posted on 16 April 2019, updated on 16 April 2019
The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) released a press statement concerning the way council tax is recovered. More can be read on the government website. The government has stated that vulnerable people who fall behind with council tax payments will have greater protection from aggressive debt enforcement under new plans to improve the way councils collect arrears. However, it should be noted that most authorities already take a holistic and joined-up approach in their efforts to recover unpaid council tax. Many local authorities already actively engage with a whole range of linked debt counselling agencies, and welfare advice organisations to ensure that they do not employ heavy-handed debt recovery methods.
The government also published a plain English guide to how the council tax system operates in England, including an explanation of the range of exemptions and discounts that are available. The guide can be found here on the government website.