Council tax

A question about : Council tax

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,

Best answers:

• 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).
• If you admit that you do owe the money then you do not need to attend the magistrates court.
• Thank you for the replies. I am reassured.
  Best wishes,
• 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 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 www.citizensadvice.org.uk.
  Hope this is of assistance.
• Thanks for your reply.