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Use of bailiffs by local authorities in England and Wales has increased by 30% in just two years, according to new analysis by Debt Justice.
Bailiff use increased from 1.3 million referrals for the financial year 2022/23 to 1.7 million referrals for 2024/25.[1]
Over the same period, the average council tax for a Band D property in England increased by 10%,[2] while rates of arrears have rocketed. [3]
Councils have faced mounting criticism for their approach to debt collection recently from across the charity and consumer advocacy sector.[4]
Dean Burn, a member of Debt Justice’s Community Organising group, said:
“Using bailiffs is an outdated and harmful way to treat people in debt. While bailiff firms profit from the hardship they create, those struggling to keep up with rising bills endure soul destroying stress and extra costs. All while bailiffs return very little to councils. Local councils need to change. Stop punishing people in debt, help them instead.””
Bailiffs’ fees add up to £420 to people’s council tax debt. The government recently announced an upcoming increase of 5% rise in these charges to £442.[5]
Earlier this year, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) launched a consultation on “modernising and improving the administration of council tax”, including debt collection practices. [6]
Toby Murray, Policy and Campaigns Manager for Debt Justice, said:
“While the government’s consultation on council tax debt reform is welcome, it explicitly rules out addressing councils’ reliance on bailiffs. The government must put the needs of people in debt first and ban bailiffs once and for all.”
Grace Brownfield, Head of Debt Advice Communications at National Debtline, said:
“Council tax is one of the most common debts we help people with. Councils are under pressure, but passing debts to bailiffs when people are struggling isn’t the answer. We want to see more support to help people pay back what they owe affordably — not more bailiffs at the door.”
The research uses data from Freedom of Information Act requests made by the Money Advice Trust.
Notes
[1] Source data available from: https://www.stoptheknock.org/.
Our analysis of total bailiff referrals from Stop the Knock data is below
| Year | 2019 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
| Total bailiff referrals in England and Wales | 1,374,035 | 1,340,509 | 1,538,078 | 1,747,863 |
[2] Figures available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-council-tax. 2023/24 Band D figure: £1966; 2024/25 Band D figure: £2171; % change = 10.4%.
[3] Debt Justice has previously reported that 4.4mn are in council tax arrears, and council tax debt across the UK stands at £8.3bn. References:
[6] https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/modernising-and-improving-the-administration-of-council-tax/modernising-and-improving-the-administration-of-council-tax
Debt Justice (formerly Jubilee Debt Campaign) is a UK charity working to end poverty caused by unjust debt through education, research and campaigning: https://debtjustice.org.uk/
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