Sussex local authorities transferred tens of thousands of council tax debt cases to enforcement companies during the latest financial year, according to information obtained through Freedom of Information requests by National Debtline.
The 17,800 cases referred across the county form part of the charity’s annual Stop the Knock campaign, which documents how councils utilise bailiffs to recover unpaid local taxation.
Debt advice organisations have raised concerns about the consequences of enforcement activity on households experiencing financial hardship.
A representative from National Debtline acknowledged that local authorities face budgetary pressures but emphasised that collecting revenue must not damage those least able to pay.
The organisation noted that council tax now represents one of the most frequently encountered debt types in their work and called for authorities to develop more considerate collection methods rather than escalating enforcement measures.
Among Sussex councils, Eastbourne Borough Council recorded the highest volume of referrals, forwarding 5,358 cases to enforcement agents, representing a 40 per cent rise compared with the previous year.
Unpaid council tax owed to the authority totalled £26.4 million.
Brighton and Hove City Council passed 4,731 cases to bailiffs, though this marked a 58 per cent improvement from the prior year.
Despite this reduction, the city carried the county’s largest arrears figure at £43.7 million.
Mid Sussex District Council submitted 2,489 cases, a decline of 34 per cent, with £9.8 million outstanding.
Lewes District Council forwarded 2,306 cases, an increase of 24 per cent, and carried £17 million in arrears.
Further reductions were recorded in other areas.
Rother District Council referred 655 cases, a fall of 51 per cent, while amounts owed stood at £8.8 million.
Adur District Council maintained steady referrals at 717 cases, with £7.3 million outstanding.
In Horsham, the volume of cases sent for enforcement fell to 1,544, a 60 per cent reduction, while arrears reached £6.7 million.
National figures reveal the scale of the issue across England and Wales, where council tax arrears climbed to £7.4 billion from £6.6 billion previously.
Local authorities in those nations transferred 1.72 million council tax debts to bailiffs during the same period.
The research indicated that 153 councils, representing 48 per cent of those surveyed, escalated their use of enforcement agents despite persistent cost-of-living challenges.
The charity also identified variations in how authorities handle residents receiving Council Tax Support.
Brighton and Hove and Adur both exclude these households from bailiff action, whereas Lewes, Eastbourne, Mid Sussex, Horsham and Rother do not provide such exemptions.
National Debtline is urging local authorities to establish stronger safeguards for vulnerable households.
The organisation has expressed support for reforms scheduled for 2027, which propose extending the timeframe before annual council tax becomes payable following a missed instalment, offering more manageable repayment alternatives, restricting court charges to £100, and decreasing dependence on enforcement action.
The charity is also calling on central government to strengthen regulation of the enforcement sector and require councils to make sustained attempts at arranging sustainable repayment agreements before pursuing debt recovery through external agents.