Consumer Congress and Consumer empowerment panel debate

7 March 2011, QEII Conference Centre, London

In the afternoon and early evening of 7 March 2011 - the day before the Citizens Advice Social Policy conference - we held two key events at the QEII conference centre,  that aimed to tackle the latest developments in the field of consumer policy, advice, information and campaigning.

The National Consumer Federation's (NCF) Consumer Congress: What next for consumerism?

7 March - afternoon

• Aim: An afternoon conference with workshops which 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 to look at hot consumer topics for the year ahead. More details of what went on will appear here as they become available.

The Citizens Advice and NCF Consumer empowerment panel debate: Do consumers just need a nudge in the right direction or can they be empowered to make more informed decisions?

7 March - early evening

• A debate about the wider impact of the changes in the Government's consumer landscape review for consumers, communities and local and national consumer organisations; plus the pros and cons of the different techniques being used and considered by Government, academics and consumer organisations for empowering and better protecting consumers in the future.
  This included an introduction by Teresa Perchard (Director of Public Policy at Citizens Advice), a speech by Ed Davey MP (Minister for Employment Relations, Consumer and Postal Affairs), and then a panel debate chaired by Chris Choi.
  Any records of the debate will appear here.

Congress 2011 Sponsors

 Legal & General is proud to sponsor and be actively involved in the 2nd National Consumer Federation Conference. Our business helps to provide financial security for millions of people. Our products help to protect individuals and businesses against a wide range of risks - everything from poor health and natural disasters to the risk of outliving savings in old age. Therefore, it seems only natural that we are continuing to support consumer movements in having a louder voice at a critical time in their evolution.

Philippa Scott – Group Compliance Director – Legal & General Group Plc

“Food and Drink Federation are delighted to sponsor the NCF Congress. The Food and Drink Federation is the voice of the UK food and drink industry, the largest manufacturing sector in the country, employing almost 440,000 people, and as many as 1.2 million in ancillary services; it accounts for 15% of the UK's total manufacturing sector by value; and it is an invaluable partner to British agriculture, buying two thirds of what farmers produce.

We help our members operate in an appropriately regulated marketplace to maximise their competitiveness. We communicate our industry's values and concerns to Government, regulators, consumers and the media. We also work in partnership with key players in the food chain to ensure our food is safe and that consumers can have trust in it.”