Feedback

In March 2007, the Government published Financial inclusion: the way forward, setting out its ongoing strategy to take forward initiatives to tackle financial exclusion. This set out goals:

• that everyone should be able to manage their money effectively and securely, through having access to a bank account, and the confidence and capability to get the most from it;
  
• that everyone should be able to plan for the future with a reasonable degree of security. Therefore, affordable credit, savings accounts and simple insurance products should be available to all who need them; and
  
• that everyone should have the information, support and confidence they need to prevent avoidable financial difficulty, and to know where to turn if they do find themselves in financial distress.

To achieve progress towards meeting the second of these goals, a key challenge to be overcome is increasing the coverage and capacity of third sector lenders to provide excluded people nationwide with access to affordable credit.

To contribute to overcoming this challenge, senior representatives of the banking sector have been asked to work with the Financial Inclusion Taskforce to consider how to achieve a nationwide increase in the coverage and capacity of third sector lenders.

The Working Group is now seeking feedback from third sector lenders, and other stakeholders. Please submit your views using the template provided, by email to financial.inclusion.taskforce@hm-treasury.gsi.gov.uk

Respondents are asked to limit their answers to a maximum of five pages and to respond by Friday 17 August.

Consultation response document (28kb)