Reminders and Summonses

We will send you a reminder notice, which will ask for payment within seven days, if you miss a Council Tax payment.

If payment is not made within seven days, you will lose the right to pay your Council Tax by instalments and we will issue a Final Notice, which means you will have to pay your total outstanding bill in one go.

If you ignore these reminders, and the bill remains unpaid, a Magistrate’s Court summons will be issued.

A summons is an order for you to attend a Magistrate’s Court, where the Council will apply for a Liability Order to ensure the amount is paid in full. You do not need to attend but the hearing will still take place in your absence and any costs from the administration of the court summons will be added to your final Council Tax bill.

Payment arrangements can be considered, after a summons is issued, but any arrangement will include the court costs.

If you pay the amount of Council Tax you owe before the court hearing, then no further action will be taken.

We would much rather work with you to settle any outstanding bills outside court and encourage anyone to contact us, if they are having problems paying their Council Tax.

Notices issued:

If you cannot pay what you owe, tell us immediately. You may also want to seek advice from organisations like Citizens Advice or MoneyHelper.