The Labour Party government has been urged to accelerate the introduction of mandatory regulation for bailiffs, a year after the Ministry of Justice announced plans to legislate on the matter. The Enforcement Conduct Board (ECB), which currently oversees the industry, has criticized the lack of "visible progress" and called for swift action.
ECB Chief Executive Voices Concerns
Chris Nichols, chief executive of the ECB, stated: "Government has rightly committed to act but a year on from announcing this, there is still no clear plan. Every year hundreds of thousands of people are receiving enforcement action from unregulated providers. This is not fair and government should now address this." He emphasized that regulation must be mandatory to ensure all individuals facing enforcement have the same protections, and that it is unacceptable for companies to refuse compliance with fair enforcement standards. Statutory regulation, he noted, is supported by the public, debt charities, and the majority of the enforcement industry.
Martin Lewis Adds His Voice
Consumer champion Martin Lewis, known for his work with BBC, ITV, and MoneySavingExpert, described the lack of a proper independent regulator as "outrageous" on his podcast last week. He reported seeing "far too many cases of distress, upset, bullying, bad treatment" from bailiffs, while acknowledging that not all bailiffs are bad.
Government Response
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson confirmed the government "remains committed to strengthening the regulation of the bailiff sector and fully supports the ECB's work." Following a consultation on statutory independent regulation, the government is developing proposals to ensure fair treatment for people in debt and will announce next steps soon.
