Push to regulate UK bailiffs too slow, warns supervisory body

The UK government has been accused of dragging its feet over plans for the mandatory regulation of bailiffs amid concerns about harmful practices in an industry that collects more than £1bn a year from indebted Britons. A year on from an announcement by the Ministry of Justice that it would legislate to make independent regulation of bailiffs mandatory, the body that now oversees the industry, the Enforcement Conduct Board (ECB), criticised the lack of “visible progress”. “Government has rightly committed to act but a year on from announcing this, there is still no clear plan,” said Chris Nichols, the ECB chief executive. “Every year hundreds of thousands of people are receiving enforcement action from unregulated providers. This is not fair and government should now address this.” The UK bailiff sector is big business: more than 7m cases are sent to enforcement each year, affecting millions of people. The industry collects more than £1bn a year, most of which relates to unpaid parking and traffic fines and council tax arrears. It is not currently a statutory requirement for enforcement firms to be authorised by the ECB and some companies have refused to sign up to its standards or oversight. This has led to calls from consumer groups for tighter regulation amid concern about poor practices . These range from aggressive behaviour on the doorstep and overcharging, to clamping vehicles used by disabled people, and threatening to remove “exempt” possessions. …