This morning Marston Group issued a Press announcement which states as follows:

What's happened

Marston’s parent company, Marston Holdings Limited, has received additional funding from the Rothschild Group, Lloyds Bank and Inflexion. It has also just acquired Rossendales Limited. Marston and Rossendales are therefore now sister companies within the same corporate family.

The enlarged Group, which specialises in an integrated compliance and enforcement process, now provides services to:

· Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Services

· Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs

· Legal Services Commission

· Child Support Agency

· Student Loans Company

· Transport for London

· 196 local authorities across England & Wales

· 500 solicitor firms and private clients

Broader client services capability

Being part of the same Group will help each company to offer more services to each set of clients. The two companies should also bring out the best in each other, and will be able to learn from each other.

Marston Holdings now receives 1.2 million cases each year through Marston and Rossendales. Over 1,000 staff and self-employed agents work for, or with, the two companies.

Marston and Rossendales recovered over £150 million for the taxpayer last year, which is equivalent to the annual salaries of around 6,000 nurses. Over £50 million was recovered for private clients.

The creation of the UK’s first judicial services corporate of scale, undertaking significant early stage compliance collections, tracing & investigation services and every type of court order recovery, offers significant benefits for both clients and customers.

Client and customer benefits

An independent Advisory Group has just been formed, for example, with a remit to oversee governance and ethics of both businesses. Appointees include:

· Baroness Eaton, former Chair of the Local Government Association

· Elizabeth Filkin, former Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards and former Chief Executive of Citizens Advice

· Vernon Everitt, Transport for London’s Managing Director of Customer Experience

· Marc Gander, Consumer Action Group founder

· Mark Glover, Chief Executive of Bellenden Public Affairs

· Claer Lloyd-Jones, ethical audit partner

This is a ground-breaking initiative that provides a high level of assurance that reputational risk is being managed effectively.

Body worn videos are also being rolled out to every field agent across the two organisations, and the scope of Marston’s ongoing ethical audit is being extended to cover both businesses.

Further pioneering initiatives are due for rollout by the summer.

Full details are on the Marston Group's new website at:

www.marstongroup.co.uk

As confirmed by BankFodder yesterday, Marston Group have set up a new Advisory Group to oversee governance and ethics of both businesses. Marc Gander as owner of Consumer Action Group has been appointed to the Advisory Group together with the following:

Baroness Eaton: Former Chair of the Local Government Association

Elizabeth Filkin: Former Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards and former Chief Executive of Citizens Advice

Vernon Everitt: Transport for Londons' Managing Director for Customer Experience

Mark Glover: Chief Executive of Bellenden Public Affairs

Ms Claer Lloyd-Jones: Ethical Audit Partner

Marston and Rossendales recovered over £150 million for the taxpayer last year, which is equivalent to the annual salaries of around 6,000 nurses....

This is the kind of propaganda that keeps the bosses of these companies from going to jail. The public buys it. How much of the £150 million would be paid regardless of these **** adding their millions?

Outlawla.

The Consultation on Bailiff reform has completed and now the Ministry of Justice have arranged meetings in April to discuss the changes etc. The new fee scale will be introduced in 2014 and this SHOULD lead to a significant decrease in complaints against bailffs and a lot more cases will be dealt with in house.

No other enforcement company have ever set up an Advisory Group and the list of members is most impressive. If there is to be any criticism then I am sure that Marc Gander will make his voice heard. I would expect that he would keep the forum advised of the progress of the Group.

We can but wait and see, but with Marc at the table we can be sure, the message from CAG will be heard.

My point was that these bailiff companies don't really recover this level of money for the taxpayer. The debtor just pays it via the private companies, who take their commission which can often double their Council Tax.

One comment, you can 't polish a turd and thank the Lord I have no priority debts as there wont be any let up or hiding place now. All done for the general public's benefit, forgot to mention the maximization of profits.trebles and more grief all round. Set up a committee to give them an air of respectability. Well as far as I am concerned they can foxtrot oscar !

One comment, you can 't polish a turd and thank the Lord I have no priority debts as there wont be any let up or hiding place now. All done for the general public's benefit, forgot to mention the maximization of profits.trebles and more grief all round. Set up a committee to give them an air of respectability. Well as far as I am concerned they can foxtrot oscar !

I would agree but on the other hand, to keep the moral high ground at least Marc can push things through that channel also, as CAG must be seen to be even handed.

Yes hopefully he can exert some influence, just having a man inside watching over their shady operations

would be a great asset, but you just cannot trust these bar stewards as far as you can throw them. With their

combined muscle and financial clout what influence will they have with the MoJ for eg ? Look at Murdoch and

the News of the World for an example

Marc Gander as owner of Consumer Action Group has been appointed to the Advisory Group

The CAG has never been run on the cult of the personality. MSE, for instance is built around a personality - Martin Lewis. That was intentional by Martin and it is part of the formula for the enormous success of MSE.

I expect that most people who come to us have no idea who I am. The CAG is all of us together - the Caggers.

I have been invited on to the Group simply because I am a significant player on the CAG.

If there is to be any criticism then I am sure that Marc Gander will make his voice heard. I would expect that he would keep the forum advised of the progress of the Group.

Thank you. Of course I will make my views known. In terms of keeping the forum advised of progress, I am sure that this can be done in general terms but I hope that people will appreciate that for any progress to made, there will have to be a certain amount of confidential information distributed which I would not be able to share beyond the Group.

I doubt whether I shall be able to give a blow-by-blow account.

I expect that if new ways of doing things are adopted as a result of advice given by the Group, then this is more likely to be announced by Marston - who I am sure will want also to benefit from the commercial advantage they will gain by improving their operation. I don't think that they can be criticised for this. They are running a business, after all.

If I become unhappy with the way that the Group is conducted, or with the progress it makes, or the way that its advice is received by Marston, then I will resign, of course, and I will provide an explanation on these pages.

I would agree but on the other hand, to keep the moral high ground at least Marc can push things through that channel also, as CAG must be seen to be even handed.

I'm not sure about "pushing".

I'm not too clear how the group will work but I think that the whole exercise will be about providing advice and eventually, as we become established, about exerting influence as well.

I don't expect that there will be overnight reforms. I think that there is a lot to learn (for me, at any rate), in order to understand what the problems are and how they might be dealt with.

In very broad terms, I see it as a question of changing the culture of enforcement by the industry and and hand in hand with that, of changing the culture of consumer/debtor perception of the industry (very very tricky). However, it is the Industry which will have to blink first. Change will have to come from them before there is any change in public perception.

I don't think that anyone is going to start seeing enforcement agents as Mr Nice Guy, any time soon - but maybe there might be a move towards thinking that, yes it is an unpleasant business, but at least they try to handle it with some decency and that the rogues, bullies and rotten apples aren't typical - and aren't even wanted by the industry.

Does that work?

Works for me BF

what concerns me is the term "advisory group"

may i ask what clout or penalties this advisory group can demand from marstons, or is it yet another toothless quango in all but name

sorry for being negative but are there any punitive sanctions on the table for non compliance

It is an advisory Group - attached to Marston. It isn't regulatory in any way - although it would be a great idea, wouldn't it.

"ADVISORY"

Says it all then in reality, whats the point ?

i agree its a step in the right direction, but it will have no substance to curtail rogue practice inerrant within the enforcement business, and little prospect of changing ingrained bad habits which are driven through commercial means by the business.

If you think about it, any cases that come to CAGs attention, where bailiffs from Marstons or Rossendales have behaved badly, may now be given more attention by Marstons senior management. If they think that Marc may turn up at one of the advisory group meetings with cases that should be looked into, then I would expect them to be keeping a very close eye on posts on CAG. The management of Marstons would be a tad embarrased in front of the other panel members if there were 'live' examples of their baliffs behaving badly.

Hopefully this will also trigger the other bailiff companies to start engaging a bit more with consumer protection groups/forums.

"ADVISORY"

 

Says it all then in reality, whats the point ?

 

i agree its a step in the right direction, but it will have no substance to curtail rogue practice inerrant within the enforcement business, and little prospect of changing ingrained bad habits which are driven through commercial means by the business.

Firstly, as you say, it is a step in the right direction - and so it should not be ignored.

Secondly, I don't believe that the management of most enforcement companies really want their companies to be associated with thuggery.

I think that the previous management of Rossendales found this kind of reputation was inconvenient. I think that the new management of Rossendales really doesn't want it on their doorstep at all.

If the management of enforcement companies are earnest about it then they will impose the incentives and the discipline to get rid of the rogue element and improve standards all round.

We'll see.

In the meantime, the day-to-day business of standing up to bad practice stays with us - so let's not stop.

Anyway, be reasonable

You have your Advisory Group - The Consumer Action Group.

Now Marston has its own Advisory Group.

Come on, play fair.

Its just i see it as no more than a publicity stunt for the benefit of marstons patting itself on the back

A prime example to compare would be the credit industry and the CSA

I am not at all being totally negative as you have to give it a chance, but the industry has a serious tarnished reputation. Lets judge it on its results in 12 months time to see if the industry is serious in cleaning up its act. That will be the reasonable approach to take before dismissing it out of hand

It is a move in the right direction and we should allow the Advisory Group to settle in and get on with it's job. There are some very important people involved and I am sure that none of them would agree to be on the panel if they believed that it was just a "publicity stunt".

Let's all hope for some sunshine on this bank holiday weekend !!!

how does someone get advice from marstons advisory group?

how does someone get advice from marstons advisory group?

You won't. I think it is just advising Marstons management board about concerns with the current way bailiffs are operating, the problems being experienced and how the bailiff industry can improve to meet the challenge of greater regulation that is coming down the track. When you look at who is on this advisory board, it looks like a serious attempt to improve the way they are operating.

You won't. I think it is just advising Marstons management board about concerns with the current way bailiffs are operating, the problems being experienced and how the bailiff industry can improve to meet the challenge of greater regulation that is coming down the track. When you look at who is on this advisory board, it looks like a serious attempt to improve the way they are operating.

It will be last hope hotel, as if they don't listen to the advice, then they will deserve all the odium, and extra regulation that will come their way.

how does someone get advice from marstons advisory group?

I'm not sure what you mean. What sort of "advice" are you referring to?