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Dear friend,

Council tax debt is soaring. 4.4 million of us are now in debt across the country.

For many, it’s just not possible to pay when the cost of living crisis, rising rates and economic turmoil have squeezed budgets to the limit.

And when debt piles up, it piles up fast. Families only need to miss one payment, and within two weeks a bill can be issued for the entire year, for upwards of £2000.

This has led to an explosion in the numbers of families being visited by bailiffs. A cruel and outdated practice that relies on intimidation and harassment.

friend, it must end.
Ban the bailiffs: add your name, friend ([link removed])

Councils across the country are using bailiffs to try and collect debts from people who simply don’t have the money to pay. A third of people in council tax debt are in poverty, half are behind on their rent, half have mental health problems, and a quarter skipping meals because they can’t afford to buy food.

Worse, the cost of a bailiff visit is added to people’s debt! £420 or more can be added for a visit and taking belongings away.

Instead of looking out for the interests of their constituents, councils are using one of the most aggressive ways they can to try and collect debt. This is despite the fact that there is little evidence using bailiffs actually leads to more debt being collected.

Add your name to our campaign to stop councils using bailiffs to collect council tax debt, for good.
friend, sign the petition ([link removed])

But there is another way. Some councils have stopped using bailiffs to collect council tax debt, and introduced new support measures to help people get out of debt.

We want to see all councils in the UK stop using bailiffs to collect council tax debt. It’s completely unjust that the government are using a form of legalized harassment to try and collect debts.

No matter what people's financial circumstances are, everyone should be treated with dignity and respect.

Thank you for taking action with us!

In solidarity,

Toby, Eva, Skye, Zak and the whole of the Debt Justice team

PS. If you want to read more about the campaign, here is the full report ([link removed]) .

Further reading:
* The Independent Newspaper, ‘Council tax debt soars by 1.2 million people – the areas worst affected, mapped’. ([link removed])
* The Guardian, ‘Nine in 10 councils in England to levy maximum council tax ([link removed]) ’.
* The Bristol Cable, ‘They needed to know how wrong this was’: one woman’s battle against council bailiffs’ ([link removed]) .
* The Guardian, ‘Martin Lewis: authorities handle unpaid council tax like ‘worst loan sharks’ ([link removed])
* The Big Issue, Council tax debt collectors 'significantly harming' health of those struggling to pay, report finds. ([link removed])
* The I Paper, ‘I couldn’t pay my council tax - ‘scary’ bailiffs threatened to take everything ([link removed])




** Justice is possible
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Across the world, millions of people’s lives are being destroyed by unfair debt. But when we act together, we have the strength to win justice and build a fair economy that puts human life before debt.

Donate today to strengthen the campaign for debt justice.


Donate today ([link removed])

Copyright © 2025 Debt Justice, All rights reserved.
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