Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Council Tax Debt Collection

Monday 13 April 2026 · 4 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Government have consulted on modernising and improving the administration of council tax, including its collection practices.
  • The Ministry of Justice is also involved in reviewing practices related to vulnerable households and council tax debt collection.
  • The Chancellor introduced a new charge for highest-value properties to address fairness issues in the council tax system.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Luke Charters Lab York Outer
Local Government
Context

The question arises from concerns over inconsistent and disproportionate council tax collection methods that can exacerbate financial difficulties for households.

Question

What assessment has the Department made of the potential impact of council tax debt collection practices on households in financial difficulty? Council tax debt collection sometimes involves overly aggressive enforcement action, moving too quickly towards bailiff intervention without adequate support for vulnerable households.

Answer from Alison McGovern

Because of the inconsistent and disproportionate practices observed, the Government have consulted on modernising and improving the administration of council tax, including its collection, and we will publish our response shortly.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide a specific assessment or details about current debt collection impact

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Q2 Luke Charters Lab York Outer
Justice & Courts Housing Local Government
Context

StepChange, a charity organisation, has highlighted issues with some councils moving too quickly towards bailiff enforcement without sufficient support for vulnerable households.

Question

Working with StepChange, it is observed that some councils are too often moving too quickly towards bailiff enforcement action. Would the Minister consider issuing best practice to councils to ensure that vulnerable households are supported instead of being pushed into further financial misery by overly aggressive enforcement?

Answer from Alison McGovern

I thank my hon. Friend for raising this issue and StepChange through him for its work. As I mentioned, we will have more to say in this area shortly, but the Ministry of Justice is involved too, so I will work with Ministers there.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not commit to issuing best practice guidance or address the issue directly

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Q3 Ellie Chowns Green North Herefordshire
Local Government
Context

Concerns are raised about the regressive nature of council tax based on outdated property values, with poorer households paying a larger proportion relative to income.

Question

Council tax is acknowledged as regressive due to outdated property valuation. Instead of consulting just on collection methods, will the Minister commit to review and replace this unfair tax system with one that better reflects current property values?

Answer from Alison McGovern

I thank the hon. Lady for raising this issue. We will have more to say shortly, but when it comes to fairness, the Chancellor introduced a new charge for highest-value properties showing Labour's readiness to act on fairness issues.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not commit to reviewing or replacing council tax; instead referenced a specific policy change

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Q4 David Simmonds Con Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner
Economy Local Government
Context

Concerns about the government's approach to maximising council tax revenues without proper assessment of cost-of-living impacts.

Question

Maximising council tax increases underpins the Government's financial strategy. The Minister admits no impact assessment has been done regarding these rises on living costs for households. Will she assure that the Prime Minister considered this when deploying bailiffs to enforce collection?

Answer from Alison McGovern

I think that is a little bit rich given what we lived through. On average, Tory councils cost people more. The best way to ensure recovery from austerity is to improve services and deal with the cost-of-living crisis by not paying for failure.

Not addressed: Did not address questions about impact assessments or assurances regarding Prime Minister's considerations

How: Attack, Process Answer

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