Over 40 MPs and MSs have joined urgent calls for the Government to reform council tax collection, as council tax debt and bailiff use rises.
The MP and MSs, from the Labour Party, Greens, Plaid Cymru and Independents, have joined union leaders and councillors in signing open letters published today (15th Sept) by community union, ACORN.
The letters calls for the Government’s in Westminster and the Senedd to take urgent action to tackle the growing crisis of council tax debt, by using early intervention and support for those struggling to pay, rather than heavy handed enforcement action and court orders, which all too often means people are pushed further into debt, made liable for a full year’s bill overnight, and are left living in fear of a knock at the door from bailiffs.
The letters (below) were delivered to new Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Steve Reed, Minister of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Alison McGovern, and separately to Welsh Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Mark Drakeford this morning.
Dear Steve Reed and Alison McGovern,
We are very pleased to see that the government is considering changes to the administration and enforcement of council tax.
Council tax arrears have increased dramatically over the past couple of years, with more and more families struggling to pay. According to research from Stepchange, this issue is acutely felt by women, and research by Debt Justice shows that one in three people in council tax debt live below the poverty line. Far too many households are coming into contact with enforcement agents whose visits are not only traumatic and plunge people further into debt, but there is also little evidence that their use leads to greater revenue collection.
We urge the government to use this political moment to bring in reforms that will truly tackle the issues associated with council tax debt and both improve the well being of citizens and increase revenues for local councils.
We want to see:
- Residents given the maximum amount of time possible to address their arrears before a council can seek a liability order
- A statutory pre-action protocol laying out steps all councils should take before seeking a liability order, ending the postcode lottery dictating how people in debt are treated when struggling to pay council tax
- Liability order fees capped at £10, or at a level which reflects the actual cost to councils for the administration and paperwork
- The reinstatement of centrally funded council tax benefit
- An end to the use of bailiffs to collect council tax debt
- An end to imprisonment for non-payment of council tax debt
- The government committed to exploring alternatives to council tax, such as a proportional property tax, as a fairer system of local government revenue creation.
These changes will not only address the unfair postcode lottery faced by council tax payers across England at the moment, but we truly believe that investing in early intervention and support for those struggling to pay rather than heavy handed enforcement action and court orders will see better outcomes for both residents and local government. Central government should support local authorities to implement changes via new burdens funding.
Yours sincerely,
The Undersigned
- Chelsea Phillips ACORN the Union
- Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP
- Carla Denyer MP
- Sian Berry MP
- Chris Hinchliff MP
- Ian Byrne MP
- Alex Sobel MP
- John McDonnell MP
- Jon Trickett MP
- Brian Leishman MP
- Mary Kelly Foy MP
- Dawn Butler MP
- Cat Eccles MP
- Ian Lavery MP
- Rachael Maskell MP
- Paula Barker MP
- Olivia Blake MP
- Abtisam Mohamed MP
- Steve Witherden MP
- Neil Duncan-Jordan MP
- Mary Glindon MP
- Kate Osborne MP
- Apsana Begum MP
- Kim Johnson MP
- Clive Lewis MP
- Imran Hussain MP
- Clive Efford MP
- Lorraine Beavers MP
- Richard Burgon MP
- Charlotte Nichols MP
- Afzal Khan MP
- Rosena Allin-Khan MP
- Andy McDonald MP
- Stella Creasy MP
- Zarah Sultana MP
- Jeremy Corbyn MP
- Rebecca Long-Bailey MP
- Ellie Chowns MP
- Ayoub Khan MP
- Gawain Little, General Secretary GFTU
- Sarah Woolley, General Secretary BFAWU
- Steve Gillan, General Secretary POA
- Fran Heathcote, General Secretary PCS
- Julia Georgio, General Secretary NHBC Staff Association
- Martin Furlong, Deputy General Secretary Royal College of Podiatry
- Tony Dyer, Leader of Bristol City Council
- Matt Edwards, Leader of the Green Group, Bradford Council
- Alex Catt, Councillor, Norwich
- Jenny Ward, Councillor, Norwich
- Gary Champion, Councillor, Norwich
- Joshua Worley, Councillor, Norwich
- Hannah Hoechner, Councillor, Norwich
- Martin Schmeirer, Councillor, Norwich
- Amanda Fox, Councillor, Norwich
- Charlie Cain, Councillor, Norwich
- Julie Young, Councillor, Norwich
- Iain Stutely, Councillor, Norwich
- Toby Bolton, Councillor, Norwich
Dear Mark Drakeford MS,
We are very pleased to see that the Senedd is considering changes to the administration and enforcement of council tax.
Council tax arrears have increased dramatically over the past couple of years, with more and more families struggling to pay. According to research from Stepchange, this issue is acutely felt by women, and research by Debt Justice shows that one in three people in council tax debt live below the poverty line. Far too many households are coming into contact with enforcement agents whose visits are not only traumatic and plunge people further into debt, but there is also little evidence that their use leads to greater revenue collection.
We urge the Senedd to use this political moment to bring in reforms that will truly tackle the issues associated with council tax debt and both improve the well being of citizens and increase revenues for local councils.
We want to see:
- Residents given the maximum amount of time possible to address their arrears before a council can seek a liability order
- A statutory pre-action protocol laying out steps all councils should take before seeking a liability order, ending the postcode lottery dictating how people in debt are treated when struggling to pay council tax
- Liability order fees capped at £10, or at a level which reflects the actual cost to councils for the administration and paperwork
- The reinstatement of centrally funded council tax benefit
- An end to the use of bailiffs to collect council tax debt
- The Senedd committed to exploring alternatives to council tax, such as a proportional property tax, as a fairer system of local government revenue creation.
These changes will not only address the unfair postcode lottery faced by council tax payers across Wales at the moment, but we truly believe that investing in early intervention and support for those struggling to pay rather than heavy handed enforcement action and court orders will see better outcomes for both residents and local government.
Yours sincerely,
- Chelsea Phillips, Chair of ACORN the Union
- Rhys ab Own MS
- David Hughes
- Nerys Lloyd-Pierce Chair, Cardiff Civic Society
- Heledd Fychan MS
- Nicola Evans, Director Wales, Housing Justice
- Sioned Williams MS