Freedom of information response
Council Tax / Bailiffs
1. The number of times between 1st April 2022 and 31st March 2023, or the nearest available twelve-month period, that private bailiffs/enforcement agents have been instructed to enforce debts to the local authority relating to each of the following;
- Council Tax
- Parking
- Housing Benefit overpayments
- Business Rates
- Commercial Rents
- Any other debt types, including any other overpayments.
By “private bailiffs/enforcement agents” we mean those who are self-employed or who work for private companies, including as high court enforcement officers. Please include cases where local authority employees have visited a property to enforce a warrant of control.
2. Before seeking a liability order for a resident for Council Tax arrears, do you take any of the following steps? Please indicate the steps you take.
- Assessment of their income and expenditure,
- Assessment of whether the resident (or anyone else) in their household is vulnerable,
- Referral to your Council Tax Reduction / Support scheme,
- Referral to income maximisation,
- Referral to a free debt advice organisation.
3. Do you signpost residents to one or more free debt advice agencies as part of your Council Tax collections process? (Yes/No) If so, which charities?
4. Have you adopted the Standard Financial Statement as a tool for objectively assessing income and expenditure as part of your Council Tax collections process? (Yes/No)
5. Do you have a formal policy in place for dealing with residents in vulnerable circumstances as part of your collections process for Council Tax arrears? (Yes/No)
If so, please may you provide a copy of the policy if it is for public consumption.
6. Do you currently have a policy of exempting recipients of Council Tax Support / Reduction from the use of bailiff action? (Yes/No)
7. Have you adopted the Citizens Advice/Local Government Association Council Tax Protocol? (Yes/No)
1. The number of times between 1st April 2022 and 31st March 2023, or the nearest available twelve-month period, that private bailiffs/enforcement agents have been instructed to enforce debts to the local authority relating to each of the following.
Data is from 1/11/2022 to 31/10/2023:
- Council Tax - 3373
- Parking - 2533
- Housing Benefit overpayments - 0
- Business Rates - 341
- Commercial Rents - 0
- Any other debt types, including any other overpayments - 0
By “private bailiffs/enforcement agents” we mean those who are self-employed or who work for private companies, including as high court enforcement officers. Please include cases where local authority employees have visited a property to enforce a warrant of control.
No Local Authority attendances are made.
2. Before seeking a liability order for a resident for Council Tax arrears, do you take any of the following steps? Please indicate the steps you take.
- Assessment of their income and expenditure
- Assessment of whether the resident (or anyone else) in their household is vulnerable
- Referral to your Council Tax Reduction / Support scheme
- Referral to income maximisation
- Referral to a free debt advice organisation
Thurrock reaches out to those in debt via letters/sms/emails and holds Surgeries for those in difficulty to attend. - All of the above are utilised as appropriate
3. Do you signpost residents to one or more free debt advice agencies as part of your Council Tax collections process? (Yes/No) If so, which charities?
Yes - Money Helper - National Debt Line - Citizens Advice - StepChange - Turn2Us - Christians Against Poverty - also have a Vulnerability Officer that supports charge payers, who also can make visits to the charge payer where appropriate.
4. Have you adopted the Standard Financial Statement as a tool for objectively assessing income and expenditure as part of your Council Tax collections process? Yes
5. Do you have a formal policy in place for dealing with residents in vulnerable circumstances as part of your collections process for Council Tax arrears? Yes
If so, please may you provide a copy of the policy if it is for public consumption.
Fair Debt Policy see link at bottom of page on link https://www.thurrock.gov.uk/help-with-money/debt-and-money-advice
6. Do you currently have a policy of exempting recipients of Council Tax Support / Reduction from the use of bailiff action? No
7. Have you adopted the Citizens Advice/Local Government Association Council Tax Protocol? No