Debt Recovery

If you do not pay your council tax you may be sent a summons. A summons is a request for you to attend a court hearing where the council will ask the magistrate to grant a liability order. This is an order which enables the council to ensure payment of your outstanding debt. It can do this by one of the following means:

• distraint - bailiffs may seize your goods and sell them at auction
• committal proceedings - after a means hearing, you could be sentenced to up to three months in prison
• attachment of earnings - regular deductions made from your wages by your employer
• attachment of benefit - weekly deductions from your income support

If you have paid your bill, contact our council tax section immediately, providing proof of payment. You can send this proof as an attachment as an email to: council.tax@islington.gov.uk or in writing to:

Council Tax
PO Box 10541
222 Upper Street
London N1 1YJ

In all contact please quote your council tax account number, name and contact telephone number and/or address.

If you can’t pay before the hearing date, contact us immediately by telephone on 020 7527 2633. We will apply for a liability order, but provided that you keep to the payment arrangement, we will not enforce the order.

If you are on a low income

Many people on low incomes have difficulty paying their council tax bill. If you are one of them, please don't ignore it.

There are many benefits, including council tax benefit and housing benefit, which could reduce the amount you have to pay or may increase the amount of benefit you're entitled to, depending on your circumstances.

To find out more you should contact our housing benefits team. It is a good idea to take all your bills and letters along with you to save time.

To find out more click on the Council Tax and Housing Benefits link under related information on the right hand side of this page, or, you can write to:

Islington Benefits
PO Box 13645
London N7 7WB