Bristow & Sutor donates PPE to Plymouth City Council
Plymouth City Council has received several boxes of PPE this month, donated by Bristow & Sutor, one of the UK’s leading players specialising in debt recovery.
Bristow & Sutor has developed and enhanced services throughout the coronavirus pandemic, including the introduction of webchat for debtors, increasing outbound calls, implementing text reminders for cases in payment arrangements, implementing more payment methods and prioritising the most successful contact methods. It is hoped these boxes of masks, hand gel, and visors will help local authorities ensure important community work in the region can continue safely.
Every Bristow & Sutor enforcement agent, formerly known as bailiffs, now possess equipment such as masks, hand sanitisers, antibacterial wipes, disinfectant sprays and gloves as standard. All members of staff have been trained on the use of PPE and must pass an industry approved course before being allowed to conduct visits. They are not permitted to enter properties currently, so any resolution found is done so in a socially distanced manner from the doorstep. The business has also obtained NQA COVID Secure Verification accreditation, an independent review that provides assurance measures in place successfully mitigate the transmission of COVID-19 per government guidelines.
Darren Stoneman, Civil Enforcement Manager, Plymouth City Council said, “Plymouth City Council were grateful to receive a supply of PPE, generously provided by Bristow & Sutor. As a parking service we are an integral part of the community and during the pandemic have reallocated our resources to support our community. The donated PPE was used by our Civil Enforcement officers whilst supporting the delivery of a safe new COVID-19 Vaccine centre in Plymouth, as well as staff who are volunteering in their own time as hub wardens, supporting the most vulnerable so they may access this vital service. We are truly grateful for the support given by Bristow & Sutor and we send our thanks.”
Bristow & Sutor employees are directly employed and are not paid based on the performance of one visit, their goal remains to help find the best solution and not focus purely on achieving immediate revenue. Before resuming visits, Bristow & Sutor supplied reconnection letters to debtors, giving them the opportunity to set up flexible payment arrangements and discuss changing circumstances. Paul Kyte, Bristow & Sutor Head of Client Development said,
“We understand better than anyone the importance of communicating and the positive outcomes that conversations can lead to. We wanted to do something to help our clients roll out the critical local services our enforcement activity helps to fund. Plymouth City Council have been very grateful for the PPE donation and we are currently looking into the possibility of making further donations to other local institutions within the region.”
Bristow & Sutor has over 42 years’ experience in the collection of local council tax, non-domestic rates and unpaid Penalty Charge Notices. The company prides itself on delivering an ethical, compliant and high-quality service to the public and private sectors.
