How our relationship with MALG continues to evolve

In this weeks Leading the Way blog, Helen Addis, Social Responsibility and Customer Welfare Manager, discusses our ongoing partnership with MALG and why this relationship is so important to Bristow & Sutor.

Over to Helen…

The Money Advice Liaison Group (MALG), fundamentally aims to encourage industry personnel to work together to improve the lives of people in debt. Collaboration between enforcement firms and the debt advice sector is not always prominent in the media but important work between both takes place constantly. Enforcement remains a vital component of the debt cycle, and in many cases, it is at this stage that debtors are convinced to seek help.

I am delighted to announce that Bristow & Sutor has renewed its ongoing membership with MALG for 2022 and we will continue to work with the institution to improve standards and outcomes for anyone that find themselves facing problem debt. Bristow & Sutor has been an advocate for MALG for many years and last October, we were sponsors of the MALG Annual Conference.

What is the connection between Bristow & Sutor and MALG?

Last year I was proud to be invited by the Money Advice Liaison Group (MALG) to join their North West Regional Committee. This appointment was on the back of my industry work in social responsibility and the impact that the Bristow & Sutor Group has had on fostering collaborative discussions. I was tasked with encouraging actions related to vulnerability and working with peers to provide better support to all people facing problem debt, which I am pleased to say has continued into 2022.

Since my appointment, I have been involved in Third-Sector roundtables in both the East-Midlands and North West regions, including helping to plan and devise the topics for discussion.  I am excited to be involved in these activities and look forward to the MALG conversations that are beginning to launch again for 2022. Outside of MALG, I have continued to present regular training sessions on enforcement processes to various audiences, including debt advice personnel from all over the country and have also been fortunate enough to be featured as an industry speaker at multiple events.

Forthcoming plans

Through my involvement with MALG, I have been able to explore beneficial solutions for people who find themselves engaging with either enforcement or debt advice services, sharing Bristow & Sutor insight and experience into how to improve strategies for the future. By educating others on the misconceptions of the debt recovery process, we can ensure that correct guidance is more likely to be given to those individuals who rely on helpful and accurate advice related to their circumstances. 

Regional member meetings have now been scheduled for the Midlands, South West and Scotland in March, East Anglia, South East and North East/Yorkshire in April, North West in May and South West in June. These are followed by additional meetings in the second half of the year and consolidated by monthly national member forums and both virtual and physical conferences.

Ongoing commitment and endeavour

I was appointed to the North West committee by Bob Winnington, Chief Executive Officer at MALG. I recently asked him what the support of businesses like ours means to MALG, and he said:

"We're pleased to see Bristow & Sutor continuing their commitment to 'working together to improve the lives of people in debt' by renewing their MALG Membership. Since the onset of the pandemic, our membership has grown and become even more engaged as organisations from across the whole debt landscape look to collaborate on solutions to the ongoing challenges faced by those in financial difficulty. Bristow & Sutor's support as both a MALG Member and sponsor of some of our events has been valuable and put to good use. We look forward to continuing and developing our relationship in the future."

Bristow & Sutor has a long history of supporting causes that make a positive impact, from our partnership with The Money Charity, to campaigns such as Talk Money Week by MAPS (Money and Pensions Service), Steps for StepChange during Debt Awareness Week (DAW) and donations to initiatives like, the Trussell Trust, Stop Domestic Abuse and AdviceUK.

It remains my aim to ensure that we deliver social value in every community that Bristow & Sutor is involved with, as helping over-indebted people will always be our social responsibility. Working with MALG continues to be a chance to contribute to meaningful change and I cannot wait to see what outcomes we are able to achieve together in 2022 and beyond.