Dear Andy,
When we first met, you looked me in the eye and made me a promise.
You said that people like me – who know what it is to face unpayable debt and the knock at the door from a bailiff – should have a seat at the table. You listened. You recognised that council tax debt and the use of bailiffs is making life harder for families already struggling. You committed to doing things differently.
With council tax debt at a record high of £9.3bn it’s time to end this debt crisis.
You even put my words on the wall of your office: "Your debt to us is the price of your power. Never give up fighting for us."
You said that using bailiffs to collect council tax debt from people who simply can't afford to pay it is wrong. We agree. Now it's time to turn that belief into national action.
The values you've championed in Greater Manchester shouldn't stop at the city boundary. Every family in Britain deserves the same chance to live with dignity, free from the fear of aggressive debt collection and unaffordable bills.
Stand with us once again. Deliver a fairer approach to debt for everyone,end the use of bailiffs for council tax debt collection, and build a country where we can all live well– not just survive.
Because your promise wasn't just to me. It was to all of us.
Yours,
Jo Barker-Marsh
Anti-poverty campaigner