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LICENSING HOLDS KEY TO BAILIFF BACKLASH
LICENSING of
Bailiffs must become an immediate priority if the unscrupulous
actions of a small minority are to be prevented and confidence in
the judicial system restored, according to The Institute of Credit
Management (ICM). The ICM says that enforcement will only
succeed if the Courts uphold the rights of the Enforcement Officer,
but this can only happen if the bailiffs themselves act responsibly,
within the letter of the law and are beyond reproach.
“Licensing has to be the 1st step in sorting out an issue that
is in danger of getting out of hand, and losing the confidence of
the general public,” explains Claire Sandbrook of the ICM.
“Only through licensing can we look to weed out the cowboys
within the industry and restore faith in our judicial system.”
The new Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Bill, which is receiving
its 2nd reading in the House of Commons, has sparked a furious
response from Citizens Advice which has warned that all bailiffs
could be granted powers to break into people’s homes. Currently,
only those dealing with the magistrate court fines have the right to
force entry.
Claire accepts this is a very difficult issue, and that Citizens
Advice may indeed have a point, but there is much that government
could learn from talking to bodies such as the ICM whose members are
usually responsible for deciding when and against whom to litigate.
“Credit Managers are in the front line in terms of use of
litigation to recover debts and have
specific skill-sets in balancing the risk of where and when to
litigate to protect their interest. Citizens Advice does an
excellent job in protecting the vulnerable and we must listen to
what they say, but so too must we balance the rights of the debtor
with the rights of the creditor, and in the same way as we need to
protect the vulnerable against unscrupulous collectors, so too must
we protect the creditors against unscrupulous debtors.
What we need to recognise is that not all debtors are victims. For
those that ‘can’t pay’, we need to look at other options of
enforcement; for those that ‘won’t pay’, that are
deliberately and nefariously absconding from their debts, then a
Court Order followed by a visit from a bailiff might be the only
answer. It is not a crime to owe money; but it may be a crime if the
debtor deliberately refuses to pay.
What is essential is that the
power of the Court to allow a forced entry is used sparingly. And
when they take that decision, they must be confident that the Court
representatives, the bailiffs, act appropriately. If only one
bailiff abuses their power, then that is one incident too many.
Licensing will not be the panacea, at least not immediately, but it
will go some way along the right track towards more professionally
robust monitoring of their performance, and more than the government
is currently suggesting with its proposed certification scheme.”
60 years of service “Helping the whole RAF Family”
THE Ormskirk Branch of The Royal Air Forces Association are proud to
present
a public concert of popular music to be given by the Internationally
known, ‘Haydock Male Voice Choir’. The concert will be held in the Parish Church, Ormskirk, on Saturday
10 March 2007 starting at 7.30pm, and is being held to mark the 60th
Anniversary of the Branch’s formation.
Tickets are £5. available at the door.
Profits from the event will be shared between the local Hettinga
House Jospice and the Branch Welfare Funds. The local A.T.C. 1026
Squadron, will be on duty
providing light refreshments for purchase, profits from which will
go to the Squadron’s funds.
Letters To Editor:- "Brockhouse
Engineering, Southport?"
"CAN you help please, I am trying
to source some information etc. on Brockhouse Engineering Southport,
(1930s & 40s), who would hold archive material, museums - papers
etc, drew a blank on google and would appreciate some help please."
Peter D Simpson.
Editors note:- "The best best is to try and contact the
Liverpool Records office as they should have access to the
information you require in their newspaper archive. We will also ask
around for you as well." |
Interest Rate Uncertainty Leads To Flatshare Boom in Liverpool
LIVERPOOL’S ‘Room
To Let’ market experienced record growth over the past 6 months
as interest rate uncertainty led to a swell of mortgage holders
searching for lodgers to help make ends meet, new research reveals.
The research, commissioned by the UK’s busiest flatshare website
Gumtree.com, reveals that 30% of mortgage holders in Liverpool admit
that they are struggling to make repayments, with 9% considering
taking in a lodger to help offset creeping costs. This rush to
find lodgers has spiked over the last 6 months with Gumtree
recording a 38% increase in ‘room to rent’ flatshare listings
on the site.
The property squeeze has had a double knock-on effect with the
average tenant in Liverpool now renting for 6 years while they
attempt to curb spending and save for a deposit. Many find
themselves in rental limbo for much longer, with 14% of flatsharers
renting for 10 years or more. Savvy scousers are going to great
lengths to save for deposits, with 15% deliberately moving to a
cheaper part of town in an effort to bank funds.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing explains Sophy Silver of
Gumtree.com. “The flatshare scene has had a radical facelift
in recent years – it’s no longer just for students and people
looking for accommodation on the cheap - a new generation of owner
occupier landlord appears to be emerging who are offering luxury
rental solutions for discerning tenants. It’s a renter’s
paradise at the moment with lots of people looking for professional
lodgers, so savvy tenants can potentially bank hundreds of pounds a
month in savings by shopping around for the best deals.”
The average cost of flatsharing varies from region to region but a
big surprise from the research is evidence that big cities like
London and Glasgow are among the cheaper places in the UK to rent.
Some reasons for this - there are a bigger range of rental options
in bigger cities catering to a wider range of budgets - Gumtree sees
more listings for cheaper solutions like room sharing (split room
rent cost 50:50) and couch surfing in London than anywhere else. ‘Room
to Let’ supply can also be greater, helping to drive down costs
as owner occupiers compete to lure lodgers. Plus, living costs in
London are famously expensive so flatsharers have less money to
splash on rent. Couch Surfing is the latest London
accommodation craze - introduced on Gumtree in June last year the
site has seen a 120% uplift in interest with hundreds of postings
for sofa surfing in London every week.
With average weekly rent in the UK costing £112 per week, London
comes out as one of the cheaper places to rent at £110 per week.
This tallies with Gumtree’s own site data, with London again coming
out as one of the cheaper rental zones with the average rental price
42% lower than other large UK cities, £237 compared to £410*.
Flatshares in London are approximately £50 cheaper a week than other
cities. ‘Room in Waiting’ Trends
New trends for sharing space have emerged from the research
revealing that renters are opting into a wide range of flatshare
solutions to help cut costs and fast track their saving efforts. Key
findings include:-
· Liverpool and Sheffield are the renting capitals of the UK with
29.9% of adults renting
· Brighton is the flat sharing capital of the UK with 22% of adults
living in a flat share
· The most popular way to share accommodation is with a partner –
some 13% of people do so just to try out living together
· 19% of people renting have resorted to room-sharing in order to
save money, with couch surfing also the preferred way of life for 6%
of men · In spite of seeing each other at their worst and tripping over
each other’s dirty washing, many people still end up falling for
someone they rent with. 32% of Brits have fancied a flatmate and 18%
actually had a fling or relationship with them
· Couples looking to rent a room out are cautious about who they
allow into the house. Women are particularly aware of the risk posed
by a foxy lodger – 15% say they would keep their partner out of the
decision, and a further 10% would only let him choose an
unattractive lodger
Commenting on the figures, Sophy Silver of Gumtree.com added:-
“Lodgers sharing your home can be an easy way to help curb
spiraling costs. As well as being a lucrative solution, flatsharing
can be a really fun experience for young professionals looking to
widen their network of friends and have fun while they save their
pennies for their own place. With the research indicating that it’s
become more socially acceptable for young adults to flat share for
longer, we expect the ‘Room to Let’ boom to last for quite a
while to come.” |
