Council debt-collection tactics 'leaving children scared' 

Councils are sending aggressive and intimidating bailiffs to knock on the doors of family homes leaving children frightened and worried, according to a report by The Children’s Society.

The report, The Wolf at the Door: How Council Tax Debt Collection is Harming Children, finds that councils are threatening increasing numbers of struggling households with court action for falling behind with their council tax. And many local authorities are choosing to send bailiffs rather than helping families get back on their feet.

Most families receiving a knock at the door say their children were home at the time, with a majority of those families saying the experience left the child frightened, sad or worried.

Based on a survey of 4,500 parents and Freedom of Information responses from local authorities, the report reveals that councils across England sent out bailiffs 1.3m times last year. One in five families in council tax debt received a visit from a bailiff.

Councils which use heavy-handed debt collection practices are impacting directly on the emotional health and well-being of children and young people. For example, a child whose family has been visited by a bailiff is far less likely to ask his or her parents for things they wanted because they do not want to make life difficult for them. And some young people told us they suffered sleepless, stressful nights as a result.

Adults are affected too, with four in ten describing bailiffs as scary, three in ten aggressive, and two in bills report feeling anxious, stressed or depressed as a result.

The Children’s Society is today calling on all councils to:
•             Stop sending bailiffs around to families with children
•             Give struggling residents a chance to negotiate affordable repayments
•             Make sure that every family getting a final reminder notice is also offered help from an independent advice agency.

Council tax debt is widespread – more than one in ten families in the UK have experienced it, with average arrears reaching £420. That means up to 1.6m children will have been affected.

And the problem is getting bigger. Government cuts to council tax support have coincided with a 25% increase in households falling behind on their council tax, a 33% increase in court summonses and – among almost 100 councils – a rise in the use of bailiffs.

The reasons for falling into council debt can include family emergencies, losing a job, being unable to manage household bills and unexpected costs like a broken boiler.

Councils can be one of the most uncompromising creditors – in just 14 days, families can go from missing a council tax payment to losing the ability to pay in instalments and then face court proceedings and enforcement on unpaid bills, such as bailiff visits.

More than half of families who have faced council tax debt have to borrow money to pay off their debt, and others are forced to cut back on essentials for their children.

Matthew Reed, Chief Executive of The Children’s Society, said: “Our report reveals that far too many families are failed by their council when they fall behind with their council tax. Councils are more likely to refer a family in council tax debt to a bailiff than to an independent debt advisor, which is not acceptable.

“Bailiffs should simply not be sent round to families with children. Instead, councils should give struggling residents a chance to negotiate affordable repayments.”

One mum in council tax debt spoke of her inability to hide the impact of her debts from her children. She told us: “They just knew that mummy was stressed and there were strange people at the door wanting things and most of the furniture and that got taken at that point.”

You can read the full report here.