<description>&lt;p&gt;Money Box takes a special look at how victims of fraud are treated by those supposed to help them in the weeks and months afterwards. How are they helped in their fight for justice by the police, their banks and the courts? Or are they all too often left struggling to deal with both the financial and mental impact on their own? We also hear how a small regional charity in the UK has partnered with police to be there for victims when the spotlight of the original crime has faded.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Parents who lost their child benefit because HMRC wrongly believed they had left the country deserved better treatment according to a senior MP. Dame Meg Hillier, the chair of the Treasury Select Committee, made the comments after the tax office stripped payments from almost 24,000 families after it used travel data to conclude they had left the UK permanently. As we previously reported, some of those people had simply been on holiday. HMRC says it took swift action and that, where there was evidence that customers had continued UK employment, it reinstated payments automatically without any need for customer contact and those payments have been backdated. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As the Budget draws nearer how do frozen tax thresholds already impact people and how might that change on Wednesday?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Plus, if you've got significant savings in a UK bank or building society or credit union, the level of protection you’d have if one of them goes bust is to rise from £85k to £120k – how will that work?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Presenter: Felicity Hannah
Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Jo Krasner
Researcher: Eimear Devlin
Editor: Jess Quayle
Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;(First broadcast 12pm Saturday 22nd November 2025)&lt;/p&gt;</description>

How are victims of fraud treated by those supposed to help?

Money Box takes a special look at how victims of fraud are treated by those supposed to help them in the weeks and months afterwards. How are they helped in their fight for justice by the police, their banks and the courts? Or are they all too often left struggling to deal with both the financial and mental impact on their own? We also hear how a small regional charity in the UK has partnered with police to be there for victims when the spotlight of the original crime has faded.Parents who lost their child benefit because HMRC wrongly believed they had left the country deserved better treatment according to a senior MP. Dame Meg Hillier, the chair of the Treasury Select Committee, made the comments after the tax office stripped payments from almost 24,000 families after it used travel data to conclude they had left the UK permanently. As we previously reported, some of those people had simply been on holiday. HMRC says it took swift action and that, where there was evidence that customers had continued UK employment, it reinstated payments automatically without any need for customer contact and those payments have been backdated. As the Budget draws nearer how do frozen tax thresholds already impact people and how might that change on Wednesday?Plus, if you've got significant savings in a UK bank or building society or credit union, the level of protection you’d have if one of them goes bust is to rise from £85k to £120k – how will that work?Presenter: Felicity Hannah
Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Jo Krasner
Researcher: Eimear Devlin
Editor: Jess Quayle
Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson(First broadcast 12pm Saturday 22nd November 2025)

Life-changing Scams and Child Benefit

<description>&lt;p&gt;A record number of households across England and Wales are now getting social tariffs from water suppliers to help cut their bills. Two million households now get support according to a new report from the Consumer Council for Water, which is up by 22% on last year. It comes as nearly 3 million are now in debt to water companies, owing an average of £744. What's behind that rise?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you're a recent graduate - or you know one - then you're probably already aware of how tough the jobs market can be right now. Several recent reports show finding work with a new degree has got harder in recent years. We'll look at what help there is for graduates.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;New data shows that hundreds of thousands of former students are eligible for nearly £100 million pounds worth of refunds on their loans. How can you apply?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And how can banks do more to support people with learning disabilities?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Presenter: Felicity Hannah
Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Eimear Devlin
Editor: Jess Quayle
Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;(First broadcast on Radio 4 at 12pm, Saturday 15th November 2025)&lt;/p&gt;</description>

More households are now getting social tariffs to help cut their water bills.

A record number of households across England and Wales are now getting social tariffs from water suppliers to help cut their bills. Two million households now get support according to a new report from the Consumer Council for Water, which is up by 22% on last year. It comes as nearly 3 million are now in debt to water companies, owing an average of £744. What's behind that rise?If you're a recent graduate - or you know one - then you're probably already aware of how tough the jobs market can be right now. Several recent reports show finding work with a new degree has got harder in recent years. We'll look at what help there is for graduates.New data shows that hundreds of thousands of former students are eligible for nearly £100 million pounds worth of refunds on their loans. How can you apply?And how can banks do more to support people with learning disabilities?Presenter: Felicity Hannah
Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Eimear Devlin
Editor: Jess Quayle
Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson(First broadcast on Radio 4 at 12pm, Saturday 15th November 2025)

Water Bills and Graduate Jobs

<description>&lt;p&gt;MPs on the Treasury Select Committee are seeking answers from HMRC after thousands of parents have had their child benefit stopped because they took a holiday abroad. The mistakes happened during a fraud crackdown on people emigrating from the UK but still claiming the benefit for their children. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now, among all the financial pressures of recent years the costs faced by parents for school trips has continued to go up. And it's not just a cause for concern for parents, but also for school governors. The body which represents them in England, the National Governance Association, has told Money Box that schools should try to help parents with these costs to ease the growing financial pressures many feel. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Plus, a big change is underway aimed at helping victims of domestic violence in financial trouble. And we continue to look at Budget issues raised by listeners. This week it’s potential changes to council tax. Speculation suggests that the two highest bands, and the way bands are decided, could be subject to change later this month.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Eimear Devlin
Editor: James Graham
Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson&lt;/p&gt;</description>

MPs seek answers from HMRC over child benefit suspension.

MPs on the Treasury Select Committee are seeking answers from HMRC after thousands of parents have had their child benefit stopped because they took a holiday abroad. The mistakes happened during a fraud crackdown on people emigrating from the UK but still claiming the benefit for their children. Now, among all the financial pressures of recent years the costs faced by parents for school trips has continued to go up. And it's not just a cause for concern for parents, but also for school governors. The body which represents them in England, the National Governance Association, has told Money Box that schools should try to help parents with these costs to ease the growing financial pressures many feel. Plus, a big change is underway aimed at helping victims of domestic violence in financial trouble. And we continue to look at Budget issues raised by listeners. This week it’s potential changes to council tax. Speculation suggests that the two highest bands, and the way bands are decided, could be subject to change later this month.Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Eimear Devlin
Editor: James Graham
Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson

Suspended child benefit and the cost of school trips

<description>&lt;p&gt;Thousands of people who've paid millions of pounds into an insurance plan they thought would cover their funeral costs face getting nothing in return. The insurer has told them their policies are being cancelled. Some had paid into the plan through their credit union for decades expecting a cash payment to go to their families when they died. But the cover will now come to an end as the insurer says a clause in the contract allows it to pull the plug with 30 days’ notice and give its customers - a number of whom are in their 80s - nothing.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now you might think receiving one tax demand a year is more than enough, but if you happen to be subjected to a so-called 'Simple Assessment' by HMRC you may well just have received a second one. HMRC have confirmed that they have started either issuing – or updating previously issued – Simple Assessments to include savings interest from 2024-25. But some tax advisors are concerned that people who paid their first bill covering earnings - back in the summer - could easily get confused and find themselves paying twice, once this new demand arrives.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And - with speculation mounting as to what will be in the Chancellor’s budget – now just four weeks away – listeners have contacted us with their views about what may, or may not happen to Cash ISAs. This follows speculation that Rachel Reeves may reduce the cap on the amount you can save tax free in a cash ISA from £20,000 to a much lower amount such as £10,000, with the caveat that savers would be incentivised to invest more into the stocks and shares of British companies. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporters: Sarah Rogers, Jo Krasner
Researchers: Eimear Devlin, Catherine Lund
Editor: Craig Henderson
Snr News Editor: Sarah Wadeson&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Thousands of people who paid into a funeral insurance scheme have their policies cancelled

Thousands of people who've paid millions of pounds into an insurance plan they thought would cover their funeral costs face getting nothing in return. The insurer has told them their policies are being cancelled. Some had paid into the plan through their credit union for decades expecting a cash payment to go to their families when they died. But the cover will now come to an end as the insurer says a clause in the contract allows it to pull the plug with 30 days’ notice and give its customers - a number of whom are in their 80s - nothing.Now you might think receiving one tax demand a year is more than enough, but if you happen to be subjected to a so-called 'Simple Assessment' by HMRC you may well just have received a second one. HMRC have confirmed that they have started either issuing – or updating previously issued – Simple Assessments to include savings interest from 2024-25. But some tax advisors are concerned that people who paid their first bill covering earnings - back in the summer - could easily get confused and find themselves paying twice, once this new demand arrives.And - with speculation mounting as to what will be in the Chancellor’s budget – now just four weeks away – listeners have contacted us with their views about what may, or may not happen to Cash ISAs. This follows speculation that Rachel Reeves may reduce the cap on the amount you can save tax free in a cash ISA from £20,000 to a much lower amount such as £10,000, with the caveat that savers would be incentivised to invest more into the stocks and shares of British companies. Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporters: Sarah Rogers, Jo Krasner
Researchers: Eimear Devlin, Catherine Lund
Editor: Craig Henderson
Snr News Editor: Sarah Wadeson

Funeral insurance cancelled and not-so-simple assessment?

<description>&lt;p&gt;Inflation may not be in double digits anymore, but it is still almost double the Bank of England's target. That means prices are rising twice as fast as they should be. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So we might have come through the cost of living crisis - but many people are still feeling its impact.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Today we're asking: how are you beating the squeeze? And, in this week of trick or treating, how are you making sure you can still afford the treats? &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Presenter FELICITY HANNAH is joined by expert guests NEIL BELLAMY, consumer insights director at the market research firm NIQ, LISA WEBB, senior lawyer at the consumer champion Which? and the consumer journalist, HARRY WALLOP. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Presenter: Felicity Hannah
Producer: Catherine Lund, James Graham
Editors: Jess Quayle, Craig Henderson
Senior News Editor; Sara Wadeson
(This episode was first broadcast at 3pm on Radio 4 on Wednesday 29th October).&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Just how are people beating the cost of living squeeze on finances?

Inflation may not be in double digits anymore, but it is still almost double the Bank of England's target. That means prices are rising twice as fast as they should be. So we might have come through the cost of living crisis - but many people are still feeling its impact.Today we're asking: how are you beating the squeeze? And, in this week of trick or treating, how are you making sure you can still afford the treats? Presenter FELICITY HANNAH is joined by expert guests NEIL BELLAMY, consumer insights director at the market research firm NIQ, LISA WEBB, senior lawyer at the consumer champion Which? and the consumer journalist, HARRY WALLOP. Presenter: Felicity Hannah
Producer: Catherine Lund, James Graham
Editors: Jess Quayle, Craig Henderson
Senior News Editor; Sara Wadeson
(This episode was first broadcast at 3pm on Radio 4 on Wednesday 29th October).

Money Box Live: Beating the squeeze?

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