A community group has slammed Haringey Council for its “cruel and unnecessary” use of bailiffs.

The Association for Community Organisations for Reform Now (ACORN) in Haringey said that the council should ban the use of council tax bailiffs amid the cost-of-living crisis.

The group claimed a Freedom of Information request has revealed that the council passed on more than 8,000 council tax debts to bailiffs in the financial year 2021-2022.

One Haringey resident alleged that bailiffs sent by the council had left them feeling “threatened, intimidated and bullied” after they said they accidentally defaulted on a payment.

The resident claimed that the issue could have been easily resolved by “a phone call or a letter”.

The bailiffs allegedly tried to “force entry” into the property, and were described by the resident as people “who appeared more fit working for a criminal gang than a council”.

Reuben Bard-Rosenberg, chair of ACORN Haringey, said: "We were shocked to discover just how many of our neighbours are thrown to bailiffs by our council.

“It's a cruel and unnecessary way of dealing with people facing financial hardship.”

Mr Bard-Rosenberg acknowledged that the council had “shown good intentions” by implementing an ethical debt reduction policy.

This commits Haringey to not using bailiffs for council tax where people are on very low incomes, have mental health challenges or other vulnerabilities.

But he felt that the council still needed “to take far more concrete steps to protect people from bullying bailiffs”.

Haringey Cllr Seema Chandwani, cabinet member for tackling inequality and resident services, said: “We have made it a top priority to work together with our residents to support all those who are facing debt and financial hardship. 

“Where we do use bailiffs – for example in cases where landlords have not paid – we have rigorous processes to ensure residents are treated fairly. All phone calls and visits are recorded, and performance is closely managed.

“We have committed to work with ACORN to ensure our systems do not negatively impact on vulnerable residents and will make changes if necessary.”

In 2018, Hammersmith and Fulham banned the use of bailiffs to enforce council tax debts and saw tax collections increase the following year.

ACORN will hold a rally outside Haringey Council offices in Wood Green at 1pm on Saturday (February 25), calling for a similar ban.