Fair By Design

Today’s energy price cap announcement is welcome news, with the typical annual bill dropping by £117 a year.

However, the ‘standard credit premium’, the added cost for paying your bill when it arrives, is still £131 a year. Watch @mariacbooker.bsky.social explain the issue.

It's official: Labour voters want Starmer to go further on the cost of living New polling shows that the Labour 2024 voter base want action on the cost of living

The full findings can be found here: fairbydesign.com/poverty-prem...

Rebecca's op ed in The New Statesman is here: www.newstatesman.com/spotlight/ec...

We commissioned YouGov to produce nationally representative polling on the British public’s attitudes to the poverty premium and solutions to it.

The answers were emphatic: people from across political parties, and regardless of their income, wanted action to end the poverty premium.

It's official: Labour voters want Starmer to go further on the cost of living New polling shows that the Labour 2024 voter base want action on the cost of living. Starmer shouldn’t U-turn on this.

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...

It helps people spread the cost of annual travel tickets removing potential poverty premium’s and offering a model that could be replicated across the country.

Blog: How Soundpound's Partnership is Making Transport Affordable in Greater Manchester Read our blog which shares good practice on reducing the poverty premium in Manchester.

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...

It reflects on why no one term fits everyone, how sharing can feel both powerful and painful, and why creating safe, respectful spaces matters just as much as the words we choose.

What Does ‘Lived Experience’ Really Mean? Our Panel’s Perspective Our Lived Experience Panel shares what the term ‘lived experience’ means to them, why language matters, and how genuine inclusion shapes real policy change.

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...

Fair By Design: Give me some credit Fair By Design teamed up with the Poverty Alliance to document through photography the real-life stories of 14 people who had been denied affordable credit. Maria Booker reports...

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.

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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.

Good Score, Empty Cupboard Many low-to-middle income households see maintaining a “good” credit score as vital, often sacrificing essentials to protect it. Credit score apps and dashboards can amplify this pressure. A survey of...

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...

Forcing UK banks to support credit unions would help keep loan sharks at bay | Heather Stewart High street banks dodged a windfall tax – now they should invest in growth of local lenders

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.

The Strategy is a welcome step toward addressing the deep-rooted challenges faced by families across the UK. However, its success will depend on sustained action by Government, companies and regulators to tackle the institutionalised drivers of poverty & the poverty premium.

The Government should introduce a targeted discount for low-income households that is designed to make sure everyone can afford enough energy to keep them safe and well.

For example, much more needs to be done to support families with energy bills, which remain hundreds of pounds higher than pre crisis levels. Cold and damp homes are linked to health issues including respiratory conditions, poor mental health, and childhood development problems.

When parents spend more just to get essentials, children miss out on things like healthy food, activities that support their development and their prospects for the future. In the long run, the Strategy must deliver real change & tackle the drivers of poverty/the poverty premium.

Millions of families are struggling to pay for the rising cost of essentials, which are too often even more expensive for families in poverty. This extra cost, the poverty premium, means they will have less of any extra money they’re now get to meet their children’s needs.

Scrapping the two-child benefit cap will lift 450,000 children out of poverty. We want this money to be transformational for children. Therefore, we also want the Government to use its powers to make sure the companies that supply essentials do their part to cut household costs.