Press Centre

Press Centre

The ResPublica Fringe at Liberal Democrat Party Conference

23rd September 2013

  • ResPublica

Successful ResPublica fringe in Glasgow

ResPublica hosted a successful fringe programme at the Liberal Democrat conference in Glasgow. Our event, a panel discussion co-hosted with the Consumer Finance Association (CFA) posed the question: ‘Are payday loans ever in the consumer interest?’ The debate took place in the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre in Glasgow and was chaired by Stephen Knight AM, Liberal Democrat London Assembly Member.

Lead speaker on the panel Jo Swinson MP, Minister for Employment Relations and Consumer Affairs, admitted that payday loans represent a viable solution to short-term cashflow issues for several categories of people, but stressed the importance of regulation and transparency. Her remarks were echoed by Joanna Elson OBE, Chief Executive of Money Advice Trust who additionally made the case for proper availability of information and education so that potential consumers are fully aware of the implications before taking out a loan. Rebecca Taylor MEP, Member of the European Parliament for Yorkshire and the Humber gave the panel an insight into European policy and offered examples from EU member states on regulating payday loans, while Russell Hamblin-Boone, Chief Executive of the CFA argued that ethical practitioners and sensible regulation will ensure that both the supply and demand side of short-term lending.

A summary of the event and a round-up of ResPublica’s Lorena Papamanci’s reflections is available here.


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Time limit is exhausted. Please reload CAPTCHA.

Food security, accessibility, and sustainability should be categorised as a publ...

Food security, accessibility, and sustainability should be categorised as a public good says new report by the Lifelong Education Institute   The Lifelong Education Institute’s latest report ‘Hungry to Learn: Lifelong Learning Pathways for the Agri-food Sector’ raises concerns over the neglected potential of the agri-food sector in the UK, and especially around the gap between its skills requirements and the available skills provision by agri-food education institutions....

THINK TANK CALLS FOR A BEHAVIOUR REVOLUTION IN SCHOOLS

A new report, Behaving to Learn, by the think tank ResPublica challenges the Government to be bold and drive a revolution in behaviour management across state schools to improve the outcomes for children and the lives of teachers....

New collection of essays by Conservative MPs offers fresh ideas for tackling pov...

PRESS RELEASE EMBARGOED | 24th MAY 2023 00:01 For Media Enquires please contact mike.mavrommatis@respublica.org.uk...

Playing by The Rules | Press Release

PRESS RELEASE New independent regulator needed to protect English football clubs and give working-class fans a greater voice Ahead of the much-anticipated publication of the Government White Paper on the creation of a new independent regulator for English football (IREF), think-tank ResPublica warns that it must not be an ‘owners’ and directors’ charter’ and must ensure that the game’s fans are treated as highly-valued stakeholders and given a greater voice at both club and national level....

How smart solar at scale can power UK’s economic recovery

In its latest report, ‘Smart Solar at Scale: Meeting the UK’s net-zero emissions and clean growth targets’, ResPublica argues that the energy sector can play a central role in powering the UK’s economic recovery, post-Covid-19....

Press Release
  • Comments Off on ResPublica Report | Size doesn’t matter, small places must not be left behind in the devolution process.
ResPublica Report | Size doesn’t matter, small places must not be left behind...

The Government’s focus on metro-regions has meant that mid-sized cities, towns, districts, and counties have been locked-out of the devolution process....

Phillip Blond on LBC with Shelagh Fogarty

Listen to Shelagh Fogart from LBC, interviewing ResPublica’s Director, Phillip Blond, on the need to reform NHS Services....

Press Release
  • Comments Off on ResPublica Report | How to improve the Health and Wellbeing of the UK population
ResPublica Report | How to improve the Health and Wellbeing of the UK population

A new report launched today by the independent think tank ResPublica, set out how we can properly refigure our public health system in the light of its successes and failings in the Covid-19 epidemic....

Press Release
Election pledges will not meet the UK’s future skill needs

The next Government must unleash the potential of the UK’s workforce to compete in the 21st century economy.  ...