It's been a year since @mchshe.bsky.social's documentary was shown - find out what has happened in the #FairBankingForAll campaign since then.

Text says 1 YEAR AGO MICHAEL SHEEN PAID OFF THE DEBTS OF HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE IN PORT TALBOT So what’s happened since then? > A photograph shows Michael Sheen standing, looking at the camera, in front of a tale with piles of bank notes on top of it.

Text says: Michael Sheen used his own money to wipe off a million pounds’ worth of debt. But he didn’t do it just to make a difference to people’s lives. He did it to shine a spotlight on the fact that the whole system needs to change. A photograph shows Michael Sheen sitting at a table smiling, in conversation with two older men with mugs in front of them.

Text says "MORE IMPORTANT THAN ANYTHING IS TO MAKE A STATEMENT, TO SAY THAT WE NEED A FAIR CREDIT SYSTEM." Michael Sheen Michael joined the Fair Banking for All Campaign, a coalition of organisations calling for a Fair Banking Act.

Text says A Fair Banking Act would mean that banks have to disclose information on who they lend to, and be given a rating based on whether they’re lending fairly. If banks get a poor rating, they’d have to take action - they could either expand their own affordable credit programmes, or work with ethical, not-for-profit lenders like credit unions & CDFIs. A photograph shows Michael Sheen wearing a coat and scarf, speaking to the camera, with one fist raised.

1 year ago @mchshe.bsky.social paid off the debts of hundreds of people.

So what’s happened since then?

fairbankingforall.org

#FairBankingForAll

A virtual meeting on a video call platform showing five participants in a grid layout. Four women and one man are visible. Participants appear in home or office settings, including bookshelves, curtains, and a softly blurred background. At the bottom, a man sits in an office with another person behind him.

Thank you Martin Rhodes MP for meeting again with Glasgow residents who have lived experienced of exclusion from affordable credit.

Great to discuss the #FairBankingAct as well as delivery & timelines for the government's Financial Inclusion Strategy.

#FairBankingForAll

Great news for the #CreditUnion sector 🙌🙌🙌

This will mean millions more people can become credit union members and have access to affordable credit - helping families avoid high-cost credit and build financial resilience. A big win for financial inclusion.

#FairBankingForAll

It's great to see more action from govt in support of community finance. We want to see a #FairBankingAct so thousands more businesses can get the support they need to grow and thrive.
Find out more here - financeinnovationlab.org/our-work/gro...
#FairBankingForAll
@fbfacampaign.bsky.social

Why a British Community Reinvestment Act could strengthen financial inclusion and mutual financial services As a central delivery partner in the Government’s Financial Inclusion Strategy, credit unions will play a key role in delivering more inclusive financial services

"Why a British Community Reinvestment Act could strengthen financial inclusion and mutual financial services"

@coopparty.party.coop @daniellmonaghan.bsky.social

#FairBankingForAll #FairBankingAct

party.coop/2026/01/08/w...

Big moment for fair finance.
Gareth Thomas MP’s Ten Minute Rule Bill for a Fair Banking Act has passed. It would rate banks on equitable access to credit and push real support for underserved communities and SMEs
@gareththomasmp.bsky.social @fbfacampaign.bsky.social
#FairBankingForAll

"A Fair Banking Act is a common sense, proportionate measure which could have transformative benefits for businesses and communities across the UK, and I commend this Bill to the House."

👏 @gareththomasmp.bsky.social

#FairBankingForAll #FairBankingAct

And it passed! A huge thank you to @gareththomasmp.bsky.social for taking forward the Financial Exclusion & Access to Finance Bill, based on the #FairBankingAct.

@thefinancelab.bsky.social @buildingsocieties.bsky.social @fsb-uk.bsky.social @coopparty.party.coop

#FairBankingForAll

We need a Fair Banking Act to tackle the cost of living with more affordable loans Tackling the cost-of-living crisis and delivering sustained growth on high streets up and down the country requires our high street banks to do mor...

1/ 🧵High-cost credit is holding people & #SMEs back.

@gareththomasmp.bsky.social calls for government action to expand #AffordableCredit - tackling the cost of living crisis & supporting economic growth through a #FairBankingAct.

@politicshome.bsky.social

#FairBankingForAll

bit.ly/3Nk0v9G

'A fair banking act is essential to expand access to affordable credit' - LabourList Millions are locked out of affordable credit. A Fair Banking Act would expand access, boost enterprise and tackle inequality says Gareth Thomas MP.

Tomorrow, @gareththomasmp.bsky.social brings a Bill to parliament to tackle exclusion from #AffordableCredit through a #FairBankingAct.

Read his article for @labourlist.bsky.social below 👇

@coopparty.party.coop @fsb-uk.bsky.social

#FairBankingForAll

bit.ly/4sxWXk1

‘A fair banking act is essential to expand access to affordable credit’ – LabourList Access to affordable finance can unlock the potential of businesses across the UK, helping them grow and thrive. It can also be a lifeline for…

Affordable credit is critical for households and businesses. A #FairBankingAct would make banks accountable for expanding fair, affordable lending where it’s needed most. @fbfacampaign.bsky.social @gareththomasmp.bsky.social
#FairBankingForAll

Lending to small businesses and low-income areas must expand, say Labour backbenchers Senior politicians have tabled bill that would force UK banks to make affordable finance more accessible

filab.uk/49j6GmU
#FairBankingForAll

MP tables bill to require big banks to work to credit unions and CDFis Labour/Co-op MP Gareth Thomas's bill is aimed at increasing lending to small businesses and co-operatives and tackling financial exclusion

MP tables bill to require big banks to work with credit unions and CDFIs.

@gareththomasmp.bsky.social

#FairBankingForAll #FairBankingAct #CreditUnions #CDFIs

www.thenews.coop/mp-tables-bi...

Lending to small businesses and low-income areas must expand, say Labour backbenchers Senior politicians have tabled bill that would force UK banks to make affordable finance more accessible

📢 On Wednesday @gareththomasmp.bsky.social will table the Financial Exclusion & Access to Finance Bill, taking action on access to #AffordableCredit through #FairBankingAct proposals.

Read about it in @guardianheather.bsky.social's article.

#FairBankingForAll

www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Black-led debt advice charity calls time on unfair lending and financial bias - Voice Online Rooted Finance is a pioneering, Black-led debt advice and financial inclusion charity with a vision of a fair, equitable financial landscape

Minoritised communities are systematically disadvantaged by our financial system — through biased lending, unfair debt practices and unequal access to support.

The Equity in Finance campaign is playing a critical role in changing this.

#FairBankingForAll
bit.ly/4q7laME

Forcing UK banks to support credit unions would help keep loan sharks at bay | Heather Stewart High street banks dodged a windfall tax – now they should invest in growth of local lenders

Great to see campaign for #FairBankingAct covered in the Guardian. Too many people in the UK are turning to loan sharks after big banks turn them away.
Credit unions provide a safer, fairer alternative.

@@fbfacampaign.bsky.social #FairBankingForAll
bit.ly/44dqFAv

The government has published their Financial Inclusion Strategy. What comes next? - Finance Innovation Lab At the end of October, I sat in a room in Glasgow with seven remarkable people. Each of them has had to ask a bank for help at some point, and each of them has been turned away. I listened as they tal...

The government has published their Financial Inclusion Strategy. What comes next?

#FinancialInclusion #AffordableCredit #FairBankingAct #CommunityFinance #FairBankingForAll
@thefinancelab.bsky.social @fairbydesign.bsky.social

financeinnovationlab.org/the-governme...

Great to join the conversation in Glasgow! Listening to residents share the challenges they face in accessing affordable credit reinforces why initiatives like the #FairBankingAct matter. Huge thanks to everyone involved for exploring practical steps to boost financial inclusion. #FairBankingForAll

“You’re left with no good options” - Glasgow campaigners urge MPs to back a Fair Banking Act to end high cost credit crisis - Finance Innovation Lab Glasgow residents from the Fair Banking for All Campaign have met with MPs to demand action on fair and affordable credit, as Glasgow households pay an estimated £4.1 million a year extra due to high-...

Thank you to Martin Rhodes MP,
@pjferguson.bsky.social, @maureenburke.bsky.social & John Grady MP for meeting Glasgow residents to hear their experiences of being shut out of affordable credit, & how a #FairBankingAct could change this.

#FairBankingForAll

financeinnovationlab.org/youre-left-w...

Financial Inclusion, But Who Is Included? A Response to the 2025 Strategy The new Financial Inclusion Strategy sets out a wide-ranging plan covering banking access, savings, insurance, affordable credit and financial education. There is a lot in it that is positive and wort...

Financial Inclusion, But Who Is Included? A Response to the 2025 Strategy 🙌👇

#FinancialInclusion #AffordableCredit #CommunityFinance #RaceEquity #FairBankingForAll @neweconomics.bsky.social @runnymedetrust.bsky.social

www.linkedin.com/pulse/financ...

ext reads 'FAIR BANKING FOR ALL “We have to ask whether the government has really grasped the scale of the problem of exclusion from affordable credit. A commitment to a Fair Banking Act - being called for by community finance institutions, charities and people with direct experience of financial exclusion - would have shown that the government is serious about driving change at scale, rather than just hoping that banks will step up.” A photograph shows four people standing outside with the Palace of Westminster in the background, holding a cut out sign with the text 'FAIR BANKING FOR ALL'.

Response from @thefinancelab.bsky.social to the government's new Financial Inclusion Strategy 👇

#FairBankingForAll

financeinnovationlab.org/financial-in...

📢 The government’s Financial Inclusion Strategy is out. Some practical steps on #AffordableCredit are welcome, but it still falls short of the scale of change needed.

A #FairBankingAct would provide the clear, measurable framework this issue deserves.

#FairBankingForAll

Our reaction to the government's newly published Financial Inclusion Strategy - Finance Innovation Lab The Finance Innovation Lab welcomes the publication of the government’s Financial Inclusion Strategy, and is particularly pleased to see that it recognises the crucial role of credit unions and Commun...

"A commitment to a Fair Banking Act...would have shown that the government is serious about driving change at scale, rather than just hoping that banks will step up”. Read our response to the government's Financial Inclusion Strategy. #FairBankingForAll
bit.ly/47FSceO

Two men and two women stand together indoors, smiling at the camera. The man on the left wears glasses and a checked shirt. Next to them is a woman in a patterned blazer. The third person, wearing a dark jacket, holds a leaflet that says “Fair Banking For All.” The fourth person, in a grey blazer, also holds a leaflet with the same text. The group is in a well-lit lobby with stairs and wooden paneling in the background.

Last week we met @mchshe.bsky.social @skinnock.bsky.social & Kate Pender to talk about why #AffordableCredit matters in strengthening communities & driving economic growth - & the need to scale #CreditUnions & #CDFIs which provide vital lifelines for communities & businesses.

#FairBankingForAll

What Do We Have In Common With Michael Sheen? Supporting A Fair Banking Act! – Manchester Credit Union

"What Do We Have In Common With Michael Sheen? Supporting A Fair Banking Act!"

Great to have the support of Manchester Credit Union! 👏

#FairBankingForAll #FairBankingAct

manchestercreditunion.co.uk/financial-ed...

Why voluntary market fixes won’t solve the credit crisis - Finance Innovation Lab Sam Rex-Edwards, our Head of Movement Building and Campaigns, reflects on last week’s sudden closure of the Financial Fairness Trust by asset manager Aberdeen Group. The shock move by asset manager…

Tweaks to a broken system won’t fix the UK’s credit crisis.
Voluntary market fixes have failed to deliver fair, affordable credit for millions. It's time for bold, systemic change.

Read our latest blog: filab.uk/4llAZg8
@fbfacampaign.bsky.social

#FairBankingForAll

The poverty premium costs each parliamentary constituency £4.5million per year.

@fairbydesign.bsky.social recommends a #FairBankingAct as a way to increase access to affordable credit and reduce the #povertypremium in this new briefing.

#FairBankingForAll

fairbydesign.com/wp-content/u...

Credit Unions - Hansard - UK Parliament Hansard record of the item : 'Credit Unions' on Wednesday 16 July 2025.

Yesterday in Westminster @katrinamurraymp.bsky.social & other MPs highlighted the vital role of #CreditUnions.

Thank you to @clivejonesmp.bsky.social for asking @torstenbell.bsky.social if government will back a #FairBankingAct to help credit unions grow.

#FairBankingForAll

bit.ly/40q5yZP

Why voluntary market fixes won’t solve the credit crisis - Finance Innovation Lab Sam Rex-Edwards, our Head of Movement Building and Campaigns, reflects on last week’s sudden closure of the Financial Fairness Trust by asset manager Aberdeen Group. The shock move by asset manager…

"Fair access to affordable credit is not a niche social project — it’s an economic imperative."

New @thefinancelab.bsky.social blog on why we can't rely on voluntary approaches to improve things for people & businesses across the UK.

#FairBankingForAll