Recent times of hardship have seen more and more people struggle to make ends meet, but it seems that Local Authorities are feeling less then charitable as they are increasingly turning to bailiffs to recover outstanding liabilities.
Government figures recently released have shown that cases of council tax defaults have risen by a third in the last two years to three million. One debt advisory charity has reported a 30% increase in people seeking help regarding council tax bailiffs in the last three years. They called for more support to be extended to those who were struggling to meet their council tax payments. Instead they claimed that complaints of aggression and overcharging were becoming more commonplace.
One single mother who was targeted by an unscrupulous bailiff was overcharged by £400 by him after he forced his way past her and into her home. She only realised the error after she consulted a friend who had previously worked in the industry. He claimed that some bailiffs exploit the fact that most people are unaware of the laws that constrain the industry. He went on to say that it was ‘outrageous’ that hundreds of pounds of fees are added to cases as 95% of the people affected aren’t refusing to pay, they’re just struggling financially, raising the question if someone is already in financial trouble, how will adding hundreds of pounds of fees ease their plight.
With the number of debtors passing through the doors of The Citizens Advice Bureau on the increase some advisers have expressed concern at the readiness of local authorities to refer defaulters to bailiff companies instead of seeking some other form of mutually gratifying resolve. Council’s however take a different view on the matter, defending their use of bailiffs as they have a legal obligation in ensuring that unpaid council tax is collected.They highlight the fact that there are ways of helping people who have problems paying their tax, in reference to the quoted £1.8 billion in council tax benefits that goes unclaimed. Corin Thomson from the LGA (the Local Government Association who released these figures), claims “Councils certainly don’t enjoy using bailiffs and they would much prefer to help people pay their council tax in the first place.” Going on to say that problems arise when people bury their heads in the sand and don’t talk to the council, as these are the cases that sometimes end up in the hands of bailiffs.
Representatives from the bailiff industry say that business has been busy during the recession however recovering debts has been more difficult as people’s capacity to pay has diminished. The industry has expressed a preference that the laws that govern bailiffs are made tighter claiming they are currently too complicated. The government says that bailiffs will be regulated , but probably not for at least two years.
