Basingstoke borough council handed thousands of cases of late council tax payments to bailiffs.
A report published by pressure group Big Brother Watch revealed Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council passed 7,466 cases of unpaid bills to debt recovery agencies and bailiffs between 2007 and 2010.
This places Basingstoke 166th in a list of 318 monitored councils. Hart District Council was at 309th with only 1,037 referred cases.
Graham Hatcher, chief executive of Basingstoke Citizen Advice Bureau, said residents dealing with bailiffs was a common problem.
He said: “Bailiffs are commonly used if you have council tax arrears or if you have a court judgment against you.
“They can also be used for unpaid fines, child support arrears, rent arrears, income tax arrears and parking penalties fines .The bailiffs almost always need a court order to take your goods away.”
During 2009/10, Basingstoke CAB dealt with 4,369 inquiries from residents about unpaid debts, child support arrears and unpaid fines, which could all result in a bailiff being called.
The charity also helped with 68 people contacted by private bailiffs.
Big Brother Watch carried out the research following reports across the country that bailiffs have been abusing their powers.
Bailiffs are not allowed into homes without permission but can enter through unlocked doors or open windows, which is termed ‘peaceful entry’.
Residents will have to sign a ‘walking possession agreement’ which is a list of goods that can be taken if an installment is missed.
Bailiffs then have the power to break in and remove possessions if the payment agreement is broken.
Daniel Hamilton, director of Big Brother Watch, said: “The fact local councils have passed more than six million cases to bailiffs for matters as trivial as the late payment of council taxes and parking fines is truly shocking.
“In many cases, bailiffs are a law unto themselves, barging their way into people’s homes, intimidating vulnerable members of the public and imposing rip-off charges.”
Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’s corporate director, Dorcas Bunton, said that contracting debt collectors was a last resort.
She said: “In some situations where the customer has not responded to previous communications, has not paid the outstanding amount or if all other attempts to recover the money have failed, it can become necessary to refer the outstanding money owing to a bailiff for collection.
“Bailiffs are contracted to act on the council's behalf and their performance is monitored to ensure that they comply with the requirements within their contract.”
Mr Hatcher urged any residents with debt or concerns over bailiffs to contact the CAB.
For more information, visit www.basingstokecab.co.uk
