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The Houses of Parliament

Policy work and campaigning

Working with ministers across devolved states to advocate for society's financially vulnerable.

We have helped over

7.5 million

people since 1993

 

We work with the All Party Parliamentary Group on Debt and Personal Finance, and provide briefings and resources to MPs.

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Our work in parliaments

Engagement with the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee on council tax reform

Alongside seven debt advice, money and research sector partners, StepChange wrote to Florence Eshalomi MP – the Chair of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee – on 2 December 2024, to raise the urgent case for council tax reform.

This coalition of organisations are working together to campaign on this issue, to urge central government to lead the change required to bring about fairer and more supportive council tax collection practices.

You can read more about StepChange’s evidence on our clients’ experiences of the council tax debt collection journey here.

Read the letter here

Learn more about our work with parliaments

Key policy campaigns

Plugging the gap: The case for national social tariffs in energy and water

We should all be able to live comfortably in homes that are warm and well-lit, confident to use the water we need to maintain our health and dignity, without financial concerns. Yet this sense of assurance feels out of reach for too many of us. That's why we're campaigning to plug the affordability gap to ensure all households can afford their utility bills.

Learn more about our latest campaign

Campaigning for people to have Room to Repay their council tax arrears

Our October 2024 'Looking through the keyhole' explored our clients' experiences of council tax collection and enforcement - and found that instead of offering compassion and help to people who need it, the existing system was making things worse. Most recently, we published a follow-up briefing in March 2026, 'Clear, Fair, Understandable?', probing whether the letters people in council tax arrears receive are helping them engage and find support. We're campaigning for people to have Room to Repay council tax arrears - and have recently secured some big campaign wins from Central and Welsh Government.

Too close to home: Campaigning for better outcomes for victim-survivors of economic abuse and coerced debt

Our national polling finds that 3% of the UK adult population – 1.6 million people – has experienced coerced debt at the hands of a current or former, family member or friend in the last 12 months. Coerced debt is a form of economic abuse where the perpetrator coerces a victim-survivor into debt, for example by making them take out credit against their wishes. Our new policy report, ‘Too close to home’, calls for collaboration led by government and across multiple sectors, including debt advice, to come together and improve outcomes for victim-survivors.

Our priority policy asks

Supporting people in problem debt: Priorities for the new Government

It’s been a difficult few years for household finances. Rising living costs, the pandemic and a housing emergency have resulted in over a quarter of UK adults struggling to cope financially. We’re calling for the new Government to place financial security at the heart of its legislative agenda over the next parliamentary session.

Our policy asks

See more of our campaigns

Thought leadership

 

Our blog highlights the trends our team sees, and uses in-depth data, research and insights to suggest ways to improve the lives of society's financially vulnerable.

Visit the Medium blog for more

Media centre

 

Our press office can comment, arrange briefings or interviews with experts, and help facilitate case study requests with clients who are willing to share their experience in the media.

Visit the Media Centre

Research and statistics

Our client data and research over the last decade highlights debt trends in the UK. These insights into the causes and consequences of problem debt inform our campaign and policy work.

Read our research

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