Bailiffs search Council House to collect debts ‘Farce’ as court officers enter city landmark to settle unpaid bill

THERE were bizarre scenes as bailiffs entered Birmingham’s historic Council House this week to claim publicly-owned goods in order to settle a debt which the authority has failed to pay.

Two High Court enforcement officers were searching the building’s back offices on Tuesday, taking stock of items they might be able to seize to settle the bill.

The council’s opposition Tory leader branded it a ‘farcical’ situation for Europe’s largest local authority to have failed to settle a bill to the extent that it was now on the receiving end of a court enforcement order.

An email memo to Council House staff said: “Please note that we currently have two High Court Enforcement Officers walking within the Council House taking an inventory of items to potentially settle an outstanding debt. This issue is being managed through Legal Services and we have been advised not to hinder the officers in any way.”

According to sources, the issue surrounded a private landlord chasing unpaid rent from a private tenant whose housing benefit, issued by the council, had been stopped.

Opposition Conservative leader Councillor Robert Alden said: “Birmingham has a budget of more than £3 billion yet through mismanagement they now have bailiffs turning up to take a list of items they could take in lieu of payment from the council. This is a farcical situation. Time and again local suppliers, small businesses employing local residents have to chase the council for payment.”

A council spokeswoman said the bailiffs were in the building over the payment of a £5,000 debt.

She said: “We did have enforcement officers in the Council House in connection with a £5,000 debt that we are disputing, but this had nothing to do with suppliers or unpaid bills. We would point out that, due to the thousands of financial and legal transactions that local authorities deal with, it is not unusual for some to eventually involve the courts and enforcement officers. “The enforcement action is currently on hold while we deal with this.” The last time the city council hit the headlines for debt repayment problems was in 2007 and 2008, when a new computer accounts system, called Voyager, left many businesses resorting to the courts, bailiffs and cutting supplies after it built up a backlog of 30,000 unpaid bills and invoices.

This is a farcical situation Conservative Group Leader Robert Alden