If you have received a reminder or final notice please follow the advice below.
The best way to manage your Council Tax is via your Online Account.
You can sign in or register for a Council Tax account online.
Reminders
If you have received a a reminder about your Council Tax payments, this is because you are late in paying your instalment or your Council Tax account is in arrears.
In order to prevent any further recovery action being taken, you need to bring your account up to date. Doing this will prevent any legal costs being added to the amount that you owe.
The amount you need to pay is stated on your the reminder notice.
There are a number of way you can pay your Council Tax.
Final notice
If you have received a final notice about your Council Tax, this means that you have lost your right to make payments against your Council Tax account by instalments and you will need to pay the full amount of Council Tax remaining.
This amount will be stated on the final notice to prevent any further recovery action being taken and to avoid any legal costs which will be added to the amount you owe.
There are a number of way you can pay your Council Tax.
Council Tax Support
If you are struggling to pay your Council Tax due to being on a low income, you may be able to claim Council Tax Support.
You will still need to pay your Council Tax whilst you are waiting to hear about any claim you have made.
Council Tax and UK Law
Sometimes people don't pay their Council Tax because they believe that laws exist that prevent them from having to pay.
The 'Freeman on the Land' movement and similar groups believe that people are only answerable to contracts and laws they have agreed to or signed for.
UK courts do not accept that there is any law that prevents liabilities for paying Council Tax unless an exemption or disregard applies as set out in legislation.
In the UK, the Local Government Finance Act 1992 makes Council Tax a legal charge. Local Government Finance Act 1992.
Liability to pay Council Tax does not need consent or a contract with the Council. Anyone who withholds Council Tax payment will ultimately have recovery action taken against them. This could include legal proceedings, and even a prison sentence.
In a court in Manchester in 2015, an individual attempted to use 'freeman on the land' defences against Council Tax in court and ended being sent to prison for 40 days.
Legislation
There are many misleading articles and templates on the internet about the legality of Council Tax.
The legislation that covers Council Tax is available from the government website Legislation.gov.uk, including:
- Local Government Finance Act 1992
- Council Tax (Administration and Enforcement) Regulations 1992
- Council Tax (Demand Notices) (England) Regulations 2011
The following defences against Council Tax are not accepted in a UK court of law:
- a person not having consented to pay Council Tax
- there not being a contractual relationship between the Council and the resident
- 'lawful rebellion'
- Article 61 of the Magna Carta
- the Coronation Oath Act 1688
- the 'People's peace'
- legal fictions, 'straw men' and 'I, X of the family Y'
- maritime or admiralty law
- Uniform Commercial Code
Our right not to respond
We will answer relevant and valid enquiries about council tax. We reserve the right not to respond to enquiries that have no basis in law. If we choose not to respond it does not mean that we agree with or accept the content of your correspondence.
If you do not accept or agree that Council tax is a legal charge you should seek you're your own independent legal advice.
If you do not pay your council tax the Council will seek a liability order through the courts. At this stage you will have an opportunity to make representations to a magistrate regarding Council Tax. If the Council applies for a liability order, court costs will be added to your Council Tax Liability.
Therefore, you will have more to pay.