Agencies and councils surpass banks with debt aggression.

TLDR: Government departments and local authorities are more aggressive than banks and businesses when it comes to dealing with people struggling with debt, according to three leading support organisations. Citizens Advice and the debt charities StepChange and Christians Against Poverty criticised councils and their debt collection practices. They argued that councils and government agencies could learn from the best practices seen in the private sector. Council tax arrears, child maintenance, benefit overpayments, and tax owed to HM Revenue and Customs were identified as the most problematic forms of government debt.