Call for softer line on council tax debts

Between April 2015 and March 2016, Citizens Advice helped people with 196,000 council tax debt problems in England, making it the number one debt issue for the charity.

Citizens Advice has seen a 33 per cent increase in requests for help with council tax debts over the last three years, at a time when queries about other types of debt have been falling.

In one case seen by Citizens Advice, someone who contacted the charity for help had a £27 debt which jumped to £417 after council officials charged fees for obtaining a court order and calling bailiffs. Citizens Advice wants more councils to offer affordable repayment plans.

Citizens Advice asked 1,100 people in England with council tax debt about their experience. Nearly two-thirds of those surveyed were working. More than half said a general lack of money meant they had fallen behind, while 30 per cent said their wages had fallen and a quarter said they had had cuts to benefits or tax credits.

The charity’s report said: “Some councils are escalating harsh collection practices too quickly”.

A spokesman for the Local Government Association (LGA) said: “Councils have a duty to their residents to collect taxes so important services are not affected.

“But we realise that times are tough and do their best to protect those affected the most, whether through introducing hardships funds or taking a sympathetic and constructive approach to the way we collect unpaid tax.