The Weekly Consumer Report Podcast
Welcome to Parfitt Cresswell’s Weekly Consumer Report brought to you by broadcast journalist Glen Thompsett and award-winning journalist, author, podcaster, and broadcaster, Lindsay Cook.
Each week, we break down the stories that matter most to your money, your rights, and your everyday life - helping you make smarter decisions in a fast-changing world. Every episode is packed with clear explanations, actionable tips, and the latest news - so you can feel confident and in control.
Tune in to our latest episode and join the conversation!
Episode 18: 17th March - in this episode:
Energy prices
• There are big differences between the prices being charged by petrol filling stations.
• Diesel can cost 11p more a litre
• Motorists should check the online comparisons before they buy
• Government has committed to help business customers and those using heating oil.
• Oil ended the week at $100 a barrel – down from $119 the previous weekend
Mortgages
• Average fixed rate mortgages are now over 5%
• At the beginning of the year 3.74% was available and expected to go lower
• 500 mortgage products were withdrawn last week.
Water bills
• More water price increases will affect 15m homes from April
• There has been a tripling of complaints since bills started rising in April 2025
Broadband mobile bills
• Millions of customers are facing price rises in April
• But these can be avoided by switching now.
• Those out of contract can move to cheaper companies.
Student loans
• The government is looking at whether student loan repayments are fair.
• The average loan balance in England is £53,010.
Savers
• Interest rates for savers are improving
• It is worth checking out Isa rates before the next financial year.
Episode 17: 9th March - in this episode:
Energy prices
- The gulf hostilities could cause the energy price cap to rise £150 a year from July.
- The current rate is an average of £1,758 .
- This will fall to an average of £1,641 next month
- A few cheaper fixed price deals are still available but many withdrawn
- Experts predict the July price cap could be £1,801 - £43 a year more than current rate.
Market panic
- Stock markets have fallen dramatically since the beginning of last week
- Oil, gas and gold prices increased
- £180 billion was wiped off value of leading British companies.
- More was wiped from other markets
- Markets rebounded midweek until fresh attacks and increased oil prices caused further market turmoil
- Investors have to remember that they do not make a loss until they sell.
- Markets remain volatile
Home insurance
- Buildings insurance has fallen by an average of 9%.
- Homeowners need to check if they can get a better deal when their renewal notice arrives.
- The earlier that you check the market the better deal you will get
Electric vehicles
- The rate of VAT on public charging for electric vehicles is to fall to 5%
- This will reduce public charging average cost of £11.30 closer to the £5.88 average cost.
- Home charging already benefits from a 5% VAT rate.
Tesco windfall
- Thousands of Tesco workers who invested in the company’s ShareSave scheme are to share gains of up to £42,576.
- While gains are not guaranteed you do not lose money if the share prices fall.
Solar inflation
- The government has decided that it will increase the rate of the payments to homes with solar panels by a lower rate of inflation.
- Those who installed solar panels in 2011 have until now had their payments increased by the retail prices index.
- This week they have been told that the increases from next month will be increased by the consumer price index.
- This year it means the increase will by 3.2% and not 4.2%
- The initial contracts were for 25 years so the losses will be until 2036.
Meet Your Hosts
The show is hosted by Glen Thompsett, an experienced broadcast journalist, and an award-winning journalist, author, podcaster, and broadcaster Lindsay Cook, whose expertise is widely recognised; she’s a regular contributor to BBC Radio 4 and other outlets and has written extensively for the Financial Times. Together, Glen and Lindsay bring decades of expertise, a passion for consumer advocacy, and a knack for making complex topics easy to understand.
Legal Chat with Parfitt Cresswell
Hear from our legal experts as they discuss various legal topics in Legal Chat with Parfitt Cresswell. Answering the commonly asked questions we receive on a regular basis, Legal Chat removes all of the legal jargon and makes the complex world of law that little bit easier to understand.
