“This was the starter post, I don't know by who. Though I think it was "over_2_you"

I noticed an article in the Swindon Advertiser, which made me wonder why this newspaper would publish a story that the Grimsby Telegraph would never print.

I notice the parent company of the Swindon Advertiser is not Northcliffe Media Limited, would this have anything to do with what information is and isn't allowed to be released to the public?

BAILIFFS ACCUSED OF DIRTY TACTICS

http://tinyurl.com/d4uvvz6”

“by over_2_you

Thursday, October 04 2012, 8:14AM

"BAILIFFS ACCUSED OF DIRTY TACTICS (From Swindon Advertiser) http://tinyurl.com/d4uvvz6

"VULNERABLE people are being pursued by bailiffs using trickery to con their way into homes, according to an advisory service for people with council tax debts.

The Adver told on Tuesday how a handful of firms are raking in hundreds of thousands of pounds a year from Swindon Council despite controversy over their tactics.

They are believed to have made several million over the past few years.

Council Tax Advisors managing director Chris Richards wants a middle step of mediation to be introduced before bills are passed on to debt collection agencies.

He said: "Once someone falls into arrears with council tax a number of letters are generated. Often the first people know of it is when a bailiff turns up on their doorstep. The resident then rings the council to tell them what's happening and 99 per cent of the time they are told there is nothing that can be done. That is rubbish as there are other angles such as attachment to earnings and attachment to benefits. It is socially irresponsible to send out bailiffs as a blanket measure."

Mr Richards, a Westbury resident who set up the company after himself having trouble with bailiffs, believes phone calls should be made to people who fail to pay or respond to final demand letters.

He said: "Local authorities simply have too many people to deal with and my view is that it's quicker and simpler for them to pass massive caseloads over the bailiffs. "They don't fully understand the mentality of many people with council tax debts. Many will receive letters and leave them unopened, with the bailiff being the first person they deal with. There needs to be an in-between step, either through the council or a third party, to find out what the reasons are for not paying.

"Bailiffs should not be sent to the homes of people who are vulnerable, and once they are there, the damage is already done."

Complaints the company has received includes bailiffs saying they will return with a locksmith if they are not given access to a home and firms charging extortionate fees.

Council Tax Advisors gives advice for free in the first instance, which the company says solves the problem in 60 per cent of cases.

The remainder of the time the service charges a small fee, which is agreed with the debtor, and works with the bailiffs to negotiate an agreement.

Mr Richards said his company, which is based in Beckington, had a 100 per cent success rate and only charged because funding was not available elsewhere.

Debt collectors recovered £170,000 in car parking fines alone between 2011 and 2012, of which they retained £100,000. But the companies have also recouped more than £1m every year since 2009, and retained an undisclosed share of the proceeds.

Council leader Rod Bluh defended the use of bailiffs by saying the figures showed they had clawed back a large sum of taxpayers' cash and he had not been aware of any issues around unscrupulous behaviour by companies instructed by the council.

He also said the council was fulfilling its responsibility by chasing debts.”

“by Mrs_biggles

Thursday, October 04 2012, 9:04AM

"This happened to me and I'm sure is common practice. What they do is charge something like £100 or more for attending with a view to remove goods.

The fee is listed in some schedule or other of the Council Tax Regulations, and is intended to cover out of pocket expenses for the bailiff attending with a vehicle and must only be reasonable costs and fees he incurs.

It defines in the regulations, that the attendance must be made "with a view to the removal of goods" so an enforcement agent would need to arrive in, say, a removal van for example, if bulky iteems such as furniture were listed on the Notice of Seizure, or a breakdown recovery truck, if a vehicle had been levied.

However, an investigation into these charges would reveal with almost certainty that the fee is charged more often than not where the bailiff has neither intended to take goods nor attended with sufficient transport to incur those costs.

The reality is these bailiffs arrive in little Noddy cars with hardly the space to fit in their sandwiches and the the masses of paperwork relating to all the other debtors they will add the charge to on that day.”

“by over_and_out

Thursday, October 04 2012, 10:10AM

"This is an ex-employee of the bailiff firm which NELC contracts its enforcement operations to, blowing the whistle on what he claimed to be wide spread malpractice in the bailiff industry to the Sunday Times from 08 April 2012.

....."Unlawful and excessive fees are rife. Most people do not understand the fees or how to complain and that is being utterly abused. I do not believe most of these charges could be justified in the courts," he said.

Boast's sworn statement to the Sunday Times alleging widespread malpractice reveals a system vulnerable to abuse from the outset. He said initial visits to debtor's homes – for which they are charged £24.50 if they owe council tax – were often carried out in the middle of the night and the door would not actually be knocked so additional charges could be levied......

Other charges, including those for fabricated, or "phantom" visits. "I have sat in a cafe with other bailiffs and they fill in paperwork with charges for second visits to homes which they have not done," Boast said. "When a householder does phone to pay a bill, they are charged the fees which would have been due if they had been pursued for several months."

Boast said that even when the charges were correct, it was sometimes unfair that the debtor was being pursued in the first place. He described how he pursued one debtor for Hounslow council in west London who owed £1 in council tax, but was charged court and bailiff fees of more than £160....."”

“We have exactly the same problem.

North Somerset council use a bailiff firm called ***********. They use exactly the same tactics, phantom calls, vehicle attendances etc.

Your council? North East Lincs isn't it?

Looks like someones on to them:

http://tinyurl.com/cs8lnds”

“What happened?

Can you not say ******dals on thisisgrimsby?”

“Re, http://tinyurl.com/cs8lnds (1st October post #16)

"A total £182,140 was incurred by 2,602 householders who were liable for the penalties in connection with a single council tax liability order hearing."


What happens if over two and a half thousand people turned up at the Magistrates' court?

I had a summons like the one in the post but never bothered going to court. Would love to see Judge's face if all 2,600 had attended. Will definitely go if I get another.”

“If you are going to create multiple login's to repost your own posts - don't make it so obvious by using _ underscores!

...But please answer a simple question (I can be bothered to actually read the posts, as soon as I see bailiff I'm bored)

What is the point in these post being reposed ad nauseum? What are you trying to achieve.

Heres a top top - don't spend money you have not got and dont get into debt. I have never had the bailiffs at my door.”

“Yes, how about doing what tthe rest of us hard working tax payers do and PAY YOUR COUNCIL TAX.”

“The solution for all you tax dodgers, if you want to avoid the bailiffs, is to simply pay your council tax, just like the majority of law abiding citizens.

Do you think any of the law abiding residents who do pay their way are likely to give a damn which methods the council employs to collect money from non-payers?

Why should you be allowed a free ride?

Do you not use the services offered by the council, or have your bins emptied, streets swept and roads maintained?

Each person who dodges their tax, adds to everybody else's CT bill. If you all paid, all of our bills would be less.”

“by TheWrangler

"If you are going to create multiple login's to repost your own posts - don't make it so obvious by using _ underscores!


I don't care....”

“Wow, you actually took the time to create a new profile to post that?!?!

LOL

....are you killing time waiting for the bailiff per chance? ;o)”

“As I said before,

I really don't care”

“Do you actually understand what Room 101 is? Please try and find out, rather than continue to assume it means a dumping ground.

Arthur, Immingham”

“Isn't it something to do with 1984?”

“fu_on, it is. It's actually a room where enemies of the State are exposed to their very worst fears as part of the torture programme. The novel describes it's contents as ''... the worst thing in the world...''. As the book develops, it is clear this ''... worst thing...'' is not the same for everybody, as we all have different terrors.

What it's not, is a garbage dump.

Arthur, Immingham”

“they mean room 101 the paul merton tv show I think ??”

“Abandoning for a minute the debate about the origins of room 101, isn't Coventry City Council's example something which NELC should be following?


"Coventry City Council facing calls for independent review of contracts with bailiff firms"

http://tinyurl.com/c3bdand”

“gy82a,

Thanks for demonstrating why there should be some form of proof of basic levels of intelligence and education before people are permitted to make any comments on this website.

Arthur, Immingham”

“for god sake arthur has all your sense of humour been removed or is it just pure arrogance and this wired thought you have that all living breathing creatures are beneth you may i suggest you change your handle to GOD .....”

“no sorry rethink DICK !”