Stevenage Money & Debt Advice

https://www.moneyhelper.org.uk/en/money-troubles/dealing-with-debt/use-our-debt-advice-locator

https://debtcamel.co.uk/santander-overdraft-complaints/

Is Santander routinely rejecting overdraft complaints? Santander overdraft complaint rejected? Send it to the Ombudsman as then Santander may give you a full refund within weeks!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cql571n30dzo : Stevenage Borough Council announce locations of Warm Spaces in Stevenage.

Cost of living: Stevenage Council opens free warm spaces venues A museum, library and an indoor market are just some of the venues in the warm spaces network.

'We didn't expect to be turning down people for £50 loans':

Lenders 'turning down people for £50 loans' amid cost of living crisis Not-for-profit lenders offer small loans on flexible terms to those in the most financial need. They tell us about the struggles their customers are facing with the rising cost of living.

Debt Camel has followed up her previous article on smart meters. She says: "I don’t think anyone should decide to get a smart meter at the moment unless they are 100% sure that they can afford the energy bills next year however much prices go up and with no help from the government." Read more here:

Should I get a smart meter? Smart meters - a help to cut your energy bills? Did you know, a smart meter can be switched to being a prepayment meter without you agreeing?

Will a prepayment meter make it easier to budget? Debt Camel's advice for most people is 'Don't Switch to a Pre-Payment Meter':

Will a prepayment meter make it easier to budget? If you want to cut energy bills, would getting a prepayment meter help you budget better? No - in many ways it makes it harder.

Read some horror stories from the modern energy market at:

£19,000 in debt to Ovo: customers’ haunting tales of energy bill horror And every scary scene is hair-raising and packed with suspense

Thanks to the Indigo Trust, the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) have been able to make their Fuel Rights Handbook free to all. At a time when fuel poverty is impacting more households than ever this resource should prove very helpful. View the handbook:

Fuel Rights Handbook 20th edition Fuel Rights Handbook

If you think you have borrowed money from a loan shark you can get help at the 'Stop Loan Sharks' website: https://www.stoploansharks.co.uk/ or phone 0300 555 222.

If you're worried about the impact of rising interest rates on your mortgage, you'll find lots of useful information on the MSE site about last week's rise and comprehensive information about mortgages by selecting the mortgages box at the bottom of the following MSE webpage:

Bank of England increases base rate to 2.25% – what the rise means for your mortgage and savings The Bank of England has increased the base rate to 2.25% from 1.75%. This rate is used by the central bank to charge other banks and lenders when they borrow money – and influences what borrowers pay and savers earn.

Information is now becoming available about the new 2022-2023 Warm Homes Discount Scheme. Read more at https://debtcamel.co.uk/new-warm-home-discount/

The new Warm Home Discount Scheme for 2022/23 The WHD is changing. It's going up a bit to £150, but more importantly 750,000 more families should qualify in winter 2022-23.

The Resolution Foundation have stated that rich households will each get £4,700 of government help in 2023 compared with only £2,200 of help for the poorest households with the proposed measures to be introduced by the Government. Read more at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-62882964

Rich to get twice as much cost-of-living support, says think tank The Resolution Foundation says limits on energy costs are needed, but the rich will benefit more.

You'll see from MSE's comparison table of the energy price cap below that this winter we face a 64% increase in energy costs compared with last winter with it rising to 96% for the following winter unless the Government introduces further measures. Full details of the MSE article are at https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/latesttip/.

If you want to get an idea what the £2,500 price cap is likely to mean for you, Which have produced a comprehensive article including an energy cost calculator: https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/liz-trusss-energy-guarantee-puts-price-cap-at-2500-for-a-typical-household-for-two-years-calculate-your-new-bills-aitQB9G0bkD5

Liz Truss's energy guarantee puts price cap at £2,500 for a typical household for two years: calculate your new bills - Which? News Which? breaks down how the new scheme will affect your energy payments and what your new electricity and gas rates will be

While the Government announcement of a freeze on the energy price cap at £2,500 for the next 2 years is welcome news, it is clear that much more needs to be done. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation released this statement: https://www.jrf.org.uk/press/joseph-rowntree-foundation-responds-government%E2%80%99s-energy-price-cap-announcement. The fuel poverty charity also published a similar reaction: https://www.nea.org.uk/news/fuel-poverty-charitys-reaction-to-liz-trusss-energy-freeze-announcement-today/

Fuel Poverty charity's reaction to Liz Truss's energy freeze announcement today Fuel Poverty charity’s reaction to Liz Truss’s energy freeze announcement today Date: 08th Sep 2022 Content Type: News Nation / Region: England , Northern Ireland , Scotland , UK , Wales Tags: Energy Costs , Fuel Poverty , Policy Today the UK Government has confirmed unmanageable gas and electri...

We join with our nation and the world in mourning the passing of HM Queen Elizabeth II.

In 1952 she said, "Pray for me… that God may give me wisdom and strength to carry out the solemn promises I shall be making, and that I may faithfully serve Him and you, all the days of my life." Over her extraordinary 70-year reign, she did exactly that. Her life was marked by her faithful service and deep-rooted faith in Jesus which she boldly shared with the world.

Join us in praying for her family and our nation at this time.

For an overview of the energy measures announced today Martin Lewis of MSE has provided this information: https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2022/09/energy-bills-price-freeze-cost-of-living-government-liz-truss-

Martin Lewis’ round-up of the new £2,500 energy price cap – here’s what’s happening Energy bills will be capped at £2,500 a year for a typical household from 1 October for the next two winters, the Prime Minister Liz Truss has announced. A £400 energy rebate will also continue to be paid as planned from October, while those who've fixed will have the option to drop down onto the ...

Grief can feel like a lonely place, which is why Stevenage Vineyard set up Stevenage Bereavement Support Group. A safe place to share grief with people that understand. They're back from Monday 5th at 7:30pm. Coffee and refreshments provided. If you know someone that may need this support, please share the page - https://www.facebook.com/Stevenage-Bereavement-Support-Group-108720401973064/

Not sure what to do if you believe your energy direct debit is wrong? The following article should help you: https://debtcamel.co.uk/energy-dd-is-wrong/ .

"My energy direct debit isn't just too high, it's wrong" Your energy supplier says your DD needs to go up a huge amount. But is it right? Will you use less energy than they think? How to complain

The Energy Price Cap is currently £1,971/year, but it's set to rise to £3,549/year on 1 October 2022. As Money Saving Expert points out it's not a price cap as such and you could pay more or less. To find out more see https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/what-are-the-price-cap-unit-rates-/

What are the price cap unit rates? The energy price cap is misnamed – there's no cap on how much you pay. The cap is actually on the standing charges and the unit rates for gas and electricity, and this means if you use more energy, you'll pay more. Yet the cap is usually quoted as an annual figure, based on a typical amount of ene...

More information about Morses Club: https://debtcamel.co.uk/morses-club-still-make-complaints/

Morses Club - you can still make complaints Morses says they aren't handling new complaints - but you can still send them to the Financial Ombudsman who is still taking them

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/aug/15/centrica-and-octopus-back-plan-to-freeze-uk-energy-bills-for-two-years

Centrica and Octopus back plan to freeze UK energy bills for two years ‘Tariff deficit fund’ proposed by ScottishPower and Eon would involve banks putting cash into state-backed fund

Government transparency on Benefits questioned: ttps://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/aug/14/british-minister-accused-of-trying-to-hide-reports-on-impact-of-tory-welfare-reforms?

British minister accused of trying to hide reports on impact of Tory welfare reforms Thérèse Coffey ‘set out to minimise evidence’ on studies including research into deaths of benefit claimants and help for vulnerable

If you've been borrowing money from SafetyNet please read this Debt Camel article : https://debtcamel.co.uk/safetynet-credit-stops-lending-fca-restrictions/

SafetyNet Credit - FCA adds new restrictions to this expensive borrowing SafetyNet Credit and Tappily had to pause lending after the regulator imposes new restrictions. Find out why and how this affects you

Due to Ofgem's decision to revise the price cap every 3 months, it's now predicted that the price cap could be over £4,200 in January 2023. This is over three times what the price cap was in October 2021 at £1,400. https://www.theguardian.com/money/2022/aug/09/uk-energy-bills-forecast-to-hit-4266-from-january

UK energy bills forecast to hit £4,266 a year from January Government urged to announce more support for struggling households as Ofgem price cap expected to rise again

Following Ofgem's statement that energy users shouldn't cancel their direct debits, Debt Camel analyses the regulator's response as to what energy users should do: https://debtcamel.co.uk/ofgem-cancel-dd-no-good-alternatives/

Ofgem says don't cancel direct debits - but has no good alternatives Ofgem doesn't want you to cancel your DD - but the alternatives it suggests if you can't afford to pay the energy bill are very limited

It's that time of year when new school uniform has to be purchased. Which has some ideas for saving money here: https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/13-ways-to-save-money-on-school-uniforms-ac1nP8M3zZEp

13 ways to save money on school uniforms - Which? News Find out what school uniform deals are available from the likes of Asda, John Lewis and M&S

The energy price cap is now going to change every 3 months instead of 6 months. Read MSE's analysis here: https://mse.me/3oTYGkk

Energy price cap to change every three months from October - what it means for your bills The price cap on how much energy suppliers can charge households will now change every three months from October, instead of every six months, regulator Ofgem has confirmed. Due to the current high wholesale energy costs, it means we're likely to see price rises TWICE this winter.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/jul/30/can-social-tariffs-solve-the-uks-looming-fuel-poverty-cataclysm

Can ‘social tariffs’ solve the UK’s looming fuel poverty cataclysm? MPs and charities are supporting a new billing structure featuring subsidised lower-cost energy for people in need

You may have seen the 'don'tpayuk' campaign to get people to cancel their energy direct debits on 1st October in response to the unaffordable price hikes in energy prices with more increases due from October. If you're considering doing this then Debt Camel has an informative article on the pros and cons of taking this action. https://debtcamel.co.uk/cancel-energy-dd-dontpayuk/

Should you cancel your direct debit if you can't pay your energy bill? Energy bills will jump 70% in October. Should you support the DontPayUK campaign? Find out your options and know the potential problems.

Why not try out the new free Open University online course 'MSE's Academy of Money' with Martin Lewis. There's no better time to enrol as we struggle with this current cost of living crisis. Full details may be found at https://www.open.edu/openlearn/money-business/mses-academy-money/

MSE’s Academy of Money The Open University has joined forces with MoneySavingExpert (MSE) to produce this new free course to give you the skills and knowledge to master your finances. Packed with videos, audios, quizzes ...

BEWARE: The Money Platform takes payments for loans already repaid. Read the full story at https://debtcamel.co.uk/money-platform-payments-settled-loans/

The Money Platform takes payments for loans already repaid Payday lender The Money Platform has taken payments for loans customers had repaid months ago. TMP should refund this & pay compensation

Britain’s largest doorstep lender, MORSES CLUB, is considering a plan to reduce its liability to pay compensation to customers mis-sold unaffordable loans. More information see https://debtcamel.co.uk/morses-considers-scheme-cut-refunds/

Morses considers Scheme to cut refunds to customers Morses looks at a Scheme to let it cap the refunds it has to pay to borrowers given unaffordable loans. Claim now if you can!

IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO BE ACTIVE. There are only 2 weeks left to claim a free activity pass and activity planner and be entered into the prize draw. More details at https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/services/health-in-herts/keep-active/never-too-late/never-too-late.aspx

It Staying active keeps our body strong, our mind sharp and gives us more energy, so we can keep doing the things we love and stay independent.

Ofgem's investigation into Direct Debit handling by the Energy companies has found that 6 companies have moderate to severe weaknesses in their processes. If these suppliers don’t take action fast enough, Ofgem will consider enforcement action. These suppliers are: Ecotricity, Good Energy, Green Energy UK, Utilita Energy, TruEnergy and UK Energy Incubator Hub (UKEIH). However UKEIH has subsequently ceased trading. For the full report go to https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/press-release-ofgem-requires-improvements-energy-suppliers-customer-direct-debits.

PRESS RELEASE: Ofgem requires improvements from energy suppliers on customer direct debits Ofgem has told a number of energy suppliers to take action after a review found a range of weaknesses or failings in the way they charge customers direct debits.

SAVE MONEY DURING THE SCHOOL HOLIDAYS:

If you are paying into an IVA but are struggling due to cost of living increases you should be able to reduce your IVA payments. Read more at https://debtcamel.co.uk/help-ivas-cost-of-living/

Help with IVAs if you can't pay because of the cost of living Good news - IVA firms have been told to give people large reductions in payments if they are struggling. Find out how this works.

The Stevenage Bereavement Support Group will be running on Monday 4th from 7:30pm. If you know anyone that might benefit from this support, then please share and invite them along.

PLEASE ASK YOUR MP to sign Marsha de Cordova MP's Early Day Motion on DISABILITY BENEFITS ASSESSMENTS. It's extremely easy to do online at https://z2k.eaction.org.uk/EDMDisabilityBenefitsAssessments.

Nearly half of all people in poverty in the UK are either disabled themselves or live with someone who is disabled. The current assessment processes for disability benefits often deny people the income they should be entitled to. This has to change.

Stevenage NightLight Crisis Café opening every evening from 7pm to 1am at Stevenage Arts & Leisure Centre from 30th June. https://www.hertsmindnetwork.org/services-for-adults/crisis-support/crisis-cafes/