Rising defaults show worrying trend for households across Britain

A positive step towards a fairer, better-regulated enforcement sector

Peter Tutton, Director of Policy, Research and Public Affairs: The enforcement industry handles close to 8 million cases a year. In total, it recovers around £1 billion of debt, largely owed to public bodies. One in ten StepChange clients report facing enforcement action by bailiffs, which rises to three in ten for those in council tax arrears. These interactions touch on the lives of many financially vulnerable people every single day. As such, we have long made the case for the enforcement sector to be placed under a statutory regulator, to ensure this form of debt recovery is approached fairly and does not push people into deeper hardship.

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