Stirling Park sheriff officers: what to do if they have contacted you
Stirling Park are a firm of sheriff officers and messengers-at-arms in Scotland. Councils instruct them to collect council tax arrears once a summary warrant has been granted. Here is what that means, and what to do.
In short
- Stirling Park are sheriff officers, officers of the court in Scotland. They are not bailiffs, and English bailiff rules do not apply.
- If they are collecting council tax, your council already has a summary warrant, which added 10% to what you owe.
- They can arrest your wages or bank account, and attach goods outside your home, such as a car.
- They cannot enter your home to take goods without a special order from a sheriff, which is rare.
- You can agree a payment arrangement, or use the Debt Arrangement Scheme to stop them.
Who are Stirling Park?
Stirling Park are a firm of sheriff officers and messengers-at-arms in Scotland. Councils instruct them to collect council tax arrears, and they also collect debts for other public and private sector organisations.
Sheriff officers are officers of the court. They are regulated through the courts and the Society of Messengers-at-Arms and Sheriff Officers. They are not bailiffs, and the rules for bailiffs in England and Wales do not apply to them.
Why have they contacted me?
If Stirling Park are writing to you about council tax, it usually means:
- You fell behind with council tax
- Your council got a summary warrant from the sheriff court, which added 10% to what you owe. See summary warrants
- The council passed the debt to Stirling Park to collect
Their first step is usually a charge for payment, which gives you 14 days to pay.
What can they do?
- Arrest your wages, by telling your employer to take money from your pay. See wage arrestment
- Arrest money in your bank account
- Attach goods outside your home, most commonly a car
- Add fees, which are set by law
What can they not do?
- Enter your home to take goods, without an exceptional attachment order from a sheriff. These are rare
- Have you imprisoned. There is no prison for council tax in Scotland
What to do
- Do not ignore the letter. Check it is genuine by contacting your council.
- Check the council tax is right, including Council Tax Reduction and any discounts.
- Contact your council or Stirling Park to agree an affordable payment arrangement, in writing.
- Consider the Debt Arrangement Scheme if you have several debts. It stops arrestments for the debts included. See Debt Arrangement Scheme.
See sheriff officers for more on your rights.
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