08.04.22

Advisers don't work in a vacuum. We're somewhere at the intersection of creditors, the benefits system, housing providers, other charities, the financial services system, the legal system, and providers of essential services like energy or water.

But it's not at all clear that those other organisations have yet woken up to the utterly catastrophic scenario that in coming down the tracks.

Some have at least taken steps, however inadequate, in that direction. The DWP is stopping new Fuel Direct applications unless the customer has requested it (but doing nothing about existing applications... and I worry that this'll just mean a quicker move to installing pre-payment meters and subsequent self-disconnection).

And the British Gas Energy Trust has launched a new scheme for its customers who have relatively low debts (and so, presumably, are likely to be newly in energy arrears). But like so many other charitable schemes, your application will need to show how you'll keep up with your bills in the future.

If you simply don't have enough money to meet your needs? You're too poor to help.

(There is a logic here, incidentally. No charity wants to waste money by helping someone who's only going to rack up arrears again. But particularly where someone's only income is benefits, denying support on the basis that their budget doesn't - often cannot - add up is actively cruel.

I would also say to the likes of British Gas Energy Trust, Scottish Power Hardship Fund, and others - you'd be a lot more help if your support wasn't restricted to clearing energy arrears! Realistically, how many of your clients are only behind on their energy?! It's myopic).

Unless I've missed it, there's been nothing substantive from major creditors or arrangers of debt management plans about their approach to this new crisis, given that their customers are now going to face predictable extra pressures on their budgets.

Nothing from Energy UK about how suppliers will or won't treat missed or part-paid bills, or how they'll prevent self-disconnection for customers on PPMs (I'd strongly suggest stopping collecting debt payments via PPMs until things are more normal).

Nothing from the Local Government Assocation about forthcoming enforcement of unpaid Council Tax.

Nothing from landlords - even social landlords - about how they'll deal with rent arrears.

Nothing from IVA companies, your larger debt management providers, or your larger debt purchasers about proactively reviewing arrangements.

Customers not got any money to pay? Not our problem, guv, seems to be the attitude. They're owed the money, and they'll damn well collect it.

Advisers will do our level best to help our clients, even if it comes to giving advice on how to stay warm when you can't turn the heating on. But we can't do it alone.