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There were more county court judgments (CCJs) against consumers in England and Wales during 2017 than any other year since records began in 2005, according to Registry Trust figures.
Group Editor
Registry Trust is the registrar of judgments, orders and fines in England and Wales on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.
In 2017, more than one million judgments were registered against consumers in England and Wales. Rising almost a quarter on 2016, the total number of adverse CCJs has risen year-on-year for the past five years.
In the first half of the year there was a 41 percent increase in the number of CCJs compared with 2016. But during the second half, the increase was only six percent.
The MoJ has actually launched a consultation for new rules on how CCJs are issued, it includes proposals to limit the circumstances in which default judgments can be made against people without their knowledge.
Other proposals regarding CCJs have been put to government by the High Court Enforcement Officers Association (HCEOA) and the Civil Enforcement Association (CIVEA).
The associations have proposed reforms that would allow high court enforcement officers and certificated enforcement agents to enforce small sum CCJs and Consumer Credit Act judgments.
It proposes an amendment to the 1991 High Court & County Court Jurisdiction Order, which would allow high court enforcement officers, assisted, where appropriate by certificated enforcement agents, to enforce CCJs below £600 and judgments based on Consumer Credit Act agreements.
Andrew Wilson, chair of the HCEOA said: “Lord Briggs highlighted the failings of debt enforcement by County Court bailiffs in his final report (Civil Courts Structure Review) and this is a suggested interim solution to ease the workload of the bailiffs and allow them more time to perform their other duties, such as enforcing orders for possession.”
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