Film by Pasqueline Aghostinho
According to ACORN, when householders fall into Council Tax arrears, Haringey Council is spending huge sums contracting private bailiffs. Haringey may be paying a million pounds or more per year to private firms for debt recovery, when often these debts are relatively small.
One such company, Newlyn, has just announced a 60-70% profit increase. Newlyn often buys debts from the original creditors and has been accused of using underhand tactics to recover them, with complaints to the Financial Ombudsman rising sharply this year.
Research has shown that a disproportionate number of poorer and ethnic minority households receive bailiff visits.
Council Tax debt is known to be one of the easiest to fall into, and quickly spirals out of control. ACORN have been calling on the council to work towards alternative ways of helping people and dealing with debt, but despite words of support there’s been no change in policy, so they held this march and noisy protest outside the Council Meeting on Monday evening.
