Pubs, bars, cafes and restaurants in England Wales, Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland are now open for indoor business. But there’s growing concern about the numbers of vacancies across the hospitality sector. According to trade body UK Hospitality there is a shortfall of almost 200,000 workers. If you run a hospitality business, how difficult are you finding it to get staff? Are you a worker who’s left the sector to look for employment elsewhere? Let us know your experience: moneybox@bbc.c...
Jun 09, 2021•29 min
Children’s Commissioner for Wales Professor Sally Holland explains why she, along with the Commissioners for Scotland and Northern Ireland, want the DWP to drop a Universal Credit entitlement rule introduced by the coalition government in 2017. It only provides support for a maximum of two children with a few specific exceptions. Money Box reporter Joice Etutu hears from some of the thousands of people who have received random cheques from HSBC Banking Group. Amounts vary from tens to thousands ...
Jun 05, 2021•25 min
What are you rights when making a complaint? How do you make sure you escalate your grievance to the right person? What difference can social media make in getting your grumble seen and sorted? Adam Shaw is joined by Martyn James from Resolver, a free, independent issue resolution service. and Alicia Alinia , Managing Director, Consumer Legal Services at the law firm, Slater & Gordon. Producer Smita Patel Editor Alex Lewis
Jun 02, 2021•29 min
A Money Box listener has been refused work by two employers because he was unable to provide his National Insurance Number despite the Department for Work and Pensions saying individuals can start work without one. Last year we reported that people coming to the UK with the right to work weren’t able to obtain a National Insurance Number because the government had stopped issuing them. People can now apply - but that process takes up to 16 weeks and trying to get work in the meantime can be toug...
May 29, 2021•25 min
Apprenticeships allow you to earn money as you study for qualifications and gain practical experience on the job. There's a wide range of careers and industries to choose from but a recent Ofsted report said that 10% of apprenticeships are inadequate, so how do you find a good quality scheme to help you develop the skills you need to succeed? On Wednesday's programme Adam Shaw speaks to apprentices and employers about their experiences and ambitions and we'd love to hear from you too. If you're ...
May 29, 2021•27 min
One in four of us is considering buying an electric car, according to the energy regulator Ofgem. So, what are the finances of going electric? They often cost more to buy but the claim is that they can be cheaper to run. Adam Shaw and guests discuss the cost of buying, insuring, charging an electric vehicle and the tax breaks you get if you buy or lease an electric car through a business? Adam is joined by Ginny Buckley, founder of electrifying.com, an electric car advice site & Hayley Jay, ...
May 26, 2021•29 min
Financial firms are being told they will be forced to treat their customers better under plans by the regulator for a new “Consumer Duty”. It will set down a higher level of consumer protection that firms will have to follow. The consultation on the plans has just been published and the new rules should be in force by the middle of next year. Paul Lewis talks to Nisha Arora, Director of Consumer and Retail Policy at the Financial Conduct Authority. Money Box continues to get complaints from cust...
May 22, 2021•33 min
Buying a house with a mortgage is one of the biggest commitments we make in life. The pandemic has seen households managing lower, unpredictable incomes with furlough and government grants on offer. What effect has that had on lenders and their decisions to approve or decline applications? If you’re trying to get one or switch to a better deal - how are you finding it? What new mortgage products are banks and building societies now offering borrowers? Charmaine Cozier is joined by: Runouska Dass...
May 19, 2021•29 min
Many people on Disability Living Allowance are rejected when they are assessed for the newer benefit Personal Independence Payment (PIP). Paul Lewis hears about some of the experiences of claiming PIP and discusses with Daphne Hall, vice chair of the National Association of Welfare Rights Advisers and Dr Jim McCormick, chair of the Disability and Carers Benefits Advisory Group. More than 100,000 couples in the UK divorce each year — around 40% of marriages. It is over 20 years since divorcing co...
May 15, 2021•27 min
Last year families spent nearly £7 billion on their furry friends. Pet ownership has soared and so has the number of services on offer for the modern-day pooch. Felicity Hannah and guests discuss the rising costs of buying a pet, keeping it well & safe, whether to insure it and the demand to cater for all their needs from luxury food to care day. Producer Smita Patel Editor Alex Lewis
May 12, 2021•29 min
Mortgage providers are refusing to follow new guidance intended to help hundreds of thousands of people who are unable to sell or re-mortgage their flats because of the cladding crisis. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, RICS, issued the guidance to its members across the UK just two months ago. But Money Box has learned that despite being involved in preparing the guidance, many lenders aren’t following it - leaving people struggling to sell because buyers can’t borrow the money they...
May 08, 2021•30 min
The Covid-19 pandemic has placed a huge amount of pressure on banks and customers alike. How have you - and your bank or building society - adapted? Felicity Hannah and guests explore how the Covid-19 pandemic has reshaped the way we manage our money and whether those changes are here to stay. E-mail moneybox@bbc.co.uk with your personal banking stories, questions and experiences. Have you changed your banking habits? Has your access to support, products or services altered? What is your bank or...
May 05, 2021•32 min
9 in 10 of us use direct debits to pay some or all of our regular bills. 4.5 billion payments were processed in the UK in 2019. It’s a simple way to pay - you sign a mandate with a business or organisation and they take agreed amounts on a specified date. They come with a guarantee which protects you if payments are taken mistakenly. Or at least that’s what a Money Box listener thought when a payment for his gym membership went wrong. Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum have soared in val...
May 01, 2021•33 min
Adam Shaw looks at dementia and money. Producer Smita Patel Editor Alex Lewis
Apr 28, 2021•32 min
The regulator Ofcom tells Money Box people shouldn’t trust Caller ID. It says the spoofing of numbers can be stopped, but to do so will take years. Spoofing has been used by fraudsters to convince thousands of people they are being called by banks or HMRC and trick them into handing over tens of thousands of pounds. It's more than two years since the collapse of London Capital and Finance where investors lost £237m. This week the government announced a new scheme in which almost 9,000 people wil...
Apr 24, 2021•25 min
Have you been tempted by a quick cash win, a jackpot prize or the challenge of finding a winning betting strategy? There are many forms of gambling available online and in person to engage and entertain us but when does a gambling hobby become a personal and financial problem? On Wednesday's Money Box Live Charmaine Cozier and guests explore the enticements that lure you in, lead to compulsion and where to get help. What are the symptoms of problem gambling and the steps to recovery? Joining Cha...
Apr 21, 2021•29 min
The Loan Charge All-Party Parliamentary Group has called on the Government to take urgent action to address the exploitation of some contractors, in a new report. MPs are also demanding a government-backed independent review into how the contracting market operates, to ensure contractors are paid and taxed fairly for the work they do. Paul talks to an IT project manager who barely avoided bankruptcy after an unexpected six-figure tax bill and Ruth Cadbury, co-chair of the Loan Charge APPG Group....
Apr 17, 2021•33 min
Working from home is changing the way we think about where we base our life and careers, but how remote can we be from our business or office? Can you live and work hundreds of miles away from your employer and what could that mean for your personal life and finances or for the company you work for? Whether you’re an employee or an employer we’d love to hear from you, e-mail moneybox@bbc.co.uk now with your thoughts, questions and experiences. Joining the conversation with presenter Felicity Han...
Apr 14, 2021•37 min
More than 200 pensioners responded to a request to tell us how much their state pension was. They were nearly all different amounts. Next week the basic pension is rising to £137.60 a week and the new state pension paid to younger pensioners to £179.60. But those are amounts that hardly anyone actually gets. So why are pensions - the old and the new - so complicated? Who better to answer that than two former pensions ministers. Sir Steve Webb had that job throughout the years of the coalition go...
Apr 10, 2021•37 min
There’s been a rise in the number of divorces according to the Office for National Statistics along with predictions that even more couples will split as a result of the coronavirus crisis. Many law firms are reporting huge spikes in the number of separations during the pandemic. Plans for new “no fault” divorce rules are due to come in in the next few months and will abolish the need to blame one of the parties when pursuing a divorce. But what happens to the finances during all of this? What i...
Apr 07, 2021•34 min
Fancy earning interest on a £10,000 loan? We’ll find out about what negative interest rates mean for consumers in Denmark and what might happen if they were introduced here. Felicity Hannah talks to Niels Arne Dam, Chief Economist at Finance Denmark and Paul Pester, former CEO of TSB and currently the chair of research and ratings agency Fairer Finance. Women’s finances have been hit harder than men’s by the Covid crisis, so could that risk a widening wealth gap and how do we fix it? Maike Curri...
Apr 03, 2021•36 min
All too often we hear about fraudsters using the phone to trick victims into handing over thousands or tens of thousands of pounds and destroying lives in the process. But how often to we get to hear an actual recording of these criminals in action? We play a recording of a fraud call in progress because a criminal made the terrible mistake of calling our Money Box reporter Dan Whitworth. Paul Lewis talks to Graeme Biggar, Director General of National Economic Crime Centre for the National Crime...
Mar 27, 2021•46 min
A recent report by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) found that the coronavirus pandemic has driven more people into financial vulnerability. More adults in the UK have fallen into debt or have little capacity to ride out financial shocks, the FCA said. While furlough, other support grants and the Universal Credit uplift have helped many people avoid money problems, concerns are growing over the financial damage from multiple lockdowns, job losses, lower earnings and redundancies. How are pe...
Mar 24, 2021•34 min
The government responds to Money Box’s revelation that developers are asking customers to sign non-disclosure agreements as a condition of getting problems with their new build homes fixed. We also hear from listeners asked to keep quiet - despite the denials of developers about the practice. A change in the law next month means there could be a huge rise in the number of contractors working through unregulated umbrella companies - and some of those companies are accused of withholding holiday p...
Mar 20, 2021•28 min
There’s no doubt that the pandemic has changed the way we live. But what impact has a year of lockdowns and restrictions had on shopkeepers and shoppers? Has the last year broken the mould for retail? Many essential shops have been successful during the pandemic with some in suburban or rural areas doing more trade as many people work from home. As covid restrictions finally ease, will our shopping habits have changed permanently? Presenter Felicity Hannah is joined by: Kate Ancketill, founder a...
Mar 17, 2021•37 min
A senior MP tells Money Box it’s “appalling” that house developers are asking some customers to sign non-disclosure agreements as a condition of fixing serious defects with new homes. A new report this week claims there are still around 250,000 mortgage “prisoners” - people trapped on high-interest mortgages. And what to do if something goes wrong when you try to buy goods and services on Instagram. Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Jonelle Awomoyi Researcher: Sowda Ali Producti...
Mar 13, 2021•35 min
More people are trying their hand at trading and investing using online platforms. Much of the trend is driven by trading apps, with a rise in the number of people signing up since the coronavirus pandemic hit last year. Investors can buy shares in companies and investment funds and keep track of them on their phones. Many of the apps say their services are free to use and commission-free, so how do they make money? Why have trading apps grown so quickly and what are the risks and benefits of in...
Mar 10, 2021•28 min
Earlier this week the Government announced that economic abuse will be a criminal offence under the Domestic Abuse Bill. The law previously only recognised abuse that took place within a relationship, not after separation. We hear one survivor's shocking tale - she was left with nearly half a million pounds of debt - and hear her reaction to the law change. Paul Lewis talks to barrister Dr Charlotte Proudman. On Wednesday the DWP revealed that 200,000 women could be in line for payouts averaging...
Mar 06, 2021•25 min
Paul Lewis is joined by a panel of experts to discuss how the Budget might affect your finances. Panelists: Anita Monteith – Tax manager at Institute of Chartered Accounts in England and Wales Heather Self - partner, Blick Rothenberg Accountants Tina Riches – volunteer, Tax Aid Gareth Morgan - chief executive, Ferret You can also e-mail moneybox@bbc.co.uk or tweet @moneybox.
Mar 03, 2021•38 min
Nearly a million carers will get an increase of just 35p a week from April. 939,000 people receive a benefit called Carer’s Allowance — currently £67.25 a week — for looking after another person who is severely disabled. In order to qualify people must provide for at least 35 hours a week - though most will spend considerably more time caring than that. The April rise amounts to just 1p extra per hour. This increase is in line with the rate of inflation the previous September when inflation was ...
Feb 27, 2021•26 min
