Working from home could add £131 a month to energy bills

1st September 2022 Consumer Collections | #energy bill

Employees will pay an extra £131 a month in energy costs to work from home this autumn, meaning that those who spend less than £30 on their weekly commute could save money by going to their workplace according to new analysis from Uswitch.com. A typical household will run up a £363 monthly bill for gas…

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Energy price cap rises to £3,549 – industry reaction

26th August 2022 Consumer Collections | #energy

Ofgem has announced the energy price cap will increase to £3,549 per year for dual fuel for an average household from 1st October 2022. The increase is up 80% from the current cap of £1,971, and up 178% from the £1,277 cap in March this year. The price cap increase comes as Ofgem’s CEO warns…

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Money Statistics: August 2022

26th August 2022 Arrears and Recoveries |

Here is an overview of The Money Charity’s latest statistics for August 2022 Personal debt in the UK People in the UK owed £1,805.7 billion at the end of June 2022. The average total debt per household, including mortgages, was £64,970 and per adult was £34,140, around 108.4% of average earnings. Net mortgage lending rose by…

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Debt advice company sees increase 450% rise in support enquiries

MoneyPlus Advice, a Manchester-based debt advice firm offering help to people struggling with unmanageable debt says they are seeing startling data for just how much cost of living is influencing debt enquires. Between 2020 and 2022, customers citing ‘cost of living’ as their reason for seeking debt advice, increased by 450%. A sharp increase of…

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Elderly widows set to endure fuel poverty even after energy costs help

 New analysis by consultants LCP of detailed data on household spending patterns suggests that many elderly widows and those on pension credit were already at high risk of living in fuel poverty even before the surge in energy bills in recent years.  Even if the government comes up with additional help to cover increased bills,…

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October price cap rise will leave 13 million in arrears

18th August 2022 Arrears and Recoveries | #energy

New analysis from Citizens Advice has indicated that one in four (24%) people won’t be able to afford to pay their energy bills in October based on current forecasts. This is double the number already in the red ahead of the price cap rise. The figure could jump to one in three(34%) people in January…

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Government needs £12bn to maintain value of household support package

The Government would need to find £12 billion simply to achieve what it was aiming to do with the £24 billion package announced in May according to new analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), funded by the Nuffield Foundation as part of the forthcoming IFS Green Budget. The analysis says that the figures…

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Energy bills will cost two months’ wages next year

New analysis published by the TUC has shown that energy bills are now expected to cost more than two months of average take-home pay in 2023 – without government intervention. Average take-home pay (after tax) will be £2,054 per month in 2023 based on Bank of England forecasts, so at £4,108, two months’ pay will…

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Mortgage arrears customer figures continue to fall

The total number of customers in arrears with their mortgages continued to fall in the second quarter of 2022 according to latest UK Finance data. In absolute terms there were 530 more possessions in Q2 2022 compared with the same period last year, however the total for this quarter is approximately half the number seen…

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Energy price cap forecasted to rise to £4,266 in January

10th August 2022 Consumer Collections | #energy

Energy bills for a typical household could hit £4,266 next year, according to new predictions by Cornwall Insight. The higher estimate means the average household would be paying £355 a month, instead of £164 a month currently. Cornwall Insights says that the increase in forecasts since last month reflects both the increase in the wholesale…

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Nearly six million households struggling to afford telecoms and broadband bills

Nearly six million households are struggling to afford essential telecoms services according to a new analysis by Which?, as it calls on the government to cut the amount of VAT paid on mobile, broadband and telephone services. The consumer champion found that millions of households reported issues affording essential telecoms services such as mobile phone…

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Second charge mortgage new business volumes grew by 24% in June 2022

5th August 2022 Arrears and Recoveries | #mortgage

New figures released by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) have indicated that second-charge mortgage new business volumes grew by 24% in June 2022. Commenting on the latest new business figures for the second charge mortgage market, Fiona Hoyle, Director of Consumer & Mortgage Finance and Inclusion at the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA), said…

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Warning that inflation could hit 15%

4th August 2022 Banking and Loans | #inflation

The Resolution Foundation has warned that inflation could hit more than seven times the Bank of England’s 2% target, with the think-tank saying it could pass the 15% mark in early 2023. Inflation currently stands at 9.4% and the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee is expected to increase interest rates further as it looks to tackle…

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