If you are having difficulty paying your council tax you should contact us.
We cannot make a different payment arrangement until a court summons is issued. To make a new payment arrangement we require full income details.
Information regarding Council Tax and 'freeman on the land'
Missed instalment
If payment is not made within seven days of the instalment date, the council can start recovery proceedings.
First and second reminders
- if a payment is overdue, a reminder is issued showing the amount you need to pay
- if payment is made after a first reminder has been issued and a further instalment is missed, a second reminder is issued for the unpaid amount
- if a payment is made within seven days from the date of the reminder letter, the instalments will continue
If you cannot bring your payments up to date within 7 days, you should contact us by completing the recovery form using the button below. It may be possible to make different arrangements, otherwise a court summons can be issued for the full amount of Council Tax due for the year including £80 court costs.
Final notice
- if you miss another instalment payment after a second reminder has been issued, a final notice is issued for the full amount of council tax due for the year as you have lost the right to pay by instalments
- unless the whole amount is paid within seven days of the date on the letter a court summons is then issued, plus a further £80.00 costs are added to your bill
- a payment arrangement may still be possible, by completing the Recovery form using the button below
Court summons
A summons is a document issued by the Magistrates Court concerning unpaid monies. The council will -
- ask the court to grant a liability order for unpaid council tax. This means that the court agrees you owe the money and the council can take additional steps to collect it
- a summons can be delivered by posting it to the last known address of the debtor. We do not have to prove that the summons or reminder has been received but only that it has been posted
- a leaflet is enclosed with the summons, which explains why it has been issued and what you need to do next. It is important to follow the guidance on this leaflet
Your options if you receive a summons are -
- pay the whole amount of outstanding council tax, plus £30 of the costs, before the hearing date. The remaining £50 costs can be withdrawn
- you are unable to pay in full and have received a Council Tax Special Arrangement order along with your summons. As long as you fully pay the arranged instalments on or before the agreed dates there will be no further action taken after the court hearing
- you want to dispute the request for a liability order. You must contact the council at least seven days prior to the court hearing to explain why you believe you are not liable. As a last resort you will be given a time to present your case to the court by way of a telephone hearing
- taking no action. A liability order will normally be granted for the outstanding council tax and court costs. Further action will continue as below
Liability order
The liability order gives us the right to recover the debt by enforcement through various methods such as -
- attachment of earnings
- Enforcement Agent action
- bankruptcy proceedings
- A petition for bankruptcy can be presented in the County Court against any person owing at least £5000. This is a very serious matter and you can expect to lose your assets, including your home
- charging orders
- a charging order means any outstanding debts are paid from the proceeds of the sale of your house.
- committal to prison
- An enquiry into your income and expenses takes place and a payment order made by the magistrates. Failure to maintain payments could ultimately result in a prison sentence. If you do not appear in court, the magistrates issue a warrant for your arrest, with bail
After a Liability Order is granted we send you a letter, giving you 14 days to pay in full or make a suitable payment arrangement. This letter includes a form requesting details of your household income which you must complete and return. The form is part of the legal procedure and must be returned by law. If it is not returned a fine of £500 could be issued by the courts. If false information is supplied, you can receive a fine of up to £1000. A criminal conviction would also be recorded.
You can access and update your Council Tax account by registering for My Council Tax Account.
