If you are having difficulty paying your Council Tax
Please let the Council know straight away if you are having problems paying your Council Tax and we will try to help and advise you.
If payments are not received or if they are made late then you will be sent a reminder. Please note that the Council is only legally required to send two reminders before starting Court proceedings.
If payments continue to be missed or paid late, then depending on the scenario, you will be sent either a Final Notice or a Summons.
If you are sent a Final Notice, you have already lost the right to make payments by instalments, and have to pay all the Council Tax you owe for the financial year within 10 days.
If you do not pay the full amount of the Council Tax within 10 days, then you will receive a summons. If you receive a summons, you will be advised of your debt and of a Court hearing date. (in 99.9% of cases there is no requirement to attend the hearing and customers shoudl contact the Council prior to the hearing. You will also have to pay £64 costs. If you cannot pay the full amount you must contact the Council to discuss your situation.
At the summons hearing, the Council obtains a liability order, which gives the Council extra powers to get the money from you, including attachments against your earnings or benefit. You will then be sent a letter advising that you have 14 days to pay this debt before it is passed to the Council’s Bailiffs.
The agencies listed below will also be able to give you assistance if you are experiencing difficulties.
