December 2024
For over a year the ECB has accredited the private enforcement industry, providing independent oversight over 95% of the market for civil and high court enforcement under the Taking Control of Goods regulations in England and Wales.
But we have never sought accreditation from the enforcement services operated directly by local authorities themselves – until now.
The ECB believes that members of the public should be able to expect the same standards and protections regardless of who is enforcing their debt.
So this Autumn the ECB has been inviting applications for accreditation from local authority ‘in-house teams’, meaning they will be overseen by the ECB, as we deliver on our mission to make sure that those who experience enforcement are treated fairly.
I am pleased to announce that six council in-house teams are now ECB accredited: Wrexham; the London Borough of Merton; Flintshire; Durham; the London Borough of Southwark; and the Anglia Revenues Partnership (which covers the councils of West Suffolk, Breckland, East Cambridgeshire, East Suffolk and Fenland).
You may think six in-house teams doesn’t sound many. But by accrediting, the councils have broken new ground.
They are the first to make a public commitment to their residents in favour of fairness and high standards when they need to enforce council tax debt, parking fines and other arrears. Money that can be so important in helping to provide vital public services.
The councils include some of the largest authorities in the county, and we expect their example will encourage other councils with their own enforcement services to come forward for accreditation, which remains open for applications throughout the year.
Two factors may help authorities with their decision to seek ECB accreditation for their internal teams.
First, the management of any complaints about the actions of an ‘in-house’ team will not change. Complaints will continue to go to the local authority and then to the relevant Ombudsman in the same way they do now.
Second, the levy to pay for accreditation to the ECB is set at 0.3% of the fees obtained from enforcement. This is at a lower level than the levy charged to private firms. It is intended to reflect the fact that councils need to fund vital public services.
As an early incentive there will also be nothing to pay until 2025-26, so any councils applying can achieve accreditation now without incurring a levy until June 2025.
You can find more information, including how to apply on our website: https://enforcementconductboard.org/accreditation/#topaccreditation
David Parkin, Director of Creditors and Government