PRESS STATEMENT

Immediate release:  19 June 2019

Enforcement industry responds to Treasury plans for debt breathing space

The trade association representing the civil enforcement industry has responded to the Treasury announcement that a debt breathing space will be introduced in 2021 for people in financial difficulty and will include debt owed to central and local authorities such as unpaid council tax.

Russell Hamblin-Boone, chief executive of the Civil Enforcement Association, said: "These changes will potentially protect people with problem debt, but it is not straightforward or without implications. Council tax accrues daily, is billed annually, and paid monthly. Councils provide services to everyone but are unable to choose who is tax to pay for it.

"We support a breathing space that gives people in severe financial difficulty additional time to seek debt advice, provided it is applied before the debt is passed to an enforcement agent. This takes at least 112 days and after this time there is a clear timetable set by the courts for unpaid tax to be recovered." 

ENDS

The Civil Enforcement Association (CIVEA) is the principal trade association representing c2000 certificated civil enforcement agencies operating in England and Wales.

Enforcement agents (formerly known as bailiffs) are regulated by the Tribunals Courts and Enforcement Act 2007, Schedule 12 and the Taking Control of Goods Regulations 2013.

Contact: Russell Hamblin-Boone 07810 374110 for media bids.