Enforcement agents (bailiffs)

Enforcement Agents (previously known as bailiffs) can be instructed to collect outstanding council tax and business rates if a liability order has been issued, and parking fine debts if warrant has been raised.

How to pay

If you have a payment to make, you can pay it online. 

Make a payment online 

You can also pay via the 24 hour automated payment line on 03004562499 or at a one stop shop.

Making a repayment plan

If your debt is passed to the Enforcement Agents then you will immediately incur a £75 fixed fee for each liability order or warrant. This fee has been set by The Ministry of Justice, not the council, and is non-negotiable.

Before an Enforcement Agent visits your property, you will receive at least one letter by post giving you the opportunity to agree a repayment plan to avoid an Enforcement Agent visiting you. At this stage the £75 fixed fee is already in place on your account and will need to be included in the repayment plan.

You can contact us to discuss a repayment plan.

Enforcement Agent visits

If you do not contact the office to agree a repayment plan, or you fail to pay the plan you agreed, then the account will be passed to an Enforcement Agent who will visit you at your home. As soon as an agent is instructed to visit, a £235.00 fixed fee (plus 7.5% if the debt is over £1500) will be applied to the outstanding amount. This fee has been set by The Ministry of Justice, not the council, and is non-negotiable.

During the visit, you will be asked to make payment in full (including the £235.00 fee), enter into a controlled goods agreement or goods can be removed from your property.

Controlled goods agreement

You may be given the opportunity to set up a repayment plan by entering into a controlled goods agreement. This involves the Enforcement Agent making a list of your goods equal in value to the debt outstanding to secure the payment arrangement.

You must not dispose of or sell any goods on the controlled goods agreement until your debt is paid in full.

Removal of goods

If you do not sign the controlled goods agreement, or you fail to pay the plan you agreed, then the Enforcement Agent can enter your property and remove goods. There is an additional £110 fee (plus 7.5% for any balance over £1500) if goods are removed for sale.

Goods that are removed will be sold at auction. If a debt still remains after this, then the Enforcement Agent will contact you and further enforcement action can take place. If the goods are sold for more than the outstanding debt, then the credit can be returned to you, providing you do not have any other debts outstanding with us.

Further Enforcement

If there are not enough items to clear the debt, we will then consider other options such as bankruptcy or a charging order against your property.