Citizens Advice is accusing councils of letting bailiffs get away with threatening and aggressive behaviour when collecting council tax debts. The charity claims that councils can make the debts worse by adding on charges. It said there was a huge variation in these costs in different areas of England and Wales. But the bailiffs' trade body said the Citizens Advice report was based on "distorted facts". In the year to November, Citizens Advice said that it had heard from 16,905 people worried about bailiffs enforcing council tax debt.

'Distorted'

The findings of its report was based on a survey of 500 people who had bailiffs chasing them for council tax debts. If these, 38% said that they were charged fees for visits bailiffs never made. Some 40% reported that they were threatened with the removal of items that did not belong to them. However, the Civil Enforcement Association, which represents bailiffs, has hit back at the claims. "This is based upon distorted facts, the use of pseudo statistical analysis and highly emotive and inappropriate language," said Steven Everson, director general of the association.....Read more HERE