Non-Payment of Council Tax

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 34750
London N7 9WF

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 have difficulty paying your council tax, see our Money Worries page.