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What you need to know this week Government confirms 1.2% average annual real-terms increase in departmental spending between 2025/26 and 2028/29. Local Government DEL to rise from £15bn in 2025/26 to £15.8bn by 2028/29. HMRC receives £500m to deliver 90% digital self-service by 2029/30. 2,400 new HMRC debt management staff and 5,500 compliance roles confirmed. £1.9bn investment in cross-department digital and AI transformation announced. NHS England to be merged into the Department of Health and Social Care by 2025/26. Valuation… Read more

What you need to know this week The FCA is reviewing motor finance commissions, with potential for a redress scheme affecting over 2 million customers. NatWest suffered a major outage, highlighting continued risks to operational resilience in essential financial services. HSBC UK CEO underscores the sector’s high cybersecurity costs and focus. ICO released new guidance on data breaches and launched a strategy on AI and biometrics regulation. Lowell’s Financial Vulnerability Index shows vulnerability at its highest since the pandemic. Ofwat… Read more

What you need to know this week Average UK private rents increased 7.4% year-on-year to £1,335 as of April 2025. A revised IVA Protocol will take effect from 1 July 2025, with significant safeguards for consumers. 4,000 individuals may still claim DRO-related refunds via the Insolvency Service. Ofgem mandates £18.6m in redress for unauthorised prepayment meter installations affecting 40,000 customers. FCA updates 11,000 firm requirements and permissions, impacting over 9,000 regulated entities. Aryza acquires Webio to accelerate AI integration across… Read more

What you need to know this week Inflation rose to 3.5% in April 2025, up from 2.6% in March, impacting household budgets and potentially delaying interest rate cuts. FCA’s CP25/13 proposes aligning complaint reporting to calendar year-end and includes new categorisation rules for Consumer Duty and Vulnerability. Individual insolvencies for April 2025 reached 10,012, including 5,586 IVAs and 3,837 DROs. 7,273 Breathing Space registrations in April 2025, a 5% year-on-year decrease. New rules will bring Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL)… Read more

What you need to know this week The Government will launch a consultation on council tax debt collection practices following sector lobbying. UK GDP grew by 0.7% in Q1 2025, with 0.2% month-on-month growth in March. Domestic abuse estimates highlight 3.9 million people affected in the past year, with economic abuse and coerced debt in focus. 90,140 homeowner mortgages were in arrears in Q1 2025; 2,030 properties were repossessed. The Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) has launched a consultation on… Read more

What you need to know this week The Bank of England cut the Bank Rate by 0.25% to 4.25%, impacting tracker mortgages. FCA launched CP25/11 consultation to simplify mortgage changes. FCA published PS25/3 confirming new Consumer Credit Return (CCR009) reporting requirements from 2025. Aryza’s Q1 2025 insolvency insights highlight increasing consumer struggles with priority bills. FOS received over 141,000 complaints in H2 2024, with gambling-related harm cases rising. Treasury Select Committee examined AI in financial services, focusing on balancing innovation… Read more