Congress

Getting it done and protecting the consumer

Held in January 2020, this Congress focussed on the huge range of problems that need to be resolved if all homes in the UK are to be carbon neutral by 2050. The four main categories of problem identified were 

– the need for Government regulations

–  the lack of expertise needed to bring existing homes to carbon neutrality

– the motivation of consumers to prioritise the investment required

– the potential risks involved in the use of smart home controls.

Full report: NCF Congress Report 2020 Zero Carbon Home

On 3rd May 2018 we looked to the future in a day that asked “What’s the Vision?”. Full report here.

BREXIT : TRANSPOSITION OF LAWS     What’s the point if ENFORCEMENT is weak?

On the  5th December a Consumer Congress workshop followed up the Best of Brexit for Consumers posing the question: what is the point of getting the Best if Enforcement is weak?

The Brexit and Enforcement Report can be seen here

A Consumer Congress took place on 6th April 2017, to focus on the best ways to maintain and enhance consumer protection in the wake of Brexit.

The Best of Brexit for Consumers Report: NCF Congress 2017 The Consumer Voice on Brexit summary report

In 2012 we ran a workshop, sponsored by Consumer Focus and the Office of Fair Trading, to examine the effectiveness, fairness and consistency of UK regulatory systems, from the consumer perspective. Our interactive workshop generated a lot of valuable ideas, which led to the publication of our Consumer Charter for Regulators.

In March 2011 – the day before the Citizens Advice Social Policy conference – NCF held two key events at the QEII conference centre. The aim of these events was to tackle the latest developments in the field of consumer policy, advice, information and campaigning. We held a conference with workshops that aimed to:

– review how the consumer movement has met challenges and developed over recent years;

– establish where we are now;

– explain the coalition’s future plans for the consumer; and

– look at hot consumer topics for the year ahead.

This was followed by a Citizens Advice and NCF Consumer Empowerment Panel discussion session with Congress participants.

In 2009 the eyes of the world were focused on the financial crash, and NCF was concerned that the consumer voice was not being heard. The NCF ran a Congress to examine the impact of the Credit Crunch on consumers, looking at:

– the behaviour of financial institutions;

– transparency and financial literacy;

– regulation;

– ‘picking up the pieces’; and

– specific solutions.

The event attracted many distinguished speakers, including Kevin Brennan MP,  the Minister responsible for consumer issues at the time, and Chris Pond, a Director of the Financial Services Authority.