If you Receive a Court Summons

If you receive summons to appear before the Magistrate's Court for non-payment of Council Tax it will include an additional charge of £45 in costs added to the total amount outstanding on your Council Tax account.

If the total Council Tax outstanding, including the £45 additional charge shown on the Court Summons, is paid before the court hearing date, also shown on the Court Summons, then there will be no further action.

If you cannot pay the full amount outstanding before the court hearing date

If you cannot pay the full amount due before the court hearing date you do not need to attend court yourself. At the hearing Basildon Council will ask the court to grant a Liability Order for the debt owing on your Council Tax account. The granting of a Liability Order will result in a further £50 in costs being added to the total amount outstanding on your Council Tax account.

Once a Liability Order has been granted Basildon Council is empowered to recover the full amount outstanding after 14 days through recovery procedures which can include extra costs and the use of enforcement agents. If you are still unable to pay off the entire amount owing the Council will always consider a Special Payment Arrangement, agreed to by both parties, for the outstanding balance to be paid in instalments.

Setting up a Special Payment Arrangement

If you are still unable to pay your Council Tax in full after you have received a Court Summons for non-payment we recommend that you set up a Special Payment Arrangement right away. A Special Payment Arrangement will enable you to come to an agreement with Basildon Council for your outstanding Council Tax account to be paid in manageable instalments. If you keep up with the agreed instalments then no further action will be required.

Please note: Special Payment Arrangements include the £45 court summons charge and the £50 liability order charge.

You can set up a Council Tax Special Payment Arrangement online now, see Special Payment Arrangement to pay your Council Tax (opens new window) (only to be completed if you have received a Court Summons for non-payment of Council Tax).

IMPORTANT: If you are in dispute over the amount of Council Tax you are liable to pay

If you consider for any reason that you are not liable for these charges you should immediately contact The Council Tax Teamas this will save you and the Court time.

Please be aware that your Council Tax is still due and payable whilst your liability to pay is being looked into, we therefore recommend that if you are unable to pay the balance in full you should still complete our Special Arrangement form whilst your liability is being looked into. If your Liability is amended your special payment arrangement will then be adjusted accordingly.