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Toby Murray

@tbymrry.bsky.social
140 followers 216 following 135 posts

Policy and Campaigns Manager for @debtjustice.bsky.social on household debt. Ex-research for Money and Mental Health, the RSA and ex-policy fellow for the Health Foundation. (he/him)

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Toby Murray @tbymrry.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Not the point, but why does Andy Burnham look like a giant here? www.businessgreen.com/news/4533259...
businessgreen.com
Number 10 confirms Katie White and Michael Shanks to remain at DESNZ
Andy Burnham continues his shake-up of government with wave of junior ministerial appointments
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New Economy Brief @neweconomybrief.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Thames Water could be the first real test of the likely new PM's 'Manchesterism' agenda. This week we explore the case for incremental public ownership, whilst remaining within fiscal constraints: www.neweconomybrief.net/the-digest/is-thames-water-the-first-real-test-for-manchesterism
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Toby Murray @tbymrry.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
"As a share of net profits, dividends and share buybacks more than doubled from 27% to 68%. Net investment across the entire non-financial corporate sector fell from 18.9% to just 7.4% of gross profit." Brilliant report from UCL IIPP www.etuc.org/en/document/...
etuc.org
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New Economy Brief @neweconomybrief.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
A lot has changed since the UK voted to leave the EU, and yet the ongoing arguments over the UK-EU relationship show no sign of fading. A decade on from the seismic result, this week we ask: did we take back control? Or was Project Fear right all along? neweconomybrief.net/the-digest/b...
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Toby Murray @tbymrry.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Council tax arrears across Britain have hit £9.3 BILLION. Up nearly £1bn in just the last year - 12% year on year. Up 65% over five years. This is not sustainable. 🧵 debtjustice.org.uk/news/council...
debtjustice.org.uk
Council tax arrears across Britain hit record £9.3bn - Debt Justice
For more information and interviews contact Toby Murray, Policy and Campaigns Manager, on +44 3000 400011 New analysis from Debt Justice reveals that total council tax arrears across Britain have reac...
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End Fuel Poverty Coalition @endfuelpoverty.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Our research reveals today that almost 1 in 3 in the UK are in energy debt, or worried about falling behind. For those in debt, their experiences of survival are deeply troubling. Meanwhile, the UK energy industry rakes in big profits – £3bn in the first 3 months of this year. Let's break it down. ⬇️
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Toby Murray @tbymrry.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Hope this gives the ECB pause for thought over their body cam footage findings... metro.co.uk/2026/06/14/w...
metro.co.uk
Workers for London council sacked for threatening to 'rip man's teeth out'
The workers have been dismissed.
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Toby Murray @tbymrry.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
We talk about people in debt burying their heads in the sand... but it's the government that's burying its head over the sheer scale of debt in the country. www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...
independent.co.uk
UK energy debt crisis deepens for millions ahead of price cap rise
13 per cent of those in debt or concerned about missing payments owed money to ‘someone who makes them feel scared’
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Debt Justice @debtjustice.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
Private lenders just squeezed an extra $65 million out of Zambia. A country where almost half of the population doesn't have electricity. www.reuters.com/world/africa...
reuters.com
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Toby Murray @tbymrry.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
£1bn in fees to lawyers and ceos, paid by customer bills, to access yet more high interest debt, which will at best delay the inevitable. Just nationalise it already. www.ft.com/content/eee3... o
ft.com
Thames Water to pay £749mn under creditor takeover deal
Costs mount for restructuring of UK’s biggest water company as it strives to avoid nationalisation
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Toby Murray @tbymrry.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
I love when a new National Audit Office report drops - they really get into the weeds of why policy does and doesn't work. Their latest on utility sector regulation is well worth a read. 🧵 www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/u...
nao.org.uk
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Lee Savage @leesavage.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
I read the report this morning. I'll have more to say when I have time, but it is largely a series of unsubstantiated assertions, airing of grievances, and basic misreporting of data. But on this one issue, here are the actual median wages of graduates and non-graduates
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Toby Murray @tbymrry.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Great research from @gmb.org.uk on council tax arrears in Greater Manchester, a deep dive that shows the scale of a problem embedded in the council tax system across the whole country. www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater...
manchestereveningnews.co.uk
'Horrifying': The Greater Manchester residents in court over unpaid council tax
The figures have been described as 'horrifying'
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Toby Murray @tbymrry.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
Obviously this is in Russia, but I suspect it applies more broadly - people are so profoundly scared of their creditors and debts, that you can literally offer their cancellation as an incentive to fight & die in war... www.msn.com/en-in/news/i...
msn.com
MSN
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Toby Murray @tbymrry.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Ignoring the ~*extremely telegraph*~ title, this is an excellent expose of the culture in the debt collection world, basically just harass whoever you can in the hopes they'll settle a bill. A totally productive and useful industry. Glad it exists.
archive.ph
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Toby Murray @tbymrry.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
~finally~
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New Economy Brief @neweconomybrief.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
Buses are the most used form of public transport in England, but ridership has fallen in recent years. New laws promise a turnaround, with cities like Liverpool following Manchester’s lead. This week we explore if we are going to see a bus renaissance: neweconomybrief.net/the-digest/a...
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Toby Murray @tbymrry.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
Phenomenal work from Rachael Walker and Better Policy lifting the lid on a part of the British policy landscape that regularly evades scrutiny. 🧵 betterpolicy.co.uk/council-tax-...
betterpolicy.co.uk
The reality of council tax court fees in England: new analysis
Councils raise £250 million pounds in council tax court fees each year. Capping court costs may help, but only for residents in 25% of English boroughs.
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Thomas I-G @thomasig.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
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Toby Murray @tbymrry.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
More and more, insecurity and lack of capacity in the system is picked up by household debt. This is the slowly growing privatisation of our social security net - you can't rely on the government to support you through rough patches, the market steps in (and profits) www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Great Yarmouth residents experiencing high levels of debt issues
A debt charity believes the town's seasonal job market is in part to blame.
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Toby Murray @tbymrry.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
Big news today: the government is reforming the council tax debt system. For 4.4 million people in debt, this is genuinely going to make a difference. I'm absolutely buzzing about this after spending the last couple of years campaigning on this. www.gov.uk/government/n...
gov.uk
Council tax shake-up to protect the most vulnerable households
More time for vulnerable people to pay their bill after missing one month’s payment
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Joseph Elliott @jelliott94.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
It's a bit of a myth that rents are constantly increasing faster than earnings or overall inflation - on average, they're not. So what *is* the problem of unaffordability in the private rented sector? And what does this mean for how we go about fixing it? Our take 🧵⬇️
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Toby Murray @tbymrry.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
The dodgy second hand car salesman comes to the digital age. What stage of capitalism is it where the competition is not between firm efficiencies, but just who can rip you off in the least obvious way? bankofenglandinsights.substack.com/p/this-time-...
bankofenglandinsights.substack.com
This time it's personal: the rise of dynamic, personalised pricing and what it means for inflation
How personalised pricing is influencing inflation and shaping the future of price-setting for everyone.
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Toby Murray @tbymrry.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
Some of this is definitely explained by more people accessing DROs since the removal of the fee. But also households are clearly struggling - this is a longer trend & the rise in IVAs again is particularly concerning. bmmagazine.co.uk/in-business/...
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Guy Shrubsole @guyshrubsole.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
VICTORY! Government to open up the Land Registry - bringing to an end a thousand years of secrecy shrouding who owns England. I’ve been campaigning for this for ten years: the new Land Use Framework, published later today, makes it government policy. 1/ www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Government to lift paywall from large parts of the Land Registry
Exclusive: finding out who owns land will become simpler under plans to make the best use of green spaces and hit net zero targets
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Toby Murray @tbymrry.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
Yeah looks like big news! Anything that addresses the UK's uniquely centralised taxation system is cause for celebration. www.theguardian.com/business/202...
theguardian.com
Reeves plans to give England’s regional leaders a share of national tax revenues
Chancellor seeks ‘genuine break with the past’ in tackling centralised and ‘geographically unequal’ country
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The Dude Says No To Genocide @wally-bazoum.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
People are forced into debt because of our regressive council tax system - and then being harassed by bailiffs! Local elections are coming up so I've demanded my councillors pledge to #BanTheBailiffs. Write to your councillors: act.debtjustice.org.uk/contact-your...
act.debtjustice.org.uk
Contact your council: Ban the bailiffs!
With local elections happening in hundreds of councils across the country this spring it’s time we told our local councillors that we want to see action on council tax debt and an end to bailiff use.
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Toby Murray @tbymrry.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
Maybe it's just because ✨I work on it ✨ but the centrality of debt to everyday life is increasingly apparent, esp its role as a privatised security net. The state won't provide sufficient wages, welfare, or protections; so you're forced to rely on debt instead. www.theguardian.com/money/2026/m...
theguardian.com
High levels of debt on essential UK bills are the ‘new normal’, warn campaigners
Average arrears for housing, utilities and council tax for low-income households all rose last year
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Toby Murray @tbymrry.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
New research from Arnaud Natal and Isabelle Guérin estimate at least 33.3% of the world’s population (over 2.59 billion people) regularly rely on borrowing to make ends meet. As they say - indebtedness is not marginal now but a structural part of modern capitalism. hal.science/hal-05547460...
hal.science
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Toby Murray @tbymrry.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
Every time someone talks about how many under 25s are claiming incapacity benefit because they're lazy, this @pfrc-uob.bsky.social graphs needs to beamed directly into their eyes
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Toby Murray @tbymrry.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
CTS schemes maybe not the most exciting topic, but: - Accounts for ~5% of income for poorest tenth - The most underclaimed benefit in the country Aligning with UC is good, but fundamentally just another sticking plaster. Scrap CT, bring in a proportional property tax or land value tax.
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Debt Justice @debtjustice.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
Over 1,000 lives have already been lost since the US and Israel’s attack on #Iran. Alongside immense human suffering, the war is already having huge economic consequences that extend far beyond the region. A 🧵 on the impacts, and what could happen to countries in debt if the situation continues
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Toby Murray @tbymrry.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
85% reported a negative financial impact, such as going without essentials. 48% experienced a negative impact on their credit record. That survivors of domestic abuse in particular are skipping meals rather than damage their credit file is so perverse. www.stepchange.org/policy-and-r...
stepchange.org
Filed Away. Coerced Debt Economic Abuse. StepChange
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Independent Age @independentage.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
The number of older people living in water poverty could rise from 750,000 to almost a million by 2029/30. We need a national water social tariff to protect people on low incomes from soaring utility bills. Read more about our campaign in @bigissue.com www.bigissue.com/news/social-...
bigissue.com
Rising water bills see pensioners in poverty skip baths
Water bills will go up again on April 1. Pensioners like Judith are already feeling the pinch, rationing showers and laundry loads.
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Toby Murray @tbymrry.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
You privatise the natural monopoly; private companies underinvest, pollute, make billions in profit; bills increase above-inflation during a cost of living crisis; people can't afford their bills; you send in the bailiffs to harass them. Great work guys. www.theguardian.com/business/202...
theguardian.com
Water firms sent bailiffs to tens of thousands of homes for debts under £1,000
Most recorded visits are for smaller debts, data from England and Wales suggests, though method of recovery is a postcode lottery
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Toby Murray @tbymrry.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
We've got a new campaign out today ahead of the local elections: act.debtjustice.org.uk/contact-your...
act.debtjustice.org.uk
Contact your council: Ban the bailiffs!
With local elections happening in hundreds of councils across the country this spring it’s time we told our local councillors that we want to see action on council tax debt and an end to bailiff use.
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Independent Age @independentage.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
Across England and Wales, too many older people are struggling to afford their water bills. We're calling for a national social tariff for water in England and Wales to fix this unfair system. Sign our petition: campaigns.independentage.org/page/187255/...
Statistic showing the extent of water poverty amongst over 65 year olds. Text reads: 1 in 5 (21%) people over 65 in England and Wales has cut back their spending on water. This increases to 2 in 5 when looking at people over 65 on incomes of less than £15,000 a year.
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Debt Justice @debtjustice.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
People are being forced into debt because of our regressive council tax system and then being harassed by bailiffs. With local elections happening this spring, lets tell our local councillors to help bring down council tax debt and end bailiff use -> tinyurl.com/7rmcehrk
tinyurl.com
Contact your council: Ban the bailiffs!
With local elections happening in hundreds of councils across the country this spring it’s time we told our local councillors that we want to see action on council tax debt and an end to bailiff use.
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Toby Murray @tbymrry.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
We've got a new campaign out today ahead of the local elections: act.debtjustice.org.uk/contact-your...
act.debtjustice.org.uk
Contact your council: Ban the bailiffs!
With local elections happening in hundreds of councils across the country this spring it’s time we told our local councillors that we want to see action on council tax debt and an end to bailiff use.
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New Economy Brief @neweconomybrief.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
Reform UK have watered down their plans to “challenge every single tenet” of economic policy. So what does Reform’s economic platform look like now? This week we digest what we know so far – and what happens when rhetoric meets the realities of governing: www.neweconomybrief.net/the-digest/r...
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Toby Murray @tbymrry.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
Aside from everything else, why would you scrap a tourist tax? Local authorities are so hard up, so why take away one of their only cash-raising measures? And surely, of all voters, Reform's would be pro making tourists contribute...
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Toby Murray @tbymrry.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
One of the most unpopular prime ministers ever, Labour's base totally split and decimated, being pushed into third by the Greens, multiple high profile u-turns despite a massive majority. But sure Morgan McSweeney is "one of the best political strategists in the world". Bonkers stuff.
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Toby Murray @tbymrry.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
This is a great write up of an underreported story. (a) it's crazy that a minister responded "that's life" to a council in financial straits; (b) it's crazier still that £3m of extra funding will apparently fund so little care because the system is entirely run in private interests.
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Toby Murray @tbymrry.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
UK financial crime fines falling from £570m to £120m. Reeves intervening on car finance compensation. Trump pardoning financial criminals. Under-regulated private credit falling apart. I guess we're just openly letting rich & powerful people do whatever they like these days...
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End Fuel Poverty Coalition @endfuelpoverty.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
📈Wholesale gas prices are rising again as international tensions shake global markets, now reaching levels higher than at any point in the past three years. For now, households are protected by the current price cap. But that protection only delays the impact, it doesn’t remove the risk. [1/3]
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Toby Murray @tbymrry.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
Interesting how little support the mansion tax gets from councils in LGIUs 2026 finances report compared to multi-year settlements and sorting SEND deficits. Fundamentally doesn't bring enough new funding in, or solve the regressivity of council tax - a wealth tax done wrong.
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Toby Murray @tbymrry.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
If you (like me) need a distraction from the Gorton & Denton by-election, very little hits like a 1,000+ word deep dive into rail renationalisation.
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New Economy Brief @neweconomybrief.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
More than half of the UK's train operating companies are now back in public hands, with the rest due to follow by the end of 2027. How is Labour's grand plan for renationalisation going? This week's New Economy Brief takes a look. www.neweconomybrief.net/the-digest/great-british-railways
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Toby Murray @tbymrry.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
As one of those grads £50k+ in debt, I'm glad it's finally part of the national debate - but campaigners and politicians need to be way more ambitious. Not just lower repayment rates, but mass write off. Even the US is doing more on this than we are: www.timeshighereducation.com/opinion/what...
timeshighereducation.com
What England could learn from US student loan forgiveness
Although Trump has rolled back some of Biden’s programmes, his replacement is still more progressive than England’s Plan 2 system, says Graeme Atherton
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Toby Murray @tbymrry.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
Glad to see this getting more attention - a brutal tax that desperately needs binning. Can't believe the SNP have gone this long without sorting it out - last years consultation was an insult. Great to see @jrf-uk.bsky.social piling the pressure on. www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politic...
dailyrecord.co.uk
'Broken' council tax system condemns Scots to poverty and 'protects' wealthy
The SNP was first elected in 2007 with a promise to scrap the Tory-imposed council tax system but has since dodged the issue.
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