Working with debt collection agencies
There are occasions where people choose not to reach out to us for help, despite our repeated attempts to contact them, or they just choose not to pay, even if when have the means to do so.
As a council, we have a duty to collect unpaid debts as the money we collect helps to fund vital local services – not just ours but services delivered by the county council, fire and police services.
As such we do employ the services of debt collection agencies to help collect unpaid debts and we select the companies we work with based on their proven ethical approaches to debt collection - including offering vulnerable people the opportunity to seek help and advice as part of the process - for example speaking to the CAB or applying for a Breathing Space.
In some circumstances it is possible for us to recall debts from our collection agencies if a customer is willing to enter a payment arrangement with us that they then follow.
To discuss this, you can contact us by following the instructions in the letters we send or by calling our customer services team on 01543 308000 (Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm, not including bank holidays). You can also WhatsApp us.