Podcast: Inside Accountancy Episode 9 – Bad debt vs disputed debt and the opportunity for accountants
Podcast: Inside Accountancy Episode 9 – Bad debt vs disputed debt and the opportunity for accountants
In the latest episode of the Inside Accountancy podcast, Chris Clay, co-founder and managing director of Escalate Disputes, and partner at PKF Littlejohn, discusses the topic of corporate debt, dispute resolution and why there’s an opportunity for accountants in this space.
In the latest episode of our Inside Accountancy podcast, Accountancy Age’s Austin Clark talks to Chris Clay, co-founder and managing director of award-winning dispute resolution firm Escalate Disputes, about corporate debts, dispute resolution and the potential for accountancy firms to add another service offering to their portfolios.
The debate around bad debt versus disputed debt is a big one. In excess of £40 billion of unpaid debt is currently written off because businesses don’t have access to a cost-effective solution to resolve their commercial disputes, or don’t know where to turn for help.
In response to this, Clay, who is also a partner at PKF Littlejohn and has over 20 years’ experience in the financial services sector, set up Escalate to provide a smarter way to resolve SME disputes by focusing on a quick settlement, removing upfront costs and minimising risk.
Importantly, this also enables accountants to build fee income in this area by challenging historic ways of raising disputes and collecting cash.
In addition to the topics listed above, this podcast discusses:
The scale of the bad debt problem in the UK
How much of this bad debt is really disputed debt that SMEs can’t justify pursuing
The legacy issues that prevent businesses from pursuing bad debt
The opportunity here for accountants
How can accountancy firms introduce this new service and build business with clients
Listen and subscribe to our podcasts on Blubrry, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.
The importance of UX in accounts payable: Often overlooked, always essentia...
2y
Kloo
The importance of UX in accounts payable: Often ov...
Embracing user-friendly AP systems can turn the tide, streamlining workflows, enhancing compliance, and opening doors to early payment discounts. Read...
Organisations can enhance their financial operations' efficiency, accuracy, and responsiveness by adopting platforms that offer them self-service cust...
In a world of instant results and automated workloads, the potential for AP to drive insights and transform results is enormous. But, if you’re still ...
8 Key metrics to measure to optimise accounts payable efficiency
2y
Kloo
8 Key metrics to measure to optimise accounts paya...
Discover how AP dashboards can transform your business by enhancing efficiency and accuracy in tracking key metrics, as revealed by the latest insight...
Sage unveils UK’s first MTD AI Agent giving accountants time back and confi...
12h
Marina Mouka
Sage unveils UK’s first MTD AI Agent giving accoun...
Debuting at Accountex Manchester, the new MTD (Making Tax Digital) for Income Tax Agent transforms quarterly updates into a seamless workflow, reducin...
AI, AML and MTD: The challenges accountants can’t ignore after Accountex No...
16h
Marina Mouka
AI, AML and MTD: The challenges accountants can’t ...
Accountants from across the UK converged on Manchester Central on 23 September for Accountex Summit North 2025, where the conversations ranged from th...
22h
Stuart Miller, Director, Public Policy & Tech Research, Xero
Your guide to Making Tax Digital for Income Tax
From April 2026, income tax reporting is set for one of the biggest shake-ups in a long time. The arrival of Making Tax Digital for Income Tax (MTD fo...
The case for B Corp Certification in finance: A better way forward
2d
Sean O’Farrell, Managing Director, Choice Commercial Finance
The case for B Corp Certification in finance: A be...
As political trust fractures and global challenges mount, the finance sector faces a critical choice: maintain business as usual or become a genuine f...
Upcoming changes to UK company law: what accountants need to know
3d
Companies House
Upcoming changes to UK company law: what accountan...
Companies House is phasing in new measures under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act to tackle fraud, strengthen transparency and suppor...
Five UK accountancy firms flagged by HMRC for promoting tax avoidance
6d
Accountancy Age
Five UK accountancy firms flagged by HMRC for prom...
Five UK accountancy firms have been named by HMRC for taking fees to refer clients into a tax avoidance scheme. HMRC warns users to seek guidance to a...
The Bank of England has kept interest rates at 4%, signalling caution as UK inflation remains nearly double its 2% target, and announced a reduction i...
ACCA and Advisory Board Centre team up to boost accountants’ advisory influ...
7d
Accountancy Age
ACCA and Advisory Board Centre team up to boost ac...
ACCA has partnered with the Advisory Board Centre to enhance accountants’ advisory capabilities. The collaboration will provide members with learning,...