If you dispute liability after receiving a summons call Council Tax recovery, there are no face to face interviews at this present time.

If you wish to attend court you must make an appointment with us. The court may refuse entry if you do not have one.

Magistrates can only stop a liability order if you prove you’re not liable.

Court summons

If you do not pay your Council Tax or keep to an agreement to pay, we will issue you with a court summons.

If you have received a summons and have not arranged a payment plan call us straight away.

If you do not arrange to make full payment including costs, a liability order issued by the magistrate’s court will allow us to use other means to recover the debt.

Contact us

Phone 01903 737752

Do I have to go to court to attend the hearing?

Most of the time you do not need to go to court. Over the phone we will try to agree a special payment arrangement, check if you are entitled to any benefits and investigate any unresolved queries.

If you feel you have a valid defence against a liability order being issued we can also discuss this over the phone without you needing to attend court.

The only valid legal defences against a liability order are either:

  • we have not followed the procedures set down in law when trying to collect your Council Tax
  • you have paid all the overdue Council Tax within the time limit given on the last reminder of final notice sent to you

If you believe you have a valid defence against a liability order please contact us straight away so that we can investigate the matter. We may then withdraw the summons.

How do I pay the amount shown on the summons?

How to pay your council tax