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What happens after the council tax court hearing?

We will write to you when we have got a Liability Order, asking you to make a realistic offer of payment. You will have 14 days to respond to this letter. The aim is to make an arrangement that is acceptable to both you and the Council.

If a payment arrangement isn't made or if you don't pay against the agreed payment arrangement, we will use one of the following collection methods:-

 

Attachment of Earnings

This will result in deductions being made from your earnings. The amount deducted will depend on the amount that you earn.

 

Deductions from Benefits

If you are receiving Income Support, Jobseekers Allowance or Pension Credits and we do not reach a satisfactory agreement for paying outstanding amounts of Council Tax, we may apply to the Benefits Agency for deductions to be made.

Government regulations specify the fixed weekly amount that may be deducted.

 

Enforcement Agents (Bailiffs)

The Liability Order may be passed to the Enforcement Agent who will follow the Council’s Code of Practice for recovery.

If an Enforcement Agent is used, the amount you owe can increase significantly, due to the costs which will be added to your debt.

 

Bankruptcy

If you fail to pay in full, and owe more than £5,000, we may take action to make you bankrupt.

 

Committal Order

If you fail to pay in full, we will apply to the Magistrates Court for a committal order. This is an order that could send you to prison for up to 3 months, although we'll only take this step if all other efforts have failed or aren't applicable.

 

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