January is hard.

The celebrations are over, the bills have arrived, and for many of us, savings have quietly disappeared. As we wait, often painfully, for the next pay cheque, January becomes the month of fresh starts, New Year’s resolutions, and, if we’re honest, a few broken promises.

I’m Ripon Ray, your host, and in this episode of the Debt Talk Podcast, we focus on January Financial Planning and how money is closely linked to the promises we make to ourselves at the start of the year.

To help us navigate the challenges of January 2026, I’m joined by three expert guests:

Shakira Taylor, a fitness instructor working on the frontline, shares insights on staying active and motivated beyond January. She reminds us that fitness isn’t just about quick wins; sustainable, gradual progress is what leads to lasting health and real rewards.

Joe Marley from Alcohol Change talks about Dry January, alcohol habits, and wellbeing. He shares practical tools, including the Alcohol Change app, and explains how cutting down or giving up alcohol can improve wellbeing while saving money. In fact, the average person can save up to £60,000 over a lifetime by giving up alcohol.

Nick Hill from the Money & Pensions Service connects healthy habits with healthy finances. He highlights simple budgeting tools, such as “jam jar” planning, and encourages small, manageable changes. Nick also reminds listeners that free, confidential debt advice is available through the MoneyHelper Debt Advice Locator, particularly for those struggling after festive overspending.

Our guests also share top tips for Debt Talk listeners, offering practical ways to get through January with confidence.

Coming up next: Our next episode explores “The Cost of Valentine’s, Marriage and Divorce', a timely discussion as post-New Year divorce rates begin to rise.

As we move into the next episode of the Debt Talk podcast, Financial Abuse & Our Communities, we do so against the backdrop of growing public concern about domestic abuse in the UK, particularly the recent cases where coercive control, economic exploitation and intimate partner violence have escalated into fatal harm. This makes our conversation with front-line experts even more urgent.

Dr Clare Wiper, Assistant Professor in Criminology at Northumbria University and co-author of the report “Designing Out Economic Abuse in the UK’s Banking Industry: A Call for Action”, highlights how deeply financial systems can compound the risks victims face. She stresses that many of the changes required to protect survivors are not radical—but depend on professionals asking the right questions, recognising red flags, and putting effective, trauma-informed safeguards in place, especially when victims are trying to separate financially from an abuser.

Helen Ganney from Christians Against Poverty (CAP) explains that economic abuse often sits beneath the surface of other crises. For many clients, debt advice is not the first intervention they need; only once safety, housing, immigration or family issues are stabilised can they begin to address the financial control, coerced debt or economic isolation that frequently accompany domestic abuse. She notes that this complexity places a huge strain on frontline services already operating beyond capacity.

Shirina Ali, Advice Manager at the Limehouse Project, a minority-led grassroots organisation in East London, emphasises how economic abuse intersects with language barriers, insecure immigration status and the threat of having no recourse to public funds. Many in the communities she supports only realise they are experiencing domestic abuse when they seek help to understand Universal Credit letters or ask if they are entitled to financial assistance. For these survivors, leaving an abuser often means leaving an entire community and support network behind.

All three guests share practical tips for professionals and community workers, urging stronger collaboration, better knowledge-sharing and coordinated responses to meet the overwhelming demand in a sector that remains critically under-resourced.

Stay tuned for our next episode: ‘January Financial Planning’.

In this month’s Debt Talk podcast, Ripon Ray explores one of the most pressing challenges in modern Britain: the real cost of digital inclusion. As technology becomes central to everyday life, what happens to those left behind? How do we bring marginalised communities into the digital mainstream without deepening inequality or compromising privacy?

Joining the conversation is Elizabeth Anderson, CEO of the Digital Poverty Alliance, who unpacks what true digital inclusion means in today’s society. From a student needing online tools for geography lessons to individuals struggling to upload documents or access essential services, Elizabeth illustrates the profound impact of being digitally excluded. She reveals staggering figures on how many people remain disconnected and the steep social and economic cost of bridging that divide. Elizabeth also delves into the government’s proposed digital ID initiative, raising critical questions about the price of inclusion and the potential erosion of personal privacy in a data-driven Britain.

Rachael Tomaney, representing Napier AI, brings a vital perspective on how digital exclusion intersects with financial crime. She explains how individuals with limited digital literacy can unknowingly become conduits for money laundering and scams, as criminals exploit their vulnerability. With the rise of Authorised Push Payment (APP) fraud, Rachael stresses the importance of balancing innovation with protection — ensuring that while automation and AI enhance security, human oversight remains essential to prevent exploitation.

Together, our panel offers practical insights and top tips on tackling digital exclusion, from community-level engagement to policy-driven reform, ensuring that digital transformation uplifts, rather than marginalises, those most at risk.

Stay tuned for our next episode: “Financial Abuse and Its Impact on Communities.”

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.’