Alan J. Smith, Chair of the High Court Enforcement Officers Association looks at the Association’s priorities for the next two years where its focus will be on shaping the future of enforcement in a changing world.
As we head into 2025, we’ve identified five key areas that we’re focusing on over the next two years to ensure that we continue to represent and support our members and be the voice of the profession.
Supporting the Ministry of Justice
It’s fair to say that the MoJ has had a busy agenda over the first few months under the new government, all whilst being tasked with simultaneously cutting costs.
We’re continuing to meet with the Civil Justice team and engage with new Ministers. Top of our agenda alongside providing practical support on how High Court enforcement can help provide solutions is an urgently needed uplift to enforcement fees.
We’re calling on the MoJ to implement its own recommendations to uplift enforcement fees for the first time in ten years and bring in a regular fee review process to manage this moving forward.
Labour is only a few months into its new administration, and we cannot hold it responsible for the actions of the previous government, but action is now needed on this issue.
On a broader basis, enforcement is a complex, sensitive and changing sector. We’ll continue to work with the MoJ team to help them identify and deliver practical improvements and solutions to their challenges where we can add value by providing fair and effective enforcement.
Campaigning for changes in jurisdiction orders
There are areas where we believe High Court enforcement can play an enhanced and valuable role in helping creditors recover funds owed to them. There are a couple of specific examples of this – both backed by court users – we will be campaigning on.
The first is to allow court users to choose High Court enforcement to enforce judgments on debts under £600, which is currently prohibited. The second is to make it easier for landlords to ‘transfer up’ to access the services of High Court enforcement officers to enforce Writs of Possession.
Both of these are about freedom of choice for creditors, neither will cost the taxpayer a penny, and the proposals don’t mean higher fees for debtors. For example, our members have said they’re prepared to use the non-High Court fee scale for debts under £600.
Simple changes to legislation can make a big difference and provide quicker access to justice to stop today’s creditors becoming the debtors of tomorrow.
Engaging with the Enforcement Conduct Board
The ECB is continuing to be proactive in its work across the sector. Hot on the heels of the recent introduction of its new Standards and complaints process, both of which are fully supported by our members, 2025 will see consultations around vulnerability and ability to pay, as well as a range of other activity.
As HCEOA Chair, I sit on the ECB’s Stakeholder Forum and the Association, and our members, will continue to be proactive in responding in detail to its consultations.
Attracting and supporting students to become High Court Enforcement Officers
Over the next two years we’ll be undertaking research amongst current and potential students, and we plan to devise and deliver a recruitment campaign aimed at attracting more people into the profession.
High Court enforcement is a rewarding but complex career path. It has changed beyond recognition since I qualified as a High Court enforcement officer.
There is a rigorous and challenging post graduate education pathway that our student members need to pass. We want to ensure we’re attracting the right calibre of ‘students’ (they often have law degrees so calling them students seems odd!) and supporting them in the right way as they progress through their journey to become authorised officers.
Improving our engagement with the judiciary
The Association has recently responded to a Call for Evidence from the Civil Justice Council’s Enforcement Working Group. We’re awaiting the publication of its report, and any recommendations it makes about the future of enforcement, with interest.
More broadly, we want to enhance our work with the judiciary to ensure that judges at all levels have a full understanding of High Court enforcement processes so they understand how it can help alleviate pressures on the County Court system.
The next two years are going to be busy. We’re looking forward to the challenge of helping shape the future of enforcement whilst helping creditors, informing debtors and supporting government.
