Ada, whose car was seized over a parking fine, recounts a brush with bailiffs in research carried out by the Enforcement Conduct Board (ECB) - a new agency tasked with the job of raising standards in this controversial industry.
Catherine Brown, the ECB's chair, has been swotting up for the role by joining enforcement agents -as bailiffs prefer to be known - on the doorstep. "It hasn't been universally impressive," she says.
"Some of them will go around the house knocking on all the windows and trying all the doors." One woman, Claudia, who experienced this approach, told the ECB: "That causes nothing but fright for me and I don't want to face it then."
"It's such a sensitive and powerful thing - having someone come barging around your house," says Brown. "The fact that there is just no regulatory oversight and no independent oversight at all - it's just extraordinary."
This story is from the January 27, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the January 27, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
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