Citizens Advice in the news
Citizens Advice has been in the news recently; here are some examples from January.
Press and online coverage
January 2013
- Debt threat as council tax benefit changes -The Independent, 19/01/2013, Neasa Macerlean
Debt advisers in England and Wales including Citizens Advice are bracing themselves for a spike in the number of people who come to them with council tax benefit debt. The changes in council tax benefit are expected to push more families to financial breaking point. Gillian Guy, chief executive of Citizens Advice, said the average shortfall in council tax relief for the poorest working-age council tax payers is expected to be around 20% of their bill.
- Anger as banks want to slap deadline on PPI claims - Daily Mirror,17/01/2013, Graham Hiscott and Tricia Phillips
Bank bosses are putting pressure on regulator the Financial Services Authority to set a cut-off date for lodging compensation claims. Moneysavingexpert Martin Lewis described it as a disgraceful proposition and Citizens Advice Chief Executive Gillian Guy said a deadline for mis-sold PPI claims could only be fair if, in exchange, the banks comply with an obligation to contact every customer who was sold PPI to tell them they may be entitled to make a claim.
- Silent 'sales calls' to home phones double in one year - Daily Mail - 09/01/2013, Sean Poulter
Gillian Guy, chief executive of Citizens Advice, says that claims management firms should be banned from all types of cold calling, following new figures from Ofcom which show silent calls (largely driven by claims management firms) have more than doubled in a year. According to the Ofcom figures more than half of all British adults received a silent call at home in 2012.
- The debt collector's hammering at the front door. Will this be a wake-up call for Westminster? New Statesman, 7/1/13 Rowenna Davies
Rowenna Davies interviews people in debt who have been helped by the Citizens Advice serviceand also talks to Anna Hall from a money advice expert at Citizens Advice. Anna Hall says it’s hard to stereotype the people who are asking for help. She says In the last round of figures, 61 per cent of Citizens Advice callers were in some form of work.
- When are you entitled to a sales refund? Know your rights - The Daily Mail - 5/1/13 Citizens Advice consumer rights specialist, Susan Marks, is interviewed in this news story about what to do if you are returning good. The news story covers key messages in the recently published Citizens Advice report, 'Redressing the Balance' which calls for a change in the law so businesses must provide a refund within 30 days of promising money back. Susan Marks, says some retailers go above and beyond what the law requires, but others barely give customers their basic rights .
Recent broadcast appearances
January 2013
- Mike Dixon says the 1% benefits uprating will have a hug impact on working families Daily Politics BBC 2, 08/01/2013, (19 minutes in)
Mike Dixon, Assistant Chief Executive of Citizens Advice, says the 1% benefits uprating will have a huge impact and that 60% of those that will be affected will be in work. Mike Dixon made his comments during an interview on the Daily Politics programme about the government vote on the Uprating Bill. The programme also quotes Citizens Advice figures on the impact the 1% uprating will have on families.
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