Founded in 1999, we are a UK based campaign working to end extortionate and irresponsible lending, and to ensure universal access to affordable credit and fair financial services.

Our campaign involves a wide range of organisations including the National Housing Federation, Oxfam, New Economics Foundation and Citizens Advice Scotland, as well as numerous local advice services, credit unions and community groups.

Our work

For the past 10 years we have championed the cause of low income borrowers, many of whom are paying extortionate prices for credit, and who often become trapped in a spiral of increasing indebtedness. The UK's poorest borrowers pay the highest price for credit in Europe.

This is often because lenders exploit their urgent need for cash and charge rates way above what is required to make a normal profit. We are now campaigning for Government to introduce a cap on credit and you can find out more from 'Rate Caps' pages on this site.

We are also looking at the overall position of low income borrowers in the credit crisis. Irresponsible lending and lack of consumer protection were the root causes of the global credit crisis. But some lenders have attempted to use this to justify making it more difficult for lower income groups to get access to fair priced credit. We maintain that Government must ensure that taxpayer investment in the banking system is directed to those that need the most help. For further details see our 'Protecting low income borrowers in the credit crisis' paper written with Ian McCartney M.P, which is available from the links on the right.

We are also now part of a wider international movement for responsible credit, and have teamed up with a wide range of agencies from across Europe, in the U.S and Japan. Further details of this movement can be found from the website of the European Coalition for Responsible Credit