What is a Court Summons?
If you have received a Court Summons it means you haven’t paid your council tax as requested, even though a reminder, 2nd reminder or final notice was sent to you.
You have lost the right to pay the council tax by instalments and must now pay the full amount shown on the summons plus the costs of £125 before the court date.
If you pay the amount in full (including costs), we will not ask the court to issue a liability order against you and no further action will be taken.
If you do not pay the amount in full (including costs), we will ask the court to issue a liability order against you, which could result in additional costs.
If you want to attend court, first call us on 030 0123 1384 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm) to discuss your case. If needed, we can then make an appointment for you to attend the hearing. Hearings are generally held virtually by video, but they can sometimes be held in person. Do not go to the court without an appointment, as you may not be allowed into the building.
Please note: If you do not have a valid legal defence, we will not arrange a court appointment, and the court will issue the liability order without further discussion.
Valid defences
- The property is not listed with the Valuation Office Agency for the period council tax is being charged.
- The tax has not been properly set.
- The bill and subsequent recovery notices were not issued correctly.
- The amount demanded has already been paid.
- More than 6 years have passed since the bill was issued.
- The billing authority failed to serve notices "as soon as practicable" in the relevant year.
- The amount outstanding is for a penalty that is currently under appeal.
- You are currently going through bankruptcy or your business is being closed down through legal proceedings.
If any of these defences apply to you, contact us - we may be able to resolve the issue before the hearing.
After a liability order is granted, we may take further action, such as:
- instructing enforcement agents to recover the debt
- apply for deductions from your benefits (Attachment of Benefits)
- apply for deductions from your wages (Attachment of Earnings Order)
To pay the full balance, including costs, use our online payment service.
To pay in instalments, you must make a payment arrangement using the summons arrangement form.
If a liability order has already been issued, you can still make a payment arrangement using our payment arrangement form.
To disputes court costs, missing payments or the amount owed, use our online summons dispute form.
Please note
- You can not withhold payment of council tax while waiting for a decision on a reduction, discount, or exemption.
- A Court Summons or liability order does not affect your credit rating.