We welcomed the opportunity to respond to the Enforcement Conduct Board’s (ECB) consultation on its draft 20 26/27 Business Plan and Budget.
Our response highlighted how we have been pleased with the progress that the ECB has made since its creation in 2022 in working towards its mission to ensure that everyone who experiences enforcement action is treated fairly – including its efforts to drive up standards in the enforcement sector and enhance complaints processes.
We were broadly supportive of the priorities outlined in this ECB consultation. We said it was sensible that the ECB was focused on building its capacity to further develop its operational functions and tackle the scale of non-compliance it is identifying through its complaints function. It was also encouraging to see the ECB recognise the importance of influencing creditor behaviour upstream, including shining a light on both positive and poor creditor behaviours that have implications for the enforcement process.
Since the ECB published its last business plan in early 2025, the Ministry of Justice announced it was minded to legislate for the introduction of an independent statutory regulator for the enforcement industry and consulted on this issue. We responded with our partners in the Taking Control coalition in July 2025 with strong endorsement for the proposals, as a longstanding campaigning aim of our organisation. Practically, we believe that the ECB is well equipped to take this responsibility on.
The ECB’s 2025 Insights report showed that that the enforcement industry received almost 3.7 million cases for enforcement under the Taking Control of Goods process, with a total debt value of almost £2.2 billion, in the first half of last year alone. The creation of a statutory regulator therefore cannot come soon enough, and we look forward to working with the ECB as it continues to advocate for these much-needed legal powers and as it moves forward to introduce the second phase of its Standards.