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Non payment of council tax

Your council tax bill requires your bill to be paid in instalments over 10 months. The date you should pay is on your bill.

This is on 1st of the month, unless you decide to pay by Direct Debit. As an added benefit to paying by Direct Debit, we offer three different payment dates (the Paying your council tax page gives you full details of how to sign up for Direct Debit - our most popular method of payment).

At any time, please contact our council tax team on 01992 785504 to discuss the notice you have received, we will be happy to discuss your options.

What happens if you don't pay

First reminder

If an instalment is overdue, a reminder is issued for the amount of the arrears. If payment of this amount is made within seven days, your instalments can continue. If you can not pay the amount of the arrears within seven days, you lose the right to pay by instalment plan and the whole balance on your Council Tax account is due to be paid. If you do not pay the whole amount a Summons for non-payment will be issued. Please be aware that a reminder is not sent every month.

Second reminder

If you paid in full the arrears on your first reminder, but you are late paying a further instalment a second reminder will be issued. If payment of your arrears is made within seven days then you can continue with your original instalment plan. If you do not pay the arrears you will lose the right to pay by instalments and you must pay the whole balance on your council tax account within the next seven days or a summons for non-payment will be issued.

You will not receive a further reminder, only two reminders are issued in any one financial year.

Final notice

If another instalment is missed under the same Tax year then the whole balance on your Council Tax account becomes due and a Final Notice is issued, if this is not paid within seven days then a Summons for non-payment will be issued.

Summons

If you have not paid after receiving a reminder notice, or have not paid the whole amount of the final notice then you will receive a Summons for non-payment of your council tax. At this point, court costs of £40.00 will be added to your bill. If you pay the whole amount on the Summons including the costs then the case will not go before the Magistrates Court.

If payment is not made in full then the balance that remains unpaid will go before the Magistrates Court to ask for a Liability Order to be awarded to Borough of Broxbourne Council. This entitles us to take further steps to recover the debt from you.

Liability order

If the amount shown on the summons is not paid in full by the court date, the Council will apply to the Magistrates Court for a liability order. An order will be granted to the Council if the Court is satisfied that the Council has followed the correct procedures in setting and requesting payment of the council tax. This action will incur costs of £40.00 in addition to the £40.00 summons costs already added.

Once granted, the liability order provides the Council with the option of the following enforcement powers: