Push to regulate UK bailiffs too slow, warns supervisory body

The UK government faces criticism for slow progress on mandatory bailiff regulation, a year after pledging to overhaul an industry that collects more than £1bn annually from indebted households. [1] The Enforcement Conduct Board (ECB), which currently oversees the sector on a voluntary basis, said there had been no “visible progress” since the Ministry of Justice announced it would legislate for statutory regulation. [1] Chris Nichols, the ECB’s chief executive, said: “Government has rightly committed to act but a year on from announcing this, there is still no clear plan.” [1] More than 7m cases are sent to enforcement each year, affecting millions of people, with most debts linked to unpaid parking and traffic fines and council tax arrears. [1] The industry collects more than £1bn a year, yet it is not a statutory requirement for enforcement firms to be authorised by the ECB. [1] Some companies have refused to sign up to its standards or oversight. [1] Consumer groups have documented a range of harmful practices, including aggressive doorstep behaviour, overcharging, clamping vehicles used by disabled people, and threatening to remove exempt possessions. [1] Last summer, the Guardian reported that Marston Holdings, Britain’s largest bailiff company, had overcharged people and was forced to launch a refunds programme. [1] On 9 June 2025, the government outlined a package of measures “to deliver a fairer system of debt enforcement” and launched a consultation on mandatory regulation of bailiff services. [1] A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said the government “remains committed to strengthening the regulation of the bailiff sector” and is “developing proposals to ensure fair treatment for people in debt.” [1] The spokesperson added that next steps would be announced “soon.” [1] Martin Lewis, founder of MoneySavingExpert.com, said on his podcast last week that it was “outrageous that we still don’t have a proper independent regulator.” [1] Lewis said he saw “far too many cases of distress, upset, bullying, bad treatment,” while acknowledging that not all bailiffs are bad. [1] Nichols stressed that statutory regulation is supported by the public, debt charities, and the majority of the enforcement industry itself. [1] “Regulation of enforcement (bailiff) services must be mandatory so that everyone who experiences enforcement has the same protections,” he said. “It cannot be right for companies to simply refuse to comply with our standards for fair enforcement.” [1]