The HCEOA is campaigning for the Ministry of Justice to put in place a regular review process for enforcement fees that is consistent with the way court fees in England and Wales are reviewed and updated.
Our proposed solution
We believe the government should follow its own example for reviewing court fees as set out in its 2024 ‘Implementing increases to selected court and tribunal fees’ consultation response (page 21, paragraph 81).
Following the government’s own principles, our view is this would ensure a sustainable, fair and effective enforcement sector.
It would mean:
- The government would make routine updates to enforcement fees every two years to account for changes in cost and CPI.
- The approach would align with that taken for court fees as well as comparable public sector fees that are routinely reviewed and updated in this way.
- The next review would need to take place in late 2027 / early 2028 to prepare for implementation in May 2028 (the two-year anniversary of the most recent change).
- As it would be routine, there would be no need for a public consultation each time fees are updated, but government would continue to engage with relevant parties on an ongoing basis in a timely manner.
Why change is needed
An effective enforcement sector is crucial to the UK economy as it supports local authorities, individuals and businesses recoup debts that are owed to them.
However, the current system is broken and unsustainable.
- The fees for High Court enforcement are set out in law by the Government.
- After being set in 2014 they did not change for 12 years
- In 2026 they were increased by just 5% despite a cumulative 45% increase in inflation
This is despite the Ministry of Justice’s own recommendation that enforcement fees should be updated annually following the CPI figure for each September (Explanatory Memorandum To The Taking Control Of Goods (Fees) Regulations 2014, paragraph 3.3).
Even following the 2023 publication of the Ministry’s Taking Control of Goods (Fees) Regulations 2014 policy paper recommending fees be increased by 5% it took three years for this to be implemented.
Rising costs impact effectiveness
It is important for High Court enforcement fees to match inflation to allow enforcement businesses to continue investment into technology, customer service tools and robust auditing processes, which enables them to deliver continuous improvements in quality of service to both debtors and creditors to drive up standards.
Under remunerating EAs creates a risk of poor practice due to the resulting lack of the resources needed for auditing and adequate CPD training, as well as lower staffing volumes servicing the same number of cases.
Collectively the impact of this problem will have a much broader impact than on just enforcement businesses. Enforcement is a key part of the overall ecosystem of the UK economy.
During those twelve years our members have been subject to a huge range of rising costs, none of which can be recouped by increasing fees charged to debtors as enforcement fees are controlled by government. These rising costs include, but are not limited to:
- Inflation running at a cumulative 45%
- Taxation increases, e.g. rises in corporation tax, employers’ national insurance
- Major hikes in the cost of essential overheads like energy costs, petrol/diesel and postage, all of which have to be absorbed into our members’ budgets and cannot, by law be charged on in any way to the debtor
- Investment in body-worn video technology
- A 95% increase in minimum wage costs between 2014 and April 2026
- Training to meet new ECB standards
- The introduction of a year-on-year increase in the ECB levy
- New processes to remain compliant with the new VAT procedure introduced inOctober 2021
- Introduction of compulsory pension schemes of 3% through auto enrolment
- The introduction of GDPR
- Changes to Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard compliance
- Introduction of Breathing Space
- Enhanced Right to Work checks
- Introduction of Body Worn Video (expected to become mandatory)
- The introduction of the ECB contribution levy
The impact of stagnant fees and cost pressure on the High Court enforcement sector
This position is having a significant impact on our members and their businesses. In March 2026, we undertook our latest annual survey of members. Some of the responses show the scale of the challenge the sector is facing. For example, we asked what the impact of the delay in the implementation of the 5% increase had been on the businesses our members run and work for.
- 76% of respondents said it had meant pay freezes/reduced pay awards
- 59% said it had meant recruitment freezes
- 29% said it had meant job losses
We also asked how working in the High Court enforcement sector had changed over the past five years – 73% of respondents said it had become significantly more challenging, with 23% saying it had become slightly more challenging.
Next steps
The HCEOA will continue to engage proactively and constructively with the Ministry of Justice and other stakeholders to make the case for a fair, regular and transparent enforcement fee review structure that ensures the sustainability of a fair and effective enforcement system in England and Wales.
