Cash-strapped councils are still instructing bailiffs to recover debts from vulnerable people despite the Government’s demand that they should stop, The i Paper can reveal.
Data shared with The i Paper by the charity Money Advice Trust shows that at least 1.72million council tax arrears cases were referred for enforcement in the year 2025-26 – a 30 per cent rise in the last three years.
The level of council tax arrears owed to local authorities hit a record £7.4bn earlier this summer and has been rising rapidly during the cost of living crisis.
Scottish students discover 1,000-year-old Viking church
Students discovered the remains of what is thought to be a medieval Viking church about 1,000 years old during an archaeology field trip to an uninhabited Scottish island.
Where was the medieval site found?
Pupils from Gordonstoun, a private school once attended by the King, made the discovery on a six-day field trip to Swona, a tiny Orkney island about seven miles north of John O’Groats where only feral cattle live.
The medieval building bears similarities to other Viking churches from the 10th and 11th centuries. Its remains, including what is thought to be the foundation of its altar, were found beneath a more recent building.
How was it found?
The Gordonstoun team helped professional archaeologists from the Orkney Research Centre for Archaeology (Orca) to uncover the remains.
Gordonstoun housemaster Dan McLean, who organised the trip, said: “The only real hint about a church being on the island is a map reference to a ruin known locally as the ‘Twinly Kirk.’”
After discovering a step leading to the possible church altar, the group found other clues regarding construction method, layout and orientation.
Another clue was that it was dry stone, and there was no clay bonding or mortar. There are also cairns nearby and a wall that blocks access to a landing point.
dan mclean, gordonstoun housemaster
More conclusions to come?
- Radiocarbon dating of the students’ samples could draw more conclusions about the structure.
- The pupils also explored a probable prehistoric settlement in the centre of the small, privately-owned island.
- Elsewhere, they investigated a circular ditch believed to have been the site of a Viking warning beacon.
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UK POLITICS
Mayor hopeful Cleverly swipes at Reform on London crime
Sir James Cleverly has said mayoral candidates cannot “credibly” stand for election to run London while “obviously” hating the city, in remarks that will be interpreted as a swipe at Reform UK.
Battle for the capital
The former home secretary, who has announced he’s stepping down as shadow housing secretary to bid for the Conservative nomination for London mayor, made the comments when asked about claims from Reform’s mayoral candidate, Laila Cunningham, that the capital is unsafe.
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Is London safe?
Cunningham said this week that her children are “petrified” to visit Shepherd’s Bush following a stabbing, and has frequently characterised London as gripped by crime, telling The i Paper last year that there are “no safe parts” in the capital.
Asked directly about her comments, Cleverly told The i Paper: “I’m not here to talk about her. Let her talk about her and let her justify her statements.”
Cleverly on London crime
- Cleverly argued responsibility for crime in London lay with the current mayor, Lord Khan of Tooting.
- He said the capital’s performance on crime was “an outlier” in the UK while he was home secretary.
- Cleverly went on to criticise those who often depict London as afflicted by crime.
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I don’t think you can credibly be the candidate for mayor of London if you obviously hate the city you’re trying to get elected for. I love London. I’m unapologetic about that.
james cleverly
Reform: Cleverly is ‘out
of touch’
- A Reform UK spokesperson said Cleverly was “out of touch”.
- If “James Cleverly thinks crime is not an issue in London then he’s even more out-of-touch than we originally thought”, they said.
- The spokesperson added: “London needs a mayor that is realistic about the issues the city faces, not one that will turn a blind eye to them.”
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US and Iran trade strikes in first hostilities for weeks
The United States and Iran have traded strikes for the first time since late July, breaking a lull in fighting during an intermittent war that has lasted more than six months. Here’s what we know.
Where did the US strike?
US forces struck Iranian rocket launchers on the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, with Central Command claiming the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was observed preparing to launch rockets with sea mines.
News outlets in Iran reported explosions near Larak island.
Donald Trump posted an AI-generated video on his Truth Social platform of the bombing of the Kharg Island oil hub, claiming it’s “going to be blown to smithereens!”.
What was Iran’s response?
Later, Iranian state TV showed what it said were ballistic missiles being fired by Iran at US bases in Jordan in response to the American strikes. Jordan’s military said it intercepted eight missiles in the country’s airspace early Monday.
The UAE air force also intercepted an Iranian drone over its territorial waters, the country’s defence ministry said.
US ‘eliminated’ Iran’s threat
- The US disputed Iran’s claim that its strikes were an act of aggression.
- “Iran created the threat and the US military eliminated it,” Centcom said.
- This was “to protect civilian mariners, commercial shipping, and the free flow of global commerce” in the Strait of Hormuz, it added.
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Return to open conflict?
Since last confirming it had struck Iranian targets on 29 July, the US had turned its focus to increasing economic pressure in a bid to end the months-long war.
A return to open conflict would be dangerous for the region, where Iran has targeted US military bases and infrastructure in Gulf countries since the fighting began on 28 February.
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Thousands of prisoners set for early release
Thousands of prisoners are set for an early release as part of controversial Government plans to ease jail overcrowding.
Here’s what we know.
Cutting the numbers
About 5,000 prisoners were due to be released early from October, down from 6,000, after ministers intervened to block rapists and “serious” child sex offenders from being eligible.
Under further changes announced by Prime Minister Andy Burnham on Sunday, several hundred more criminals will now be exempt from the early release scheme.
More exemptions
- Anyone convicted of unlawful killing, including all forms of manslaughter, is now ineligible.
- The exemption extends to those convicted of causing death by dangerous driving or allowing the death of a child.
- Grooming gang perpetrators will also be blocked from early release amid concerns about a potential loophole in the system.
The unlawful killing exemption means two men tied to the killing of PC Andrew Harper will remain behind bars after backlash over their initial eligibility for early release.
Burnham also confirmed the Government will seek to end imprisonment for public protection sentences (IPPs), releasing offenders previously assessed to pose a significant risk of causing serious harm to the public.
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What are IPPs?
IPPs, available between 2005 and 2012, meant offenders given such a sentence could only be released once the Parole Board determined they no longer posed a threat. They essentially meant some offenders could be held indefinitely; several hundred still were as of June 2026.
More than 2,000 IPP offenders are in jail, including 1,415 who were recalled to prison.
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Potential problems
However, Labour’s justice minister Jake Richards warned MPs in January that abolishing IPP sentences retrospectively “would result in prisoners being released whom the independent Parole Board has determined are too dangerous”.
Meanwhile, Sir David Gauke, the ex-Tory justice secretary who helped Labour craft the early release scheme, has warned that freeing IPP prisoners could be even riskier than releasing killers and rapists early.
Patel to be replaced by Tugendhat in Tory reshuffle
Ex-Tory leadership hopeful Tom Tugendhat is set to replace senior Conservative Dame Priti Patel as shadow foreign secretary, it has emerged.
New international role for Patel
Dame Priti said she would now look to strengthen Tory links with global centre-right and fellow conservative parties through a new “international role”.
Tugendhat, her reported replacement in Kemi Badenoch’s shadow cabinet, returns to the frontbenches, having previously served as security minister under former Tory prime ministers Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak.
China hawk Tugendhat
- Patel called for stronger action to protect the UK from threats posed by China, Iran and Russia.
- Tugendhat is one of the most hawkish MPs on China and has campaigned against plans for the new super embassy in London.
- He has been on the backbenches since a failed Tory leadership campaign in 2024.
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Tory reshuffle continues
The move comes as part of Tory leader Badenoch’s impending reshuffle of her frontbench, with the role of shadow housing, communities and local government secretary also vacant after Sir James Cleverly quit to run for London mayor.
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Weekend lie-in may be good for your health
Having a lie-in at the weekend may actually have health benefits, new research suggests.
Here’s what we know.
No shame for sleeping in
Researchers from Korea University gathered data on 41,000 adults over a seven-year study, measuring participants’ “catch-up” sleep at the weekend as well as their blood pressure and level of physical activity.
One key takeaway, the team said, was that people should not feel “lazy or guilty” for staying in bed a little longer at the weekend.
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Weekend slumber: facts and figures
Blood pressure boost
1 h 27 min
The study showed one to two hours extra sleep helped maintain good health.
Sleeping for an extra hour and 27 minutes resulted in .
9%
This amount of extra sleep was linked to a nine per cent less chance of high blood pressure.
The study also found any level of extra sleep on the weekend was linked to a six per cent lower likelihood of high blood pressure.
But don’t overdo it…
When weekend catch-up sleep becomes excessive, the degree of sleep irregularity and circadian disruption may increase, which could offset that benefit.
Dr Nawton Lee, korea university
A common problem
It comes as one in three adults in Britain have high blood pressure, or hypertension. The average British adult also records less than the NHS-recommended seven to nine nightly hours of sleep.
Despite being symptomless, high blood pressure increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
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Campaigners have long criticised councils for the way they pursue debt, which means one missed payment can quickly spiral into thousands of pounds owed and “aggressive” enforcement action.
After taking power in 2024, Labour announced an overhaul of rules about council tax debt collection which ministers promised would better protect vulnerable households, but the changes are not due to come into effect until April 2027.
Councillors and campaigners now fear many local authorities are ramping up the use of bailiffs to recover arrears before the new rules come in – with some referring thousands more cases to debt collection agencies than they were last year.
The figure has risen 30 per cent in just three years, when 1.3 million cases were passed to bailiffs in 2022/23, but remained relatively flat compared to last year’s 1.74 million referrals.
People pursued for council tax arrears have described seeing their debts spiral after being put into the hands of collection agencies, with one telling The i Paper it had made his situation “10 times worse”.
Steve Vaid, chief executive of the Money Advice Trust, the charity that runs National Debtline, called the latest figures “desperately disappointing”.
“Council tax debt is one of the most common problems we help people with every day, and these figures paint a worrying picture,” he added.
Hard-up councils chasing debts while hiking taxes
The use of bailiffs to pursue council tax debts varies greatly across the country.
Conservative-led Torbay Council in Devon saw the biggest rise in cases sent to bailiffs last year, with more than 18,000 referred compared to 1,145 in 2024/25.
Swithin Long, leader of the Lib Dem opposition on Torbay Council, said it has raised concerns over the trend as its own figures show at least 23 per cent of the local population have fallen behind on their council tax in recent years.
“We’re a deprived area and I just think people are struggling,” he said.
He also claimed staffing problems meant some people had struggled to seek help with their debts.
“There seems to be an issue of staffing in the council tax helpline. Council tax is one of those things that can sometimes be complicated and not something that can be done on a website.”
Torbay, like many local authorities, has been hit by government funding cuts since 2011 – forcing it to make more than £500m in savings over that period.
Cllr Long expressed concern that Torbay may be increasing the use of debt enforcement to claw back as much money as it can before the rules change next year.
He said: “I suspect that’s right,” adding: “Councils should be about providing services rather than making money off them.”
Wandsworth Council in London is another of the most prolific users of bailiffs, having referred nearly 10,000 cases of council tax debt last year.
The authority says it is facing a perilous financial situation because of Labour’s new “Fair Funding” formula for councils which has handed out more cash on the basis of deprivation and has tended to favour urban areas in the North of England.
The Conservative-led authority is said to be considering a council tax rise of 160 per cent to fill an £84m black hole in its finances.
David Obote, 44, is among those who have been confronted by bailiffs at his front door demanding thousands in council tax arrears.
Mr Obote, who works in transport management, owed £6,000 after experiencing difficulties in his personal life, including an expensive child custody battle.
He said he unsuccessfully attempted to negotiate with St Albans Council – which referred 1,729 cases to bailiffs last year – over a repayment plan before bailiffs turned up at his door as he prepared to take his daughter to school in 2022.
Describing the experience as “horrible”, he said: “What they are doing, it’s like the Sheriff of Nottingham coming to take money from the little people.
“I think the system needs to be on a case-by-case basis. It needs to be means-tested so that people can at least pay what they can afford.”
Despite having since been able to sort his arrears through a debt relief order, he said the impact on his mental health of having bailiffs at his door had made things “10 times worse”.
St Albans Council denied being unsympathetic to Mr Obote’s circumstances and said it uses enforcement agents as a “last resort”.
Wandsworth Food Bank shared the story of Loraine, a service user who says she was pursued over a council tax debt that was originally less than £500 but ended up costing more than £3,000 once bailiff fees were added.
“It’s scary,” she said. “You open the door, they put their foot in the door, and you can’t close it. It’s very intimidating.
“You don’t want them to come in because you’re frightened, but you also don’t want your neighbours to see because of the shame.”
“Once they’re in, it’s like, what money have you got? Have you got this? Have you got that? How much money have you got in your bank account? But I hadn’t got anything.”
Loraine said that although bailiffs were not able to remove anything of value from her home, it left her feeling “sick”.
“The Council needs to take people’s individual situations into consideration. Things do happen – some people can’t cope,” she added.
Wandsworth Council was contacted for comment.
Incoming rules will limit ‘aggressive’ debt collection
Earlier this year, the Government announced a crackdown on council tax debt collection, with then local government secretary Steve Reed saying: “Too many families are facing aggressive enforcement action, with people left terrified of bailiffs knocking on the door because one month’s council tax bill was missed.”
From next April, councils will have to wait 63 days, up from two weeks, before they can demand a full year’s council tax payment following a missed instalment.
They will also have to offer more affordable repayment arrangements, and there will be a new £100 cap on court-related fees.
Councils will also be expected to offer better protections for vulnerable households and a shift to 12 monthly payments, instead of the current 10, by default.
Money Advice Trust has welcomed these changes following years of campaigning on council tax reform, but says further action is still needed.
It is urging the Government to set out a series of steps councils must take before passing debts onto bailiffs and proposals to regulate the bailiff industry.
A government spokesperson said: “Local authorities are responsible for the collection and enforcement of council tax but we expect them to be proportionate and sympathetic to people when taking action.
“We have set out changes to give vulnerable people more time and support to settle outstanding bills, so we can make the system fairer.”
A Torbay Council spokesperson said: “Council tax helps fund essential local services. We recognise that some residents face financial difficulty and encourage anyone struggling to contact us early to discuss payment options and support.
“We aim to collect council tax fairly and effectively, while offering appropriate advice and support.”