Closed petition: Take stronger measures to enforce payment of child maintenance arrears.

Closed on 23 April 2026

Take a stronger stance on non-paying parents related to Child maintenance and enforce more stringent measures to ensure they not only pay the regular payments due but clear any child maintenance arrears, especially when there's evidence the non paying parents can afford to do so.

Of the Child Maintenance payments arranged through the Collect and Pay service, the total unpaid was £27.8 million. The government have the power to enforce collection but we think they aren't doing this adequately.