Council Tax account payment difficulties
If you're struggling to pay your bill please get in
touch with us straight away. Don't wait for a reminder or other
threatening letter.
What happens if I don't pay?
When we sent your Council Tax bill we told you how much you
had to pay and when. If you don't pay as requested we'll send you a
reminder notice. If you're making regular payments, but pay
later than the dates shown on your Council Tax bill, you may
receive a reminder notice because your payments are late. If you
want to change the date your payment is due - contact us.
What happens if I don't pay the amount I'm asked to pay on my
reminder notice?
You must pay the amount shown on the reminder within seven
days, this will bring your account up to date, then you need to pay
all your instalments on time in future, or you may lose the right
to pay by instalments. If you don't pay the amount due your name
can be sent to the magistrates court for a summons to be issued to
you for non payment of Council Tax. Details of your Council Tax
debt may also be passed to a debt collection agency to recover the
debt on our behalf.
What happens if I don't pay the amount I'm asked to pay on my
final notice?
You must pay the full amount you're asked to pay on the final
notice within seven days as you've lost the right to pay by
instalments as you've not paid your instalments at the due time. If
you don't pay the amount due your name can be sent to the
magistrates court for a summons to be issued to you for non payment
of Council Tax.
What happens once a summons is issued?
You can make payment in full before the court hearing day. Any
payment should include the costs that will be applied for at the
hearing. Paying the instalments doesn't stop court action.
Do I have to go to court?
It's your right to appear in court if you've been summoned.
However, you don't have to attend a court hearing but, we'll
still request that £96.00 liability order costs are awarded against
you.
If you intend to attend the court hearing it may be advisable
to phone our contact centre on 0845 121 2970 to
discuss your account.
If you don't attend, the hearing will go ahead without you and
the liability order will be applied for (unless you've already paid
the account in full).
If you choose to go to the court hearing, the magistrates will
ask if you've a valid defence which will stop a liability order
being granted.
The defences that the magistrates will take into account before
deciding to grant a liability order are shown below:
- That you've paid the Council Tax in full
- The amount hasn't been legally demanded because a legal
condition hasn't been met, this means we've not done one or more of
the following:
- Passed a resolution setting the tax that has been published in
a local newspaper;
- Sent a bill to you, giving you 14 days before you have to
pay;
- Sent either a reminder and/or final notice giving you seven
days to make payment; or
- Sent the summons at least seven days after the full balance had
to be paid.
We only have to prove notices were sent to you. We don't
have to prove that you've received them.
If you don't have a valid defence, the magistrates will grant a
liability order.
The following are not valid defences:
- You can't afford to pay;
- You've applied for Council Tax Benefit, or a discount,
exemption or other reduction; or
- You've an outstanding appeal with the Valuation Tribunal.
What is a liability order?
A liability order is granted by the courts to a council in order
to give the council more powers to help them to recover outstanding
Council Tax.
A liability order allows us to take any of the following actions
if you don't pay your Council Tax, we can:
- Demand information about your job or benefits;
- Take money from your wages;
- Take money from certain state benefits;
- Take money from your allowance if you're an elected member of a
council;
- Use enforcement agents who may take your goods to sell to cover
the amount you owe;
- Ask for a 'charging order' to be made against your
property;
- Make you bankrupt, or put a company into liquidation; or
- Apply for you to be sent to prison.
Certain recovery action may increase the amount you owe by
adding costs, in order to avoid these additional costs you should
pay your Council Tax account on time.