CAMPAIGNERS have welcomed steps towards modernising council tax – but slammed the government’s refusal to stop councils using bailiffs against vulnerable residents.

Debt Justice demanded the Ministry of Housing implement “a total ban on the use of bailiffs by local government” today, while recognising that policies to slow the speed of debt enforcement represented “a good start.”

In its response to a consultation on modernising and improving the administration of council tax, the government announced it would extend the number of days before enforcement to 63 days.

Debt Justice also hailed the department’s decision to spread bills over 12 months, rather than the current 10-month structure.

Nearly two thirds (64 per cent) of those who responded to the government consultation said the current arrangement does not work.

Local government minister Alison McGovern agreed that the system, first introduced in 1993, was “no longer fit for purpose.”

She also admitted it has “subjected vulnerable people to unacceptable, aggressive collection practices for missing payments, from immediate demands for lump sum payments to liability orders.”

Ms McGovern added that it led “to bailiffs being sent in without the offer of a payment plan or a welfare check” and said such practices would end under Labour.

She announced the launch of “data sharing arrangements with local government” to allow councils to “accurately distinguish between households that are unable to pay and those that are choosing not to.”

Debt Justice policy and campaigns manager Toby Murray said: “This consultation shows that people want change to our archaic and disproportionate council tax enforcement system.

“We welcome the real progress that has been promised. These are meaningful wins for people in debt.

“But we are deeply disappointed that the government has refused to act on some of the worst aspects of this system.

“People in debt will still face bailiffs at the door, the threat of imprisonment for non-payment remains – and liability order fees of up to £100 will still be piled onto existing arrears.

“This is persecution of people who are already struggling.”

Debt Justice Greater Manchester organising group member Jo Barker-Marsh called for the government to go further.

She said: “We must see a total ban on the use of bailiffs by local government and a duty of care implemented that puts the needs of people in debt first and ensures accountability.”