Prison

Council tax fact sheet

If you do not pay your council tax we will do all we can to collect the amount you owe us. 

The most serious thing that could happen is that you go to prison. 

What will happen? 
If you do not pay your council tax we will apply to the magistrates' court for a committal summons. This is the first stage towards you possibly going to prison. 

If you receive a committal summons, you should immediately: 
contact us (see below); and 
get legal advice or help from a solicitor, your local law centre or Citizens' Advice Bureau. 

If you pay in full, you do not need to go to court. 
If you do not pay in full, you must go to the court shown on the summons. 

The court hearing 
The court will assess your income and spending to decide whether you should go to prison. You must bring evidence of your income and spending to court if possible. 

If you do not go to the hearing, the court will issue a warrant for your immediate arrest. 
If you are arrested, you will be taken into custody where you will have to wait for your hearing. 

These are very serious matters. Do not ignore the committal summons. Please contact us immediately. 

If you do not contact us immediately, you may go to prison for up to three months.   

You can contact us: 

• by phone on 020 8600 7777; 
• by fax on 020 8753 1578; 
• by typetalk on 0800 95 95 98; or 
• by email at localtaxation@lbhf.gov.uk