FOI002415 FOI Council Tax

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, please provide the following information relating to Council Tax liabilities for the financial year 2024/25.

For clarity: this request refers to all Council Tax accounts where liability fell within the period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025, regardless of when the bill was issued.

Please include all accounts where liability covered the whole financial year or any part of the financial year, including part-year tenancies and mid-year changes of liability.

1. Council Tax enforcement actions
a. Number of summonses issued for non-payment of council tax b. Number of Liability Orders granted by magistrates for non-payment of council tax c. Number of cases referred to enforcement agents (bailiffs) d. Number of enforcement letters issued by enforcement agents on behalf of the council e. Number of enforcement visits made by enforcement agents on behalf of the council

2. Fees and charges
a. The summons fee charged
b. The Liability Order fee charged
c. A breakdown of how these fees are calculated or determined

3. Enforcement agent firms used
a. The names of all enforcement agent companies used by the council for council tax collection, recovery, and enforcement during 2024/25

(Please note: I am requesting only the names of the enforcement firms, not contract values or commercially sensitive information.)

4. Households in receipt of Council Tax Reduction (CTR) a. Number of cases referred to enforcement agents where the household was in receipt of CTR b. Number of Liability Orders granted where the household was in receipt of CTR c. For Liability Orders involving households on CTR, a split by:

Working-age households

Pension-age households

5. Attachment of Benefits and Attachment of Earnings a. Number of Attachment of Benefits (AoB) requests sent to DWP (e.g., UC or legacy benefits) b. Total value of the debt included in AoB requests (regardless of deductions taken) c. Number of Attachment of Earnings Orders (AoEOs) issued d. Total value of the debt included in AoEOs e. Number of households subject to AoEOs who were in receipt of CTR