Summons
You will receive a Magistrates Court Summons if you have not
paid your Council Tax in accordance with your bill.
If you do not pay the total amount due, including the
summons costs before the Hearing date shown on your summons we
will ask the Magistrates for a Liability Order. This will grant us
permission to recover the outstanding balance in other ways. There
are more court costs for obtaining a Liability Order and
these will be added to your account.
The Liability Order will grant us permission to collect money
by:
- Making deductions from your Income Support, Job Seekers
Allowance or from your wages.
- Asking our bailiffs to collect the money by removing and
selling some of your possessions. You will also have to pay their
fees.
- Commence insolvency proceedings through the County Court.
- Applying to the County Court for a charging order on your
property that enables us to force its sale or repay your Council
Tax out of the proceeds of any future sale.
If you do not pay we can return to court. The court may decide
to send you to prison.
Remember you can contact the Recovery Team at any
stage in the proceedings to discuss payment of your account.
I have received a summons. What do I need to do?
If you are able to do so, you must pay the amount shown on your
summons including the court costs. We must receive your
payment before the hearing date (see Paying
Your Council Tax).
You will be liable for additional costs if we
receive your payment after the hearing.
If you are unable to pay the amount shown on the summons or you
think the summons is wrong, you should our Recovery Team
immediately to discuss your account.
On The Hearing Day
The council will inform the Magistrates that you have not paid
your Council Tax and we will ask for a Liability Order to allow us
to take further recovery action. You can find the date of your
hearing printed on your summons.
You do not need to attend the Magistrates Court unless you
dispute that the sum shown on the summons is due from you. The
purpose of the Hearing is to consider the actual liability for
payment of the Council Tax.
If you wish to attend, you will have the opportunity to offer
your defence for non-payment but the Court cannot consider your
financial circumstances or disputes about the banding of your
property or entitlement to discounts.
The council will ask the Magistrates to grant a Liability Order
whether you attend or not and this will incur further court
costs.
If you have not paid the amount shown on the summons including
court costs, or you have not agreed a payment arrangement with the
council, we will take further recovery action which may incur you
additional costs.
Please Remember: If you receive any notice from the
council regarding the non-payment of your Council Tax, do not
ignore it! Doing this may mean that further action will be taken
with additional court costs being incurred.
This webpage was updated on 9/16/2008