Toby Murray
@tbymrry.bsky.social
Policy and Campaigns Manager for @debtjustice.bsky.social on household debt. Ex-research for Money and Mental Health, the RSA and ex-policy fellow for the Health Foundation. (he/him)
Feel free to sign our petition! Now up to 2500 signatures and growing (although not as fast as council tax arrears).
act.debtjustice.org.uk/ban-bailiffs-0
act.debtjustice.org.uk/ban-bailiffs-0
Ban the bailiffs!
When families face unpayable debts, a knock at the door from bailiffs can be hugely traumatising. Council tax debt has soared in recent years, and rates just keep going up. 4.4 million people are now ...
act.debtjustice.org.uk
June 25, 2025 at 9:23 AM
Feel free to sign our petition! Now up to 2500 signatures and growing (although not as fast as council tax arrears).
act.debtjustice.org.uk/ban-bailiffs-0
act.debtjustice.org.uk/ban-bailiffs-0
1. We need to break the link between debt collection cruelty: councils are the biggest user of bailiffs to collect council tax debt.
2. We need a Duty of Care for council tax debt collection - we reckon about £91m of harm is being done a year, a duty of care would address this.
2. We need a Duty of Care for council tax debt collection - we reckon about £91m of harm is being done a year, a duty of care would address this.
June 25, 2025 at 9:23 AM
1. We need to break the link between debt collection cruelty: councils are the biggest user of bailiffs to collect council tax debt.
2. We need a Duty of Care for council tax debt collection - we reckon about £91m of harm is being done a year, a duty of care would address this.
2. We need a Duty of Care for council tax debt collection - we reckon about £91m of harm is being done a year, a duty of care would address this.
Clearly this is a huge, and growing, problem. One only likely to get worse as the spending review forecasts for council tax to rise by 5% a year.
This is a huge and growing problem, great to see the recent MHCLG consultation launched, but we need to go further.
This is a huge and growing problem, great to see the recent MHCLG consultation launched, but we need to go further.
June 25, 2025 at 9:23 AM
Clearly this is a huge, and growing, problem. One only likely to get worse as the spending review forecasts for council tax to rise by 5% a year.
This is a huge and growing problem, great to see the recent MHCLG consultation launched, but we need to go further.
This is a huge and growing problem, great to see the recent MHCLG consultation launched, but we need to go further.
Why? Well council tax increasingly affects low income households.
A third of people in arrears are living below the poverty line, and 79% are households in the bottom half of earners. People aren't avoiding tax, they're just broke.
A third of people in arrears are living below the poverty line, and 79% are households in the bottom half of earners. People aren't avoiding tax, they're just broke.
June 25, 2025 at 9:23 AM
Why? Well council tax increasingly affects low income households.
A third of people in arrears are living below the poverty line, and 79% are households in the bottom half of earners. People aren't avoiding tax, they're just broke.
A third of people in arrears are living below the poverty line, and 79% are households in the bottom half of earners. People aren't avoiding tax, they're just broke.
Arrears now stand at £6.6bn for England, £1.5bn for Scotland and £0.16bn for Wales. These are huge numbers, and clearly they're only travelling in one direction.
Collection rates remain high, but have never fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels.
Collection rates remain high, but have never fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels.
June 25, 2025 at 9:23 AM
Arrears now stand at £6.6bn for England, £1.5bn for Scotland and £0.16bn for Wales. These are huge numbers, and clearly they're only travelling in one direction.
Collection rates remain high, but have never fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels.
Collection rates remain high, but have never fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels.
Most of that increase is driven by arrears from across England, with arrears going from £6.0bn last year to £6.6bn this year - an 11% increase.
However, Wales has seen the biggest increase - 15% yoy; 170% over 5 years.
However, Wales has seen the biggest increase - 15% yoy; 170% over 5 years.
June 25, 2025 at 9:23 AM
Most of that increase is driven by arrears from across England, with arrears going from £6.0bn last year to £6.6bn this year - an 11% increase.
However, Wales has seen the biggest increase - 15% yoy; 170% over 5 years.
However, Wales has seen the biggest increase - 15% yoy; 170% over 5 years.
Water industry have done lots recently to reduce bills for low income households, but just sticking plasters. Water privatisation is a failed ideological experiment.
Bring it back into public ownership, invest properly in infrastructure, fund it through general taxation.
Bring it back into public ownership, invest properly in infrastructure, fund it through general taxation.
December 19, 2024 at 9:15 AM
Water industry have done lots recently to reduce bills for low income households, but just sticking plasters. Water privatisation is a failed ideological experiment.
Bring it back into public ownership, invest properly in infrastructure, fund it through general taxation.
Bring it back into public ownership, invest properly in infrastructure, fund it through general taxation.