Reform UK's candidate for Mayor of Hackney, Vahid Almasi, has refused to commit to ending the use of bailiffs for collecting council tax debt, despite acknowledging that bailiff visits are "traumatic" for residents. At an election hustings held by the ACORN Renters Union on Thursday (April 23), several candidates pledged to stop the practice, but Almasi argued that bailiffs should remain as a last resort.
Hustings Highlights
The event, organized by the local branch of ACORN, urged candidates to back five pledges aimed at improving housing conditions in Hackney, including ending what the union described as the "punishment and violence" of sending enforcement agents to residents' homes over tax arrears. ACORN stated there is "absolutely no evidence these harsh collection practices are even leading to higher revenues for councils to provide local services."
Conservative candidate Tareke Gregg committed to instructing the council not to use bailiffs for any purpose, including council tax or parking tickets, and to campaign for a change in the law. Green candidate Zoë Garbett also backed the pledge, saying, "Trust in public institutions is at an all-time low and bailiff use really doesn't add to the kind of community and approach we want to take with residents."
Support from Independent and Socialist Candidates
Cllr Penny Wrout, a council candidate for Hackney Independent Socialists who is backing Ms Garbett, said bailiffs "terrorised" people and "just didn't work." Brian Debus, standing as a councillor for the Trade Union and Socialist Coalition (TUSC), called the practice "medieval" and urged residents to picket bailiff offices.
Almasi's Position
Vahid Almasi was the only candidate not to take the pledge. He agreed that bailiff visits are "traumatic for anybody" but argued they should be used as a last resort rather than abolished outright. "We need authority, because otherwise we're introducing a crack in the system that people could misuse. If I am the Mayor, I need to run services and collect revenue," he said. ACORN Chair James Maloy disputed that bailiff collection brings in any revenue.
Absent Candidates
Neither Labour's incumbent Mayor Caroline Woodley nor Liberal Democrat candidate Eva Steinhardt attended the hustings. The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) understands that Ms Woodley withdrew days before after initially agreeing to attend. ACORN organisers "empty-chaired" both candidates in response.
Mayor Woodley's absence was notable given that Hackney Council, under Labour leadership, recently faced controversy for using bailiffs to evict a family for subletting a flat. Local activists surrounded the property to prevent the eviction, and a court suspended the warrant. While the debate focused on council tax collection rather than evictions, council data obtained by ACORN via a Freedom of Information request shows a sharp increase in bailiff referrals for council tax arrears: from zero in 2022/23 to 13,837 in 2023/24.
An ACORN spokesperson expressed disappointment that Labour did not attend: "We're incredibly disappointed that Labour weren't willing or able to come and lay out their position to the local community."
In October 2025, over 300 ACORN members shut down a conference of the Civil Court Users Association, which the union described as a major event for bailiff and debt collection companies. In December, members disrupted a Hackney Town Hall meeting to demand rent controls, use of council land for council homes, and improved accessibility in council housing.
