The end of Section 21 ‘no fault’ eviction promises to bring security for private renters, but will the Renters (Reform) Bill support the most vulnerable private tenants in rent arrears? By Genevieve Richardson, Senior Public Policy Advocate, StepChange Debt Charity

Written by Gail Arkle, Director of Client Experience, StepChange Debt Charity Debt Awareness Week 2023. What is debt advice? The answer may seem obvious to those of us who work in or close to the sector, however our insight demonstrates that many people don’t understand the term or know that…

By Peter Tutton, Head of Policy, Research and Public Affairs As people in the debt advice world know, the Breathing Space scheme — the first ever statutory protection for people while they work through debt advice — has been running since May last year. …

John Griffith-Jones, Chair of StepChange, reflects on the need for politicians to focus on reducing the financial vulnerability felt by millions of households — particularly those in deficit budgets. As I come towards the end of my five year stint as the Chair of StepChange I have been reflecting on…

By Mark Haslam and Sophie Morris Over the last few weeks, we’ve been out and about at the Party Conferences talking to policymakers about debt. Minds at Labour and the Conservatives are turning to the final session of Parliament and General Election. Here are our four key takeaways on what we learned. 1. There’s a key battleground over support for struggling households The soaring cost of living was at the forefront of key speeches from the main Party leaders. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak re-iterated his promise to “halve inflation” and pointed to huge sums spent so far in support. Sir Keir Starmer’s appeal to voters was…

By Genevieve Richardson, Senior Public Policy Advocate, StepChange Debt Charity The end of Section 21 ‘no fault’ eviction promises to bring security for private renters, but will the Renters (Reform) Bill support the most vulnerable private tenants in rent arrears? Our recent report, Trapped in Rent, reveals the dangers for those in problem debt who rent in a private rented sector (PRS) that is increasingly expensive and insecure. Private tenants in rent arrears generally receive far less support from their…

By Asiya Uddin, Research and Insight Officer at StepChange Debt Charity This week is Mental Health Awareness Week (MHAW), hosted by the Mental Health Foundation, and the theme this year is anxiety. In this blog post we explore our client debt advice data from 2022, to highlight some key findings…

Written by Richard Lane, Director of External Affairs and Operating Subsidiaries at StepChange Debt Charity The Consumer Duty sets higher standards and will require more of firms — we explain why the changes the Duty brings are vital for people affected by problem debt. Credit is, in the right circumstances…

By Asiya Uddin, Research and Insight Officer Today marks the launch of our latest Statistics Yearbook, which highlights the demographic and debt situations of clients who contacted the charity between January and December 2022 for their most recent advice session. Like many households across the UK, our clients felt the…