"When families with low incomes cannot afford to pay upfront, they are often pushed towards high‑cost credit options." New polling from @fairbydesign.bsky.social in the @newstatesman1913.bsky.social shows the public support action to tackle the poverty premium. www.newstatesman.com/spotlight/ec...

Great article from our Director, Rebecca Deegan, in @newstatesman1913.bsky.social today. It covers our new polling with YouGov, which shows the public backs action on the poverty premium. www.newstatesman.com/spotlight/ec...

Some ICYMI Friday reading for your feeds, our recent blog on what ‘lived experience’ really means and why creating spaces for people to be genuinely valued matters.” Blog: fairbydesign.com/blog-what-li...

We’re always keen to highlight local initiatives that successfully tackle the poverty premium, which is why we’ve written a blog about the Soundpound scheme in Greater Manchester. fairbydesign.com/soundpound-r...

Our Head of Policy, @mariacbooker.bsky.social, responds to the continuation of the Warm Home Discount, and other recent energy announcements the Warm Homes Plan & Fuel Poverty Strategy. Full response: fairbydesign.com/our-response...

Our latest blog, written by members of our Lived Experience Panel, explores the language we use and asks 'What Does Lived Experience Really Mean?' fairbydesign.com/blog-what-li...

Some words from our Head of Policy, @mariacbooker.bsky.social, looking back at our Give Me Some Credit exhibition. The article is a deep dive on the process we followed and looks at the value of involving people with lived experience in our work. www.civilsociety.co.uk/governance/g...

The Govt’s newly announced Warm Homes Plan sets out a new approach to fixing Britain’s coldest homes. With £15 bn committed, the plan focuses on helping households cut energy waste and reduce their reliance on expensive gas, through a mix of insulation, clean heating and home-grown power. [1/3]

Disappointed to see that the Government White Paper on water does not include proposals for a national water social tariff. This means people on low incomes will continue to face a postcode lottery when it comes to getting help with their water bills, forcing them into potential water cutbacks.

New research from The Centre for Responsible Credit finds that millions of people are cutting back on essentials like food & heat, and avoiding support in order to preserve their credit scores. Full report👇 www.responsible-credit.org.uk/reports/good...

Brilliant support for the Fair Banking Act from @gareththomasmp.bsky.social, proud to be part of the campaign 👊

"A Fair Banking Act is a common sense, proportionate measure which could have transformative benefits for businesses and communities across the UK, and I commend this Bill to the House." 👏 @gareththomasmp.bsky.social #FairBankingForAll #FairBankingAct

Fitting that my first post is to celebrate my brilliant colleague @mariacbooker.bsky.social contribution to this piece on interest rate caps on @bigissue.com Affordable credit is crucial - and we know people in poverty pay more to borrow money. But to fix this we need to look at the big picture 👇

“If you get the line wrong, firms will simply withdraw products and then people are pushed towards other sources of credit." Our Head of Policy @mariacbooker.bsky.social is quoted in the @bigissue.com discussing why interest rate caps alone aren’t enough to tackle the cost of credit.

Shifting Warm Home Discount costs from standing charges to unit rates is fairer for everyone as it gives people more control over costs. Combined with energy measures in the 2025 Budget it will mean low-income households aren't worse off. Full response: fairbydesign.com/wp-content/u...

We’ll be taking a brief break over the festive period and returning in the new year, ready to continue our work ending the poverty premium. We’re grateful for the partners, collaborators, and advocates who have worked alongside us this year, see you in 2026 ❤️

Last week the Government launched its Motor Insurance Taskforce's Final Report. Read our full response 👇 fairbydesign.com/motor-insura...

Huge thanks to @guardianheather.bsky.social for highlighting the call for a #FairBankingAct to bring banks together with #creditunions and #CDFIs to ensure people can access #affordablecredit when they need it. bit.ly/44dqFAv @coopparty.party.coop

Today is the final day at Fair By Design for our amazing colleague Camila, who has been an integral part of our work over the past three years. We’re grateful to Camila for everything she’s contributed to our work and wish her well in her next chapter.

Access to a car can open doors to jobs, education & healthcare, but our latest data snapshot showed that rising insurance costs are shutting people out of the market. We’ve created a one-page explainer that shows the key drivers of why people on low incomes can't access affordable car insurance.

Today’s publication of the Child Poverty Strategy reflects a much-needed commitment to improving the lives of children across the UK. Child poverty has a devastating effect on children’s lives today and limits their opportunities for the future.

We’re very excited to have Laura Aznar Herranz join us as our new Public Affairs Manager. Laura joins us from Chance UK & brings a wealth of experience in public affairs ensuring that the voices and knowledge of people with lived experience at the heart of decision-making 🎉 😀

Initial thoughts on the #Budget’s impact on the poverty premium 🧵🧵🧵 There are positives on energy bills support and removing the two-child benefit cap, but much more must be done to lift people out of poverty and reduce low-income households’ bills.

Everyone deserves a warm home. On #FuelPovertyAwarenessDay, we urge the Government to act by making energy affordable for all with proper bill support and long-term investment in energy efficiency.

The government has published their Financial Inclusion Strategy. What comes next? #FinancialInclusion #AffordableCredit #FairBankingAct #CommunityFinance #FairBankingForAll @thefinancelab.bsky.social @fairbydesign.bsky.social financeinnovationlab.org/the-governme...

Today’s energy price cap means people paying by Standard Credit, those who pay after receiving their bill, will pay £136 more each year, simply because of the way they pay.

Access to a car isn’t just about convenience. It helps people get a decent job, attend a good college and access healthcare. That’s why it’s so unjust that high insurance premiums are pricing many low-income households out.

We've co-signed a letter to the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, alongside energy companies and charities warning her that cutting energy efficiency schemes in the budget would be damaging for people and planet. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

This would be a huge mistake🚩 The Warm Homes Plan is a vital step towards making homes more energy efficient and reducing bills for those on low incomes.

Today marks the launch of the Financial Inclusion Strategy. The Strategy must be seen as an important first step that sets the direction of travel to ending the poverty premium and financial exclusion. Read our full statement here: fairbydesign.com/response-uk-...

As the Financial Inclusion Strategy nears publication, now is the time for bold, joined-up action to tackle exclusion and end the poverty premium once and for all. Read our full paper 🔗 fairbydesign.com/wp-content/u...

In December 2024, the Government committed to a Financial Inclusion Strategy. Since then, officials, regulators, and consumer groups have worked in subcommittees developing the Strategy. With the Strategy’s launch imminent the question remains: will it be bold enough?

Great to see the ESNZ Committee calling out the energy market for entrenching the poverty premium. The report supports our calls to get rid of the premium for paying on receipt of bill, and for an energy social tariff.

When the Financial Inclusion Strategy arrives, it must be bold, ambitious, and deliver tangible reductions in poverty across the UK. Thanks to Martin Rhodes MP for raising the issue in Parliament.

Consumer energy debt reached £4.4 billion at the end of Q2 2025, this is more than triple pre-energy crisis levels. This debt doesn’t affect everyone equally, for more information read our call to action with Rooted Finance. fairbydesign.com/long-term-me...

As energy debt rises at an alarming rate, we’ve partnered with Rooted Finance to better understand how the poverty premium is affecting the users of their debt advice services. Read our joint call to action here: fairbydesign.com/long-term-me...

"A bold Financial Inclusion Strategy would lift millions out of financial precarity and support the Government’s growth agenda." Our blog reflecting on the Labour Party Conference 2025, where we hosted an exhibition stand for the first time. fairbydesign.com/reflections-...

We’ve got a couple more for the list: 🚩 Charging people £136 extra on energy bills for paying on receipt of bill. 🚩 Charging people more for car insurance if they pay in monthly instalments. Brilliant stuff from @martinlewis.moneysavingexpert.com as ever.

We’re at #LabourConference 2025 with our Give Me Some Credit photo exhibition. It's amazing to be joined by Mike and Zahida, two of the amazing contributors to the project.  📍 Find us at Stand G4!

It was a privilege to attend the launch of the Poverty Strategy Commission’s framework for tackling poverty this morning, having been involved in the advisory group. Thinking about what we at @fairbydesign.bsky.social can do to help make the suggested social contract a reality 🤔

Affordable credit for those on low incomes? Come join us at #LAB25 to discuss the Fair Banking Act. Based on the Community Reinvestment Act in the US, it would ensure banks serve all sectors of the community so credit reaches those who need it most, at an affordable rate.

We’ll be at Labour Party Conference this year hosting our 'Give Me Some Credit' exhibition, joined by participants who shared their stories as part of the project. Swing by to check out the exhibition and hear about our latest work.

Last week we responded to Scottish Labour’s consultation on financial inclusion. With 22.4% of households in Scotland facing a poverty premium, we’re calling for an ambitious UK-wide Financial Inclusion Strategy to address this. fairbydesign.com/scottish-lab...

Great to see @green-alliance.org.uk's report adding momentum to the call for an energy social tariff. Alongside our research with Public First last week, it adds to the consensus from charities, industry and parliament that a social tariff is urgently needed to cut energy bills.

Our Head of Policy @mariacbooker.bsky.social on today’s new report into targeted energy bill support ⬇️

🚨 New report out today: Closing the Fuel Poverty Gap by Public First, commissioned by Fair By Design & partners 🚨 It shows how long-term, targeted energy bill support could be delivered to households on low incomes. As featured in The Metro this morning👇 metro.co.uk/2025/08/27/d...

We're hiring a Public Affairs Manager to lead our engagement with politicians, regulators and industry to embed fairness in our financial system, and ensure that lived experience is at the heart of our work. Find out more and apply here: fairbydesign.com/were-recruit...

Our Director Rebecca Deegan will be speaking at the Festival of Politics on Friday. She’ll join peer researchers from our Give Me Some Credit project to discuss how we can tackle financial exclusion and the credit poverty premium. Sign up and tickets ⬇️

No Interest Loan Schemes (NILS) give people on low incomes access to small, interest-free loans - helping them to avoid loan sharks. If you're interested in how credit unions, housing associations and councils can work together on local NILS schemes then read our case study with NEFirst.

Having a car is important for many people, but car insurance is often more expensive for people on low incomes. We've set out several ways the Government and regulators can reduce car insurance and tackle the poverty premium. Full paper 🔗 fairbydesign.com/wp-content/u...