ACORN Manchester's campaign against the use of bailiffs has achieved a number of wins in recent months, securing dignity, financial support and improved wellbeing for residents during the cost of living crisis...

On 7th September, ACORN members together with Debt Justice spoke at the scrutiny committee meeting of Manchester City Council.

As a result of testimony from ours members who have experienced bailiff use and our collective demands along with Debt Justice, the council has since  recommended the completion of a feasibility study, looking into methods of debt collection that do not involve bailiffs!

This is a major step forward, coming after a year of hard campaigning to Boot The Bailiffs out of the city. As part of this campaign we've spoken to thousands of members of the public about this issue, our members have talked about their experiences of the issue in the local and national press, and we've recently stepped up our actions, interrupting Manchester City Council meetings to make sure residents’ voices were heard!

We've gotten support right across the board. The reality is, people are revolted to see bailiff companies double their profits during the cost of living crisis while ordinary people are pushed into more debt.

This follows the news in August that as a result of our campaign, Manchester City Council committed £1 million towards helping people struggling to pay their council tax, providing more discretionary payments to people who need support and extending the period in which people can pay their council tax arrears - offering breathing space for those struggling.

Sign up to hear more about this and other campaigns here.