News & Views

Estimates of illegal moneylending use vary widely, from just 200,000 to over 1 million. But whatever the true scale of the problem, the main drivers are likely to be poverty and over-indebtedness rather than a "credit vacuum". Carl Packman reflects on the latest evidence.

With Council Tax debt rising, and the use of bailiffs increasing, Carl Packman reflects on Dr. Joseph Spooner's analysis of how austerity economics over the past decade has led many local authorities to become 'hardened creditors'.

This week the Unite Debt Advice Network took to the streets of central London to protest the cuts to debt advice services. At a time when the need for debt advice is rising and cases are becoming more complex we need a significant increase in investment. Instead funding is being cut by around 20% and the Money and Pensions Service is trying to get 'more for less' by concentrating funding on digital and telephone services.

Debt advisers working in local Citizens Advice Bureaux and community-based independent advice agencies could soon be facing redundancy due to cuts in their grant funding from the Money and Pensions Service ('MaPS') and protests against the cuts will be taking place outside DWP, HM Treasury, and MaPS offices on Monday.