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. Yet it’s attracted a share of…

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. …

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…

By Phil Andrew, CEO of StepChange Debt Charity This week StepChange will mark 30 years of delivering free, impartial debt advice to those who need it. …

By Ed McDonagh, Senior Public Policy Advocate The Insolvency Service’s recent call for evidence on the personal insolvency framework provides an opportunity to assess how well the framework is working from first principles. It will be no surprise to anyone that we see significant problems in the insolvency sector. It’s…

By Peter Tutton, Head of Policy, Research and Public Affairs The HM Treasury consultation on proposed Statutory Debt Repayment Plan (SDRP) regulations closed on 5 August. A link to StepChange’s response can be found here. StepChange remains a vocal supporter of the debt respite scheme — Breathing Space and the…