Promoting Financial Inclusion

There is growing interest in finding ways of overcoming financial exclusion, with new and proposed initiatives from central government, not-for-profit organisations and the private sector. However, little consultation has been carried out with the people for whom these initiatives are intended. This report demonstrates how community select committees can be used to give people who are directly affected by financial exclusion the opportunity to assess the initiatives designed to meet their needs. It also provides detailed practical guidance for practitioners and researchers who may want to use this approach to consult local communities. In particular, the report: explores the needs of people who are financially excluded in relation to money management, financial information and advice, and savings and assets; examines how far current and proposed initiatives in these areas of financial services provision meet their needs; and provides detailed information about running community select committees.
This report will be of interest to all those involved in promoting financial inclusion or in community consultation, including commercial and not-for-profit financial services providers, academics, and policy makers at both local and national levels.