Council tax - magistrates court - liability order

Mark_b_2

Hi there,

I was hoping for a bit of advice please.

I have been summoned to magistrates court for a liability order as I have not paid my council tax.

I have the option to pay in full and not go to court....

....or pay in instalments but it will still go to magistrates court.

I wanted to confirm if going to magistrates court will blemish 'me' in any way? I.e. criminal record? credit rating? MI5s watch list (:))etc?

Kind regards,

CIS

A council tax liability order does not go on your credit record and does not give you a criminal record - the only way council tax would affect your credit rating was if the council made you bankrupt and the only way it would give you a criminal record was if the council went for committal to prison (both are way further down the line).

HappyMJ

If you admit that you do owe the money then you do not need to attend the magistrates court.

Mark_b_2

Thank you for the replies. I am reassured.

Best wishes,

CAB_Swansea_Bay_representative

Hi Paul-B, thank you for your query regarding Council Tax
Firstly a liability order is the process by which a local authority can start enforcement action against you to collect arrears of council tax. Enforcement action can be in the form of a bailiff warrant, an attachment of earnings order, a charging order, a bankruptcy order or a committal to prison. The liability order is a paper exercise and unless you dispute the amount owing there is no need to attend the hearing. As it is a magistrates' court order it will not have an effect on your credit rating and the only way you could get a criminal record is if you were imprisoned for wilful non-payment or culpable neglect. The important thing is to complete a income and expenditure and make an affordable offer of repayment on top of your ongoing council tax. You can find information on preparing a income and expenditure at https://www.adviceguide.org.uk. If you are struggling with other debts or are unable to make a payment offer then I would suggest you seek advice from a debt adviser. You can find your local Citizens Advice Bureau at https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk.
Hope this is of assistance.

Mark_b_2

Thanks for your reply.