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Campaigns
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21st November 2017 by Manager in Campaigns, Home Content 2
Energy price plans no one really trusts.
British Gas has set itself a goal. By abolishing standard variable tariffs it describes as “expensive” it will transform the market “and give customers a fairer, simpler deal and lower bills”. Its Consumer CEO claims the goal is within reach, but then in an unfortunate turn of phrase “we can’t get there unless suppliers, the Government, and […]
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17th November 2017 by Manager in Campaigns, Home Content 2
Irresponsible credit.
Most credit card limit increases are uninvited. Credit card companies are pushing credit on cardholders who can’t pay. That’s the worrying message of research published by Citizens Advice. The Bank of England and Financial Conduct Authority have been concerned for some time about growth in unsecured debt, particularly on credit cards, as we reported in the summer. With incomes stagnant and inflation […]
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29th October 2017 by Manager in Campaigns, Home Content 2
Energy: quite a month.
Price cap. Safeguard tariff. Default tariff. Energy price announcements fluttered down like the leaves. Government published a draft bill (1) it says “would see rip-off energy prices capped for millions of households”. Citizens Advice said the bill was “an important step towards an energy market that works better for consumers” (2). Ofgem, the energy regulator, has […]
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23rd October 2017 by Manager in Campaigns, Home Content 2
Finance: 50% ‘potentially vulnerable’.
Financial risk affects 25m people. Large scale research by the Financial Conduct Authority* shows why Citizens Advice is asked to help so many with debt and other money worries. Potentially vulnerable covers “those who may be less able to engage with their finances or with financial services. The reasons for this can vary from low financial resilience to suffering […]
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4th October 2017 by Manager in Campaigns, Home Content 2
Private renting.
How tenants’ homes set back their prospects. ‘Precarity’ is an ugly name for a bad place to find your life in. But one used to telling effect in a newspaper column* from Generation Rent Homeowners enjoy security….. renters face precarity. Just three statistics quoted are enough to explain: In 2015 homeowners with a mortgage paid 20% of average income on housing costs. Private renters paid 43%. In 2015-16 over […]
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3rd October 2017 by Manager in Campaigns, Home Content 2
Energy and loyal customers.
Government wants action. In its clearest statement yet, the government has told regulator Ofgem to act to stop £1.4bn of excessive annual charges. The business secretary told the Financial Times* the overcharging of customers on standard variable tariffs was “completely unacceptable”. And a cross-party group of almost 200 MPs reminded the prime minister of her promise “to cut energy bills for 17m customers”. Meanwhile […]
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22nd September 2017 by Manager in Campaigns, Local News
Housing costs.
Spending on housing benefit has risen from £16.6bn to £25.1bn over the last 20 years (1). The average family spent 6% of their income on housing in the 1960s: now it’s 18% (2). Yet more research showing why we urgently need a new policy. Two new studies make current policy seem terrible value for money. And it would be worse if you could factor in the cost of social […]
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13th September 2017 by Manager in Campaigns, Home Content 2, Local News
Delay Universal Credit.
‘A disaster waiting to happen.‘ That’s the conclusion of new analysis of over 50,000 cases where Citizens Advice helped people with debt problems. The unhappy truth is that UC is actually pushing people further into debt. Citizens Advice research with UC clients and a survey of advisers shows the main issues causing or making worse claimants’ debt problems: the […]
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8th August 2017 by Manager in Campaigns
Energy market review.
Reforming a funny business to keep prices as low as possible. The energy department (1) has asked Professor Dieter Helm to carry out a review of the costs of energy and recommend ways of keeping prices as low as possible. The review will seek “to sort out the facts from the myths about the costs of […]
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2nd August 2017 by Manager in Campaigns, Home Content 2
Energy prices.
Call to protect vulnerable AND loyal customers. Citizens Advice is calling for change in energy price policy. In spite of a fall in wholesale costs this week’s British Gas price rise is just one more illustration that the energy supply market isn’t working. In this market it’s not surprising that CA and others have focused on the problems of vulnerable customers. It’s true the government and companies have […]
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