NEW figures have revealed a dramatic rise in the number of unpaid debts being referred to bailiffs by councils in East Lancashire.

A debt charity criticised local councils’ increasing use of doorstep collectors as new figures showed Hyndburn ranked fourth out of 375 local authorities in England and Wales for their use of bailiffs.

Hyndburn Borough Council referred 12,125 cases to bailiffs between April 2014 and March 2015, a rise of 149 per cent since 2012. And Blackburn with Darwen Council saw bailiff referrals shoot up 32 per cent, to 5,058.

Ribble Valley Borough Council referred 450 cases to bailiffs in 2014-15, an almost identical number to two years ago.

The Money Advice Trust slammed councils for their reliance on bailiffs and called for the number of referrals to be reduced. But council chiefs said collection agents are used as a last resort to secure the money owed to them.

Hyndburn leader Cllr Miles Parkinson said: “We have a duty to collect taxes so that we can continue to deliver services for all our residents. As some people fall into debt, we are sympathetic and work out affordable payment plans to help them, while maximising the collection of council tax to safeguard our services for all residents of the borough.

“Bailiffs are a last resort where residents continually avoid engaging with us or continually fail to pay. We aim to come to an agreement and talking to us at the outset may prevent any further action being taken. We also refer people struggling financially to organisations such as Citizens Advice and the Money Advice Trust.”

The research was conducted as part of the Money Advice Trust’s Stop the Knock campaign.

Joanna Elson OBE, trust chief executive, said: “Councils’ use of bailiffs remains too high. We know that sending in the bailiffs can deepen debt problems, rather than solve them — and it can also have a severe impact on the wellbeing of people who are often already in a vulnerable situation. Bailiff action is not only harmful to those in arrears, it is also a poor deal for the council-taxpayer. Our research shows that the councils who use bailiffs the most are less effective at collecting council-tax arrears.

“We are urging councillors to consider ways they can improve their council’s debt-collection processes and ensure that bailiffs are only used as a last resort.

“I urge anyone in East Lancashire who is struggling to cope with debt to seek free advice from National Debtline.”

Cllr Andy Kay, executive member for resources at Blackburn with Darwen Council, said: “Bailiff actions are used as the last resort. The decision to refer cases at this level is used by the council after other avenues, including referral to money advisers, have been exhausted.

“We want to talk to people as soon as possible when debt starts, so that we can help them make arrangements, where possible, to make affordable payments before the situation escalates.”

Pendle was the second-worst council for referrals in East Lancashire, with 6,048 cases sent to bailiffs.