It's summertime, which means only one thing - the government will be undertaking some debt-related consultations. This year, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government have obliged, with a fresh look at the administration and enforcement of council tax, an issue that is always close to the hearts of debt advisers.

In this episode, Antonio and Andy take a closer look at the government's proposals, alternately lamenting the missed opportunities and welcoming the chance to make meaningful change. There's also a bonus look at some council tax case law, revisiting our favourite legal phenomenon, the Freemen-on-the-Land.

Useful links:

• MHCLG consultation on council tax
• R (Peacekeepers Foundation) v Liverpool and Knowsley Magistrates Court [2025] EWHC 1493 (Admin)
• Become a member of the IMA

Dealing with enforcement agents is part of every debt adviser's working life, and most advisers would agree that the sector is under-regulated and in need of reform. Since 2023, the Enforcement Conduct Board (ECB) has operated a voluntary scheme where it accredits and supervises participating enforcement agencies. So how effective has this regime been, and what developments should we expect in the future?

In this special episode of Debt Reckoning, recorded live at the Rep Theatre in Birmingham as part of the IMA's annual conference, Antonio and Andy are joined by three guests who have plenty to say on this issue: Carole Kenney, the director of welfare at CDER enforcement agents; David Parkin of the ECB; and Yvonne Fovargue CBE, former advice worker and MP for Makerfield, as well as the IMA's current patron.

With input from an audience of (mainly) frontline debt advisers, we discuss what changes the enforcement industry has already made to respond to regulation, what statutory powers the ECB might need in future, and the thorny issues of how bailiffs deal with consumer vulnerability and inability to pay.

Useful links:

• The Enforcement Conduct Board
• Ministry of Justice consultation into regulation of the enforcement sector
• Become a member of the IMA

The Financial Conduct Authority, who set the rules and guidance governing most forms of debt advice, have launched their new five-year strategy for 2025-30, explaining how they'll support economic growth and help consumers navigate their financial lives.

Aside from the inevitable promise of technological advances, and a doubling down on the view that Consumer Duty is the answer to everything, an early casualty of the FCA's new direction is the long-promised review into the debt advice rules contained in CONC 8.

So what does it all mean? Antonio and Andy take a look at the new strategy and consider how it might impact on debt advisers and the people they help.

(We apologise for the slightly suboptimal audio quality in the second half of this episode. Technology, it turns out, can sometimes let us down).

Useful links:

• The FCA strategy, 2025 to 2030
• IMA Conference - including Debt Reckoning Live - at the Rep Theatre, Birmingham, 12 June 2025
• Become a member of the IMA

The rising price of gas and electricity has caused some of the biggest issues seen by debt advisers over the last few years, with people experiencing increasing levels of unmanageable debt. Ofgem, the UK's energy regulator, has proposed a number of interventions to try and address the issue - including a scheme to write off up to £1 billion of unpaid energy bills.

But what do debt advisers really think of these ideas? Have Ofgem been talking to the right people? And just how much universal credit does someone receive anyway?

We talk to Amy Taylor, chair of the Greater Manchester Money Advice Group, who responded to Ofgem's consultation, about whether the proposals go far enough, and the role of debt write-offs more generally in a debt adviser's toolkit.

Useful links:

• Ofgem: A 'reset' and 'reform' for people in energy debt
• IMA response to the consultation
• GMMAG response to the consultation
• IMA Money Advice Awards 2025
• Become a member of the IMA

Happy New Year, listeners! With 2024 consigned to the history books, we look back at a year in debt advice with a quiz covering all the important developments in the last year, and a (surprisingly optimistic) look ahead to the next.

Can Antonio re-establish his credentials as our resident Money Advice Specialist, or will his notoriously bad memory get the better of him?

Useful links:

IVAs are by far the most common form of personal insolvency, with high-profile advertising and promotion helping them to outstrip other solutions. But does this mean that everyone who enters an IVA receives a good service?

New research from the Insolvency Service highlights the problems in the 'take-on' process for IVAs, from bad advice at the outset to poor treatment of customer vulnerability.

In this episode, Antonio and Andy discuss the Insolvency Service's findings and what they might mean, including a genuine difference of opinion on whether the Government's IVA guidance strikes the right balance.

Useful links:

Debts owed to the public sector, including local authorities, are one of the bigger issues facing debt advisers and their clients, with reports of aggressive collection practices and poor approaches to vulnerability.

The Money and Mental Health Policy Institute's new report In the public interest? provides new evidence about the extent of these problems. Antonio and Andy are delighted to welcome Toby Murray, one of the report's authors, to talk about the research and what can be done to improve matters.

Useful links:

Antonio and Andy are joined once more by Luke Oliver of Shelter's Specialist Debt Advice Service, to continue our discussion of the Debt Respite Scheme (a.k.a. breathing space) and the court decisions that have shaped it.

Topics of discussion include: the interaction between breathing space and bankruptcy proceedings, the inclusion of mortgage debts in breathing space, evidence requirements for mental health crisis breathing space and the big question - have the various court judgments for breathing space served to strengthen the scheme, or undermine it?

Corrections corner: About five minutes into the episode, we start discussing the case Yianni v Paliouras, incorrectly referring to it as an unpublished County Court judgment. It's actually a High Court judgment, and since we recorded the episode, a transcript is now available to subscribers of Lexis+. We apologise for the error.

Court cases cited in this episode:

Other links:

The Debt Respite Scheme, commonly known as 'breathing space,' has been in place for over three years, and has been the subject of numerous court judgments in that time. But what is the overall impact of those cases? Have they served to strengthen the scheme, or undermine it?

Andy and Antonio are joined by Luke Oliver of the Specialist Debt Advice Service at Shelter for the first part of this two-part discussion of breathing space and the court decisions that have shaped it.

Court cases cited in this episode:

Other links:

The UK general election is upon us, slightly earlier than anticipated, which means it's time to have a really good Debt Reckon about what the next government should change about the world of debt and debt advice.

Andy has been speaking to delegates at the IMA Conference, asking them what one change they would make to Make Advice Great Again (don't abbreviate that). In this episode, he and Antonio discuss their answers - from changing funders' targets to fixing Universal Credit - and reflect on what the priorities for the next government should be.

Become a member of the IMA: https://www.i-m-a.org.uk/membership/become-a-member/