At last the Office of Fair Trading is clamping down on companies that charge people to manage their debt. Eight will have their licences revoked, seven are being investigated, and 35 have simply left the market rather than be subject to the OFT’s glare. But that leaves another 79 still being looked into.

It has always seemed slightly contradictory to me to ask for money from customers who are already spending more than their income. But despite the OFT’s action there is still a thriving business out there doing just that.

One reason is that the alternatives – which are free – do have one disadvantage. They often keep you waiting for advice or help a bit longer than someone whose business depends on taking money off you.

And that problem will get worse after the Government announced that it was withdrawing funding from the Financial Inclusion Fund which pays for debt advisers in Citizen’s Advice Bureaux and other free agencies from the end of March. The end of the £45m funding will see the loss of 500 face-to-face money and debt advisers.

With the economy contracting, inflation rising, and unemployment growing, the need for advice on sensible borrowing and dealing with debt has never been greater. Which makes it a bad time to save a small amount of money by cutting the advice they can get.

If you or someone you know is in debt difficulties call Consumer Credit Counselling Service, National Debtline or the local Citizen’s Advice office.

***IN MONEY BOX THIS WEEK***

A week after it was fined nearly £8 million for mis-selling financial products to thousands of people Barclays has decided it won’t give financial advice to anybody with less than £500,000. It insists the two are unrelated. From 18 February, the bank plans to close all branch-based investment and pensions advice, with the loss of 1000 jobs. With new rules on the horizon which will mean banks have to charge customers for selling them investments, will other banks follow suit?

Making money while the sun shines is now possible thanks to a £6.7 billion subsidy for the cost of installing photo-voltaic solar panels on your south-facing roof. With returns from selling power back to the grid guaranteed for 25 years it’s an investment that radiates possibilities. We hear from one listener who follows my twitter @paullewismoney, and from environmentalist George Monbiot who says he would not give the scheme the green light.

Lenders will be able to advertise rates that they give to barely half those who take up a loan – and charge the rest a lot more – under European advertising rules due to begin on Tuesday. At the moment, lenders have to offer an advertised rate to two thirds of those they sell the product to.

And we get exclusive advice from a wealth manager about where the opportunities and pitfalls are in 2011 if you want to invest your own money.

We will squeeze all that in and just might mention the final Equitable Life deal and npower rebates too. Find out just how quickly I can talk by listening to Money Box, live on Saturday at 1204. Repeated Sunday at 9pm, and listen any time via the podcast page www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/moneybox .Check out our website www.bbc.co.uk/moneybox to read web pieces, download transcripts, follow links, send us stories or ideas you want us to look into and Have Your Say on subsidised solar panels. AND DON’T FORGET THE SELF-ASSESSMENT ONLINE DEADLINE : MIDNIGHT, 31 JANUARY.

This newsletter is available at bbc.co.uk/moneybox/newsletter (tell your friends who don’t subscribe) and, as I mentioned, you can keep up with my random but timely thoughts on money, 24 hours a day, at twitter.com/paullewismoney.

On Wednesday’s Money Box Live at 3pm Vincent Duggleby and his panel of experts will take your questions on mortgages.  You can call the programme when lines open on Wednesday at 1330 GMT. The number to call is 03700 100 444.  Or you can send an e-mail using the form on the programme page at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/moneybox/9378444.stm

Best wishes,

Paul

PS. Don’t forget the programme trail on Breakfast on BBC 1 between 0845 and 0900 on Saturday. And I am also due on Breakfast on Thursday at 0640ish and then answering viewers’ emails at 0810ish.

Dear Listener

e-mail Paul Lewis