What happens if you don't pay
We take recovery action if payments are not made on time. This may include court proceedings and enforcement action. Additional charges will be added to your account.
Reminder notice
If you miss a payment, we will send you a reminder notice.
You must bring your account up to date within 7 days.
If you do not, you will lose your right to pay by instalments.
After a further 7 days, a final notice is issued.
Final notice
The final notice asks you to pay the full outstanding amount for the year.
If you do not pay this, and we do not hear from you, a summons will be issued and £65 costs added.
Partial payments will not prevent a summons.
Summons
If you do not pay the full balance after a final notice, we will issue a summons and add £65 in costs to your account.
Once a summons has been issued, it cannot normally be withdrawn.
If you need to speak to us about your summons, you can attend one of our summons surgery sessions:
Summons surgery dates
Monday, 5th January
Tuesday, 6th January
Wednesday, 7 January
Thursday, 8 January
The times you can attend will be from 10am to 12 noon or from 2pm to 4pm.
Surgery sessions allow you to discuss your account with a Recovery Officer before your court date.
If you cannot attend one of these sessions, please contact us as soon as possible.
We need enough time before your court hearing to investigate your dispute.
If we receive your dispute too close to the hearing date, we may need to move your court hearing to a later date so we can review your case properly.
Liability order
At the court hearing, we apply for a Liability Order. This gives us additional powers to collect the debt.
A Liability Order adds £55 in costs (total costs £120).
It is important that customers contact us before the Court Hearing. If you attend court, we cannot discuss problems paying, awaiting discounts, benefits or any other issues as these matters are not for a Liability Hearing.
The only issues that the Court would deal with are for Liability.
You will recieve the liability order in writing with an income and expenditure form which you must complete. Failure to return it could result in a fine of up to £1,000 from the Magistrates Court.
If you do not make an arrangement, your account is likely to be passed to Enforcement Agents.
If you are struggling to pay your council tax you should let us know. Contact a Recovery Officer
Enforcement Agents (bailiffs)
If your account is passed to Enforcement Agents, they can take control of goods to repay your debt and their fees.
You will first receive a Compliance Notice and a £75 fee.
Ignoring their letters can lead to additional fees.
We will not usually ask Enforcement Agents to return a case unless it was sent in error.
Our Enforcement Agents wear body‑worn cameras. They will explain that they are recording during visits.
Read about action taken by Enforcement Agents
Attachment of earnings
If you are employed, we can order your employer to take money directly from your wages to pay your Council Tax arrears. The amount is set by national regulations and is a percentage of your net earnings.
Attachment to benefits
If you receive certain DWP benefits, we can ask the Department for Work and Pensions to make deductions directly from your benefit. This applies to Pension Credit (Guarantee), Income Support, JSA, ESA and Universal Credit.
Charging Orders
If you owe more than £1,000 and we have obtained a Liability Order, we may apply to the court for a Charging Order against your property.
A Charging Order secures the outstanding debt against your home, similar to a mortgage. A Charging Order application has two stages:
Stage 1 - Interim Charging Order
We first apply to the court for an Interim Charging Order.
This is usually granted automatically and without a hearing if the court is satisfied that you own all or part of the property.
You will receive a copy of the Interim Order. If you dispute it, a hearing will be arranged.
We will also register the Interim Order with the Land Registry. This prevents you from selling the property before the final hearing.
From the date of the Final Charging Order, statutory interest of 8% per year is added to the debt.
Stage 2 - Final Charging Order
A district judge will hold a hearing to decide whether the Interim Order should become a Final Charging Order.
If you want to object, you must send written evidence to both us and the court at least 7 days before the hearing.
This can be a letter explaining why the order should not be made final.
The court will consider whether making a Charging Order is reasonable, including your personal circumstances.
Can we sell your home?
Technically, yes. Once a Final Charging Order is in place, we may apply to the court for an Order for Sale.
The court will then decide whether the property should be sold to clear the debt.
You should seek independent legal advice if you receive a Charging Order or if the process has begun.
Insolvency (Bankruptcy)
If you owe £5,000 or more in Council Tax, we may begin insolvency action by serving a Statutory Demand.
The Statutory Demand lists your known debts. You will have:
- 18 days to ask the court to set it aside, or
- 21 days to pay the amount in full or agree a payment arrangement.
If bankruptcy is made, the consequences can be serious. These may include:
- providing full financial information to the court‑appointed Official Receiver
- your bankruptcy being published in the local press
- losing your home or possessions
- your employer being informed
- difficulty obtaining credit or opening a bank account in future
You should seek independent legal advice if you receive a Statutory Demand.
Get free debt advice from StepChange.
Committal proceedings (prison)
Committal action is used only as a last resort, and only when all other recovery methods have failed.
We may apply to the Magistrates’ Court for a warrant for your arrest.
This will be sent to our Enforcement Agents to deliver.
You will be bailed to attend a hearing and given an income and expenditure form to complete before the court date.
At the court hearing
A Magistrate will ask you to explain why the Council Tax has not been paid.
They must decide whether the non‑payment is because of:
- wilful refusal (you could pay but chose not to), or
- culpable neglect (you failed to pay when you should have done)
The Magistrate will look at your finances both at the time the debt was due and now, and may ask you questions about your income and spending.
They will then consider the options and make a decision.
Possible outcomes
Suspended committal order
You are ordered to pay a set amount each week or month.
If you do not pay, you can be sent to prison for a set period.
Immediate committal to prison
The Magistrates may order that you be sent to prison straight away.
Debt written off (in full or part)
The court may decide to write off some or all of the debt, and/or make a payment order for the remaining amount.
Adjournment
The hearing may be postponed if more information is needed.
If you do not attend the court hearing
If you fail to attend, the court may issue a warrant of arrest without bail.
You may then be arrested by an Enforcement Agent or Police Officer and taken directly to court.
You should seek independent legal advice once this process has begun.