Martin Lewis' money and mental health charity given rare 'super-complaint' powers to protect consumers
The Money and Mental Health Policy Institute (MMHPI), a charity set-up and chaired by MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis, will be given special powers to force the competition watchdog to respond to issues of consumer harm.
From early April (we don't have an exact date yet) the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) will have to respond to so-called 'super-complaints' made by the charity within 90 days, essentially giving the MMHPI the ability to bump issues up the list.
The MMHPI is only the seventh organisation to be given these powers since they were introduced in 2002, joining Which?, Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland, the Campaign for Real Ale, and both the Consumer Councils for Water and for Northern Ireland.
In addition, the MMHPI has applied to the Treasury for the power to make super-complaints to financial regulator the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and to the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR), which oversees payment systems. This is something other organisations can currently do. The Treasury told us it is considering the MMHPI's application and will respond "in due course".
Martin Lewis: 'We're grateful for this new status and hope the Treasury catches up'
We're very grateful for this new status. In plain terms it means that if we do detailed formal authoritative research on an issue of consumer harm the CMA must respond, and it is also a strong push for it to consider a formal investigation. In effect it means we have a power to bump specific issues up the list.
I'm thankful that the Department for Business and Trade has given the charity this seal of approval. It's taken a few years – as these things have to be done thoroughly – we just hope the Treasury soon catches up, as similar status with the financial regulator the FCA is crucial – there are so many issues in that arena, such as the excessive cost of travel insurance for those with mental health problems, where some people with bipolar disorder pay 27 times what others do.
As well as the formal powers super-complainant status bestows, it's also a kite mark of the charity's research quality, showing the authority that the talented Money and Mental Health team bring to their work. That too is useful, as when talking to firms and regulators, they know if needed and action isn’t happening, we have an extra way to escalate issues.
I set up the charity, because money problems and mental health issues are a marriage made in hell. They feed off each other. People who have mental health problems are over three times more likely to be in debt than the rest of the population. This step-up will help us continue our work to try to soften the link between the two.
How the MMHPI's new powers will help it effect change
A key aim of the MMHPI is "to break the toxic link between money issues and mental health issues". Examples of its work include campaigning to end unfair council tax debt collection practices and pushing the Government to extend the 'breathing space' debt respite scheme to those in mental health crisis, among many other campaigns.
The MMHPI's new super-complainant status was recommended by the Department for Business and Trade and will take force once an amendment to the Enterprise Act 2002 has been approved. This will enable it to raise super-complaints to the CMA on issues that are "significantly harming the interests of consumers" in a range of sectors, such as retail and energy.
The watchdog may then decide to investigate the issue further, take enforcement action or call on the Government to act by changing legislation to address the problem. The CMA can also work with other regulators in its response.
An example of a super-complaint to the CMA is one submitted by charity Citizens Advice in 2018, which raised concerns about existing customers paying more than new customers for the same services – an issue known as the 'loyalty penalty'.
In its response to the super-complaint, the CMA made a number of recommendations to Ofcom and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the regulators that govern these sectors, and government to help them better protect consumers. It also launched its own investigations examining auto-renewal practices in two sectors.
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22 April 2025
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