £194 a month once essential living costs are met. The findings, drawn from 24,406 people…
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The Consumer Council for Water (CCW) has reported a significant escalation in customer complaints, with figures reaching a 20-year high. CCW’s latest annual household complaints report reveals that complaints from household customers escalated to the watchdog increased by 84% in 2025-26, up to 15,115 from 8,235 in the previous year. It marks the steepest year-on-year…
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More than 120 organisations, including Energy UK and Age UK, are urging the Government to remove policy levies embedded in energy bills. The organisations have signed a letter to the government warning that high electricity costs risk driving business closures and job losses, and exacerbating cost of living challenges, unless the government acts in the…
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Water, energy and broadband regulators should do more to fulfil their critical role in supporting consumers struggling to afford their bills. In a new report, following an inquiry informed by evidence from expert witnesses Martin Lewis, Citizens Advice and the Consumer Council for Water, the PAC lacks confidence that water regulator Ofwat, energy regulator Ofgem…
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Over 10 million households (37%) are worried about how they’ll afford their energy bills this winter, according to new research from Citizens Advice. With the latest energy price cap expected to drive bills up to a three-year high – fueled by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East – the charity warns that millions of…
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New research from StepChange Debt Charity has revealed growing concern about household finances, with millions of people worried about how they will cope as energy costs are expected to rise ahead of winter. The data shows that two in five (41%) British adults, equivalent to around 22 million people, expect their finances to worsen over…
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Energy regulator Ofgem has announced a 4% increase in the energy price cap for the period covering 1st October to 31st December 2026. The energy price cap protects around 22 million households on default tariffs by limiting the maximum rates and standing charges that energy suppliers can charge. It is updated every three months to…
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Latest figures from Energy UK show that domestic customer energy debt is likely to have hit a record £6 billion in the first half of this year and – with the price cap for October expected to be at a three year high which see energy debt reach £7 billion by the end of 2026. Energy UK had already warned about the growing debt problem earlier this year in a report, which revealed that the…
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Energy bills are forecast to rise by 4% from October, according to Cornwall Insight’s final forecast for the Default Tariff Cap (price cap). On a unit-for-unit basis, this would see bills rise to their highest level since July 2023. Under Ofgem’s new definition of a typical consumer introduced in July 2026, the annual cap is…
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