Haringey Council has been asked to end “violent and humiliating" debt collection after more than 8,000 council tax debts were passed to bailiffs in the last financial year.

The Association for Community Organisations for Reform Now (ACORN) is planning a protest outside Tottenham Town Hall on Monday as it emerged that the council referred 8,184 cases in the year to April, a slight increase on the 2021/22 financial year, when 8,048 debts were passed on.

It comes despite the fact the authority claims that working with residents to support those facing hardship is a “top priority”.

In February 2021, Haringey Council implemented its Ethical Debt Reduction Policy, which aims to ensure that it never uses “bailiffs to enforce council tax debts where people are vulnerable, face mental health issues or are on low incomes”.

While this has reduced bailiff use by roughly 25% since 2019/20, ACORN has criticised the high number of referrals.

Reuben Bard-Rosenberg, chair of ACORN Haringey, has now called on the council to “take decisive action” to end the “violent and humiliating method of debt collection”.

A council officer has also been forced to apologise to the community group after it was wrongly told there had been a major reduction in the use of debt collectors.

At a meeting in February with Cllr Seema Chandwani, ACORN members claim they were told the council had reduced bailiff use by almost two-thirds since 2019/20.

In April, a council officer apologised in an email to ACORN for the “confusion”, clarifying that there had only been a 25% decrease.

Mr Bard-Rosenberg said: "It's shameful that Haringey Council didn’t know how many residents it has thrown to bailiffs.

“While the council has shown good intentions with its Ethical Debt Policy, the real data shows that it has not significantly reduced bailiff use in our borough.

“As more and more people are struggling with higher costs and stagnating wages, Haringey Council must take decisive action to end this violent and humiliating method of debt collection.”

Cllr Seema Chandwani, cabinet member for tackling inequality and resident services, said: “We have made it a top priority to work together with our residents to support all those who are facing debt and financial hardship.

“This is reflected in our approach to collecting council tax and dealing with council tax debts.

“I was pleased to meet with ACORN in February to discuss this issue and our broader work to help residents facing difficulties.

“We have committed to work with ACORN to ensure our systems do not negatively impact on vulnerable residents and will make changes if necessary.”

ACORN Haringey will hold a rally in support of a ban against bailiff use on Monday (May 15) at 6pm, outside Tottenham Town Hall.