More than 18,000 Plymouth people summoned to court

for not paying council tax

By Plymouth Herald | Posted: February 13, 2014
By SAM BLACL!"#! Herald re$orter

M%&! tha' 1(,000 $eo$le )ere summo'ed to *ourt +' the s$a*e o, '+'e mo'ths last year ,or ,a+l+'-
to $ay the+r *ou'*+l ta. / a r+se o, more tha' 00 $er *e't o' the e't+re $re1+ous year2
Almost 11,000 o, those *ases resulted +' hear+'-s at Plymouth Ma-+strates3 Court bet)ee' A$r+l
a'd "e*ember, a**ord+'- to 'e) ,+-ures, )h+*h the *ou'*+l says demo'strates the *o't+'u+'-
,+'a'*+al s4uee5e o' the *+ty3s $oorest res+de'ts2
6he *ou'*+l3s ,+'a'*e *h+e, says the r+se +s due to 7u'$re*ede'ted -o1er'me't *uts8, blam+'- the
red ta$e asso*+ated )+th the 9ust+*e $ro*ess ,or *aus+'- a 7r+d+*ulous s+tuat+o'82
Cou'*+llor Mar: Lo)ry, *ab+'et member ,or ,+'a'*e, sa+d: 7;e u'dersta'd that e1eryo'e +s ,eel+'-
the ,+'a'*+al $+'*h +' these d+,,+*ult t+mes a'd the *ou'*+l3s bud-et too +s u'der hu-e $ressure
throu-h u'$re*ede'ted -o1er'me't *uts2
&!LA6!" C%<6!<6
Cou'*+l ,ears 'e) bud-et *uts a,ter %sbor'e s$ee*h
76he *o'tr+but+o' o, *ou'*+l ta. +' $ay+'- ,or ,ro'tl+'e ser1+*es +s 1+tal a'd as su*h )e a+m to
*olle*t o1er =0 $er *e't o, all $ayme'ts2
7>> $er*e't o, our o1erall bud-et +s s$e't o' the most 1ul'erable *h+ldre' a'd adults +' the *+ty
throu-h so*+al *are ser1+*es28
F+-ures sho) that the *ou'*+l +ssued a total o, 1(,202 summo's ,or 'o'?$ayme't o, *ou'*+l ta.
bet)ee' A$r+l a'd "e*ember 20132
10,==3 o, these resulted +' 7l+ab+l+ty orders8, -+1+'- the *ou'*+l $o)er to ta:e a*t+o' a'd *olle*t the
mo'ey2 6h+s *a' +'*lude ha1+'- mo'ey dedu*ted ,rom your salary or be'e,+ts, ba+l+,,s remo1+'-
+tems ,rom your home, a' a$$l+*at+o' ,or ba':ru$*y or *omm+ttal to $r+so'2 <obody )as 9a+led ,or
'o'?$ayme't dur+'- the $er+od *o'*er'ed2
Cllr Co:er sa+d: 7;e are d+sa$$o+'ted to ha1e +ssued th+s 'umber o, summo's / a' +'*rease lar-ely
*aused by -o1er'me't ,u'd+'- *uts )h+*h mea's a' e.tra 10,000 o, those $eo$le least able to
a,,ord +t, must 'o) $ay *ou'*+l ta.2
7Ma'y o, them ha1e as:ed ,or the+r $ayme'ts to be ta:e' d+re*tly ,rom be'e,+ts or )a-es, but
*urre't le-+slat+o' mea's )e are 'ot able to )+thout ,+rst -o+'- throu-h the *ourts to -et a l+ab+l+ty
order2
76h+s +s a r+d+*ulous s+tuat+o', )h+*h )e are a*t+1ely *halle'-+'- -o1er'me't to *ha'-e to ma:e +t
eas+er ,or $eo$le to $ay a'd stay u$?to?date )+th $ayme'ts28
Last year the *+ty3s be'e,+ts bud-et )as slashed by @220m+ll+o', lea1+'- 10,000 $eo$le ,a*+'- a 2>
$er *e't *ut +' the+r *ou'*+l ta. su$$ort2
6he *ou'*+l +s attem$t+'- to ease the $ressure )+th the +'trodu*t+o' o, a hardsh+$ ,u'd, *utt+'- b+lls
by a' a1era-e o, @>0 ,or the )orst?h+t2
Cou'*+llors ha1e also a-reed to *ut the m+'+mum re4u+red *ou'*+l ta. $ayme't ,rom 2> $er *e't to
20 $er *e't ,or )or:+'-?a-e res+de'ts2
A *ou'*+l s$o:es)oma' sa+d:8 ;e )ould ho$e that the redu*t+o' )+ll mea' that less o, our
*ustomers )+ll ,all beh+'d )+th $ayme'ts a'd there,ore there )+ll be less 'eed to +ssue summo'ses28
!1ery t+me someo'e +s summo'ed to *ourt ,or 'o'?$ayme't o, *ou'*+l ta. they must $ay @00, a'd a
,urther @23 ,or ea*h l+ab+l+ty order2
Bet)ee' A$r+l a'd "e*ember last year the *ou'*+l *olle*ted a total o, @200,000 th+s )ay, )h+*h the
author+ty says *o1ers the *ost o, outsta'd+'- *ou'*+l ta.2
Cllr Lo)ry added: 7A'yo'e )ho has ,alle' beh+'d )+th $ayme'ts a'd +s )orr+ed be*ause they are
u'able to br+'- the+r a**ou't u$ to date should *o'ta*t us be,ore add+t+o'al *har-es -et a$$l+ed2
7Sta,, +' our re1e'ues a'd be'e,+ts de$artme't )+ll be able to e.$lore the d+,,ere't $ayme't o$t+o's
a1a+lable a'd hel$ *hoose the o'e best ,or ea*h *ustomer2 6hese +'*lude: e.te'd+'- e.+st+'-
+'stalme'ts so that $ayme'ts are lo)er a'd are $a+d )ee:ly, ,ort'+-htly or mo'thly a'd sett+'- u$
d+re*t deb+t $ayme'ts2 Peo$le )ho ,+'d themsel1es +' e.treme ,+'a'*+al d+,,+*ult+es may be el+-+ble
,or our e.*e$t+o'al hardsh+$ ,u'd / +t3s really +m$orta't that $eo$le *o'ta*t us +, they are
stru--l+'-28
&es+de'ts *a' *o'ta*t the *ou'*+l by *all+'- 01A>2 00(0002 More +',ormat+o' about ho) to $ay,
a'd *ha'-es to *ou'*+l ta. that *ame +'to e,,e*t ,rom A$r+l 2013 *a' be ,ou'd o' the Cou'*+l3s
)ebs+te at )))2$lymouth2-o12u:B)el,arere,orm
C%C<CDL 6AE FAC6S
Summo's +ssued A$r+l to "e*ember 2013: 1(,202
L+ab+l+ty orders A$r+l to "e*ember 2013: 10,==3
Summo's +ssued A$r+l 2012 to A$r+l 2013: 11,332
L+ab+l+ty orders 2012?13: A,A>A
Summo's +ssued 2011?2012: 13,>A3
L+ab+l+ty orders 2011?12: (,=0>
Mo'ey -e'erated throu-h summo's a'd l+ab+l+ty orders 2012?13: @200,000
C%C<CDL 6AE A"FDC!
D, you m+ss a *ou'*+l ta. $ayme't, the *ou'*+l )+ll ta:e a*t+o' to re*o1er the mo'ey o)ed2
D, you are ha1+'- d+,,+*ulty $ay+'- you *a' *o'ta*t them to d+s*uss $ayme't o$t+o's2 D, you are o' a
lo) +'*ome you may be e't+tled to *ou'*+l ta. be'e,+t2
D, you m+ss a $ayme't the *ou'*+l )+ll se'd you a rem+'der2 A ma.+mum o, t)o rem+'ders )+ll be
+ssued dur+'- the year2
D, you +-'ore a rem+'der or a ,+'al 'ot+*e the *ou'*+l )+ll se'd you a summo's a'd *har-e you
*osts2 Gou ha1e lost your r+-ht to $ay by +'stallme'ts a'd must $ay the ,ull bala'*e ,or the year2
A summo's )+ll tell you ho) mu*h mo'ey you o)e a'd )+ll e.$la+' that the *ou'*+l +s ta:+'- the
matter to the ma-+strates3 *ourt2
D' *ourt the *ou'*+l )+ll a$$ly ,or a l+ab+l+ty order a'd *har-e you ,urther *osts2 Gou do 'ot ha1e to
atte'd *ourt2
A l+ab+l+ty order -+1es the *ou'*+l le-al $o)ers to re*o1er the mo'ey you o)e2 6hese $o)ers are as
,ollo)s:
? &e4uest ,or +',ormat+o': 6he *ou'*+l )+ll loo: at your ,+'a'*+al *+r*umsta'*es a'd de*+de ho) to
*olle*t the mo'ey2
? Atta*hme't o, +'*ome su$$ort or 9obsee:ers3 allo)a'*e: 6he *ou'*+l )+ll as: the "e$artme't o,
;or: a'd Pe's+o's to dedu*t mo'ey ,rom your be'e,+ts2
? Atta*hme't o, ear'+'-s: D, you are +' )or:, the *ou'*+l *a' as: your em$loyer to dedu*t a *erta+'
amou't ,rom your )a-es to $ay o,, your debt2
? Char-+'- order: D, your debt +s more tha' @1,000 a'd you are the o)'er o, your home, the *ou'*+l
*ould ,or*e the sale o, your house to re$ay your debt2
? Ba':ru$t*y: D, your total debt +s more that @A>0 the *ou'*+l may be-+' $ro*eed+'-s to ma:e you
ba':ru$t2
? F+s+t by ba+l+,,s: Costs )+ll be added ,or a ba+l+,,3s 1+s+t a'd also ,or remo1+'- a'y -oods to sell
a'd $ay to)ards your debt2
? Pr+so': D, the ba+l+,, +s u'able to *olle*t the debt, you may re*e+1e a summo's re4u+r+'- you to
atte'd a *omm+ttal hear+'- at *ourt2
Sour*e: Plymouth C+ty Cou'*+lH
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