CAB News 10 December 2021
Our new report detailing the catalogue of errors at Ofgem that allowed 26 suppliers to go bust has received great pick up.
National
Energy
Catalogue of errors at Ofgem leaves consumers with multi-billion pound bill
Various, 09/12/2021
We’ve received some great coverage on yesterday’s energy report which points the finger at Ofgem after 26 suppliers have collapsed.
Coverage was achieved online in Guardian, Sky News and Sun. And in print in Times, Telegraph, FT, Mirror and Express.
Clare Moriarty, Chief Executive of Citizens Advice also spoke Times Radio and Sky News about the issue. Clare said “Ofgem cannot afford to take it’s eye off the ball.”
Cost of Living
“Many more people will struggle this winter”
BBC News, 09/12/2021
Following our findings, written up by BBC Online, that one in 10 families were facing a financial crisis this winter because they were unable to meet their essential costs, Morgan Wild Head of Policy appeared on BBC News.
Morgan said “sadly we’re expecting many more people to struggle this winter due to the cost of living crisis.”
Consumer
Firms will have new duty to act in consumers’ interests under FCA plans
Independent, 07/12/2021
Our reaction to the Financial Conduct Authority’s announcement that financial services firms will have a new duty to put consumers at the heart of what they do was picked up in various outlets including Independent (above), Times, Mail and This is Money.
Matthew Upton, director of policy at Citizens Advice said: “Consumers should always receive good service for a fair price. Yet too often we see firms willing to risk a tap on the shoulder from the FCA, rather than playing fair from the get-go.
“We welcome these proposals, which should make firms think twice before going against the best interests of their customers.”
No Recourse to Public Funds
People with No Recourse to Public Funds face a precipice with no safety net as cost-of-living crisis bites
Politics Home, 08/12/2021
An article penned in Clare Moriarty’s name has been published on Politics Home about the impact of having No Recourse to Public Funds.
Clare says: “Almost a quarter of a million key workers in the UK, including frontline NHS staff, live their lives knowing that if they fall on hard times there will be no safety net for them.” She goes on to say “With a cost of living crisis growing, people with NRPF face a precipice with no safety net. It is time for the government to end this unjust restriction for people building a life in the UK.”
Consumer
Millions falling prey to green home scams
The Daily Mirror (page 21), The Times (page 16), Daily Express The Daily Telegraph (page 10), The Daily Mail (page 33), i (page 4), Mail Online, Evening Standard, Yorkshire post (page 7), Wandsworth Times and Derby Telegraph, 06/12/2021
This National Consumer Week (Monday 6 December – Sunday 12 December), Citizens Advice and the Consumer Protection Partnership are encouraging people to stay safe when going green.
As part of the campaign, our research has found that more than two-thirds of adults are thinking about making their home more energy efficient in the next 12 months but 36 per cent have already been targeted by a related scam.
The campaign was also mentioned in yesterday’s BBC Radio 4 News Briefing programme and Rachel Beddow, Principal Policy Manager, was interviewed on Channel 5 and LBC News.
Post
Parcels left on doorsteps snatched within minutes
The Sunday Times, Guardian, Sun, Daily Star (page 5), 05/12/2021
Anne Pardoe, Principal Policy Manager for Post at Citizens Advice, was quoted as saying: “Our research shows ten parcels are lost or stolen each minute. The fault ultimately lies with the criminals, but it’s exacerbated by the pressure delivery drivers are under to deliver high volumes each day. This often means parcels are left in unsafe locations.”
The article also mentions Citizens Advice data which shows that there were 22,787 visits to the webpage ‘If something you ordered hasn’t arrived’, a 48 per cent rise year-on-year.