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BBC Radio 4

Money Box

Capita chiefs promised MPs on the Public Accounts Committee it would fix long-running problems with its administration of one of the biggest pension schemes in the country by the end of this month.
Tens of thousands of retired and serving civil servants have been reporting long delays to payments, leading to serious financial hardship to pensioners and their families. 
But Money Box has learned the deadline isn't likely to be met. We speak to the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee about what happens next.
And cases of reported are still increasing. We explain how AI has become the latest weapon in the fraudsters' armoury.
Also, holiday season is upon us. What can we do to minimise the hit from those annoying non-sterling transaction fees levied every time we use our plastic. A consumer expert shares his advice.

Pension delays and fraud figures

Six million people who expect to be paying housing costs once they've stopped working say they don't know how they'll be able to afford it. That's according to new research from pensions and investment firm Royal London. It surveyed 4,000 people and says the findings suggest around 1 in 3 UK adults are already paying, or expect to pay, rent or a mortgage once they've retired. What can be done to help them afford it?

A record number of solar panels are being fitted to homes and businesses across the UK. Last year's record is forecast to be beaten this year as electricity prices rise on July 1st. Solar panels on your roof don't just help pay your electricity bills. You can also sell spare energy back to your supplier to help pay your remaining heating bills. We'll investigate why one supplier is reducing that rate.

And, what creatures would you like to see on the new Bank of England banknotes? There's a plan to replace the humans on fivers, tenners and so on with other species. The shortlist chosen by a panel of wildlife experts published by the Bank of England has 18 mammals, birds, amphibians, insects and fish. We'll speak to the Bank of England Chief Cashier Victora Cleland about what's behind the change.

Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Jo Krasner
Researcher: Catherine Lund
Editor: Jess Quayle
Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson

(First broadcast on Radio 4 at 12pm on Saturday 13th June 2026)

Renting in Retirement and Wildlife Bank Notes

Scammers are using increasingly convincing AI generated videos to steal people's money. We hear from a victim who had £165,000 stolen and ask an expert how to spot the warning signs before it's too late.

The government has promised new financial rights for cohabiting couples. We examine what the plans could mean for the three and a half million couples in the UK who live together without being married or in a civil partnership.

Households in Northern Ireland will see their gas and electricity bills rise next month. We find out what's behind the increase and what support is available.

Plus, why is one MP comparing parts of England's student loan system to some of the country's biggest financial scandals?

Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporters: Hannah Mullane, Jo Krasner, and Niamh Mc Dermott.
Editor: Sarah Rogers

(First broadcast 12pm Saturday 6th June 2026)

AI scams, cohabiting and student loans

The PCS union is calling for Capita to lose its contract to administer the Civil Service Pensions scheme six months after it took over. It follows problems which have seen thousands of retired civil servants waiting months for pension payments. The Union says it would like the contract to be managed by the government instead. Capita says it is making progress on getting things 'back to normal levels' and that it’s got extra trained staff working on the backlog.

Why is the take-up of child benefit, which is worth at least £1,400 per year, at its lowest level for more than twenty years? HMRC says it works with 'many partners' to promote take-up and provide information to new parents in hospitals across the UK. But what else can be done?

A debt advice provider calls for a new social energy tariff to give cheaper gas and electricity to those on lower incomes, ahead of price rises in July.

And, the new rare bank note to celebrate Scotland qualifying for the World Cup for first time in more than 25 years.

Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporters: Hannah Mullane and Jo Krasner
Researcher: Catherine Lund
Editor: Jess Quayle

(First broadcast 12pm Saturday 30th May 2026)

Civil Service Pension Debacle and Cheaper Energy?

Newly released research seen exclusively by this programme suggests a quarter of the UK's nearly 6 million carers have paused or stopped paying into their pension because of the financial pressures of caring for a loved one. Most often, that loved one has complex needs and the costs of caring for them can be high. In the same research, from Carers UK, three quarters of carers said they're worried about their financial futures. 

An independent review is to take place into how the closure of bank branches affects people who rely on being able to physically go into their bank and speak to someone. The government says it wants to make sure those needing access to in-person service are protected. It has appointed Richard Lloyd, a former Director at Which?, to review face-to-face banking.

On Wednesday National Savings and Investments will start a year-long process of contacting the executors and personal representatives of 34,000 former customers whose money it had kept after they died, some as long ago as 2008. How will that work?

And a new report looks at the quality of financial guidance being offered by some social media posts.

Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporter: Dan Whitworth
Researchers: Catherine Lund and Jo Krasner
Editor: Jess Quayle
Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson

(First broadcast at 12 noon on Saturday 23rd May, 2026)

Carers' Pensions and Face-to-Face Banking

If you’re fortunate enough to have set some money aside for a rainy day the Government wants you to invest more rather than keep it all in cash savings accounts.

The Treasury, has appointed the Investment Association, alongside 19 financial services firms, to lead an industry initiative to persuade people with savings to move at least some of that money into shares. 

As a nation, we invest much less than in other similar countries, but why? What puts you off and what would you need to take the plunge? 

Presenter Felicity Hannah is joined by Karen Northey, Director of Corporate Affairs at the Investment Association, and David Dodgson, an Independent Financial Advisor with The Private Office to answer listener questions.

Presenter: Felicity Hannah
Producer: Craig Henderson
Editor: Jess Quayle
Senior news editor: Sara Wadeson

(First broadcast 3pm on Wednesday 20th May 2026)

Money Box Live: Invest or Save?

Millions of adults across the UK, have not told their families what they want to happen to their money and property when they die. STEP, the Society for Trust and Estate Planners, reported this week on a survey which found 8 out of 10 adults had kept their loved ones in ignorance of their wishes. A third of them did not even have a will, leaving its distribution to complex legal rules rather than what the family itself might want. What should people do to avoid this?

It is nearly forty years since the government sold off British Gas and encouraged us all to Tell Sid as part of Margaret Thatcher's 1986 dream of a share owning democracy. Today, the present Labour government wants people to invest more and it has appointed the Investment Association, alongside 19 of the UK's leading financial services firms, to lead an industry wide initiative to persuade people with savings to move at least some of them into shares. This "Invest for the Future" campaign has its own mascot - Savvy Squirrel. Could this lead to cultural change in the way we invest?

And when might you have to pay tax on the interest you earn on savings? We'll explain all.

Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Jo Krasner
Researcher: Catherine Lund
Editor: Jess Quayle
News Editor: Justin Bones

(First broadcast at 12noon, Saturday 16th May 2026)

Lack of Wills and "Savvy Squirrel"

We may be living longer, but are our finances in the best of health?

On today’s Money Box Live we take a stroll through the decades and examine the kind of financial challenges that living longer might throw at us.

A growing number of people in the UK are reaching 100 – Sir David Attenborough among them - and there are now more than 600,000 people in their nineties, but are we sufficiently prepared for the true costs of sustaining a healthy income into later life.

Felicity Hannah is joined by two expert panellists who are answering listener questions - Dr Suzy Morrissey, deputy director of the Pensions Policy Institute, and Jonathan Cribb, deputy director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

How do you ensure your money lasts as long as you do?

Presenter: Felicity Hannah
Producer: Craig Henderson
Editor: Jess Quayle
Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson

(First broadcast at 3pm Wednesday 13th May 2026)

How to Live Long and Prosper

Since lenders were ordered to repay billions to consumers who signed up to unfair car finance deals, millions of people have been sent adverts exhorting them to claim compensation through claims managers or law firms. But now the Financial Conduct Authority is to investigate the industry amid concerns of sharp practice and misleading marketing. Paul Lewis asks if the regulator has acted quickly enough to root out the rogue operators.

And we hear from the serial switchers - those tempted by cash perks to change their bank accounts. Is it worth it?

Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporters: Jo Krasner and Felicity Hannah
Researcher: Catherine Lund
Editor: Rob Cave
Senior news editor: Sara Wadeson

Claims management inquiry and bank account switching

Teenage years are formative in many different ways – and being able to handle finances is one of them.

In this programme - one of our special Money Box Life episodes – presenter Felicity Hannah talks to teenagers from varied backgrounds about their early experiences of handling money.

We get their views on the guiding role of parents. We hear how making mistakes can prove helpful – if you learn from them. And how jobs can shape the understanding of money and how to use it, providing of course you are able to secure some form of work in an increasingly competitive environment.

Advice is on hand from Stephanie Fitzgerald, head of young people's programmes at the Money Charity, and Julia Evans from Spear, which is a charity which supports young people to find work.
 
Presenter: Felicity Hannah
Producers: Craig Henderson, James Graham
Editor: Robert Cave
Senior News Editor: Sarah Wadeson

(First broadcast on Wednesday 6 May 2026)

AI scams, cohabiting and student loans

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