The Enforcement Conduct Board (ECB) has called for Government to grant it new legal powers, strengthening its oversight of the enforcement industry and closing the loophole that allows some firms to operate without oversight.
Enforcement firms and agents, formerly known as bailiffs, collect money owed to local authorities, utilities companies, highways agencies and private businesses. Millions of people experience enforcement action every year, with ECB data estimating that there were 8m cases in 2024, with a total value of £5.2bn.
The ECB has been providing oversight and accreditation to the majority of firms in England and Wales since it was established in 2022. But currently firms are not required to sign up. As a result, hundreds of thousands of debts are enforced every year by firms who are not regulated or overseen – leaving the public at risk from bad practice and rogue agents.
The call comes as Government publishes a new consultation on regulation of the industry. The consultation proposes to give legal powers to the ECB and put its oversight on a statutory footing. It recognises that better legal protection is long overdue, with the previous Government having first begun discussions on this back in 2018.
The ECB welcomes the consultation. Statutory regulation will ensure that all firms and agents operate to the ECB’s high standards and are subject to our monitoring and complaints adjudication scheme, providing vital protection for the public.
Chris Nichols, CEO of the Enforcement Conduct Board, said:
“The Enforcement Conduct Board has a crucial mission to ensure that everyone who experiences enforcement (bailiff) action is treated fairly.
“For all the progress that has been made in pursuit of our mission, hundreds of thousands of people are still receiving enforcement action from a minority of providers who have refused to sign up to our standards and said “no” to accountability.
“We fully support the Government’s proposal to close this loophole and make regulation of enforcement services a legal requirement, so that everyone who experiences enforcement action can rely on the same protections. This is a simple and necessary step to support fair enforcement for all.
“We look forward to working with government and other stakeholders over the coming months to get this over the line.”
ENDS
Notes to Editor
The ECB published first-of-its-kind research in 2024, analysing 600 interactions between enforcement officers and the public, from body-worn cameras. Our research found that our standards were breached in 6% of cases. See more here: Research – enforcementconductboard
The Enforcement Conduct Board (ECB) is the independent oversight body responsible for overseeing the enforcement industry. Our mission is to ensure that everyone who experiences enforcement action is treated fairly. You can find out more about our work by visiting Who we are – enforcementconductboard
We have accredited 96% of private firms and 10 local authority in-house teams. Find out more about our accreditation scheme here Accreditation? – enforcementconductboard
We created new, robust standards for firms and agents, ensuring everyone subject to enforcement action is treated fairly. All accredited firms must agree to meet our standards of practice. Read more about our standards here: Standards – enforcementconductboard
The ECB also runs a complaints handling service for those who feel they’ve been treated unfairly by an enforcement firm or agent. The service was launched in January 2025. If we find an agent or firm has breached our standards, we recommend avenues of redress for the complainant, which accredited firms agree to comply with. Find out more here: Complaints policies and guidance – enforcementconductboard