Your Doctor Debt: Ripon Ray

    Monthly Debt News looks at debts and the causes of debts in Britain from various sources selected for professionals to make the debt sector simple. This month’s Debt News includes high rents pushing renters out of cities, one million universal credit claimants, a couple charged £18K without a gas bill,   an angler refusing to pay a water bill due to sewage pollution, drivers successfully appealing all penalty charges in London, Santander warns borrowers over high-interest rates and defaults. And finally, bitesize stats to get an overview of the causes of debts in Britain.  ——————— High rents and benefit cuts push poorer renters out of UK’s cities, report finds. The social fabric of the UK’s biggest cities is being transformed by  sky-high rents  and cuts to housing benefits as thousands of low-income private renters are pushed out of central areas, accelerating the “suburbanisation” of poverty, according to a study. More here: Link    ——————— Almost one million Londoners are claimi

As we head towards another winter, the cost of electricity and gas will yet again be of concern for many households.  Ripon Ray  spoke with a savvy pensioner and a Fuel Poverty Action representative to address such an important issue on this Debt Talk podcast episode to explore the causes of the fuel crisis. Barry Duckett, a local pensioner in South London, spoke about the challenges he and many pensioners fear in the coming winter due to the existing fuel cost. Yet, no government subsidy support is being provided to them compared to last winter. Chia Harrington explained the causes of the rise in fuel cost and some of the strategic decisions many fuel suppliers had made by putting prepayment meters in many vulnerable households. This resulted in Ofgem developing tighter guidelines to support some consumers and strong supervision measures. She questioned the relevance of social tariffs within a broader context of fuel poverty. They also provided TOP TIPS to Debt Talk listeners on fu

In times of the cost of living, global communities should know what is happening in the UK and in our local community. To spread the message I delivered a workshop on: 'Financial literacy and the debt sector - UK perspective ', in front of Prof  Atsushi Fujii  and Prof Yoichi and their research team from  Rikkyo University , Japan. I am also very grateful for a testimonial from Prof Fujii. 'Thanks a lot for Ripon's great lecture yesterday. We are not familiar with debt problems in the UK. So at first, I imagined it was very difficult to understand and complicated debt problems combined with many factors. But Ripon was a great facilitator. He talked slowly and involved all the participants, making it very easy to understand what debt is, especially bad debt. Through his lecture, we could understand the real situation of local communities' cost of living crisis. And his fantastic character fascinated all students and me.'  I am also very grateful to Account 3 for

   Monthly Debt News looks at debts and the causes of debts in Britain from various sources selected for professionals to make the debt sector simple. This month’s Debt News includes concerns over paying energy bills, a household debt time bomb, a call to write off student debts for nurses, debt collectors chasing a footballer,  dentists using debt collectors to recover debts,  Windsor and  Maidenhead  Council bankrupt and the highest mortgage debts since record began. And finally, bitesize stats.    ——————— One in four concerned they won’t be able to pay their energy bills Latest data from, energy efficiency platform, Snugg has found that many people feel they are wasting money on energy bills because of their home’s poor energy efficiency. And while most would like to make their home more efficient, there is mass confusion over how and what help is available. More here:   Link    ——————— How can we defuse the household debt time bomb? Mortgage borrowers may have breathed a sign of re

Debt Talk: DRO or IVA? That is the question...(Podcast) One in 422 adults entered insolvency between 1 July 2022 and 30 June 2023. The economic factor is crucial in considering bankruptcy for many individuals, particularly when personal Individual Voluntary Arrangements (IVA) and Debt Relief Orders (DRO) are concerned. In this episode of the Debt Talk podcast, Ripon Ray explored: ‘DRO or IVA? That is really the question...’ Sara Williams , the founder of  Debt Camel , began the conversation by looking at the history of bankruptcy and IVA leading up to the introduction of DRO in 2009, the commercial drive for many IVA providers to solely provide the only option who do not consider the interest of consumers through to its sales tactics and providing misleading information to entice consumers. There are early IVAs termination due to unsustainability for many low-income households. She also provided recommendations for short and long-term changes to regulations to consider for the intere

  (Sept 2023) Monthly Debt News looks at debts and the causes of debts in Britain from various sources selected for professionals to make the debt sector simple. This month’s Debt News includes further welfare cuts, the rise in council tenant rent arrears,   loss of benefits due to overpayment recovery, and a man in debt due to dental costs abroad. And  finally, bitesize stats.    ——————— Welfare cuts loom after forecast for inflation to climb again Jeremy Hunt has been told that the increase is likely to have been driven by surging wages and an increase in the cost of clothing. The Treasury is braced for a surprise increase in inflation this summer, posing a headache for Jeremy Hunt in his attempt to curb government spending. More here: Link    ——————— Council housing rent arrears rise significantly, survey finds Four in five council landlords are seeing significant rises in rent arrears, a survey has found More here: Link  ——————— Thousands lose benefits after tax credits overpaid C