The body that oversees the bailiff industry in England and Wales has warned that government plans to introduce mandatory regulation of enforcement firms are moving too slowly, with "no clear plan" in place a year after an official pledge to act.
A year on from the government's announcement
According to the Guardian, the Ministry of Justice announced on 9 June 2025 that it would legislate to make independent regulation of bailiffs mandatory, and launched a consultation on the matter as part of a package of measures designed to "deliver a fairer system of debt enforcement". Twelve months later, the Enforcement Conduct Board (ECB), the body that currently oversees the industry on a voluntary basis, says there has been a lack of "visible progress".
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. Every year hundreds of thousands of people are receiving enforcement action from unregulated providers. This is not fair and government should now address this."
A sector worth more than £1bn a year
The Guardian reports that the bailiff sector handles more than 7 million cases sent to enforcement each year. The industry collects more than £1bn annually, with the majority relating to unpaid parking and traffic fines and council tax arrears. Despite the scale of the sector, it is not currently a statutory requirement for enforcement firms to be authorised by the ECB, and some companies have reportedly refused to sign up to its standards or oversight.
That has prompted calls from consumer groups for tighter regulation, amid concerns about poor practices including aggressive behaviour on the doorstep, overcharging, clamping vehicles used by disabled people, and threatening to remove possessions classified as "exempt". Last summer, the Guardian reported that Marston Holdings, described as Britain's biggest bailiff company, had overcharged people it was pursuing for unpaid debts and had been forced to launch a refunds programme.
Calls for statutory oversight grow louder
Nichols said mandatory regulation was supported by the public, debt charities and the majority of the enforcement industry itself. "Regulation of enforcement (bailiff) services must be mandatory so that everyone who experiences enforcement has the same protections. It cannot be right for companies to simply refuse to comply with our standards for fair enforcement," he said.
Martin Lewis, founder of MoneySavingExpert.com, also addressed the issue on his podcast last week. According to the Guardian, Lewis described it as "outrageous that we still don't have a proper independent regulator" and said he saw "far too many cases of distress, upset, bullying, bad treatment". Lewis added: "That's not to say all bailiffs are bad, but it is to say that there are too many cases of bad behaviour from bailiffs."
Government response
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson told the Guardian that the government "remains committed to strengthening the regulation of the bailiff sector and fully supports the [ECB's] work". The spokesperson said proposals were being developed to "ensure fair treatment for people in debt" following the consultation, and that "next steps" would be announced "soon". Critics, however, fear the policy has stalled.
Free, impartial debt advice is available from StepChange, MoneyHelper and Citizens Advice for anyone concerned about enforcement action or problem debt.