Welcome to Debt Talk, with me, your host Ripon Ray. Today, we’re diving into one of the most urgent social policy challenges of our time — the cost of housing. To unpack this complex issue, I’m joined by Assia Awaleh from Sapphire Independent Housing, an expert with deep insight into the history and realities of social housing in the UK.

Assia takes us on a journey through the evolution of social housing — from its capitalist roots, when employers provided homes for their workers, to the post-war era, when local authorities stepped in to rebuild communities devastated by bombing. She explains how the landscape shifted dramatically in the 1980s with Margaret Thatcher’s Right to Buy policy, which moved vast amounts of public housing into private hands. Ironically, many of those homes are now being rented back to low-income families at unaffordable prices.

We then turn to the future. Following the tragedies of Grenfell and Awaab Ishak — the two-year-old boy who died in 2020 due to mould in his home — there are new legal protections for tenants. From October 2025, social housing landlords, including councils and housing associations, will be legally required to fix reported hazards such as damp and mould. Tenants will have the right to take legal action if landlords fail to act.

Assia also addresses the stigma surrounding social housing and reminds us that many tenants are on low incomes or benefits — and there is no shame in that. Housing associations exist precisely to support those in financial hardship. However, for tenants on zero-hour contracts or precarious jobs, fluctuating income makes rent and budgeting even more difficult. That’s where housing associations step in — helping tenants access benefits and manage their money.

Finally, Assia calls for greater tenant participation, urging residents to join landlord committees — whether in social or private housing — to ensure their voices shape how housing is managed and improved.

Join us next time on Debt Talk, when we explore another pressing issue of inequality and access: “The Cost of Digital Exclusion.”

In this month’s Debt Talk podcast, we discuss: Cars & Their Costs.

To explore the topic, Ripon Ray speaks with:

• Alison Tooze, from the British Association of Parking
• Sam Nurse, CEO of Money Advice Hub

Alison Tooze emphasised the importance of preventing parking-related crises and outlined steps drivers can take to reduce the risk of receiving fixed penalty notices or penalty charge notices. She noted that while the number of cars on the roads is increasing, available parking spaces are shrinking. Alison also stated that her members are responsible for managing parking spaces, which adds to the complexity of balancing road use and parking availability.

She explained the differences between tickets issued under criminal and civil law, how each is recovered, and the associated costs. Alison described how disputes can arise when road users believe tickets have been wrongly issued, and she outlined the process for challenging them. She noted that appeal decision-makers can also take mitigating circumstances into account.

Sam Nurse highlighted the importance of participating in a public consultation on the new Private Parking Code of Practice, which is seeking views on proposals to raise standards in the private parking sector. She pointed out that many parking facilities are oversubscribed, leading to people parking in prohibited areas. Other related pressures include the sharp rise in insurance costs—up by 200% in recent years. Sam noted that many of their clients are struggling to cover essential bills alongside car-related fines.

Both guests shared Top Tips for Debt Talk listeners on how to manage car-related costs and avoid unnecessary penalties.

The next Debt Talk podcast will focus on: Health & Costs.

Once an unknown territory, crypto and other digital assets have now become part of everyday life in Britain — and across the globe. On this episode of the Debt Talk podcast, Ripon Ray explores the complex intersections of cryptocurrency, digital finance, and gambling harms.

To help unpack this topic, Ripon is joined by:

• Ismail Malik – Executive Chairman of Blockchain Lab and CEO of InfraStaking, which develops AI-generated digital assets
• Matt Zarb-Cousin – Co-founder of Gamban and prominent gambling reform campaigner

Ismail Malik sheds light on how crypto products are being treated by governments across the UK, EU, and the US. He explains how cryptocurrencies and digital assets have evolved, the business models behind them, and how consumer protections differ internationally.

Matt Zarb-Cousin explores the growing overlap between digital finance and gambling harm. He questions whether gambling regulators are fit for purpose in protecting vulnerable communities, and discusses how products like Gamban offer layers of protection — while noting that more action is still needed.

Both guests share practical tips for listeners, especially for those struggling with gambling, on how to stay safe and informed in the digital financial landscape.

Next podcast is on: 'Cars and their costs'.

According to UK government data for the year ending 2023, there were an estimated 2.4 million separated families and 3.8 million children living in those households. More than half of divorced families had formal child maintenance arrangements—a figure that highlights the growing intersection of family separation and financial strain.

This month’s Debt Talk with Ripon Ray dives deep into the theme: ‘Family Planning, Divorce & Debt’, bringing forward real-life stories that reveal how personal relationships, cultural expectations, and legal frameworks collide—often with emotional and financial consequences.

Bilckis Khanom, a British Bangladeshi woman, bravely shares her story of marrying outside her religious and cultural upbringing. Although she married under Islamic law, her separation left her feeling isolated—both emotionally and socially. She discusses the legal and personal challenges she faced, and the profound impact of being disconnected from her community during a vulnerable time.

Matt Peloquin, an American father previously married to a Chilean diplomat, speaks about his experience navigating the Chilean court system. He claims that custody decisions favoured Chilean nationals, leaving him at a disadvantage as a foreign father. His child maintenance payments were significantly higher than those expected from local citizens. Out of this experience, he founded Support Fathers' Rights, an organisation campaigning for equitable treatment of fathers across borders.

Ella Betts from Christians Against Poverty offers a powerful perspective on the financial control and abuse that can occur during separations—especially when joint bank accounts and shared debts are involved. She outlines practical tools such as account freezes and access to ‘breathing space,’ but stresses that solving debt is only part of the solution. Collaboration between organisations is essential to offer holistic support during such critical moments in people’s lives.

All our guests also share TOP TIPS for listeners—practical advice for anyone who may be facing similar circumstances, or supporting someone who is.

Next episode: ‘Crypto, Digital Assets & Gambling’ — exploring the risks, realities, and financial consequences of the digital money world.

Just over 13% of the UK population are self-employed. Is being self-employed the way forward or are we forced to take the path in some sectors? In this month’s Debt Talk podcast, Ripon Ray spoke with three guests from many different perspectives.

James Harris has been self-employed for nearly 25 years in the creative sector. He explained how funding in his sector has been reducing since the 1990s. There are also very few fashion shows compared to when he began his career. His biggest worry is personal finance since Universal Credit introduced the Minimum Income Floor leading to him getting into rent and other arrears.

Andy Chamberlain - Director of Policy from the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-employed Limited - explained the direction of travel within the context of self-employment in the UK. He emphasised that more self-employed professionals are in the construction and literary creative industries. People in their 40s are more likely to be self-employed in these sectors instead of newly joined workers. He explained that employers should not deliberately choose to hire self-employed just to avoid giving workers their legal rights.

Sam Nurse - CEO of Money Advice Hub - emphasised that being self-employed can be a challenge due to many factors which may include lack of bookkeeping experience or not filing financial reports on time to relevant authorities. She recognised that Universal Credit’s Minimum Income Floor ended up discriminating against self-employed, unlike employees who claim welfare support.

The panelists also gave Debt Talk Listeners top tips. The next podcast is on ‘Foodbanks and the Welfare support.’

Imprisonment is an option for many councils in England to enforce council tax debt as a last resort if residents are wilfully refusing or are culpably neglectful to pay. On this month's Debt Talk podcast, Ripon Ray explored the ‘Prison & Council Tax’.

He invited Chris Daw KC and Russell Hamblin-Boone to join him to find out whether it is fair and cost-effective to imprison communities for non-payment of council tax.

Chris Daw KC, a criminal law expert, explained the history of debtors' prisons in the UK and how the measures were used against impoverished communities. He emphasised how Margaret Thatcher’s government introduced imprisonment as an option based on politically driven ideology and how this policy could be changed just by removing imprisonment from the legislation. He highlighted how costly it is to put someone in prison.

Russell Hamblin-Boone outlined the changes in the enforcement industry and how it has adapted to meet the council's needs and identify financial and other vulnerabilities. He emphasised the importance of partnering with private enforcement agent companies to recover council tax as an alternative to putting someone in prison as opposed to central government debts.

My panellists have also provided top tips to Debt Talk listeners in order to move forward both on a national issue and on the issue of private enforcement agents.

The Debt Talk podcast is on the: ‘Insecurities of being Self-Employed’.

Consumer credit data held by credit reference and other organisations have become an essential part of the financial market, both in lending and borrowing and debt collection to make the financial sector sustainable. In this month’s Debt Talk podcast, Ripon Ray discussed a crucial topic: ‘Credit Ratings & Debt.’ To navigate the essential subject, he has representatives from two major global credit reference agencies - Experian and Equifax, the Registry Trust, which holds data on a money judgement, and the debt collection and purchaser trade body representative - Credit Services Association.

James Jones from Experian spoke about its origin and current role in the financial services market. He explained the parameters in which credit reference agencies are data holders and how the agency gets information from lenders to make their data up-to-date and accurate for legitimate interest. He explored how the profiles of individuals are formed based on data collected and ways they develop credit scores based on algorithms. He also explained how the work of the credit credit reference agencies is regulated by the Information Commissioner Office (ICO) and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

Craig Tebbutt from Equifax UK, outlined how they obtain information on court judgements and Individual Voluntary Arrangements (IVAs) and what remedies are available to consumers when there are data collection and information accuracy disputes. He emphasised the importance of checking credit reports frequently and contacting the agencies when the data is inaccurate. He then explained where technological development and innovation lie from the product development perspective within personal finance and debt.

Chris Dick from the Registry Trust explained the difference between the data held by a credit reference agency and the trust. He distinguished how criminal court judgements are different from money judgments. When there are disputes and issues related to the data it holds, the data will go back to the courts or relevant judges concerned for correction. He also explained how innovation was developed from the data captured by the organisation.

Chris Leslie from the debt collections and purchasers trade body Credit Services Association explained the types of information their members would receive from the initial credit and how they would use the data from the credit reference agencies to identify individuals and their financial resilience to pay. Depending on consumer behaviour, a purchaser would act appropriately, check their affordability and explore income maximisation. When consumers have assets such as a mortgage or avoid paying, the purchaser may take legal action as a last resort to recover the outstanding balance.

My panel members also provided TOP TIPS to Debt Talk listeners either to improve their credit ratings or find ways to resolve their debt problems if they have defaulted.

The following podcast is on Debt Talk, which is on ‘council tax debt and imprisonment’.

January is a month of cold weather, dark mornings, and possible failure in our New Year resolutions, which combine to create a perfect recipe for ‘January Blues’. To understand the cause of such blues, Debt Talk host Ripon Ray invited three guests from the mental and debt, financial inclusion, and open banking sectors.

Charlene Marks, Head of Mental Health & Money Advice at Mental Health UK, confessed that there is a genuine reason for feeling gloomy this month: our finances have taken a beating during the festive period and the New Year. She explained that there is a commercial reason for calling it and it is linked with travel agents utilising the period to encourage the sale of travel abroad. There are vulnerable communities seeking advice from her organisation, and many alike are impacted by severe mental health, depression, bipolar disorder and other mental health issues and debt are intertwined, as she explained eloquently.

Gareth Evans, founder of Cash Perks, sees this period as a new period of opportunity. He developed a product that helps transfer funds to anyone in the UK via SMS message and allows cash instantly without needing a card or bank account if they are financially struggling. But the question for him is where to look when you need support. Local councils are a great point of start with since his product assists many councils in transferring funds to struggling communities, either if they are suffering from January Blues or otherwise.

Tope Akande, co-founder of Bucks Trybe, a product designed for immigrants in the UK, emphasised that marginalised communities and young British adults are excluded from mainstream lending. He states that building their credit record by addressing non-conventional transactions—such as the Bank of 'Mums and Dads'—with open banking would assist communities with a better future in the financial market and access to credit.

Debt Talk panel members have also provided TOP TIPS listeners to think of strategies to ease the pressure of January Blues.

My next podcast is on: 'Credit ratings whilst indebted’.