Families are “living in fear of bailiffs” say charity.

The charity, the Citizen’s Advice Bureau(CAB) recently revealed the struggle that many households and families face with rising costs and their ability to pay household bills. 

Its recent statement showed the hidden mountain of debt in unpaid bills, standing at nearly £19bn.

Behind this mountain of debt, much of it owed to the state in unpaid taxes, with £7.47bn owed in tax credit overpayments which have to be repaid, lies a more unsettling truth.

Families are “living in fear of bailiffs” say the charity. The CAB say it receives a call from someone with a ‘bailiff related issue’ every three minutes.

Apart from utility bills and the overpaid tax credits, unpaid council tax and rent payments show just how much some households are struggling to keep up, and when fines, fixed penalties and compensation orders, (which amount to £610m), start to be added, the situation for some families becomes almost impossible, they simply cannot afford to pay. Many are using credit cards and loans, increasing their debts.

The charity’s chief executive Gillian Guy said: “Families are living in fear of a visit from the bailiffs, and small missed bills can skyrocket through excessive enforcement fees.”

The charity said an elderly couple who owed £700 in council tax are now afraid to open their front door after having a visit from bailiffs who were aggressive and threatened to call the police and in another case, a man receiving cancer treatment who had missed a £30 parking fine found bailiffs in his home removing his belongings.

Citizens Advice wants tougher regulation and has called for a bailiff regulator “to fix this broken system”.

Richard Watts, chairman of the Local Government Association’s resources board, which represents 370 council in England and Wales, said: “Councils understand the pressures some households are under and will support people who are in financial difficulty wherever possible.”

The Association said local authorities have a duty to collect taxes to fund essential services.

Russell Hamblin-Boone, the chief executive of the Civil Enforcement Association, Russell Hamblin-Boone, which represents bailiffs, said only 18% of the debt identified by Citizens Advice qualified for action by bailiffs.

He said: “A visit by an enforcement agent is always the last resort.

“Agents are highly trained and must follow a process set out in detailed regulations to ensure that they collect unpaid council tax and court fines fairly. We work closely with the voluntary sector and under the regulations people are sign posted to debt advice, which accounts for the increase in numbers, but if anyone has strong evidence of bad practice we will investigate.”

Meanwhile HM Customs and Revenue said it does not use bailiffs to collect tax credit overpayments. A spokesperson for HMRC commented “We understand people get very worried about debt,” a spokesperson said. We do all we can to help by working with them to pay back debts over time. Our advice to anyone struggling with debt is to get in touch so we can help them.

However, many households still fear the knock on the door. 2.3m debts were passed to bailiffs by local authorities in England and Wales in 2016/17.

Joanna Elson, the Chief Executive of the charity, Money Advice Trust wrote, “Don’t call in bailiffs – and give tenants access to cheaper loans

Local councils are too zealous in pursuing debts.”

“And renters deserve better treatment by lenders,” argues John Bird.

Lord Bird’s push to make credit more affordable for some of the poorest in society is a step closer to statute after overcoming a key parliamentary hurdle.

The Creditworthiness Bill introduced and nurtured through the Lords by The Big Issue founder progressed through the committee. The proposed legislation, which aims to provide fairer access to more affordable credit for people living in poverty, had a first reading on June 28 last year before progressing to a second readingon November 24.