Response A1345258

Response to request for information

Response date

24 June 2021

Request

In all questions in this request, 'households' are in effect council tax-paying accounts. If full-year data for 2020/21 is not yet known, please provide the most up-to-date data. Newly formed councils should use figures pertaining to their predecessor councils where appropriate.

Please note that questions 1-4 and 5-8 are very similar, but differ in one critical aspect. Questions 1-4 concern various forms of enforcement action relating to council tax debts that accrued specifically in 2020/21 rather than in previous years; questions 5-8 concern enforcement action in 2020/21 relating to council tax debts irrespective of when those debts accrued. This is because different councils appear to record this information in different ways, and is also designed to ensure there is no confusion about what information each council is actually providing.

The information each council provides for questions 1-8 will naturally depend on how it records the information. If the council provides figures for questions 1-4 it can skip questions 5-8. If the information for questions 1-4 is unavailable due to how council tax enforcement information is held, please mark the relevant questions as 'information not held' and provide responses to the remainder of the request.

1. How many households have been issued with warning notices in relation to council tax arrears accrued during 2020/21? If this is not available, please provide the number of warning notices issued (as opposed to the number of households receiving them).

2. How many households have been issued with liability orders in relation to council tax arrears accrued during 2020/21?

3. How many households have been referred to bailiffs in relation to council tax arrears accrued during 2020/21?

4. For how many households have the council requested an attachment to benefits in relation to council tax arrears accrued during 2020/21?
If the council has provided figures for questions 1-4, please ignore questions 5-8 and proceed to question 9. If the council has not provided figures for questions 1-4, please proceed to question 5. As stated above, questions 5-8 concern enforcement action in 2020/21 relating to council tax debts irrespective of what year those debts accrued.

5. In 2020/21, how many households were issued with warning notices in relation to council tax arrears? If this is not available, please provide the number of warning notices issued (as opposed to the number of households receiving them) and state that this is the case.

6. In 2020/21, how many households were issued with liability orders in relation to council tax arrears?

7. In 2020/21, how many households were referred to bailiffs in relation to council tax arrears?

8. In 2020/21, for how many households did the council request an attachment to benefits in relation to council tax arrears?

The following questions concern collection rates:
9. What was the council tax collection rate in 2019/20, for 2019/20 council tax bills?

10. What was the council tax collection rate in 2020/21, for 2020/21 council tax bills?
The following questions concern the geographic distribution of households. In these questions, 'council-tax registered households' include those households that do not have any tax to pay due to receiving council tax support. If possible it should include registered second homes but exclude registered empty homes, but if that cannot be achieved within the section 12 cost limit, please include or exclude both depending on how the information is held (and state that this is the case).

11. Please state, as of March 2020, how many council tax-registered households were in each postcode area (e.g. DA1, DA2, DA3 etc in Dartford; L32, L33, L34 etc in Knowsley) in the local authority area

12. Please state, as of now (or the most recent time available), how many council tax-registered households are in each postcode area (e.g. DA1, DA2, DA3 etc in Dartford; L32, L33, L34 etc in Knowsley) in the local authority area

Response

Information not held.

2. How many households have been issued with liability orders in relation to council tax arrears accrued during 2020/21?

Information not held.

3. How many households have been referred to bailiffs in relation to council tax arrears accrued during 2020/21?

Information not held.

5,968

6. In 2020/21, how many households were issued with liability orders in relation to council tax arrears?

1,136

7. In 2020/21, how many households were referred to bailiffs in relation to council tax arrears?

870

8. In 2020/21, for how many households did the council request an attachment to benefits in relation to council tax arrears?

197

The following questions concern collection rates:

9. What was the council tax collection rate in 2019/20, for 2019/20 council tax bills?

99.10%

99%

DE74 = 10

LE12 = 5,266

LE14 = 356

NG11 = 4,858

NG12 = 15,130

NG13 = 7,497

NG23 = 357

DE74 = 11

LE12 = 5,344

LE14 = 358

NG11 = 4,886

NG12 = 15,418

NG13 = 7,634

NG23 = 354

FOI Responses Council Tax 2021