Money Box

There are nearly 70,000 children in the UK who are in foster care. Foster carers main concern has to be the children they look after, including many who have experienced neglect and trauma. But they are self-employed, so there are also financial considerations, from allowances and fees, to tax returns and receipts. In this programme we'll hear from charities, foster carers and care leavers. We'll also discuss new analysis from the Fostering Network, which found foster carers face a post code lottery when it comes to fees they’re paid. Foster carers are given an allowance to pay for clothes and food - but they're also usually paid extra on top to recognise their time and skills. Those fees aren't fixed though, and local authorities can each individually decide how much to award.Using freedom of information requests the charity found 60% of local authorities across the UK are paying foster carers the equivalent of less than £5 an hour based on a 40 hour week. Local Authorities are given funding from ce

Hundreds of thousands of disabled pensioners will be unfairly impacted by the cut in Winter Fuel Payment, according to two leading charities who've spoken exclusively to Money Box. Disability Rights UK and Age UK have both told us that disabled pensioners often have higher energy bills because of medical needs and sharp cuts to the number of people receiving the payment will disproportionally affect them more than others. The government says it's committed to giving pensioners the dignity and security they deserve in retirement but says given the state of the public finances its inherited it’s right that it targets support to those who need it most. It says its protecting disabled pensioners through extra disability benefits such as Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance and Personal Independence Payments. And that over a million pensioners will also continue to receive the Winter Fuel Payment and those on the full new State Pension will receive over £400 boost through the triple lock. How mig

Figures given exclusively to Money Box Live show that almost two-thirds of people who called the National Gambling Helpline had gambling related debt. So what are the options and what support is available? This week Felicity Hannah speaks to those affected by gambling, either themselves or through a family member. Joining her to talk about it are Nicholas Hill from the Money and Pensions Service which is sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions and Raminta Diliso Head of Gambling Related Financial Harm at the Charity GamCare which is in part funded by the gambling industry.If you've been affected by addiction - help is available at bbc.co.uk/actionline.Presenter: Felicity Hannah Producer: Sarah Rogers Editor: Jess Quayle(First broadcast 3pm on Wednesday 11th September 2024)

Hundreds of millions of pounds has been made available from the government for local authorities across the UK to spend on those most in need of financial help. Known as the Household Support Fund it's made up of £421 million for councils in England with another £79 million for devolved nations. Dan Whitworth meets Sam, who's 28 and got help from the fund via Stockport Disability. A new report analysing the finances of people on low incomes who apply for loans has found a third were declined because of 'excessive gambling'. Salad Money is a social enterprise, providing credit to people earning between £25k and £35k per year. It says that out of 170,000 people who applied for loans in the first three months of this year, a third were turned down. We'll hear from the CEO of Salad Money, Tim Rooney.The consultation which could mean fraud victims who lose more than £85k won’t get their money back when new refund rules come into force in October. And what tax changes could the government make in its first budge

Working parents and carers of children aged 9 months or over are now entitled to 15 hours of funded childcare a week during term time.50 hours of nursery can cost around £14,000 a year, so it's a welcome relief for many. There had been warnings that parents would struggle to find places but the government says it is confident about meeting demand.From next September, the offer is set to rise to 30 hours, and include children up to school age too.Education Minister, Baroness Smith has said it'll be a challenge to meet that level of demand with the Department for Education estimating about 85,000 more childcare places and 40,000 extra staff will be needed by 2025.On today's programme we will be hearing from parents as well as the CEO of Kids Planet, one of the countries largest providers. Felicity Hannah will also be joined by Jonathan Broadberry, Policy Director at the National Day Nurseries Association and Emma Broome, Chief Executive of children's charity Coram.We'll also look at the new rules coming in to

Many pensioners in England and Wales will lose Winter Fuel Payments this year. This annual payment had been universal and worth £200 or £300 pounds a year, depending on your age. From this winter it will be restricted to pensioners receiving Pension Credit or other means-tested benefits. The reason for means testing it this way is to save money - about £1.5bn each year. In a statement the government told us that "given the dire state of the public finances we have inherited, it’s right that we target support to those who need it most." So how will you be affected? The Department for Work and Pensions has urged people to check if they could be eligible for Pension Credit - you can check here: https://www.gov.uk/pension-credit-calculator.The Post Office handled a record amount of cash last month with customers either depositing or withdrawing more than £3.7bn. That new figure beat previous record highs set in May and April suggesting not only is there continued demand for cash, but that people are using P

Not every dream job has an obvious route to success, so how do you make your passion project pay without falling behind on your bills?Visa research shows that around 45% of Gen Zs (people born between the late1990s and the early 2010) have a side hustle, but it's not just for the cash. More than a quarter of those are working at a passion project.So how do you make it if you want a career in comedy or to bag an Olympic gold? Do you have to tell your boss if you're doing extra work on the side? And what should you do about tax? Today we're talking to an Olympian who worked as a custody officer, a comic book writer who worked in a biology lab and an aspiring DJ who's on a zero-hours bar contract.Felicity Hannah is joined by Jack Gamble, Director and CEO of the Campaign for the Arts and employment lawyer Rupa Mooker.Presenter: Felicity Hannah Producer: Sarah Rogers & Catherine Lund Editor: Jess Quayle(First broadcast 3pm Wednesday 31st July 2024)

Nearly 10,000 people have needed free debt advice because of accidental overpayments by the Department for Work and Pensions in the past 12 months. That's according to figures from Money Wellness, a debt advice company which is funded by the government's Money and Pension Service. It says because most of its clients are low income households these debts can have significant knock-on impacts on the rest of their finances. The DWP says its staff work hard to support customers, and it's important to explore ways to reduce fraud and error so it can support the most vulnerable in society. What will the new Pensions Bill announced by the Labour government in the King's Speech mean for your finances? We'll discuss plans to bring small pension pots, which people get after short term jobs, together.Campaigners are calling for bereavement support payments to be extended for longer and for the amount given to families to rise with inflation. At the moment parents under pension age whose partner dies are entitled t

Felicity Hannah looks at giving someone Lasting Power of Attorney - that's the authority to manage your financial affairs in the event that you couldn't. What are they, how do they work and how much do they cost? This programme is dedicated to answering your questions. On the panel we have Sam Cox, knowledge officer from the Alzheimer's Society and Melinda Giles, partner and head of court protection at Giles Wilson Law.Presenter: Felicity Hannah Producer: Neil Morrow Editor: Jess Quayle(First broadcast 3pm Wednesday 24th July 2024)

New tactics to fight mobile phone fraud are being rolled out across England and Wales. It's when mobile phones are stolen not for the value of the physical handset but for criminals to access the banking and financial apps and steal money from victims. Paul Lewis speaks to the national lead on robbery, Commander Richard Smith, about how new intelligence and techniques to pursue suspects have led to arrests and prosecutions going to court.More and more of us are paying tax on our savings. Recent figures suggest that in April over 6 million savings accounts were set to earn enough interest to have to pay tax. That is more than double the number of accounts the year before, according to analysis by the lender Shawbrook. In November, HMRC told us that for the majority of customers this tax on savings interest is automatically collected using their tax code, but many listeners get in touch concerned they will have to pay tax and wondering how to do it. What should they do?Listeners and lawyers who are court a

Average rents in the UK rose by well over 8% in the past year, according to the ONS. In today’s King’s Speech, the new government has committed to introducing legislation to give greater rights and protections to people renting their homes. That included ending no fault evictions and reforming grounds for possession.So what will that mean for your money and your home?Joining us are Jasmine Basran from Crisis - a charity for people experiencing homelessness, Richard Donnell, from the property platform Zoopla and Richard Blanco, a landlord and property expert from the National Residential Landlords Association.Presenter: Felicity Hannah Producer: Sarah Rogers Studio Producer: Neil Morrow Editor: Jess Quayle(First broadcast 3pm Wednesday 17th July 2024)

More than 9 out of 10 people did not pay for financial advice in the past two years and that number is growing. The figures come from surveys by the financial services consultancy The LangCat. It found the proportion of people paying for financial advice fell from 11% of adults to 9% between this year's report and one they did a year ago. We'll hear from them about the reasons behind it.What will the new government do to change employment rights and wages? We’ll discuss the potential new employment bill ahead of the King's Speech.And the new security measures people can take to protect themselves from mobile phone fraud. This is when people's phones are stolen not for the value of the physical handsets but so criminals can try to access the financial apps stored on them to steal hundreds or, often, thousands of pounds from victims. Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Catherine Lund Researcher: Jo Krasner Editor: Jess Quayle(First broadcast 12pm Saturday 13th July 2024)

A new government has taken office so what might that mean for the financial issues you've told us you care about?A big topic you got in touch with us about is the cost of care in old age.Unlike NHS services, social care is not free at the point of use and a place in residential care costs around £60,000 a year according to carehome.co.uk. The bill can go up enormously for anyone who needs extra support. Plus it's a devolved issue with different rules depending on where you live.A cap limiting the cost of personal care to £86,000 per person over a lifetime is due to come into force in October 2025 in England but will this still be the case? Felicity Hannah is joined by Nadra Ahmed from the National Care Association, which represents care homes and Simon Bottery, Senior Fellow in Social Care at The King's Fund, which is an independent think tank, specialising in health.Presenter: Felicity Hannah Producer: Sarah Rogers and Immie Rhodes Editor: Jess Quayle(First broadcast at 3pm on Wednesday July 10th 2024)

The Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, has swept to power promising change, but there will be no change in the rates of the three big taxes - income tax, National Insurance, and VAT to protect what their Manifesto called 'working people'. So what will the new Labour government and the new Chancellor Rachel Reeves mean for our money? The listener being chased for more than £60,000 worth of energy debt she didn't owe. It comes as new, exclusive figures reveal more people are seeking help from Citizens Advice over debt collection.And there are signs that mortgage rates are beginning to creep downwards – what does that mean for those coming off a fixed rate deal? Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporter: Dan Whitworth Researchers: Catherine Lund and Jo Krasner Studio Production: Craig Henderson Editor: Jess Quayle(First broadcast 12pm Saturday 6th July 2024)

Almost 300,000 flights will take off over the summer months and whilst most holidays go without a hitch, others fail to get off the ground.Last year saw widespread disruption at airports, in August there was an exceptional IT failure at the UK’s main air traffic services provider NATS over a bank holiday Monday which affected around three quarters of a million people. Strikes and staff shortages also caused disruption.In this programme we'll discuss what your rights are if your trip is delayed or cancelled, as well as a Brexit passport rule which has been catching thousands of passengers out.Felicity Hannah is joined by consumer rights champion Jane Hawkes and Sean Tipton from ABTA, which is the association of travel agents and tour operators.Presenter: Felicity Hannah Producer: Sarah Rogers Editor: Jess Quayle(This episode was first broadcast on the 3rd of July 2024.)

This time next week the General Election will be over. As the days count down we'll get into the nitty gritty with listener questions on Inheritance Tax, Capital Gains Tax and ISAs. Some lawyers and listeners who are acting as powers of attorney have told Money Box they're having problems dealing with banks on behalf of their clients and relatives. The Association of Lifetime Lawyers, a group of legal professionals who support vulnerable and older people, has also told this programme banks need a more streamlined and consistent approach to dealing with powers of attorney. UK Finance which speaks for the banks acknowledged there is more to be done. It says banks are working with members and government bodies to look at how greater consistency can be achieved across the industry.And a tribute to former Money Box presenter and founder Vincent Duggleby, who sadly passed away earlier this month.Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporter: Felicity Hannah Researchers: Neil Morrow, Catherine Lund and Jo Krasner Editor: Jess

Around 38,000 children move into care every year in the UK. That's one every 15 minutes and a significant number of looked-after children will remain in the system until they reach adulthood. So what happens then? In this programme Felicity Hannah talks about what happens when you leave care. Without the bank of Mum and Dad, what financial support are those young people promised? We're joined by Jess and Callum, two care leavers as well as Kirsty Doull, Care and Transitions Lead at CELCIS, which is the Centre for Excellence for Children's Care and Protection, Carrie Wilson-Harrop from the Care Leavers Association and Clare Bracey, Policy, Campaigns and Communications Director at the care leavers charity, Become.Presented and Produced by Felicity Hannah. Producer: Neil Morrow Editor: Jess Quayle(First broadcast 3pm Wednesday 26th June, 2024)

There's less than a fortnight to go before the polls open in the General Election. The deadline's passed to register to vote, but there's still plenty of time to work out where you'll put that cross on the ballot paper. This week Money Box is talking about housing - focusing on your questions and comments.Imagine being told you owe more than £7,000 for your gas. You spend months trying to explain there's no way you could possibly owe anywhere near that amount, only to be told one day that because you still haven't paid it your details are being passed onto a debt collection agency. We investigate one listener's story.And new research shared exclusively with Money Box suggests almost a third of people are struggling to afford their car insurance. In a survey of more than 4,000 people the abrdn Financial Fairness Trust, a charity who carry out research to help improve living standards across the UK, found almost 1 in 3 people described their car insurance premiums as ‘unaffordable’. What can you do about i

The number of people working into their late 60s, their 70s and beyond is rising. In this programme we'll discuss what that means for their employment rights and what it tells us about their finances.Back in the 90s, only around 5% of peopled aged 65 or older were in work. In the early 2000s, that rose to around 6%. But recently released data from the Office for National Statistics shows that today almost 12% of people in that age group are in some form of employment. That's almost one and a half million people.Felicity Hannah is joined by older workers to explore their finances, their struggles and their rights to challenge discrimination. She'll be joined by Dr Emily Andrews, Deputy Director for Work at the Centre for Aging Better, and Sarah Jackman, an employment lawyer at the law firm Dentons.Presented and Produced by Felicity Hannah Studio production: Amber Mehmood Editor: Sara Wadeson(First broadcast 3pm Wednesday 19th June, 2024)

Nineteen days to go before your cross on a ballot paper will help decide who runs the country. You have been telling Money Box what matters to you. This week we'll discuss how much tax you already pay and whether that will change after 4th July. The head of the UK payment regulator has rejected calls to delay a new fraud reimbursement plan which is due to begin on 7th October. It will mean that victims of fraud are fully reimbursed for losses up to £415,000. We'll have more on this story.And more than half a million people are now getting help with their finances, often saving substantial sums of money, thanks to something called the Vulnerability Registration Service. What is it and how does it work?Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporter: Dan Whitworth Researchers: Immie Rhodes and Jo Krasner Editor: Jess Quayle(First broadcast 12pm Saturday 15th June, 2024)