Media Centre

Recent blogs

Problem debt in Scotland: A manifesto for the 2026 Holyrood elections

Malcolm McConnell, Public Affairs Officer StepChange Scotland, writes: When Scotland last voted in a Holyrood election, the country was still in the grip of the pandemic. Mass testing and vaccinations were in full swing, and masks and social distancing were a common sight at polling stations. Few would have imagined then that the years to follow would be just as turbulent. But since 2021, households have been hit by a sustained cost of living crisis, soaring inflation and record energy prices, all unfolding against a backdrop of global instability and conflict.

Go to the Medium blog

Recent media coverage

• Various pieces in the Scotsman, covering our Scotland in the Red statistics, our Holyrood 2026 election manifesto, as well as interviews with debt advisor Michelle Lindsay, Vikki Brownridge, and our client Alannah-Jayne.
• Genevieve Richardson spoke to Holyrood Magazine as part of their write up on coerced debt and economic abuse, alongside two of our case studies.
• Vikki was quoted in the Yorkshire Post as part of a piece looking at Yorkshire Water’s use of bailiffs.
• Peter Tutton spoke to the Independent about the FCA’s upcoming changes to credit files.
• Stats Yearbook 2026 was written up in the Guardian with a quote from Vikki.
• For Debt Awareness Week, we used both of Vikki’s regular columns in the Big Issue and Yorkshire Post to cover Debt Awareness Week, stigma and debt advice.
• Peter was quoted in the Mirror speaking to the council tax rise, as well as on BBC Online covering our FOI research, and on broadcast with BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio 4’s World at One.
• Genevieve wrote an opinion piece for Stylist Magazine focusing on our latest polling and insight on coerced debt.
• Vikki had an opinion piece in print in the Scotsman on the same issue.