Debt charities call for bailiff action to be suspended during coronavirus outbreak

While some councils are taking action locally, clear instruction is needed from government to ensure all local authorities comply

The UK’s three largest debt charities have called for bailiff action to be suspended during the coronavirus outbreak.

In a joint letter to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Robert Jenrick, the chief executives of Citizens Advice, Money Advice Trust and StepChange call on the government to - 

• instruct all local authorities in England and Wales to immediately suspend all use of enforcement agents to collect debts including pausing existing action and stopping any new action during the COVID-19 outbreak;
• support local authorities to offer three-month council tax breaks to those affected financially by COVID-19, funded by central government; and
• suspend current rules that mean people become liable for the whole of their annual council tax bill after one missed payment, to ensure that people who do fall behind during the COVID-19 outbreak do not fall further into debt.

While acknowledging that some local authorities have taken action locally to suspend bailiff action, Chief Executive of the Money Advice Trust Joanna Elson said - 

'All local authorities should be suspending bailiff action during this crisis – and the most guaranteed way of ensuring this is for the government to include this measure as part of its COVID-19 response.  With 2.6 million debts being passed to bailiffs by local authorities every year, this issue is pressing and urgent – on the grounds of both public health and supporting the growing number of households whose finances have been impacted by Covid-19.'

For more information, see Bailiff action ‘must be suspended’ during COVID-19 outbreak from moneyadvicetrust.org