In today’s bulletin:
- General update
- Living on narrow margins: The new shape of household financial stress
- Government consultation on making public services quicker, easier and more secure to access with digital ID
- Money and Mental Health – Stuck on Repeat report
- FCA Regulatory Priorities – Second-charge mortgages
- Consumer understanding: good practice and areas for improvement
- Emma Gibbons – PayPlan feature on Economic Abuse
- Collaborations
- Events
General Update
Petrol forecourt retailers have hit out at the government’s “inflammatory language” on profiteering since the oil price surge following the US-Israel war with Iran, arguing that it has led to staff abuse. This comes as ONS reported that the UK economy flatlined in January 2026 as people cut back on eating out, amongst other things.
Link: https://www.ons.gov.uk/
Link: https://www.petrolprices.co.uk/fuel-prices.php
Chancellor Rachel Reeves is to offer a package of support to households struggling with higher heating oil costs following the global impact of the US-Israel war in Iran. I am one of the 1.7m households in England & Wales rely on kerosene for heating and hot water but, unlike gas and electricity, prices are not capped and are subject to volatility. 62.5% of homes in Northern Ireland rely on heating oil. Since the start of the US and Israel’s assault in Iran, households using heating oil have seen their bills double, orders cancelled – and some have been unable to get heating oil at all.
Congratulations to Catherine McNeill – Insolvency Professional of the Year
Plain Numbers Insights
Very topical with the consumer understanding updates by the FCA this week. We discussed the role of providers like Plain Numbers and Amplified Global at the AI: Real Life event last week under intelligibility and consumer understanding at scale.
Living on narrow margins: The new shape of household financial stress
The cost-of-living crisis continues to dominate headlines, but new data from PayPlan, covering January and February 2026, suggests the financial pressure facing UK households is becoming more entrenched and more structural.
Financial difficulty is now shaped less by isolated shocks and more by the sustained compression of household budgets. Higher baseline living costs, elevated borrowing rates and limited capacity to absorb change are combining to narrow affordability over time.
Recent consumer sentiment data reinforces this picture. The latest survey from GfK shows UK consumer confidence remains stubbornly low with a recent fall to its lowest level since the November Budget, reflecting ongoing concern about personal finances and stretched household budgets. While inflation has eased, prices continue to rise and households report reduced appetite for major purchases.
Taken together, this suggests a structural shift in how households experience and manage financial strain.
Financial vulnerability is concentrated among working households
The profile of households seeking debt advice challenges traditional assumptions about vulnerability.
Across our referrals and advice sessions during January and February 2026:
- The average client age is just under 40, with those aged 25 – 45 forming the largest group.
- Around three quarters are in PAYE employment.
- Over half are renters, with around a quarter homeowners.
- Average monthly income sits at around £2,400, while average expenditure is approximately £2,195.
- Median monthly surplus remains limited, at around £145.
These figures highlight a growing cohort of households that are technically solvent, but operationally fragile. Employment alone no longer provides sufficient protection against rising costs and borrowing pressures. Many households are operating within margins that leave little room for disruption.
Delayed engagement is increasing financial exposure
Despite sustained pressure, many households continue to delay seeking support.
In an environment where consumer confidence remains subdued, households may be more inclined to defer difficult financial conversations in the hope that conditions improve. In practice, that delay often increases long-term exposure. Our advisors report that stigma, fear of judgment and a belief that problems can be managed independently often prevents early engagement. Laura, one of our Helpline advisors, explains:
“Clients often avoid engaging until creditor intervention prompts them to take action.”
When clients do reach out for help, they typically only disclose around 60% of their debt level in the initial communication. Reasons for this can vary but often it’s linked to feelings of shame, embarrassment or fear of judgment. Clients sometimes don’t want to fully expose the true scale of what they’re facing until a level of trust has been established. This demonstrates not only the barriers organisations face in getting people to reach out in the first place, but also the true scale of financial pressure that often only becomes apparent after they do.
This illustrative problem further highlights the need for organisations to remove any existing barriers to support people to engage sooner rather than later and access the help they need.
Interest rates and repayment stagnation
Sustained higher interest rates continue to affect both secured and unsecured borrowers.
Another of our advisors notes:
“A lot of clients are stuck with increased interest rates. Their balances aren’t reducing, nor are their payments – even when income changes.”
This reflects a pattern of repayment stagnation. When minimum payments largely service interest and charges, balances reduce slowly, if at all. Over time, this dynamic extends debt lifecycles and intensifies affordability pressure.
Housing costs are being prioritised, often at a cost
Housing costs continue to dominate household decision-making. While understandable, this approach deepens vulnerability over time, embedding financial strain rather than resolving it. A reliance on credit to sustain essential expenditure only reinforces the persistence of financial stress.
When credit becomes a stabiliser for essential costs, structural strain becomes embedded.
Digital-first engagement reflects changing behaviour
Engagement patterns also point to changing behaviour. Across January and February, digital channels dominated first contact, which suggests households prefer lower friction routes with less human interaction when initiating financial conversations. In a climate of weakened confidence and heightened sensitivity, digital pathways may reduce psychological barriers to engagement.
Designing early intervention around digital access and reducing the stigma is critical to encouraging earlier engagement.
Implications for policy, regulation and creditors
Taken together, the data points to a normalisation of financial strain within working households. This isn’t simply a continuation of crisis conditions, but a shift towards sustained affordability pressure, limited resilience and delayed help-seeking.
For policymakers, regulators and creditors, the implications are clear:
- Financial vulnerability can no longer be assumed to sit outside employment.
- Narrow surpluses leave households highly exposed to income or cost shocks.
- Delayed engagement increases debt complexity and reduces viable options.
- Affordability frameworks must reflect persistent pressure, not short-term stress.
- Lower-friction, stigma-aware engagement pathways may improve earlier intervention.
The signals are already visible. The question now is not whether pressure exists, but how effectively the system adapts to structural household financial stress. Given the changing landscape we currently find ourselves in, global events may further impact families already struggling and reduce those margins even further.
My thanks to PayPlan for this insight. I hope to share other perspectives.
Government consultation on making public services quicker, easier and more secure to access with digital ID
In a week where the Vulnerability Registration Service (VRS) asked me to represent them in Westminster at the Money and Mental Health (MMHPI) roundtable on how data sharing across essential services can better support people with mental health problems, we have a new government consultation on ‘digital ID’. A point I flagged at the session.
Helen Undy and her team has since published the ‘Stuck on Repeat’ report, which looks at the broader challenge of a ‘Tell Me Once’ approach to data sharing of multiple vulnerabilities, including mental health. Good to catch up with some of the co-authors (e.g. Chris Fitch, Steve Crabb) of the 10 design principles for vulnerability data sharing document. The scope of this document is specifically cross sector covering essential service providers. We should be actively using these assets created in 2024 and 2025. Links at the foot of the email, including support needs codes from November 2025.
Link: https://www.moneyandmentalhealth.org/publications/stuck-on-repeat/
The expert stakeholders discussed ways this could be achieved cross-sector to provider better consumer protection, support and safeguards for consumers with disclosed characteristics of vulnerability.
UK Finance reflected that technology has moved on significantly and that large packets of personal and financial data are now securely transmitted around payment networks in real-time. With an effective passporting system with strong digital credentials, a consumer has more control over when they share their data without it having to all sit in a central repository.
The MMHPI research found that disclosure rates for mental health conditions remain low, despite strong public appetite for a safer and easier way to share support needs. The common aim is to allow people to disclose their needs once and access support across essential services, while ensuring strong safeguards around consent, control and transparency. These sit at the heart of the VRS cross-sector data sharing approach in respect of 35+ vulnerability categories and support needs.
At the VRS Conference on 7 May 2026, Wayne Lloyd from Smarter Contracts will discuss 2 key propositions in this space:
💡 Vulnerability Passport. Held by the individual, it allows people and their carers to carry verified vulnerability status across every interaction – in store, online, over the phone – without repeated disclosure.
💡 AI Passport. Built for firms where data leaving the firewall is simply not an option, it brings the matching and permissions logic directly into the client environment. The data never moves. The registry is never exposed. Firms that could never safely connect to the VRS can now identify and support vulnerable customers – compliantly and at scale.
Aligned with BSI ISO 22458 (consumer vulnerability and inclusive design), mapping all the touchpoints is vital.
FCA Regulatory Priorities – Second-charge mortgages – debt consolidation loans
I have posted on this. DEMSA has been covering the sector-based regulatory priority reports as they have been published by the FCA. On 12 March 2026, we saw the reports for Retail Banking and Mortgages, which can be accessed from the link below. Consumer Finance is next on the list. This should be read with the update on consumer understanding below.
The FCA has produced a release around the conduct of second-charge mortgage providers and brokers, which would include debt consolidation products. The role of the respective parties is important, especially where the broker is charging a fee to the consumer for services provided. This should include vulnerability management alongside affordability assessments. The FCA looked at a sample of firms during their work on second charge mortgages, covering a market share of over 40% of second charge advice firms, and around 50% of second charge lenders. They reviewed the Fair Value Assessments (FVAs) of mortgage intermediaries, covering firms with a market share of over 40%.
Under the wider FVA agenda, lenders and brokers in this mortgage market need to consider how they advise customers, assess affordability and charge fees. A FCA review has found that weaknesses in some firms’ practices could put borrowers, particularly those consolidating debt, at increased risk of financial harm.
Issues identified in the review include:
- Affordability assessments – overlooking key living expenses
- Advice that steered customers towards debt consolidation – when it was not clear if it was appropriate
- Inadequate record keeping
- Unclear fees, often added to loans, making comparisons difficult
Brokers for the wider mortgage market are encouraged to consider the findings, especially on record keeping and quality assurance (QA), and whether they can make improvements. QA by the brokerage and the receiving party are increasingly under scrutiny. notably where poor consumer outcomes are identified downstream. ‘Performance data’ will undoubtedly focus on poorer outcomes and loop back to ‘onboarding data’ submissions.
The FCA is considering any mortgage policy changes needed to support good outcomes for consumers consolidating debt. The role of debt advice in the debt consolidation process remains a ‘grey’ area, whether direct (including digital) or through an intermediary channel.
By contrast, many debt advice firms discuss all options including re-financing, but the majority don’t have the permissions to facilitate the completion of a debt consolidation product. Indeed, the FCA financial promotions team has been active in assessing marketing activity around debt consolidation and whether a consumer has an expectation of obtaining finance or a non-borrowing debt remedy. Knowing the customer’s objectives and ability to pay (over a sustainable period of time) are crucial.
DEMSA is supporting the Affordability Summit on 14 April 2026 in Manchester. Details below. Only a few places remaining.
Link: https://www.fca.org.uk/regulatory-priorities
Link: https://www.fca.org.uk/news/press-releases/second-charge-mortgage-firms-told-raise-standards-consumers
Consumer understanding: good practice and areas for improvement
The Consumer Duty prophecy continues to play out with limited evidence of simplification or any slow down in the regulatory ‘conveyor belt’. Keeping pace with the Regulatory Priorities documents required a pause for breath then a quick check again on a Friday the 13th afternoon to see if I had missed anything before starting to draft the DEMSA bulletin.
Sure enough, we have the latest Financial Conduct Authority update on expectations around Consumer Understanding. I will undertake a deeper dive over the weekend. I asked AI to produce a quick summary visual around the 5 areas highlighted:
- Management information (MI) & testing
- Innovation & communication design
- Vulnerability & accessibility
- Financial promotions
- Governance & oversight
I met Charlotte Clark, Director of the FCA, at the Money and Mental Health roundtable on Tuesday in Westminster. We discussed a number of FCA activities. She has produced a Blog on this topic aligned to the Consumer Duty.
“Better consumer understanding leads to better outcomes”
“Firms that are making the most progress tend to have clear ownership of consumer understanding. Some have appointed a single senior lead responsible for gathering insight, escalating issues and driving change”
She has reflected that the FCA has seen strong examples of firms adapting communications and support for customers with characteristics of vulnerability. This includes “tell us once” approaches, recording communication preferences and support needs so customers do not have to repeat sensitive information. Others have built vulnerability prompts into onboarding and advice processes, helping staff identify when extra support may be needed. This is relevant to the discussion on 24 March in Manchester (see below) that Andrew Gething, Nigel Bryant and I are supporting.
We will look at approaches that improve consistency, reduce friction for customers, and help ensure communications are delivered in ways customers can understand, whether by a human agent, bot or alternative delivery platform.
Breaking down complexity
We’ve seen firms finding new ways to explain complex journeys. Short video explainers, interactive diagrams and FAQs allow customers to absorb information at their own pace.
Some have also introduced “positive friction” – timely prompts, warnings and explanations that slow customers down at key moments. These purposeful pauses help customers reflect, avoid mistakes and make better informed choices.
Carolyn Delehanty has provided her reaction post. Given many of the audience have outsourcing arrangements or are outsourcing providers you may want to connect and answer her 10 questions leaders must ask before outsourcing their vulnerable customers calls. No pressure! I have extracted them anyway and made it 12. Some potential usage for Sam and Craig for the IP Integration event on 24 March 2026.
- Do they have a proven track record of supporting vulnerable customers well?
- How do they identify vulnerability?
- Can they deliver consistent standards at scale, including when call volumes spike or complex cases arise?
- How will they evidence outcomes for Consumer Duty?
- What data will they capture and report?
- Will their data align with our internal reporting?
- Do they understand the real drivers of vulnerability in your customer base?
- Is the cultural context right?
- Do advisers genuinely understand the lived realities of the customers they will be speaking to?
- What training do advisers receive on vulnerability and how often is it refreshed?
- What happens when something goes wrong?
- Who ultimately owns the customer outcome?
Link: https://www.fca.org.uk/publications/good-and-poor-practice/consumer-understanding-good-practice-areas-improvement
Link: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/consumer-duty-action-helping-consumers-really-understand-clark-bjjse/
Emma Gibbons – PayPlan on Economic Abuse
I have attached the full article by Emma, vulnerability lead at PayPlan. DEMSA commissioned an article earlier in 2026 following the rise in focus on this topic and the need for the debt advice sector to have an effective approach in dealing with victims impacted by coerced debt or economic abuse more widely. This has been a strong feature at the HM Treasury Fairness Group as well.
The graphic above shows an increase of 32% last year in 2025 alone, and a staggering 210% increase on the levels seen in 2020 – 3 times higher.
Economic abuse involves behaviours that interfere with an individual’s ability to acquire, use and maintain economic resources such as money, transportation and utilities. It can be controlling or coercive. It can make the individual economically dependent on the abuser, thereby limiting their ability to escape and access safety. It is designed to intimidate and isolate the victim.
Coerced debt is a form of economic abuse where the perpetrator coerces a victim into debt, for example by making them take out credit against their wishes. It may impair someone’s credit file where these debts lead to missed payments, defaults, CCJs or other derogatory marks.
Examples of Economic Abuse in debt advice include:
- Having sole control of the family income and restricting access to money through limiting access to bank accounts, credit cards and cash
- Preventing claiming welfare benefits
- Interfering with education, training or employment
- Not allowing or controlling access to a mobile phone/transport/utilities/food
- Monitoring spending
- Damage to a property and expecting their partner to pay
- Running up debts in someone else’s name without their knowledge or consent and resulting in damaged credit ratings and affecting future financial resilience.
My thanks to Emma for producing this document, which is well worth a read if you haven’t fully developed this aspect of your vulnerability policy, including staff training. The best practice guide link below may be useful.
Link: https://www.payplan.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Refuge-PayPlan-Best-Practice-Guide.pdf
Half of victim-survivors of coerced debt have experienced a negative impact on their credit record
Just ahead of Debt Awareness Week, StepChange has also produced new research revealing the long-term and harmful impact that coerced debt can have on someone’s credit record, in some cases preventing them from securing a home, mobile phone contract, car finance agreement, or even employment opportunities.
YouGov polling of UK adults who have experienced coerced debt showed:
- 48% experienced at least one negative impact on their credit record
- 35% said that they were declined for at least one financial product or service, such as a loan or credit card, internet or mobile contract, or a tenancy, mortgage or job, due to problems with their credit rating
The statistics come as StepChange publishes a new report Filed Away, building on previous research around the prevalence of coerced debt among UK adults and its debt advice clients. This revealed coerced debt affects an estimated 3% of UK adults (1.6m).
Link: https://www.stepchange.org/media-centre/press-releases/coerced-debt-report.aspx
Link: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/new-stepchange-research-provides-fresh-insight-lvsye/
CYBERUK 2026 – SEC Glasgow on 21-23 April 2026
CYBERUK will be delivered by the NCSC and sponsors across four distinct tracks of activity: Resilience, Technology, Threat, and Ecosystem.
Resilience as part of a firm’s AI strategy was discussed at the AI: Real Life event on 12 March 2026 in Stratford-upon-Avon.
Resilience in AI strategy and governance is a fundamental pillar that shifts the focus from merely preventing failures to anticipating, absorbing, adapting to, and recovering from AI-related disruptions. As AI becomes embedded in core business processes, it transitions from being solely an efficiency tool to a, “backbone of resilience,”—both as a tool for strengthening business continuity and as a potential source of systemic fragility.
Collaborations
AI: Real Life – Collaboration between DebtStream, Debtrak, MEGA.AI and TCN
There are plenty of photos of the event on LinkedIn. If you are not connected to Emma Reynolds of TCN then you probably need to, as she as the ‘photo dump’. Overall, this collaboration was a great success because of the engagement on the day on a topic that provoked a lot of debate. I am sure there will be a broader summary of the event.
Martin O’Donnell of DebtStream facilitating above Panel 4 at AI: Real Life on the topic of Operational Efficiency. A lively debate with Nick Georgiades, Gary Norris of UK Search and Andy Brooks of TCN.
I was heckling from the front row after my 2 sessions had finished and was fully charged with my MEGA.AI mug (see above). Nick called on his previous experience as CFO when looking at RoI propositions. Making the business case for scaled deployments was discussed at length through the day. My first session was around framing the problem statement, which often helps mitigate programme failure from the outset. My second session was around investing in your data assets.
We could probably have filled another Panel session on ‘firm AI readiness’ including senior management and the staff that we want to become ‘early adopters’, ‘fire starters’ or the inspirers of co-design approaches. Richard Fenton from Zinc Group had already discussed the importance of having a ‘harbinger of doom’ to look at what could possibly go wrong (including the rollback plan).
AI and empathy is almost certainly going to get a session on its own.
Panel 3 session above chaired by Spencer, with Richard, Jason and Richard Sharp on AI in CX. I am hoping they aren’t all looking at me. They discussed the operational intricacies of both considering and then executing AI in a financial service business.
Testing at scale was also a key theme, certainly where there may be hundreds of thousands of permutations like multi-layer IVR journeys being replaced by an AI voice bot.
The government will be pleased that ‘growth’ was mentioned a number of times, especially where cost efficiencies through AI or innovation adoption are generated with scale, whether that be through acquisitions or organic growth. What is clear is that a strategic blueprint is required, in part aligned with the 5-year outlook in the FCA ‘Mills Review’ of AI in Financial Services. Debt resolution cannot be a laggard and cannot cut corners.
It was interesting listening to Gary and their approach to corporate governance and the gradual adoption of digital and AI, including the recent work with Mega. Many of the case studies through the day involved the collaborations between multiple partners. That was evident in my data governance session with David Gil Welsh from Lantern. This has certainly been evident in the newly live deployment at BPO Collections. We discussed the impact of acquisitions (both debt portfolios and firms) on growth, integration and operational efficiency, just as Lantern Group announced the acquisition of Ascent from Irwin Mitchell, subject to regulatory approval. Ascent is a specialist debt recovery law firm.
It was interesting that we had a number of senior business development personnel in attendance from debt resolution firms, who will need to present new service capabilities going forward with confidence where innovation, competitive pricing, operational resilience and a ‘safe pair of hands’ theme need to be presented. Getting the balance right will be an acid test.
The roundtables evolved into full audience participation (expertly facilitated), which was very refreshing.
Definitely potential for a similar discussion in the debt advice sector. Chris and I are firming up the details for a June 2026 event with BSI at the moment where AI governance will feature strongly. This will not be at a theoretical level. I will finish with some insights from Ben Mason at My Compliance Centre on the matter of ownership of AI governance that was raised by Jason Stockley of Arum and myself at the event.
“Whether or not your firm has a Chief AI Officer, accountability for outcomes sits with existing senior management. Regulators aren’t creating new accountability frameworks for AI — they’re applying existing ones.”
Having a de-brief with Oscar the voice AI bot at the end of the event.
JTR Collections and Haringey Council
It was catching up with Michael Line from JTR at the AI: Real Life event. I will be seeing many of the enforcement firms at the CIVEA event in London on 23 April 2026, where I am on panel.
Latest CCW and Ofwat research
Their joint Customer Spotlight research explored customers’ views and experiences of water, including their understanding and awareness of water companies, and their views on affordability, satisfaction and trust. Some of this will be relevant to events on 24 March and 14 April (Affordability Summit) ahead of the VRS Conference on 7 May 2026 where I have Andrew White of CCW in my breakout session (see below). Consumer trust was a major topic at the AI: Real Lives event, notably around AI adoption by some consumer cohorts. There were some mixed views on this.
Satisfaction with water services has dropped to 55% (from 65% in Wave 1) and wastewater services to 47% (down from 56% in Wave 1). Water providers have also seen a significant decrease in likelihood of respondents to recommend them compared to previous waves (65%, down from 71% in Wave 1 and 69% in Wave 2).
On the contact management front, 35% contacted their water company in the past year (up from 24% in Wave 2). Water bill payers are paying closer attention to their bills than Waves 1 and 2, including for more specific reasons such as reducing water usage, submitting new meter readings, and contacting providers.
Link: https://www.ccw.org.uk/publication/customer-spotlight-public-views-and-experiences-of-water-2026/
Closing the awareness gap: SSEN and Policy in Practice embed Priority Services (PSR) eligibility into benefit checks
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) Distribution and Policy in Practice have launched a first-of-its-kind partnership to proactively identify and protect vulnerable households across central southern England and the north of Scotland.
By embedding Priority Services (PSR) eligibility directly into benefit checks, the initiative aims to reach the millions of customers who are eligible for extra help during power cuts but are currently unaware they can register.
Across the UK, the energy regulator, Ofgem has encouraged Distribution Networks Operators (DNO) to use data to help identify these households. This approach removes the administrative burden from the customer, turning a routine benefit check into an enhanced programme of assistance.
I am hoping Rob will cover some of these examples at the Affordability Summit on 14 April 2026 (see below). Policy in Practice is one of the speakers and sponsors.
Link: https://policyinpractice.co.uk/media/
Events
Debt Awareness Week starts on Monday 16 March 2026
Driving better outcomes for Vulnerable customers – 24 March 2026 in Manchester
I have posted on this. I am pleased to be supporting this event on 24 March in Manchester, where I am joined by MorganAsh and the Vulnerability Registration Service (VRS). We will be looking at joint FCA/ICO statements around data sharing and the focus of the ‘Mills Review’ around AI in Financial Services.
This should be timed with the next FCA Regulatory Priorities updates for sectors beyond insurance and investments. We can expect updates to the Ofgem and Ofwat vulnerability strategies through the course of 2026.
This cross-sector event is all about practical deployment of innovative technology and partnerships to deliver better consumer outcomes at scale. Alongside innovation, we explore the necessary safeguards to protect consumers, including how to build trust in an ecosystem that is seeing a rise in scams, coercion and fraud. Andrew Gething will discuss the importance of well structured and accurate data.
Integrating data sources like the VRS can assist in providing the most effective treatment path using disclosed data as to what someone is ‘vulnerable to’ and their support needs. Efficient consented VRS registration pathways also enable a ‘tell us once’ approach, which is used by platforms like the MorganAsh MARS system.
Common themes will be:
- 💡 building consumer trust
- 💡 identifying vulnerability
- 💡 safe adoption of AI with the required safeguards
- 💡 consumer understanding
- 💡 effectively monitoring consumer outcomes
We look at ‘what good looks like’ at scale, where best in class services and providers are integrated into the ecosystem.
Join the IP Integration team for an insightful event and excellent networking, where all the speakers will be available after the afternoon sessions.
Blog from Sam Grant of IPI.
Link: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/2026-when-consumer-duty-moves-from-framework-proof-sam-grant-pbrjc/
Affordability Summit – 14 April 2026
DEMSA is delighted to be supporting the Affordability Summit on 14 April 2026 at the Core Technology Facility in Manchester. The venue is highly relevant to the innovation and interactive theme for the day. The cost-of-living crisis has now been with us for some time, impacting millions of UK consumers. April triggers increases in essential service costs, tax code changes, new SFS figures and assessing changes in disposable income at a household and individual level.
We already have a great delegate list with Tier-1 banks, UK Finance, Money and Pensions Service, the Centre for Responsible Credit, leading Utilities, debt buyers, enforcement firms, debt resolution firms, CRAs, vulnerability specialists and leading debt solution providers. Chris Warburton will hold the whole programme together.
Our thanks to our speakers – Daniel Kelly, Damon Gibbons, Rachel Curtis, Victoria Oliver, Dylan Jones, Mark McElvanney, Kenneth Doherty, Shaunna Austin, Sam Manning, Rob Johnson, Tracey Stone and Carlos Osorio. Lowell is also speaking (TBC).
VRS conference on 7 May 2026 – Nottingham Forest Football ground
The agenda is just about complete, with Alison Walters from the FCA delivering one of the keynotes. The ICO has just been added. Opening keynote from Lord Holmes MBE – a technology policy leader and advocate for inclusion and accessibility. John Fairhurst from PayPlan is on the main podium and Emma Gibbons is supporting their exhibition stand.
Chris and I are both running sessions.
My session has now been featured. I am looking forward to having Ofgem, CCW and Gamcare in my session.
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