What if I do not pay?
It’s important that you pay your Council Tax. We take prompt action to recover unpaid Council Tax as it pays for essential local services.
Council Tax is a priority debt, so If you’re struggling to pay you should contact us as soon as possible so that we can look at ways to help you.
What action will we take?
1. Reminder notice
We’ll send a reminder notice if you miss an instalment, you need to:
- bring your account up-to-date within 7 days
- continue with your instalments
We will not stop recovery action if you only pay part of the outstanding amount.
2. Second reminder notice
We’ll send a second reminder notice if you miss a second instalment, asking you to:
- bring your account up-to-date within 7 days
- continue with your instalments
We will not stop recovery action if you only pay part of the outstanding amount.
If you miss any more instalments, we will not issue further reminder notices.
3. Final notice
We’ll send a final notice if:
- you fail to bring your account up to date within the 7 days; or
- miss a further payment in the same financial year
You’ll need to pay the full balance on your account, or we will take court action to recover the debt.
4. Legal action
We’ll apply to the Magistrates' Court to issue a Liability Order if:
- you do not pay the full outstanding amount; or
- you do not agree a payment arrangement with us
A Liability Order is a demand issued against you for the full amount of Council Tax you owe and any costs incurred in the process.
Do not ignore a Liability Order. If you do not pay, we will take further action.
5. Further action
If the court issues a Liability Order it gives us additional powers to recover the outstanding amount:
Enforcement agent (bailiffs)
We can instruct enforcement agents to recover the money you owe and additional costs payable by you. They can take goods that belong to you to cover the costs.
Deductions from your earnings or benefits
If you’re working we can ask your employer to take money from your salary each month and pay it directly to us.
- The amount taken will depend on how much you earn
- Payments will be taken until you’ve paid the full amount owed
This is a legal order and your employer must comply.
If you get certain benefits we can ask the Department for Work and Pensions to take money from these and pay us directly.
Charging order
If you owe more than £1,000, we can apply for a charging order.
The order means that once the property is sold and any mortgage paid off, the Council Tax debt can be claimed from any remaining equity. We may be able to insist on the sale of the property.
Bankruptcy
If a Liability Order is granted against you and you owe more than £5,000 in Council Tax, we can start bankruptcy proceedings.
You’ll be sent a statutory demand to pay the full amount within 21 days. If you do not pay, a bankruptcy petition will be submitted to the court and if granted, this means:
- you could lose your home if it’s sold to pay the debt
- your bank account(s) may be frozen
- you may not be able to get credit
- the official receiver will investigate your affairs
If you’re declared bankrupt, the official receiver may take control of your spending for a considerable period.
Prison
If you do not pay the Enforcement Agent, we can apply to the Magistrates' Court for a committal hearing. This is the first step to possibly going to prison for up to 90 days.
If you receive a committal summons you should contact us immediately and seek legal advice.
If you pay the full amount outstanding, you will not need to go to court. If you do not pay the full amount you must attend on the day of your summons. If you do not, the court may issue a warrant for your arrest.