Members of ACORN the Union disrupted city council proceedings this evening
One ACORN activist had a sign reading boot the bailiffs
Protesters have been removed from Liverpool Town Hall after they interrupted a meeting of the city council to demand a bailiff free Britain. As members of the local authority gathered on Water Street to discuss Liverpool’s economic position on Wednesday evening, members of community-based union ACORN staged a loud intervention.
Chanting “bailiff free Britain” and brandishing a flag with the ACORN logo, half a dozen activists attempted to take to the front of the Town Hall chamber to make their voices heard. The union has been campaigning nationally to end the use of bailiffs for the collection of council tax debt.
The meeting was brought to a halt just after 6.20pm after Anfield member Cllr Billy Marrat made his maiden speech. Officers from CitySafe, which provides security and monitoring during full council meetings, stepped in to remove the protestors from the room.
As Cllr Marrat brought his speech to a close, members of the public who had been sat at the back of the room since the meeting began an hour earlier sprung from their seats, attempting to make their way to the front where city leaders were sat. While noisy, the demonstration was peaceful, with CitySafe officials putting themselves between the activists and councillors.
Demonstrators took to the Town Hall this evening
One man was seen carrying a sign that read “Boot the Bailiffs” while others waved the flag bearing ACORN’s insignia. On its website, ACORN said it was fighting back against what it called a “broken” council tax system.
It said: “It’s unfair and ineffective, with poorer homes paying disproportionately more than rich ones. And the way it’s collected isn’t just failing to help – council tax debt is rising and bully bailiffs are profiting from the crisis – it’s hurting people and damaging our communities.
“But ACORN is fighting back – campaigning for a fairer system, and dignity for our families and our communities.” One protestor who addressed Cllr Liam Robinson said she had managed to secure a meeting with the city leader to discuss the use of bailiffs.
Protesters entered the Town Hall
As CitySafe officers removed the protestors, one man was heard to shout “take your hands off me, get your hands off me now, I did not give you my consent to touch me.”
According to the city council’s website, it will seek to recover council tax debts via bailiffs when attempts to reach a payment plan cannot be agreed. This can include a failure to attend court via a summons.
ACORN Branch secretary Martin Mawdsley said that after a positive meeting with the council in August, dialogue with the union had stopped, leaving members feeling they had no choice but to take action. He said: “The council was supposed to be cutting down, but nearly 70 households a day in Liverpool are being referred to bailiffs, and since our last meeting with the council, several of our members and their neighbours have been visited by these bullies.
“We can’t sit waiting by the phone any longer. This has to be a priority.”