CIVEA welcomes new industry Standards of Conduct

CIVEA welcomes new industry Standards of Conduct.

Responding to the publication of new Professional Values and Standards of Practice for Enforcement Firms and Enforcement Agents launched by the Enforcement Conduct Board, Russell Hamblin Boone said:

“CIVEA and its members have stood in support of the new Standards. We recognise that the current standards were designed over ten years ago and do not reflect the complexity and technological development that is integral to modern, responsible enforcement practice.

Our industry’s leadership in establishing independent oversight under the ECB is the most significant development since new regulations (The Taking Control of Goods Regulations 2013) were implemented over ten years ago. CIVEA members have co-operated at every step to ensure that the ECB is evidence based and reports accurately.

Oversight by the ECB is compulsory for all CIVEA members. While the Standards are aspirational and would be ineffective if firms were already compliant, CIVEA members are committed to the path of improvement.

The ECB now needs to ensure that it focuses on those that undertake civil enforcement that have not yet committed to independent oversight and ensure that the Standards are applied consistently.

The full versions of the Standards can be read here

ENDS

Note to editors:

CIVEA represents approximately 40 companies that make up more than 95% of the entire enforcement industry. We are not debt collectors and only undertake visits to premises after a local authority or public body has failed to recover funds and takes an individual to court under the Taking Control of Goods regulations 2013.

Last year, enforcement agents collected £750m of unpaid council tax every year at no cost to councils. Councils rely on enforcement agents to recover unpaid council tax to pay for local services. Enforcement action is essential to cash-strapped councils that need to fund waste collection, road repairs, police and fire services, schools and libraries. Without money from council tax, these services could be reduced or even scrapped.

Enforcement agents also identified 351,000 vulnerable people who had lost contact with their council and unknown to anyone, were struggling with their payments. With limited resources, local authorities rely on enforcement agencies to identify people that are vulnerable but do not respond to council letters.

Press Contact for CIVEA:

Rodney Kumar, WSA Communications
Email: rodney.kumar@wsacommunications.co.uk

Telephone: 01908 371177