The organisation charged by the government to provide debt advice says it expects the number of people in financial difficulties to soar by 60% as the economic crisis begins to hit home. By late 2021 it expects that eight million people will have not been able to pay at least three bills in a six month period. And there are growing concerns that people with severe debt are being exploited by firms selling Individual Voluntary Agreements - a formal debt solution to pay back debts - which the firm...
Jul 18, 2020•33 min
Schools partially closed, nurseries struggling to reopen, grandparents shielding, childminders grappling with social distancing and a lack of au pairs because of travel restrictions. Arguably the UK faces a childcare crisis. At the same time, lockdown is being lifted, the Job Retention Scheme is being wound down, and the government is urging us all back to work to rebuild our shattered economy. But how can parents work without affordable, quality childcare? And how can childcare providers delive...
Jul 15, 2020•38 min
As quarantine is lifted and airports get ready for summer flights, are some airlines taking advantage of people who are being offered the opportunity to rebook their flights? Earlier this week Chancellor Rishi Sunak outlined how he planned to get the economy up and running again following the harm done by coronavirus. Front and centre was a £2bn "kick-start' scheme to create more jobs for young people. But does it go far enough? Poppy and Ataysha - two young people who could be helped - tell us ...
Jul 11, 2020•30 min
Online lectures yet full tuition fees; socialising at a distance and virtual fresher's events - all because of the pandemic. So is it financially worthwhile going to uni this year, if you won't be getting the university experience you’d hoped for or dreamed of? How valuable is a degree for your future earnings? Is it better to do an apprenticeship, to earn as you learn? Or ditch higher education altogether and dive into the uncertain jobs market? We'll be taking questions and hearing the dilemma...
Jul 08, 2020•40 min
Just days after a damning House of Lords report, Money Box can reveal that loot boxes in some games aimed at children have win rates of as little as 0.01%. Experts are worried this could get children hooked on gambling. The courts have ordered changes in the way income is calculated which will mean more money for thousands of people on Universal Credit. And we hear from one listener who got his money back for a cancelled holiday through his debit card but now the company is trying to take it bac...
Jul 04, 2020•35 min
The government-backed loans designed to give small firms quick and easy access to cash during the coronavirus crisis. If you've applied for one, what's your experience? Has it saved your business from collapse? Many listeners have contacted us, angry and frustrated at the time it's taking to get the loans approved. For some, time is running out. Without income, how can they pay the bills, never mind adapt to the new phase of lockdown? Unless they get this emergency cash, they're worried they won...
Jul 01, 2020•34 min
Listeners whose holidays have been cancelled are telling us that they are having to pay to get their money back off their credit card. With Helen Saxon, Banking Editor at MoneySavingExpert. Thousands of parents are using lockdown as an excuse not to pay maintenance for their children. Single parent charity Gingerbread say that Covid-19 is making things worse and that the official service that should make them pay is not checking what they say. The face masks that cost $10 to buy but $109 to deli...
Jun 27, 2020•30 min
Are you worried you’re about to lose your job because of the coronavirus crisis? Has the job retention scheme kept you afloat since lockdown – but now your boss wants to let you go? If you’re facing redundancy, it's important to know your rights. How many days’ notice should you get and how much pay? If you're an employer, do you understand your obligations if you have to reduce your workforce? Millions of workers are at risk of redundancy in the coming months as the government furlough scheme s...
Jun 24, 2020•37 min
There's been a sharp rise in the number of people whose identity was stolen last year - up by almost 20% on the year before. It can have a devastating effect on your financial life. One listener tells us how it took months to restore her good name and cost her £10,000. Young people are inevitably hit badly by a major financial crisis like the one we are living through. Figures out this week show that the number of young unemployed people is growing by more than 4000 every single day. One charity...
Jun 20, 2020•29 min
What’s the best way to get fast, reliable and affordable broadband during lockdown? With millions of us now working from home due to Covid-19, and children relying on the internet for online schooling, decent broadband is more important than ever. So how to be sure you're getting the right deal? What offers are available? How easy is it to move to a new provider - and what can you do if your current deal is about to end and you can't get through to your provider? We'll also have top tips on how ...
Jun 17, 2020•40 min
Money Box listeners tell us that their requests for refunds on their motor insurance are being refused despite using their cars less during lockdown. The regulator has recently called on firms to review the value of their policies in light of the lockdown but critics say they let car insurers 'off the hook'. Google is still allowing crooks to advertise dodgy investments and websites, despite telling this programme earlier in the year it was working with the Financial Conduct Authority to offer c...
Jun 13, 2020•29 min
Adam Shaw and guests discuss how you can make a return on your money in turbulent economic times. With saving rates low and stock markets volatile what should your strategy be, even if you only have a small amount to invest? Panel: Anna Bowes, co-founder of Savings Champion Felix Milton, financial planner at Philip J Milton Email your questions to [email protected] Producer: Ben Carter Editor: Emma Rippon
Jun 10, 2020•36 min
Key workers who are returning to the NHS to help it cope during the coronavirus pandemic are being targeted by promoters of tax avoidance schemes, a Money Box investigation has found. Adverts posted on social media are designed to push key workers towards umbrella companies operating on the fringes of the law which, alongside standard ones, act as employers for freelance contractors. Posing as a health care worker, our reporter was told how she could legally hide a large chunk of salary from the...
Jun 06, 2020•28 min
There are nearly three million single parent families in the UK, which is 15% of all families. Their finances are often tight and they face a particularly high risk of poverty compared with other households. Louise Cooper and guests talk to single parents about the financial challenges brought about by coronavirus and we have experts on hand to offer advice and answer questions. Panel: Victoria Benson, CEO of Gingerbread, the charity for single parent families. Lee Healey, founder of Income Max,...
Jun 03, 2020•33 min
Over 2 million people have received a grant from the government’s self-employment income support scheme. This week Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced that it will be extended to pay out another lump sum worth 70% of average monthly trading profits, capped at £6,570. Guest: Andy Chamberlain, Director of Policy for the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed. It's been more than a month since a ban on using credit cards as a source of funds for gambling came into force. Report...
May 30, 2020•26 min
A quarter of British employees have been furloughed since the Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s announcement in March. Under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme workers are entitled to receive 80% of their pay up to a maximum of £2500 a month but they’re not allowed to do any work for their employer while on furlough. Earlier this month the scheme was extended until October - but from August the government will expect employers to contribute to the huge ongoing costs - estimated at between £10-£15 billi...
May 27, 2020•42 min
Festival goers are trying to get their money back from the organisers of Afro Nation but are being told that Portuguese law means they’re not entitled to a refund – what can they do? Lenders are cutting credit card limits and that could affect your credit rating... but not in the way you might think. Former pensions minister Steve Webb tells us that tens of thousands of older married women pensioners are being paid up to £80 a week too little - how do you go about seeing if you're missing out an...
May 23, 2020•33 min
Your questions on the challenges of getting and holding on to a mortgage or re-mortgage during coronavirus. How does being furloughed affect your prospects? Are some job sectors now less desirable to mortgage providers? What if pandemic-related delays in conveyancing are pushing you close to the expiry of your existing mortgage offer? Should fears of a market dip make you reconsider and sit tight where you are - or is it time to reduce your offer? Why are interest rates rising for some types of ...
May 20, 2020•31 min
Money Box has been hearing from furloughed workers who say their employers are abusing the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. It allows staff to be put on leave while the government pays 80 per cent of their wages up to £2500 a month. One worker says he’s being forced to keep working and another says she’s been furloughed but isn’t being paid. Guest Sarah Chilton, partner with employment law specialists CM Murray We hear from Endija who bought her two-bedroom home after viewing it through a virtu...
May 16, 2020•38 min
Felicity Hannah and guests talk to young entrepreneurs who've started businesses during the lockdown. She'll hear about the successes and challenges they encountered along the way. Guests: Emma Jones, founder of Enterprise Nation Zara Khalique, creator of Keep It Bright Email [email protected] or tweet @Moneybox with stories, experiences or questions for the panel. Producer: Ben Carter Editor: Emma Rippon
May 13, 2020•34 min
Pandemic-related salary cuts and being furloughed could affect your ability to get a mortgage. What will mortgage providers take into account - your previous normal salary or your 80% rate? And will job types in sectors hit badly by the coronavirus now be deemed less desirable by lenders? We hear your stories and get advice from Martin Stewart, Director of the independent mortgage broker, London Money. Millions of self-employed workers are being offered help through the government's new Self-Emp...
May 09, 2020•31 min
Graduates and young workers face huge challenges getting and staying in a job as coronavirus changes the employment picture. Louise Cooper discusses the consequences and solutions. Guests: Laura Gardiner, Research Director at the Resolution Foundation Michele Farmer, Regional Director at the Prince's Trust Email questions and experiences to [email protected] Reporter: Kafui Okpattah Producer: Ben Carter Editor: Emma Rippon
May 06, 2020•31 min
On this week’s Money Box we hear from people who’ve been furloughed by their employer but are being pressured into working anyway - something very much against the rules of the Job Retention Scheme. And can an employer force those people still working to take a pay cut? Paul talks through the legal implications with Susie Al-Qassab, partner at Hodge, Jones and Allen Solicitors. As the consumer watchdog threatens legal action against companies refusing to refund customers during the coronavirus p...
May 02, 2020•34 min
Many people are having to claim benefits for the first time due to coronavirus. Paul Lewis and guests find out how some people have found this experience. Was it clear how to claim? Did you find the rules easy to understand? Have you got your money yet? Is it enough? What other help is out there? Guests: Victoria Todd from Low Income Tax Reform Group and Will Hadwen, a welfare rights advisor with Working Families. Email: [email protected] Producer: Alex Lewis and Ben Carter Editor: Emma Rippon...
Apr 29, 2020•35 min
650,000 people work as contractors in a wide range of jobs across the UK – supply teachers, IT engineers, health care workers. But some of them have told Money Box they’ve been left in limbo by umbrella companies who say they need more clarity from the government before they can decide to furlough them or not. Issues about how much the contractors would get, how much holiday pay they’d be owed and what the industry will do if they don’t get any more guidance from the government means huge financ...
Apr 25, 2020•33 min
On our programme last Saturday we looked at the new Financial Conduct Authority guidance for people with car finance who are struggling to pay it due to coronavirus. 80% of all private new car buyers take out finance at the dealership and there’s £110bn worth of debt outstanding. We get lots of questions from listeners about how car finance actually works so for this special podcast extra we’ve got Stuart Masson, editor of thecarexpert.co.uk to explain. He’ll also talk about the FCA guidance in ...
Apr 24, 2020•26 min
Adam Shaw and guests talk to people struggling with bills and finding it hard to access credit. They offer practical advice about how to stay on top of your finances. Guests: Richard Lane from StepChange and Sara Williams from Debt Camel. Email: [email protected] Producer: Ben Carter Editor: Emma Rippon
Apr 22, 2020•32 min
Action to protect workers who would otherwise face redundancy due to the coronavirus outbreak was brought in by the government last month. Known as the Job Retention Scheme it pays 80 per cent of wages for people kept on by their employer up to a maximum of £2,500 a month. At the time there was disappointment from those who missed out because they didn’t start their job before the scheme’s cut-off date of February 28th. This week that date was extended to the 19th of March. The Treasury says the...
Apr 18, 2020•25 min
How are student finances being affected by coronavirus? Louise Cooper is joined by Tom Allingham from Save The Student and Hayley Borrett from The National Association of Student Money Advisers. They'll hear from students with concerns about paying fees, meeting rent obligations, making student loan payments and much more. Email [email protected] with questions and experiences or tweet @Moneybox Producer: Ben Carter Researcher: Kafui Okpattah Editor: Emma Rippon
Apr 15, 2020•31 min
Millions of people are still facing huge financial pressure despite government measures to help them deal with the fallout from coronavirus. Some estimates show that up to half of the 5m people who are self employed won’t be helped by the support package that the government has announced. Many thousands more, who are employees, are not eligible for the job retention furlough arrangements. Unsurprisingly the benefits system has seen an unprecedented number of new applications for Universal credit...
Apr 11, 2020•29 min
