Navendu Mishra MP welcomes Stockport Council’s adoption of the Citizens Advice Council Tax Protocol
I welcome the recent decision by Stockport Council to sign up to the Citizens Advice Council Tax Protocol, which commits local authorities to following a good practice guide when collecting council tax.
I have been calling on Stockport Council to follow in the footsteps of other local authorities and sign up to the Citizens Advice Council Tax Protocol for almost two years. This matter came to my attention as I was approached by numerous constituents who were in states of significant distress because of the treatment they had received from bailiffs contracted by Stockport Council to recover debts.
I subsequently wrote two letters to Stockport Council to raise this issue in September 2022 and July 2023. I noted in my correspondence that whilst there is no evidence suggesting that the use of bailiffs to recover council tax debts increases revenues, it is abundantly clear that the harsh, heavy-handed approach and extortionate additional fees imposed by enforcement agencies serve to exacerbate the debts and distress of vulnerable people. This would be unacceptable no matter the wider climate but is especially inappropriate during a cost-of-living crisis when so many families are facing huge financial strain due to factors entirely beyond their control.
I have also raised this issue at the national level, in speeches in the House of Commons and Written Parliamentary Questions to relevant Government ministers. Please find links to these below:
• Public statement, October 2022
• House of Commons debate contribution, November 2022
• House of Commons debate contribution, December 2022
• Written Parliamentary Question, December 2022
• Written Parliamentary Question, April 2023
• Written Parliamentary Question, April 2023
• Written Parliamentary Question, December 2023
I have been a vocal critic of the drastic cuts that successive Conservative governments have made to local authority funding since 2010 and the immense strain that this has put on council services. But this does not justify the use of council tax debt recovery practices that add to the financial insecurity and distress of already-struggling households, and for which there is no evidence to suggest their efficacy. As such, I very much welcome the recent decision by Stockport Council to adopt the Citizens Advice Council Tax Protocol and thank all council staff for their hard work during these challenging times.
