A piece of 'art' in the form of a collage from me with memories and the evolution of my media work - two years of radio hosting to podcasting. Initially, my shows were funded by  MoneyHelper  (Money Advice and Pension Service) and Toynbee Hall, supported by the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and then by Money A+E and City  Hackney Carers Centre . Not bad indeed. After all, I am from near Shoreditch, once and still is a ghetto of the East End of London. 🙂

For a number of people, switching suppliers is not an easy task - the fear of changing can be very daunting,  not knowing where to research online, going through all the deals that are available and whether these deals are worthy of switching.  This week I asked Angela Dietrich, a pensioner from East London, who had serious issues with her former fuel supplier, Npower, when she was thinking of switching. I asked: 'How did you manage to switch your supplier?'. You can find her answer on Your Money Matters show! She also talked about how she was supported by local advice agencies, such as Toynbee Hall and Bromley-By-Bow Centre (BBBC), in order for her to get heard against a very big company, Npower, and to make a complaint against the company. According to the Money Advice & Pension Service, in order to switch, you should always check Compare gas and electricity tariffs accredited by Ofgem price comparison sites.

I recently advised Shazna Rahman*, a Bangladeshi Muslim woman in Newham. She came to seek debt advice from me at Toynbee Hall, a charity in Tower Hamlets that helps communities in poverty. She was wearing full black burkah . This is a piece of clothing covering her body completely. It was not the manifestation of her faith that struck me most, but the reality of her difficult and hard life. Her children were taken away from her by Social Services because she was unfit to look after herself and her children due to a highly traumatised divorce that resulted in a mental breakdown. She moved from Tower Hamlets to Newham into private accommodation. She claimed housing benefit to pay for her rent.  After a few years, she became homeless when her private landlord wanted to rent the property out to a professional couple who would pay more. Newham council put her in temporary accommodation because she was deemed in priority need due to her mental health. ...

I have noticed a dramatic change in my line of work as a debt adviser following the introduction of Universal Credit in 2013.  It has become common to see clients who are in rent and council tax arrears. In areas where it was initially rolled-out, 73% of claimants were in arrears and owed on average £772. Ian Duncan Smith, former Secretary of Department for Work and Pensions, stated that the policy was meant to take people out of poverty.  Its impact has been to the contrary.  It was one of several welfare reforms introduced by the 2010-15 Coalition Government under the Welfare Reform Act 2012 which was planned for implementation by March 2022 as part of overall austerity measures. Universal Credit replaces the following benefits: Job Seekers Allowance, Employment Support Allowance, Housing Benefit, Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit. Universal Credit affected claimants of working age. Claimants would now receive the benefit monthly and would be r...

I noticed how busy members of staff at the London Community Credit Union (LCCU) were during the Christmas festive period. They were very equipped for the season by hiring extra staff. Creditors undeniably know that the period leading up to Christmas is one of their busiest. During the same period, for me, as a debt adviser, its one of the quietest.  Why is it so busy for them and least busy for me? The answer lends itself to supply and demand theory: consumers are borrowing to put Christmas presents underneath Christmas trees for their loved ones and spending on parties leading up to the New Year and holidays. In such an atmosphere, consumers are less likely to think about their debts but more likely to spend - spend - spend. The unwritten policy held by lenders during this time is to open their doors to borrowers to accommodate their seasonal borrowing habit. There is no doubt profit to be made on the return for credit. The Bank of England states...

If you are a non-British national, trying to ascertain your rights in the United Kingdom can be a difficult process, perhaps more so than if you are a British national.   In addition, your immigration status will also affect the support that you may receive from the Welfare State.    For example, non-payment of an unforeseen medical bill may have negative consequences for decisions relating to applications for British Citizenship. Britain is currently negotiating an exit from the European Union as a direct result of the implementation of Article 50 of the Treaty of the European Union. Thus far European Economic Area (EEA) citizens have the right to settle in the UK if they have already lived in the country for five years. Many of the EEA nationals are, to a degree, entitled to welfare support so long as they meet a number of tests, including the draconian Habitual Residence test. Once the tests have been met, they are entitled to benefits on the same ter...

There has been some improvement in the way disability is perceived by the general public. However, we still have a long way to go to address issues for those with disabilities in terms of access to services and with managing financial difficulties.  A survey conducted by Scope, a national disability charity, indicated that the percentage of disabled students bullied at school declined from 47% in 1994 to 38% in 2014. However, the same survey found that there had been an increase in the percentage of those with disabilities turned away from public places from 34% in 1994 to 49% in 2014. A similar concern arose in terms of those with disabilities expressing concerns about being unable to makes ends meet - 39% in 1994 rising to 49% in 2014.  Many have turned to the use of credit cards and loans to pay for essential items such as food and clothing. There has also been considerable use of food banks to meet basic nutritional need. It is well documented evi...

Who would have thought that in the 21st century we would be having a conversation about whether to get a voucher for a foodbank or not because we are too poor to buy food. According to the Trussell Trust, which runs a network of over 400 foodbanks, 1 in 20 people in Britain have gone without meals because they are unable to afford food, 14% of Britain has cut down on the amount of fresh food they buy in order to save money and 1 in 50 people have used food banks. Although the data does show the state of the nation via a vis the use of food banks, the real challenge faced by those so impoverished has been caused by many factors. Some have argued the problem has been caused by ‘austerity’. Austerity’ as per Merriam-Webster is as:   ‘Enforced or extreme economy especially on a national scale’ The definition maybe seen as resembling the state of Britain under the current conservative administration whereby there has been a substantial adjustment in public expendi...

Silence can be a deadly killer for women of domestic abuse and instead of just hindering their recovery it could lead to their fatality.  According to the Office of National Statistics (2015), two women are killed every week in England and Wales by a current or former partner in a relationship.   The definition of domestic abuse has been expanded in recent times by legislation: an incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive, threatening, degrading and violent behaviour, including sexual violence. Julia Oviedo, a victim and survivor of domestic abuse, shared her personal experience on  ‘In Conversation with Ripon Ray…the Community Money Matters Show’  on Betar Bangla Radio. It may seem just another story to many listeners but for an individual to talk about such a personal experience requires bravery, confidence and the will to encourage other victims to come forward and share their experiences.   In her case, it was physic...