2011-04-13 12:50:37 - Credit management and debt collection company Daniels Silverman urges councils to rethink their policy on employing bailiffs and adopt a more proactive form of engagement.

Civil liberties organisation Big Brother Watch’s new report has revealed that between 2007 and 2010, local councils passed a total of almost six million cases to third-party debt recovery agencies such as bailiffs for the late payment of council taxes and parking fines.
Carole Hughes, managing director, Daniels Silverman, says: “Councils need to take action to recover unpaid taxes and fines to protect revenues, however we question the policy of using bailiffs for such matters. Typically such debts are low in value and the prospect of someone turning up on your doorstep threatening to remove your goods to sell is extremely intimidating and not in the spirit of the Office of Fair Trading's guidelines on debt collection.

“The use of

such heavy handed actions should be restricted to a minority hard core of debtors who refuse to pay despite being given every opportunity to do so. We urge councils employing such tactics to exhaust all other methods of recovery first. An ethical, professional pre-legal debt collection agency would make contact with debtors by using more friendly means such as by letter or telephone. This approach offers debtors the opportunity to dispute monies owed and arrange repayment based on their ability to pay, and is far more likely to secure payment.”

For further information please contact:

Nicolle Farthing / Emma Murphy
Broadgate Mainland
Tel: 020 7726 6111
nfarthing@broadgatemainland.com / emurphy@broadgatemainland.com


Notes to editors

Daniels Silverman is a leading national debt collection agency that has been providing professional debt recovery services since 1995. It specialises in business debt collection and consumer debt recovery on a no recovery no fee basis.

Daniels Silverman has developed a unique debt recovery IT system and unrivalled debt recovery processes for fast and cost effective debt collection.

Daniels Silverman is committed to delivering professional, ethical debt recovery services. It holds an Office of Fair Trading Licence and is a member of the Credit Services Association.

Website
www.danielssilverman.co.uk/

Twitter

twitter.com/DSilvermanLtd