Council Tax Reminders, Summons and Bailiffs

Your Council Tax Bill shows you what payments to make and the dates you are required to make your payment by. We must receive your payment on or by the instalment date, otherwise recovery action will be taken against you. The action we will take is detailed below.

First Reminder

If we have not received your monthly instalment on or before the 1st of each of the months set out on your bill, we will send you a reminder. The reminder will ask for payment within a further seven days.

Please note that the payment must reach us within that 7 days.

Frequently asked questions:

What will happen if I do not pay the reminder within the stated time? We will cancel your right to pay monthly, the remaining balance for the year will be payable immediately, and if you do not pay that balance within a certain time, you will be summonsed to appear at the Magistrates Court.
What if I have an outstanding appeal against valuation? Payments should still be made in accordance with your instalment schedule.
What if I have an outstanding Council Tax Benefit claim? In that case, please contact the us immediately on one of the numbers below OR come in to see someone at the Customer Services Centre, Market Place, Burton upon Trent or the Library, High Street, Uttoxeter every Monday to Saturday.
I have a query about liability/change of circumstances. Please contact us immediately on one of the numbers below OR come in to see someone at the Customer Services Centre, Market Place, Burton upon Trent or the Library, High Street, Uttoxeter, every Monday to Saturday
I am unable to pay the amount requested in the reminder. We may be able to consider a repayment agreement subject to Court action and financial status. Please contact us one of the numbers below OR come in to see someone at the Customer Services Centre, Market Place, Burton upon Trent or The Library, High Street, Uttoxeter every Monday to Saturday.
How and where do I pay? See our ways to pay page. If you have an outstanding Benefit claim or you have a query about your Council Tax account, please telephone us on 01283 508030. If you are unable to pay the amount requested in the reminder please telephone us on 01283 508380.

Textphone for the deaf: TextDirect phone for the deaf and hard of hearing- when calling our office, dial 18001 then our phone number and you will be diverted to an operator who can help with your call.

Summons

A summons will be sent to you, to appear at the Magistrates Court if:

you have been sent a 1st reminder or 2nd reminder and you have not made full payment on or before the date stated on the reminder OR
have been sent a cancellation notice, and you haven’t paid the amount requested on time.

If a summons is sent, you will have to pay Summons Costs of £39.00. If your payment in full (including the £39.00 Summons costs) is received by the Council before the date of the Court hearing, we will withdraw our application.

If payment is not received in full (including Summons costs), we will apply for a Liability (Court) Order together with additional costs of £22.00 which represents the work we have had to do in going to court.

If you want to pay in full, see our ways to pay page. If you wish to discuss how to pay the debt that is due please contact us in any of the ways shown in further information at the bottom of this page.

Telephone 01283 508380 Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm

Visit our Customer Service Centres in the Market Place, High Street, Burton upon Trent or the Library in Uttoxeter

Email us at recovery@eaststaffsbc.gov.uk

Write to us at Revenues Team, East Staffordshire Borough Council, The Maltsters, Wetmore Road, Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, DE14 1LS

Liability Order

If you have not contacted us when you have received a summons and you have not paid the amount due as shown on the summons, we will ask for the Magistrates Court to grant a Liability Order against you. The Court Hearing is normally 28 days after the summons has been issued. Once the Liability Order is granted we will add a further £22.00 costs onto your account which you will have to pay in addition to the balance shown on the summons that was issued to you.

The Liability Order allows us to use other forms of Recovery action to enable us to collect the unpaid Council Tax from you. These actions include:

Attachment to your Earnings
Attachment to your Benefits
Charging orders on your property (if you own it)
Sending the debt to the Bailiffs for them to seize your good and sell at auction
Committal to prison for non-payment.

Bailiffs Letter

If you have still not contacted us 14 days after the Liability Order has been granted, we will issue a bailiff letter to you explaining that if payment is not made in full, including costs, within a further 14 days we will instruct bailiffs to attempt to recover your outstanding Council Tax by the seizure and sale of your goods at public auction.

You will be charged further costs if your debt is passed to the bailiffs.

If you cannot pay in full immediately, and you are employed, the law requires that you tell us your employer’s name and business address.

If you are not employed, tell us if you receive Job Seekers’ Allowance, Income Support, Employment and Support Allowance or Guarantee Pension Credit.

If you have any dispute about the amount of Council Tax you should be paying, please contact us immediately in any of the ways shown in further information below.