According to Shelter, a homelessness charity, there are 271,000 people recorded as homeless in England of which 123,000 children. To navigate this month’s Debt Talk podcast with Ripon Ray on: ‘ Debt, housing costs and homelessness ', expert panellists who specialise in the benefits system, policy and debt. Deven Ghelani, Founder and Director of Policy in Practice, spoke about the true meaning of homelessness in the UK, and how the current benefit system that was initially ‘designed ‘to simplify things, as it stands, appears not fit for purpose because the current system does not pay sufficient financial assistance to support vulnerable communities who are homeless or vulnerable to homelessness. Although he was involved in designing universal credit during its initial policy development, there are wider issues that require discussion, such as the number of homes available and the cost of renting and owning a home. Amy Taylor, Debt Adviser and Chair of the Greater Manchester Mon...

  (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 los...

43% of children in Tower Hamlets are living in poverty according to Trust for London. 7.7% of the working population are unemployed in the borough. Whether to claim universal credit or not would be a big question for a lot of people.   In order to raise public awareness of universal credit in the local community, Universal Credit Action Network (UCAN), have organised a public meeting. You can hear from local campaigners and advice charities on the impact of welfare reform on the local community. If you are free on 18th  December at 6pm, pop over at Brady Centre, Whitechapel. Refreshment provided!

'Is there a link between shortage of housing, homelessness and   the welfare reform in the UK?', asks Ripon Ray 'Is there a link between shortage of housing, homelessness and the welfare reform in the UK?', asks Ripon Ray. 'I made a claim for universal credit over 5 months ago. Nothing has come through yet. My landlord has just sent me a letter. I am in rent arrears.  Am I going to be homeless again?’ Joanna Smith is nine months pregnant. She is living in temporary accommodation in Hackney, London, having been placed there by Westminster Council.   Housing benefit is not going to cover her rent in Westminster.  Her situation made me think about the state of the housing crisis, the underlying causes of such a crisis and its link with welfare reform. In 1976 there were over 5 million local authority tenancies on social rent. Social renters on overage pay 50% of the market rate. In 2017 the number of cou...

If you want to get involved with the campaign get in touch with me...I am one of the leading campaigners on welfare reform and universal credit!

The current welfare state changed in such a way that a true reflection is required as to how this has come about and and its context. Post Second World War, the Attlee government nationalised  the Bank of England, the coal industry, the Central Electricity Generating Board and area electricity boards, Cable & Wireless Ltd, the railways and the local authority gas supply undertakings in England and Scotland. It introduced free education for all by nationalising institutions which were either provided by parishes or philanthropists. The National Health Service was formed and made accessible to everyone regardless of ability to pay.   If you were unemployed there was infrastructure to support you when you could not afford to pay by creating the welfare system as you see today. The expenses of running such a nationalised state was met by cheap loans borrowed from overseas, contributions made by tax payers and companies in times when Britain was...

As Vanessa starts the conversation on money on BBC London on 9 November 2018, Ripon Ray phones in on her show to explain what he sees in Hackney and beyond as a money and debt expert.

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. ...