Leeds City Council to meet with ACORN union amid calls for reform on council tax debt collection

As part of the meeting, representatives from ACORN said they will call on Councillor Asghar Khan – chair of Council’s Scrutiny Board on Strategy and Resources – to sign an open letter to Government. The letter calls for an end to bailiffs being used by local authorities to collect debts accrued by tenants from missed council tax payments.

ACORN said it would also call for a written apology from Leeds Council to every family and person visited by a council enforcement agent since 2010.

According to analysis from charity Debt Justice released last week, the use of bailiffs by local authorities in England and Wales has increased by 30 per cent in just two years, increasing from 1.3 million referrals in the 2022/23 financial year to 1.7 million last year.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Rachael Samociuk, ACORN Leeds treasurer, said: “Bailiffs are outdated, inefficient and cruel. We’re sick of members living in fear of a knock at the door.

“Councils across the country have sat down with ACORN and are working with us to reduce or stop their use of bailiffs; dozens of MPs and Trade Union Leaders have signed our open letter.”

A spokesperson for Leeds City Council said that the Council offers support for people who are experiencing financial difficulties and works closely with debt advice agencies to ensure people are given the “support and advice they need”.

They added: “We understand that the ongoing cost of living crisis is placing significant financial pressure on many households, and Council Tax is no exception. Leeds City Council offers a Council Tax Support scheme to assist residents on low incomes or certain benefits, which can reduce the amount payable, in some cases to zero.

“Our external enforcement agents operate a strict code of conduct; any complaints are investigated and cases which are identified as involving vulnerable people are not passed to enforcement agents.”

“Income from council tax funds vital services, including for vulnerable people and for adult social care and children’s services and we have a duty to ensure the tax is collected in a fair and efficient way.

The meeting comes after ACORN last week staged a protest at the Civil Court Users Association annual conference, held in Leeds.

The move saw 300 ACORN members protest at the conference, with the union claiming that it had “shut down” the event.

ACORN claimed that the meeting with Leeds City Council and Coun Khan had only come after this action, adding that it had been “repeatedly ignored” by the council previously.

Leeds City Council did not respond directly to this claim.