StepChange in the news

Our latest media coverage

Please note, we're not responsible for the content of external websites.

Friday 25 November 2022

In the media, we were featured in a BBC News article earlier this week sharing tips on how to save money when buying food, with a quote from Head of Media Sue Anderson. The Glasgow Times shared a piece about the sponsors of its Bank on Us Christmas appeal which includes StepChange Scotland. Director of External Affairs Richard Lane was quoted in a Yahoo News article about the impact of rising interest rates on homeowners.

On social channels

Over 1,200 users have gone to the site through social media this month with a 7.8% conversion rate to starting debt advice. Our Twitter platform is at its highest engagement rate, at 3.4% for the month. Here’s one of our most popular tweets. We’ve been promoting our client Nikki’s story through socials, with over 300 views Thursday afternoon of her journey.

News

• Richard Lane’s comment in reaction to last week’s Autumn Statement continues to be featured in Somerset Live and Devon Live.
• StepChange’s involvement in Nationwide’s Money Matters event in Stoke-on-Trent is mentioned in BBC News.
• Demand for rental homes in UK up by 23% in a year, as rents hit record high (The Guardian)
• Interest rate cut possible if economy demands, says Bank policymaker (The Guardian)
• No-fault eviction notices up 76% for renters (BBC)
• Nearly a third of young people unaware BNPL can get them in debt (UKTN)
• £15,000 grants to help middle earners insulate their homes and save on bills (The Times - £)

StepChange was mentioned as a source of advice in the following online article:

• I’m a housing expert – how to get free cash worth £100s if you’re struggling with rent (The Sun)

Friday 18 November 2022

In the media, yesterday following the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement, Director of External Affairs Richard Lane was a guest on Steph’s Packed Lunch on Channel 4 to react live to some of the measures announced.

We also issued a press release reacting to the Statement which was covered by the Express, Your Money and CCR Magazine.

Earlier in the week Richard joined ITV News for a live Q&A across their social media channels and website about debt.

Chief Executive Phil Andrew was interviewed on BBC Radio Leeds to discuss the cost of living crisis and its impact on those on the lowest incomes. This was in reaction to a new report published by the University of Leeds looking at people experiencing financial difficulty and benefit deductions in Leeds. Listen here from 3:08:00.

Social channels

We’ve had over 990 users going to our site from social media channels this month so far with 84 going through to setting expectations / debt advice (7.4% conversion). Despite low numbers on Instagram, this is our best platform in terms of conversion to debt advice, standing at 18.6%.

Our Twitter platform is standing at 3.5% engagement rate, our highest of the year. Here’s one of our tweets promoting Richard Lane’s appearance on ITV news.

One of our best performing social media posts, is of our lovely colleague Kirsty who volunteered with St John’s Ambulance at the Rugby World Cup. You can views this on our Facebook page.

Our TikTok channel is gaining further views and an increasing follower count. The latest video has had over 5,000 views busting a myth around bailiffs.

News

• Richard Lane has an opinion piece on Employee Benefits website about how employers can support their employees during the cost of living crisis.
• Autumn statement 2022: what it means for you (The Guardian)
• Energy bills to rise to £3,000 a year from April (BBC)
• Cost of living: Tesco offers staff pay advances to help meet debt deadlines (Sky News)
• Autumn statement piles pressure on ‘squeezed middle’, economists warn (Yahoo News)

StepChange was mentioned as a source of advice in the following online articles:

• Thousands on Universal Credit and benefits to get extra cash as benefit cap increased, Autumn Statement documents reveal (The Sun)
• Autumn Statement: The good – and bad – takeaways from today's financial announcement (Cosmopolitan)
• The UK economy is officially in recession – but what does that actually mean for your finances? (Stylist)

Opinion

• Forget the budget: the scars left by 11% inflation will last for years to come (The Guardian)
• Autumn statement has done nothing to help consumers keep the heating on (LBC)

Friday 11 November 2022

In the media, Our response to the FCA’s report at the end of last week looking at firms treatment of borrowers in financial difficulty following the pandemic was covered several times over the weekend and at the start of the week – this included print in The Times, Telegraph and the Financial Times (£). As part of the Glasgow Times Bank on Us Appeal which we are taking part in, we had an interview with Head of StepChange Scotland Sharon Bell in The Herald Scotland, Glasgow Times and Yahoo News about what to do if you’re struggling with debt. In last weekend’s Observer, we were featured in a piece about the risk of people turning to credit to plug the gap between their income and outgoings due to higher interest rates and inflation.

Social channels

We’ve had nearly 250 users going to the site from social media. Although a small number of users from Instagram, this proves to be the highest conversion rate to debt advice (setting expectations) at 16.67% compared to our Facebook page at 6%.

We launched our second TikTok video, nearly reaching 700 views in 48 hours.

We launched our first Twitter Spaces with the lovely Peter Tutton, Sharon Bell and Vanessa Northam discussing our latest research for Talk Money Week, with a total of 50 users tuning in live and through playback.

Chief Executive Phil Andrew met with His Majesty The King this week which we highlighted through our socials, gaining over 200 likes on LinkedIn! 

Today at 10:00, we’re launching our extremely popular Reddit AMA for Talk Money Week with support from the lovely knowledge line and advisors in Chester! Watch out for our post on r:/UKPersonalFinance subreddit.

News

• Recession looms as UK economy starts to shrink (BBC)
• Inflation will erode funding for early years care, finds IFS (The Guardian)
• Buy now, pay later warning over Christmas shopping that could lead to horror debt (The Sun)
• Mum who cleared £40,000 debt buys Christmas presents for just £30 (Mirror)

StepChange was mentioned as a source of advice in the following online articles:

• UK headed for recession as economy shrinks – what it means for your money (The Sun)
• Jasmine teams up with Community Money Advice (Money Magpie)

Friday 4 November 2022

In the media, Yesterday we reacted to the news from the Bank of England that the base rate was going up by 0.75%. Director of External Affairs Richard Lane’s comment was picked up in a syndicated piece in Wales Online and three other regional outlets as well as CCR Magazine. Head of Media Sue Anderson was interviewed about interest rates and what this means for mortgage holders on LBC News this morning, this programme is still live but will be available to listen to on catch up after 10am today here on Lisa Aziz’s show (Sue was on around 8.20am).

We also responded to a new report from The FCA yesterday looking at firms responses to borrowers in financial difficulty following the pandemic. Head of Policy Peter Tutton’s quote was included in the Independent, Evening Standard and Yahoo News. On Wednesday we were featured in a print article in the Mirror for Talk Money Week which starts on Monday. The piece focused on understanding credit products and where to get help if you’re using credit to cover essentials.

Social

We launched our first TikTok video!. Over 2,288 users went from social media to the site in October. Of those, 134 went through to debt advice setting expectations (5% conversion rate). Our second largest platform for the month in Reddit with 575 users to the site. The top post for October included our Debt Advisor Lynsey sharing her experiences with BBC news.

News

• StepChange has been nominated for Best Financial Adviser at the Mortgage Solutions Equity Release Awards.
• Our Scotland quarterly client data was included in a print article in the Northern Scot.
• Room to breathe – The Debt Respite Scheme regulations (Chadwick Lawrence)
• Money-off energy scheme launches to avoid blackouts (BBC News)
• Bank of England warns of longest recession in 100 years as it raises rates to 3% (The Guardian)
• Investigation raises concerns about the 'worrying' £40bn-a-year debt locked up in car finance as the cost-of-living squeeze intensifies (This is Money)
• Quarter of people resorting to credit cards to pay food bills as cost of living crisis worsens, poll finds (Sky News)
• StepChange was mentioned as a source of advice on BBC 5 Live and BBC Radio London.

Friday 28 October 2022

In the media, last weekend a BBC News journalist published a piece after spending a day at the StepChange Leeds office doing call listening and interviewing debt advisors. He spoke to Debt Advisor Lynsey Muff about some of the client stories she’s been hearing during the cost of living crisis.

Our quarterly Scottish client data, published at the end of last week, was covered by several outlets this week, including the Scottish Sun, Northern Scot, Forres Gazette and Energy Live News.

Elsewhere, Senior Public Policy Advocate Ed McDonagh spoke to the Guardian about households being forcibly installed prepayment meters and the risk of customers self-disconnecting this winter if they can’t afford to top up.

On social channels

In October we’ve had 51.7K impressions on our tweets, up from 38.4K in September. Our post on both Facebook and Twitter sharing the day in the life BBC News article received a positive response, with users on Facebook thanking StepChange for its support. On Twitter we shared our top three asks to the new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, on what we want to see to support those in financial difficulty during the cost of living crisis.

News

• A previous quote from StepChange about what happens if you don’t pay your energy bills is included in the Big Issue today.
• Ammer Malik joins Paylink Solutions as Head of Business Development (CCR Magazine)
• Lloyds predicts UK house prices will fall 8% next year (BBC)
• Pensions: Downing Street refuses to commit to triple lock (BBC)
• Aviva invests £9m into Citizens Advice and Business Debtline services (Corporate Advisor)
• Boom in offset mortgages as homeowners seek to cut costs (Telegraph - £)
• FCA: Consumer Duty compliance ‘means fewer rules down the line’ (Money Marketing)

Scotland

• Energy bill fears as winter looms on the edge of Scotland (BBC)

StepChange was mentioned as a source of advice in the following online articles:

• Beat the Big Squeeze! What interest rate rises mean for your mortgage, where to get expert help and how to take the next step on the property ladder (MailOnline)
• Website launched offering help to manage cost of living crisis (Campbeltown Courier)

Friday 21 October 2022

In the media, at the start of the week we had a fantastic first person piece in the i with Debt Advisor Lynsey Muff explaining what she’s been hearing from clients during the cost of living crisis. The StepChange VA team were part of Rip Off Britain’s Live week during a feature about the IVA market, where IVA Drafter Kerri Betts discussed how StepChange ensures an IVA is always the most appropriate solution for a client, having gone through full debt advice first (watch from 8 minutes in). Yesterday Director of External Affairs Richard Lane was interviewed on BBC Breakfast about the financial pressures facing households this Christmas, and what to do if you’re struggling with debt or money worries (watch from 1:23:00). Head of StepChange Scotland Sharon Bell was interviewed on BBC Radio Scotland on Tuesday about how inflation and the cost of living crisis is affecting people in debt – listen here from 48:40.

Social channels

over 1,650 users have gone to our site from social media, which is +52% on the previous month. This is due to our autumn campaign activity uplift from our Reddit AMA. Reddit is our second largest platform for users going to our site in October, with a 5.2% conversion rate to debt advice due our AMA. Twitter stands at a 3.1% engagement rate, which beats our 2% target and average. Facebook has increased in engagement with our posts and features in The i Paper and Rip Off Britain. This has spurred on Facebook users to contribute positive comments and stories of how StepChange has helped them. The automated messenger service on Facebook went live with a revised update, helping clients and new users to StepChange access the correct support for their needs on the platform - from signposting to our cost of living hub, correct helplines for their enquiries and more. A big thank you to UX in contributing their live chat workboard to help with the automated flow!

News

• Yesterday we published our quarterly Scottish client data which was covered by Third Force News and CCR Magazine.
• The FCA has published new research today revealing that 32 million people are now struggling to keep up with households bills. Richard Lane is quoted in the Daily Mail in response to the research advising what to do if you are experiencing debt or financial difficulty.
• Cost of living: 'It's hard to eat proper food' (BBC)
• Mortgage rates hit fresh 14-year highs (BBC)
• Almost 8m people in UK struggling to pay bills, says City watchdog (The Guardian)

StepChange was mentioned as a source of advice in the following online articles:

• How to take care of your mental health this winter (The Caterer)

Friday 14 October 2022

In the media, We reacted to the news from Google that it was making changes to its debt service advertising policy and our press release picked up by Politics.co.uk, Credit Strategy (£), Credit Connect and CCR Magazine.

Our new partnership with NatWest Group was mentioned across several outlets this week including The Guardian, Scotsman, Edinburgh Evening News, Company Insight, Asset Finance International and Fintech Finance News.

On social channels

Our tweet responding to Google’s crackdown on debt services ads had an engagement rate of 8.4%, the highest of the week. We live tweeted from the SNP conference in Aberdeen across last weekend, sharing which delegates had visited the StepChange Scotland stand.

News

• StepChange Financial Solutions Manager Andrew Kerry is quoted in Mortgage Strategy discussing equity release during the cost of living crisis.
• Martin Lewis criticises Deliveroo for allowing customers to buy now, pay later for takeaways (ITV News)
• UK carrier Virgin Media O2 now provides free access to five financial advice websites (Phone Arena)
• Three million households to lose £500 if government cuts benefit uprating (Your Money)
• Electricity prices vary by nearly 4p per unit (BBC)
• Bank of England warns mortgage defaults to rise in months ahead (The Guardian)
• Why ordering a takeaway on Deliveroo and Klarna’s ‘eat now, pay later’ scheme is so risky (iNews)

StepChange was mentioned as a source of advice in the following online articles:

• What are the options for homeowners worried about higher mortgage rates? (Independent)
• Editor’s letter: As recession looms, it’s time to hunker down (The Times Money Mentor - £)

Friday 7 October 2022

In the media, yesterday we launched our Making Ends Meet report alongside new YouGov polling revealing 45% of British adults have found it difficult to keep up with household bills and credit commitments in the last few months. The report was covered by Credit Connect, Credit Strategy and CCR Magazine. Elsewhere, Head of Media Sue Anderson was interviewed for a piece in The Guardian looking at some of the problems with the BNPL sector during the cost of living crisis.

Social channels

Reddit is our highest platform in terms of users going to the site, with 485 Reddit users going to our site and 25 users going through full debt advice. Since the launch of our ‘don’t wait’ campaign, we’re seeing a 3% engagement rate on our Twitter platform, compared to our 2% average. Our Instagram is at a 80% click through rate since our campaign, with our ‘How does debt advice work?’ page one of our most clicked URL’s.

News

• This article in the Financial Times (£) examining how the cost of living crisis is forcing households to borrow money to meet essential payments, includes a quote from Head of Policy Peter Tutton.
• Give struggling consumers a helping hand, UK tells high cost credit firms (Yahoo)
• M&S bosses come under fire for new 'buy-now-pay-later' plan as critics say it could plunge hard-hit families into debt (Daily Mail)
• Nursery for under-twos costs parents in England 65% of wage (The Guardian)
• ‘I live under rugs’: people try to keep central heating off as UK bills soar (The Guardian)
• Homeowners 'tearing their hair out' over rising rates and rents (BBC)

StepChange was mentioned as a source of advice in the following online article:

• From fixed to variable to paying a penalty, this is what you should do about your mortgage after rates shot up (The Sun)

Friday 30 September 2022

In the media, yesterday we published a new report alongside Amplified Global™, assessing the role that communications from creditors play in helping people resolve their financial difficulties. The report was covered by CCR Magazine and Head of Policy Peter Tutton was included as an expert in this area on Headline Money. Elsewhere, Head of Media Sue Anderson was quoted in the Independent discussing what rising interest rates mean for mortgage holders, and the impact this will have on people in debt.

Social media

• Twitter is standing at a 7.7% engagement rate in terms of our autumn campaign posts. This is compared to our 2-3% average.
• September has seen over 1,500 going to our site from social media, with Facebook, Twitter and Reddit in the highest platforms.
• 8% of users going from our social media to our site have gone through debt advice this month so far.
• We’ve had a 7% engagement rate and over 14 shares on our Head of Charity Development, Vanessa Northam’s LinkedIn article promoting our autumn campaign messaging.

News 

• Our calls around deductions from Universal Credit are mentioned in this piece in CCR Magazine.
• UK house prices flatline as mortgage rates rise, says Nationwide (The Guardian)
• Cost of living: Energy bills set to rise but help cushions blow (BBC)
• Record 8m households in UK struggle to manage telecoms bills, says Ofcom (The Guardian)
• Energy price cap: Three things to do before your bills rise (BBC)

StepChange was mentioned as a source of advice in the following online articles:

• How to protect your money as Bank of England warns UK is ALREADY in recession (Mirror)
• All the help available if you can’t pay your mortgage - and how to deal with debts (Mirror)
• Households urged to take meter readings today before bills rise (The Sun)
• Millions of EDF Energy customers to get £400 rebate direct into bank accounts (The Sun)
• Martin Lewis warns that there’s no £2,500 cap on energy bills (The Sun)
• What to do if you can't pay your mortgage - see all the help available to homeowners (Chronicle Live)

Friday 23 September 2022

In the media, yesterday we reacted to the Bank of England increasing the base rate by a half percentage point. Director of External Affairs Richard Lane was interviewed on ITV News Wales (watch from 3:40), GB News (watch from 1:54:04) and Channel 5 News (watch from 2:16).

Our comment was also covered in a syndicated article in several regional outlets including Teesside Live and Northants Live. Earlier in the week, Debt Advice Policy Manager Jonathan Chesterman shared his advice on what to do if you have energy arrears as part of The Sun’s Squeeze Team.

Social media

We’re seeing an increase in the r:/UKPersonalFinance subreddit around money worries, bailiffs and seeking out support. We’re mentioned in threads such as this one about seeking help.

Our lovely debt expert, Jonathan Chesterman, gave advice on energy arrears in The Sun, which proved popular on Facebook and Twitter. On Instagram, we’ve noticed our ‘linktree’ (which is a link our page, when clicked on our Instagram, shows a list of top URL’s on our site that can help the audience) is at a 70% click through rate. Our 60 second test is proving popular, and has been clicked over 150 times.

News

• StepChange is mentioned in this article in the Scotsman about the creation of Financial Inclusion for Scotland of which we are a founding member.
• StepChange is mentioned in E.On’s quote in this widely syndicated article about energy firms sending customers higher direct debit notices despite the price cap freeze. (Mail Online and in over 140 regional outlets)
• Mini-budget: What is it and how will it affect me? (BBC)
• What does the Bank’s interest rate rise mean for people’s finances? (The Guardian)
• The UK could see increase in house repossessions if interest rates continue to rise, experts warn (iNews)
• Women are being pushed into gambling debt as they supplement their income with bets through the cost of living crisis (Stylist)
• StepChange was mentioned as a source of advice in the following online articles:
• The three most important things to know about debt advice (Yahoo News)
• UK economy officially to enter recession says BoE as it hikes interest rates again – what it means for your money (The Sun)
• Water bill shake-up could see customers with hot tubs charged extra (The Sun)
• Millions avoiding sorting out finances for lack of ‘cash confidence’ (The Scottish Sun)

Friday 16 September 2022

In the media, it’s been a quieter week for media as we observe the period of mourning for HM The Queen. Our reaction to last week’s announcement of an energy support package continued to be picked up by the Daily Record, New Start magazine and CCR Magazine. In this article in The Sun, Debt Advice Policy Manager Jonathan Chesterman shares his advice for what to do if bailiffs come to your home.

On social channels, so far this month, over 850 users have gone from social media to our website. Reddit is our third highest platform for the month, users have been sharing their experiences of debt via anonymous threads. We were mentioned multiple times in a thread via Martin Lewis’ Twitter: ‘Financial/debt crisis counselling charities are a lifeline for millions right now, we must protect them and ensure adequate funding…’. Sadly, with the passing of HM The Queen, we issued our statement of sympathy, which you can view across our channels. Here’s our Facebook post to view.

News

• Director of External Affairs, Richard Lane appeared on the Which? Money podcast, discussing what happens when you don’t pay your bills
• What is attendance allowance and how much can I get? (The Sun)
• Britain’s lowest-paid workers say finances have never been worse (Guardian)
• Mortgage rates: act fast as increases loom (FT -£)
• ‘We will be skint this winter’: one family’s struggle to manage in cost of living crisis (Guardian)
• Rent arrears rocket among social housing tenants as cost-of-living crisis hits hard (Yahoo News)

StepChange was mentioned as a source of advice in the following online articles:

• Full list of people eligible for cost of living direct payment due in bank accounts within days (The Sun)
• Cost of living checklist: The four steps you can take to help manage rising costs (Express)
• Inflation may peak 'earlier and lower' - but Britons urged to prepare for difficult winter (Express)

Friday 9 September 2022

Last night following the sad news of the death of Her Majesty The Queen, we shared a message on behalf of StepChange sending our condolences to the Royal Family, this was posted across our social media channels.

In the media, It’s been a busy week for media following the appointment of Liz Truss as the new Prime Minister and her subsequent announcement on how she will be addressing the energy bill crisis.

We reacted to yesterday’s announcement, and Richard Lane’s comment was covered in a widely syndicated article in Mail Online, LBC, Glasgow Times and over 165 other regional and local outlets. Prior to this Richard was interviewed on GB News (from 17:54) and BBC Radio Leeds, and Head of Media Sue Anderson was interviewed on BBC Radio Sheffield.

Earlier in the week, Richard was a guest on BBC Radio 4’s You and Yours programme discussing credit card debt, listen from 03:42.

On social channels, This week, we’ve had nearly 250 people go to our site from social media. Reddit is our third largest platform this week on socials driving people to our site. Our engagement rate on Twitter remains strong, with 3.7% engagement rate. We posted our response regarding the energy bills package from the government in addition to promoting the webinar we are hosting for non-profit mental health charity Andy’s Man Club. Money and debt has been mentioned over 3,000 time online, down 13% on last week.

News

• Government announces energy price cap for households – industry reaction (Credit Connect)
• What the new Liz Truss energy plan means for you (BBC)
• Southern Water to use debt collectors against customers boycotting payment (The Guardian)
• Liz Truss’s energy prize freeze will benefit rich more than those struggling with bills, IFS warns (iNews)
• UK energy crisis: Single woman paying £264 a month and postman being pushed into debt (Mirror)

StepChange was mentioned as a source of advice in the following online articles:

• Our travel insurer Holiday Extras won't pay out for the trip we cancelled after our son's sudden death (This is Money)
• Thousands can claim emergency cost of living payment worth up to £1,000 for energy bills – check if you’re one of them (The Scottish Sun)
• Five of the best draught excluders that could help cut energy bills by £45 a year (The Sun)
• How to save money on your energy bill and the support available if you’re disabled (Disability Horizons)
• How to take your finances ‘back to school’ this autumn (Independent)

Friday 2 September 2022

In the media, this week we released our latest monthly client data for July which for the first time in several months saw an uptick in the proportion of new clients with gas and electricity arrears.

The data, alongside Phil Andrew’s comment was covered by the Financial Times (£), Herald, Yahoo News, Credit Connect and the London Economic, and in a widely syndicated article in MailOnline, Evening Standard, and in over 170 other regional and local titles.

StepChange client Matt Skeen was interviewed for a piece in iNews about his experience of getting into debt from payday loans. The article discusses the risk of the cost of living crisis leading to more people using high-cost credit to pay for everyday essentials, Head of Media Sue Anderson is quoted.

Debt Advice Policy Officer Andy Shaw took to the airwaves on BBC Radio 4 (from 8:00) and BBC Radio Sheffield to discuss energy bills and the cost of living crisis.

On social channels, we had over 3,100 users go to our site in August, with Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Reddit being our four largest platforms. Money worries and debt were mentioned over 25,947 times this month online, an increase of 161% on the previous month. Our twitter platform had its highest engagement rate of 3.7% in August. See our popular tweets responding to the treasury regarding SDRPs, the announcement by Ofgem and promoting our debt and mental health support page in partnership with Andy’s Man Club. Across our channels for August, we have gained 559 new followers with LinkedIn being our fastest growing platform. See our post here reacting to the energy price cap announcement.

News

• Head of Media Sue Anderson spoke to Sky News Radio in response to new polling from charity Nesta about parents who are worried about the price rises over winter. This was played across the radio network which includes stations like LBC, Heart and various regional stations.
• Following OVO Energy’s winter support package announcement yesterday, StepChange and OVO’s partnership is mentioned in City AM and the Express.
• Treasury preparing emergency cost of living options for next prime minister (The Guardian)
• Uncertainty remains over some people's energy rebates (BBC)
• Campaign to ensure mothers receive state pension (BBC)
• Shoppers turning to credit as prices rise (Which?)

StepChange was mentioned as a source of advice in the following online articles:

• A growing number of women can’t afford to leave unhappy relationships because of the rising cost of living (Stylist)
• As households face a £3,000 drop in spending power, what to do if you can’t afford your energy bill (Yahoo)
• Warning over ‘phantom’ appliances adding £1,253 a year to energy bills – see the full list of items (The Sun)
• Cost of living payment: A guide to the support available this winter as people on tax credits get first grant (iNews)
• Octopus Energy to give free cash to customers if they are struggling with bills this winter (The Sun)

Related links