Freedom of Information Request – Use of ‘Freeman on the Land’, ‘Sovereign Citizens' or Similar Arguments in Council Tax Matters
Note: for the purposes of this request, ‘Freeman or similar arguments’ refers to a recurring, distinctive set of unorthodox arguments or claims which lack a recognised legal basis. These arguments may rely on idiosyncratic or selective interpretations of historical legal texts (such as the Magna Carta) and are typically used to dispute legal processes and obligations, such as the payment of Council Tax.
The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead addresses such arguments at: https://www.rbwm.gov.uk/council-tax-and-benefits/council-tax/legal-requirement-pay-council-tax.
If possible, could you please provide responses to the following:
A. Frequency and Volume
1. How often has your Local Authority received correspondence or enquiries involving 'Freeman' or similar arguments in relation to Council Tax in the past 12 months? (Please indicate whether this is approximately daily, weekly, monthly, every few months, etc.)
2. Approximately how many total enquiries of this nature has your Local Authority received over the past 12 months?
3. Has your authority observed any trend (increase, decrease, or stability) in the frequency of such enquiries over the past 5 years?
B. Nature of Arguments
4. Based on your records (e.g. any template responses, case notes), what are the most common types of arguments presented in this correspondence? (For example: claims about tax being contractual, use of Magna Carta or other historical legal texts, arguments based on ‘common law’ or ‘natural law’, etc.)
5. Please provide any example texts or descriptions (redacted if necessary) from correspondence involving such arguments, as reasonably possible within the time and cost limits of the FOI Act.
6. Does your authority record whether claimants citing such arguments mention housing, health or financial hardship issues? If so, do individuals making ‘Freeman’ or similar arguments also tend to reference any of these issues?
C. Organisational Response
7. What is your authority’s typical response strategy to this type of correspondence? (For example: standardised template replies, legal escalation, etc.)
8. Does your authority have a formal written policy or staff training materials for responding to such arguments? If so, please provide copies or links to the relevant documents.
9. Are you aware of any court cases or legal actions involving your authority and individuals citing these arguments in the context of Council Tax? If yes, please provide:
- Number of cases,
- Year(s),
- Court(s),
- Outcomes (if known).
D. Operational Impact
10. Has your authority recorded or assessed the level of impact that ‘Freeman’ or similar arguments have had on council operations, particularly in relation to Council Tax administration?
If so, please indicate whether the impact has been characterised as minimal, moderate, significant, or otherwise.
11. Has your authority logged or documented any operational challenges associated with these types of enquiries (e.g. high enquiry volume, repeated correspondence, resource strain, complaints, or staff safety issues)?
If so, please provide details or relevant excerpts from documentation, as reasonably possible within the FOI time and cost limits. Redacted or anonymised material is acceptable.
12. Has your authority received or recorded ‘Freeman’ or similar arguments in other service areas (e.g. parking enforcement, planning, business rates, housing)?
If recorded, please indicate the departments or services involved.