“THERE IS A GROWING NEED TO
ENGAGE WITH CERTAIN KINDS OF
CREDITORS TO ACHIEVE BETTER
OUTCOMES FOR EVERYONE.”
ANTHONY SHARP.
Immediate Past Chair,
Money Advice Liaison Group
Priority debts are nothing new but the way
certain such debts are being pursued is changing.
Within this context, there is a growing need to
engage with certain kinds of creditors to achieve
better outcomes for everyone.
We are operating in a time when local authorities
amongst others are pursuing priority debts more
vigorously than ever – as they come under increasing
financial pressure from central government.
I believe strongly that the solution for the person
in financial difficulties is based on the ethos of
Money Advice Liaison Group – parties need to
come together, liaise and work towards a better
approach for the sake of everyone.
Engagement with local authorities is still sporadic.
There are indeed some outstanding examples
of good practice but these are still few and far
between. The enforcement world provides a good
example of how things can change – to the benefit
of creditors and clients – and it is interesting
to look at the lessons they have learned.
HMRC, probably the largest Government creditor
has gone a long way in trying to assist those in
financial difficulty and the DWP are investing a
great deal in understanding more about how
better to help those in debt.
A large part of what collecting is about is being
there to help as well as to collect debt and I’m
not sure that local authorities are really aware
of this yet. At the moment it seems that for them,
collecting is simply about gaining a larger slice
of the financial pie.
There is a lot of work to be done from all sides but
there must be a willingness to engage. It will take
all sides to see the common sense and financial
advantage of working together not against each other.
The views in this article are those of the contributor and do not necessarily reflect those of UKAR.
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