A submission to the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee on the collection of council tax arrears

We welcome this call for evidence on council practices regarding Council Tax arrears collection.

Policy in Practice has worked with many councils to design Council Tax support schemes and target proactive support and segregate debtors.

Policy in Practice believes that a more uniform and customer-focused approach to Council Tax arrears collection will assist both the resident and the council.

To achieve this, many councils will need to address, and change, current policies.

The voluntary nature of adherence to guidelines and protocols, and our experience of variation in practice across councils suggests that legislation may be necessary to meet the objective of supportive recovery across all councils.