New Private Member's Bill hopes to stamp out bad behaviour by bailiffs

Yvonne Fovargue, the Labour MP who presented the Bill, hopes it will lead to bailiffs being used more sparingly by councils, and put an end to bullying tactics when they are called in

I have written several times in the past about bullying bailiffs who put the frighteners on debtors to scare them into handing over money or goods. Often they have no right to do this and exceed whatever powers the courts have granted them.

The worst examples tend to be bailiffs employed by councils to collect back-rents.

First, the use of bailiffs is often the most expensive way to collect debt and simply adds to the financial woes of struggling people who are often asked to pick up the tab by having the fees added to their debt.

Second, being confronted by a bailiff can be a distressing experience and should not be the first resort of councils.

Banks, for instance, explore as many different ways of recovering debt, including reaching out to help those in financial difficulty, rather than heading straight for the heavy-handed approach.

So I was pleased to hear of a new Private Member's Bill presented to Parliament this week that hopes to stamp out bad behaviour by bailiffs. In particular Yvonne Fovargue, the Labour MP who presented the Bill, hopes it will lead to bailiffs being used more sparingly by councils, and put an end to bullying tactics when they are called in.

"Bailiffs are continuing to use intimidation and bogus excuses to gain entry to people's homes and to seize goods which they have no right to," she said. "My Bill will ensure that bailiffs have to abide by a legally binding code to ensure that they act in a reasonable and fair manner."

She said that under the Private Member's Bill, an independent ombudsman would also be set up – "something long overdue" – so that people have a simple way to seek redress when bailiffs get out of hand.

"I am also concerned that bailiffs are being called in too readily by local councils, when they should instead be giving people help with an affordable repayment option first," Ms Fovargue said.

"If we can avoid people being sent to bailiffs in the first place, we will have a much better chance of ensuring that they can pay off their debts and get back on their feet."

Mike O'Connor of the StepChange debt charity added: "Councils must have a responsible and proportionate approach to dealing with people who are in financial difficulty. Getting too tough, too early, for example, by sending in the bailiffs, is often counterproductive.

"We know the costs of such action often puts people deeper in debt and does not lead to debts being recovered. The Government needs to support better standards of debt collection."

That's the least we owe the financially vulnerable people in our society.