The Housing, Communities and Local Government (HCLG) Committee has launched an inquiry into council tax collection in England, examining the practices employed by local authorities to collect council tax arrears.

If they do fall into debt, one way people on Universal Credit can manage their repayments is through third party deductions. This means that if someone is in debt to their energy supplier, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) takes money directly from their benefit payment and gives it to the energy supplier. People using deductions pay a fixed amount each week to cover their debt and a further amount to cover their ongoing energy usage.

The new research by Money and Mental Health shows that people with mental health problems have been hit particularly hard financially during the pandemic, with two in five suffering a drop in income, and three in ten cutting back on essentials such as food and heating to make ends last year.

Once pre-paid funeral plans come under our regulation next July, customers will be protected if their authorised plan provider fails.