The Consumer Council is funded by HM Treasury to address the issue of illegal money lending in Northern Ireland. The focus of our work is research, education and supporting the development of alternatives forms of lending. This study explored the opinions, thoughts and experiences of consumers in Northern Ireland about financial matters concerning lending, savings and debt.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on consumers and The Consumer Council is concerned about the resilience of Northern Ireland consumers. There is a range of evidence outlined in this report that indicates Northern Ireland consumers were already ill equipped to deal with income shocks before the impact of COVID-19, with our levels of discretionary income lower than other UK regions and our level of savings the lowest across the UK.

The primary objective of this project was to explore the nature and extent of illegal money lending and problematic debt in Northern Ireland and place these findings in the context of knowledge and experiences gained in other parts of the UK and further afield.

Economy 7 Price Comparison Table.

Prices live from 1 July 2020.

Electricity Price Comparison Table 

Prices live from 1 July 2020.

The Consumer Council’s Home Energy Index tracks changes in household gas, electricity and home heating oil (HHO) prices respectively, in Northern Ireland. It also creates a composite index; meaning that all three energy prices are combined to create one overarching figure, weighted for usage and market share.

Details on:

• If the airline cancels your flight
• Whether you should accept a voucher from your airline
• Key features of the vouchers being offered by airlines
• More information on your consumer rights around cancelled flights and COVID-19

The Consumer Council Board Members 

Minutes from the 301st meeting of The General Consumer Council for Northern Ireland on Friday 27 March 2020.

Held with Zoom Teleconference.

The Consumer Council is pleased to respond to Royal Mail’s proposed changes to its Overseas Scheme.

Statement from Imtac on living with COVID-19

Scammers are unfortunately taking advantage of consumers during the COVID-19 pandemic so it is more important than ever to take extra precautions. Watch out for unsolicited telephone calls, automated voice messages, emails, texts, social media posts and doorstep scams. For more information on scams, please visit the nidirect website: https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/campaigns/scamwiseni 

Help Peanut the Squirrel crack the code by decoding the secret messages. Each message contains a tip on how to either save energy, avoid food waste or shop responsibly.

More activities are available here: https://www.consumercouncil.org.uk/activities

Services available from Action on Hearing Loss during the coronavirus pandemic 

The Consumer Council’s Home Energy Index tracks changes in household gas, electricity and home heating oil (HHO) prices respectively, in Northern Ireland. It also creates a composite index; meaning that all three energy prices are combined to create one overarching figure, weighted for usage and market share.

Download and print for best results. You can also recreate the table on your computer/phone or a blank piece of paper.

It's Peanut's birthday and you have a £10 budget.

Cut out the items from page 1 and 2 that you want to bring to Peanut's birthday party and stick them onto page 3.

The Consumer Council’s Home Energy Index tracks changes in household gas, electricity and home heating oil (HHO) prices respectively, in Northern Ireland. It also creates a composite index; meaning that all three energy prices are combined to create one overarching figure, weighted for usage and market share

Download and print.

Help Peanut the Squirrel earn The Golden Acorn by completing 6 different activities from our website: https://www.consumercouncil.org.uk/activities

For each activity completed, cut out an acorn from page 1 and stick it to the corresponding number on page 2.