More than 2.7m debts referred to bailiffs by councils

More than 2.7 million debts were referred to bailiffs by local authorities in England and Wales during the 2022/23 financial year, according to new research conducted by the Money Advice Trust, the charity that runs National Debtline, and the Centre for Social Justice think-tank. The findings, based on Freedom of Information requests to local authorities,…

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Outstanding council tax debt reaches £6bn

Latest data published by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) show outstanding council tax arrears have reached a total of £6 billion as of 31stMarch 2024, a 9% year-on-year rise and an 71% increase since before the pandemic – the total outstanding arrears stood at £3.5 billion in 2019 to 2020. Over…

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Thanet council tax debt hits £23.2m

A Freedom of Information request to Thanet District Council has revealed the total value of unpaid council tax debt owed in the district up to the end of the 2022-2023 financial year is a £23,202,000. The figure has built up over the past 30 years, since the charge was first introduced, and includes £2 million…

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Call for reform of outdated collection rules as council tax debt hits £5.5bn

The Money Advice Trust, the charity that runs National Debtline and Business Debtline, has responded to figures which show that council tax arrears for households in England have reached £5.5 billion by calling for urgent reform of council tax collection rules.  Current rules mean that households can be liable for their full annual bill after…

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Council tax, energy, rent and other priority debts up 54% since 2018

New research from National Debtline, the free debt advice service run by the Money Advice Trust, has revealed that the average level of priority debt – including council tax, energy and rent arrears – held by callers has risen 54 percent since 2018, from £2,642 to £4,080.  The findings, based on a survey of National…

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Charity calls for intervention as council tax arrears almost triple in the North of England

Financial education charity, The Centre for Financial Capability, is calling on the Government to intervene in the growing cost of living crisis, as households across the North of England in particular struggle to make council payments. New research published by The Centre has found that over the last five years, the number of households struggling…

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