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1184748

	registered interest
	date	12/03/2020
	answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Council Tax: Arrears
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his his Department collects data on local authority compliance with best practice guidelines on collection of council tax arrears.
	tabling member constituency	Hornsey and Wood Green
	tabling member printed	Catherine West
	uin	28705
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/03/2020 answer text <p>The Department does not collect data on local authority compliance with best practice guidance on the collection of council tax arrears. The Government has been working with local government and the debt advice sector to develop updated best practice guidance on the collection of council tax and will publish this guidance in due course.</p> answering member constituency Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland answering member printed Mr Simon Clarke question first answered 17/03/2020 16:07:28 answering member 4655 label Biography information for Sir Simon Clarke
	tabling member	4523 label Biography information for Catherine West

1224042

	registered interest
	date	13/07/2020
	answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Council Tax: Arrears
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his department has taken to ensure that people who have fallen behind with council tax payments are supported to repay rather than becoming liable to pay the full years bill upfront.
	tabling member constituency	Congleton
	tabling member printed	Fiona Bruce
	uin	72870
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/07/2020 answer text <p>Local authorities are responsible for the collection of council tax. Anyone who is concerned about falling behind with their council tax payments should contact their council as soon as possible to discuss the support available. Guidance issued by my Department makes clear that councils should be willing to take account of individuals’ circumstances, and agree affordable and sustainable payment plans to ensure debts are paid off in a reasonable time. The Council will also be able to advise on eligibility for a reduced bill, for example through its local council tax support scheme and any additional help under the £500 million council tax hardship fund. This is part of the Government's response to COVID-19 and enables councils to provide further reductions in bills for economically vulnerable households.</p> answering member constituency Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland answering member printed Mr Simon Clarke question first answered 16/07/2020 17:42:08 answering member 4655 label Biography information for Sir Simon Clarke previous answer version 37885 answering member constituency Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland answering member printed Mr Simon Clarke answering member 4655 label Biography information for Sir Simon Clarke
	tabling member	3958 label Biography information for Fiona Bruce

1131230

	registered interest
	date	11/06/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Council Tax: Arrears
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the increase in council tax arrears since 2014.
	tabling member constituency	Makerfield
	tabling member printed	Yvonne Fovargue
	uin	263136
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/06/2019 answer text <p>Council tax arrears reported by local authorities in England for 2014-15 to 2017-18 can be found in Table 7 of the 'Collection rates for Council Tax and non-domestic rates in England' statistical release. The link to the latest table is <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/743738/Table_7_2017-18_revised.xlsx" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/743738/Table_7_2017-18_revised.xlsx</a>.</p> answering member constituency Richmond (Yorks) answering member printed Rishi Sunak question first answered 13/06/2019 16:33:50 answering member 4483 label Biography information for Rishi Sunak
	tabling member	4034 label Biography information for Yvonne Fovargue

1488105

	registered interest
	date	11/07/2022
	answering body	Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
	answering dept id	211
	answering dept short name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
	answering dept sort name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
	hansard heading	Council Tax: Arrears
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if his Department will publish a list of the ten (a) regions, (b) cities and (c) towns with the highest levels of council tax arrears in the UK.
	tabling member constituency	Wigan
	tabling member printed	Lisa Nandy
	uin	33773
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/07/2022 answer text <p>The department does not collect council tax arrears data for the whole of the UK or for cities and towns. Data is collected for England by local authorities and the latest data for 2021-22 can be found at the following link: <a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.publishing.service.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fuploads%2Fsystem%2Fuploads%2Fattachment_data%2Ffile%2F1084448%2FQuarterly_return_of_Council_Tax_and_non-domestic_rates_QRC4__2021_to_2022.xlsx&amp;data=05%7C01%7CParliamentary%40levellingup.gov.uk%7Cab3007ca11e14b9b17d208da65921dd1%7Cbf3468109c7d43dea87224a2ef3995a8%7C0%7C0%7C637933975474301836%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=UeXdYOefqQ4DMhhCtaByKYLkGPeo47qaSpBGK7O7tMI%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1084448/Quarterly_return_of_Council_Tax_and_non-domestic_rates_QRC4__2021_to_2022.xlsx</a>.</p><p>Total council tax arrears outstanding as at 31 March 2022 can be found in column AC within the 'Data' sheet.</p> answering member constituency Sutton and Cheam answering member printed Paul Scully question first answered 14/07/2022 13:00:53 answering member 4414 label Biography information for Paul Scully
	tabling member	4082 label Biography information for Lisa Nandy

657810

	registered interest
	date	13/12/2016
	answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Council Tax: Arrears
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the number of households in council tax arrears in each of the last five years.
	tabling member constituency	Hornsey and Wood Green
	tabling member printed	Catherine West
	uin	57490
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/12/2016 answer text <p>This is a matter for local authorities.</p> answering member constituency Nuneaton answering member printed Mr Marcus Jones question first answered 16/12/2016 14:44:13 answering member 4024 label Biography information for Mr Marcus Jones
	tabling member	4523 label Biography information for Catherine West

769838

	registered interest
	date	12/10/2017
	answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Council Tax: Arrears
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many people have been in council tax arrears since April 2017; and the total amount of such arrears.
	tabling member constituency	Denton and Reddish
	tabling member printed	Andrew Gwynne
	uin	107473
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/10/2017 answer text <p>The information requested is not held centrally. This is a matter for the relevant local authority.</p> answering member constituency Nuneaton answering member printed Mr Marcus Jones grouped question UIN 107530 107531 question first answered 23/10/2017 16:13:41 answering member 4024 label Biography information for Mr Marcus Jones
	tabling member	1506 label Biography information for Andrew Gwynne

769852

	registered interest
	date	12/10/2017
	answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Council Tax: Arrears
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many people who are paying (a) council tax for the first time and (b) higher council tax as a result of the changes to council tax on 1 April 2017 have received a court summons for non-payment to date.
	tabling member constituency	Denton and Reddish
	tabling member printed	Andrew Gwynne
	uin	107531
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/10/2017 answer text <p>The information requested is not held centrally. This is a matter for the relevant local authority.</p> answering member constituency Nuneaton answering member printed Mr Marcus Jones grouped question UIN 107473 107530 question first answered 23/10/2017 16:13:41 answering member 4024 label Biography information for Mr Marcus Jones
	tabling member	1506 label Biography information for Andrew Gwynne

769853

	registered interest
	date	12/10/2017
	answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Council Tax: Arrears
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many people were in arrears with their council tax in April (a) 2016 and (b) 2017.
	tabling member constituency	Denton and Reddish
	tabling member printed	Andrew Gwynne
	uin	107530
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/10/2017 answer text <p>The information requested is not held centrally. This is a matter for the relevant local authority.</p> answering member constituency Nuneaton answering member printed Mr Marcus Jones grouped question UIN 107473 107531 question first answered 23/10/2017 16:13:41 answering member 4024 label Biography information for Mr Marcus Jones
	tabling member	1506 label Biography information for Andrew Gwynne

668887

	registered interest
	date	06/01/2017
	answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Council Tax: Arrears
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the ruling of Leeds City Council v Broadley on 6 December 2016, what plans he has to amend Guidance to local councils on good practice in the collection of council tax arrears, published in June 2013; and what steps he is taking to enable district and unitary councils in England and Wales to obtain council tax payments from tenants who have vacated periodic tenancies without notice.
	tabling member constituency	Preston
	tabling member printed	Mr Mark Hendrick
	uin	58938
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/01/2017 answer text <p>The guidance “<em>Good practice in the collection of Council Tax arrears</em>” sets out clear advice for councils to use in the collection and enforcement of council tax debt. The Government has no plans at present to update this, but as with all guidance will keep it under review in conjunction with local authorities and other interested parties.</p> answering member constituency Nuneaton answering member printed Mr Marcus Jones question first answered 17/01/2017 17:37:39 answering member 4024 label Biography information for Mr Marcus Jones
	tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick

650279

	registered interest
	date	02/12/2016
	answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Council Tax: Arrears
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his Department's policy to allow local authorities automatically to deduct agreed amounts from wages and benefits to repay council tax arrears.
	tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
	tabling member printed	Frank Field
	uin	55971
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/12/2016 answer text <p>The Government has consulted on possible measures to improve the efficiency of council tax collection and is currently considering responses to that consultation. It will set out its response shortly.</p> answering member constituency Nuneaton answering member printed Mr Marcus Jones question first answered 08/12/2016 15:48:42 answering member 4024 label Biography information for Mr Marcus Jones previous answer version 25277 answering member constituency Nuneaton answering member printed Mr Marcus Jones answering member 4024 label Biography information for Mr Marcus Jones
	tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

657811

	registered interest
	date	13/12/2016
	answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Council Tax: Arrears
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether his Department holds information on the number of times that bailiffs have been used in cases of council tax arrears in each of the last five years.
	tabling member constituency	Hornsey and Wood Green
	tabling member printed	Catherine West
	uin	57392
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/12/2016 answer text <p>The Department does not hold this information.</p> answering member constituency Nuneaton answering member printed Mr Marcus Jones question first answered 16/12/2016 13:34:50 answering member 4024 label Biography information for Mr Marcus Jones
	tabling member	4523 label Biography information for Catherine West

1251770

	registered interest
	date	16/11/2020
	answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Council Tax: Arrears
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	What estimate he has made of the amount owed to local authorities in council tax arrears.
	tabling member constituency	Makerfield
	tabling member printed	Yvonne Fovargue
	uin	908802
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/11/2020 answer text <p>The cumulative total of council tax owed as at 31 March 2020 was £3.6 billion. This was an increase of £345 million on the previous year. In 2019-20, councils collected 96.8 per cent of the council tax due that year.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Luke Hall question first answered 16/11/2020 17:24:23 answering member 4450 label Biography information for Luke Hall
	tabling member	4034 label Biography information for Yvonne Fovargue

1279591

	registered interest
	date	22/01/2021
	answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Council Tax: Arrears
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an (a) estimate of the national level of council tax arrears and (b) assessment of the effect of that matter on local authorities.
	tabling member constituency	Stockport
	tabling member printed	Navendu Mishra
	uin	142088
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/01/2021 answer text <p>The cumulative amount of council tax outstanding since 1993 was £3.6 billion at March 2020. The Government has confirmed that councils will be able to spread any deficits on their collection fund arising in 2020-21 over the next three years, and has provided a £500 million hardship fund this year to councils to further reduce council tax bills of low income households. <br> <br>The Government will also provide councils with £670 million in 2021-22 to recognise the increased costs of providing local council tax support and other help to economically vulnerable households.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Luke Hall grouped question UIN 143146 question first answered 28/01/2021 17:59:16 answering member 4450 label Biography information for Luke Hall
	tabling member	4811 label Biography information for Navendu Mishra

1280312

	registered interest
	date	25/01/2021
	answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Council Tax: Arrears
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the (a) level of council tax arrears nationally and (b) effect of those arrears on local authorities.
	tabling member constituency	Stockport
	tabling member printed	Navendu Mishra
	uin	143146
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/01/2021 answer text <p>The cumulative amount of council tax outstanding since 1993 was £3.6 billion at March 2020. The Government has confirmed that councils will be able to spread any deficits on their collection fund arising in 2020-21 over the next three years, and has provided a £500 million hardship fund this year to councils to further reduce council tax bills of low income households. <br> <br>The Government will also provide councils with £670 million in 2021-22 to recognise the increased costs of providing local council tax support and other help to economically vulnerable households.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Luke Hall grouped question UIN 142088 question first answered 28/01/2021 17:59:16 answering member 4450 label Biography information for Luke Hall
	tabling member	4811 label Biography information for Navendu Mishra

1169579

	registered interest
	date	08/01/2020
	answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Council Tax: Arrears
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment his Department has made of the (a) total value of council tax arrears referred to bailiffs by local authorities and (b) value of arrears recovered by bailiffs in the last 12 months.
	tabling member constituency	Warwick and Leamington
	tabling member printed	Matt Western
	uin	1439
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/01/2020 answer text <p>The Government does not hold data on the value of council tax arrears referred to, or recovered by, bailiffs. Statistics on the total council tax, including arrears, collected by local authorities for the financial years from 2014-15 are available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/collection-rates-for-council-tax-and-non-domestic-rates-in-england-2018-to-2019" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/collection-rates-for-council-tax-and-non-domestic-rates-in-england-2018-to-2019</a>.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Luke Hall question first answered 13/01/2020 16:33:54 answering member 4450 label Biography information for Luke Hall
	tabling member	4617 label Biography information for Matt Western

1345850

	registered interest
	date	12/07/2021
	answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Council Tax: Arrears
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the covid-19 outbreak on the number of households in (a) Coventry North East constituency, (b) Coventry, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England that have fallen into council tax arrears; and what steps his Department is taking to support economically vulnerable households in those areas.
	tabling member constituency	Coventry North East
	tabling member printed	Colleen Fletcher
	uin	31426
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/07/2021 answer text <p>The Department does not collect data on the number of households that have fallen into council tax arrears. The Government has provided £670 million of new funding in 2020-21 to support councils in delivering their local council tax support schemes to reduce council tax bills.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Luke Hall question first answered 15/07/2021 13:52:20 answering member 4450 label Biography information for Luke Hall
	tabling member	4378 label Biography information for Colleen Fletcher

1258452

	registered interest
	date	04/12/2020
	answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Council Tax: Arrears
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on the number of households in (a) Coventry North East constituency, (b) Coventry, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England that have fallen into Council Tax arrears.
	tabling member constituency	Coventry North East
	tabling member printed	Colleen Fletcher
	uin	125250
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/12/2020 answer text <p>The Department does not collect data on the number of households that have fallen into council tax arrears. The Government has made available a £500 million Hardship Fund to councils in England to provide support to economically vulnerable households, including through further reductions in council tax to recipients of working age local council tax support.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Luke Hall question first answered 09/12/2020 16:27:56 answering member 4450 label Biography information for Luke Hall
	tabling member	4378 label Biography information for Colleen Fletcher

1227742

	registered interest
	date	22/07/2020
	answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Council Tax: Arrears
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the proportion of Council Tax warrants paid at compliance stage, without enforcement visits taking place; and what assessment they have made of the adjusting of inflation in providing an economic incentive for resolving cases at compliance stage.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Eaton
	uin	HL7130
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/08/2020 answer text <p>The Government does not routinely collect data on the proportion of council tax arrears paid at compliance stage, without enforcement visits taking place. The Government is considering the operation of the compliance stage, including for council tax, as part of its ongoing review of the Taking Control of Goods regulations and is due to publish its findings in due course. The fees that may be charged by enforcement agents are set down in regulations. The question of whether to increase the fees in line with inflation is kept under review.</p> answering member printed Lord Greenhalgh question first answered 04/08/2020 14:59:08 answering member 4877 label Biography information for Lord Greenhalgh
	tabling member	4184 label Biography information for Baroness Eaton

535135

	registered interest
	date	11/07/2016
	answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Council Tax: Arrears
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the Citizens Advice Bureau report <i>Catching Up: improving council tax arrears collection</i> published on 8 July, and of why that report does not refer to the guidance to local councils on good practice in the collection of council tax arrears in respect of vulnerable people published by the Department for Communities and Local Government in June 2013.
	tabling member printed	Lord Ramsbotham
	uin	HL1131
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/07/2016 answer text <p>The Government made its position clear in our ‘Guidance to Local Councils on Good Practice in the Collection of Council Tax Arrears’, June 2013. This highlights the importance of councils being sympathetic to those in genuine hardship and that they are proportionate in their enforcement action, as well as noting the support that should be provided to vulnerable people.</p> answering member printed Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth question first answered 21/07/2016 13:41:01 answering member 4282 label Biography information for Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
	tabling member	3744 label Biography information for Lord Ramsbotham

1488104

	registered interest
	date	11/07/2022
	answering body	Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
	answering dept id	211
	answering dept short name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
	answering dept sort name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
	hansard heading	Council Tax: Arrears
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the effect of trends in the level of council tax arrears on the Government's Levelling Up agenda.
	tabling member constituency	Wigan
	tabling member printed	Lisa Nandy
	uin	33772
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/07/2022 answer text <p>The heart of the Government's Levelling Up White paper is focused on building successful and strong places, which are more economically resilient by nature and able to respond to changing economic trends. Alongside this long-term plan, the Government is also delivering national measures to continue to help people in problem debt. Key initiatives include:</p><ul><li>Maintaining record levels of debt advice funding for the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS), bringing the budget for free debt advice in England to over £90 million in 2022-23.</li><li>Launching the Breathing Space scheme in England and Wales last year. The scheme gives eligible people in problem debt who receive professional debt advice access to a 60-day period in which enforcement action is paused and most fees, charges and interest are frozen.</li><li>Developing the Statutory Debt Repayment Plan (SDRP), a statutory agreement that will enable a person in problem debt to combine their debts into a single repayment plan, with payments made over a manageable time period, while receiving legal protections from creditor action for the duration of their plan.</li></ul> answering member constituency Great Grimsby answering member printed Lia Nici grouped question UIN 33769 question first answered 14/07/2022 16:20:02 answering member 4851 label Biography information for Lia Nici
	tabling member	4082 label Biography information for Lisa Nandy

1548544

	registered interest
	date	05/12/2022
	answering body	Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
	answering dept id	211
	answering dept short name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
	answering dept sort name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
	hansard heading	Council Tax: Arrears
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has made an assessment of the additional cost incurred by those in council tax arrears when a local authority uses a debt collection agent.
	tabling member constituency	Stockport
	tabling member printed	Navendu Mishra
	uin	103029
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/12/2022 answer text <p>Local councils are responsible for the collection of council tax and any arrears. The Government does not collect data on the number of people who are in council tax arrears. Data on the level of council tax arrears in England can be found in Table 7 <a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.publishing.service.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fuploads%2Fsystem%2Fuploads%2Fattachment_data%2Ffile%2F1108764%2FCollection_rates_for_Council_Tax_and_non-domestic_rates_in_England__2021_to_2022__revised_.pdf&amp;data=05%7C01%7CParliamentary%40levellingup.gov.uk%7Cec2324910fa8452a369c08dad9384a67%7Cbf3468109c7d43dea87224a2ef3995a8%7C0%7C0%7C638061133024060602%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=0vJxBkm%2BnUUS9Iq4PksiGchdL5fMZu5Fd7jaqe37C2k%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">here</a>. Further to the Taking Control of Goods (Fees) Regulations 2014, the Department has published best practice guidance on council tax collection.</p> answering member constituency North East Derbyshire answering member printed Lee Rowley grouped question UIN 103030 question first answered 08/12/2022 16:27:57 answering member 4652 label Biography information for Lee Rowley
	tabling member	4811 label Biography information for Navendu Mishra

1548545

	registered interest
	date	05/12/2022
	answering body	Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
	answering dept id	211
	answering dept short name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
	answering dept sort name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
	hansard heading	Council Tax: Arrears
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if his Department will make an estimate of the number of people who are in council tax arrears as of 5 December 2022.
	tabling member constituency	Stockport
	tabling member printed	Navendu Mishra
	uin	103030
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/12/2022 answer text <p>Local councils are responsible for the collection of council tax and any arrears. The Government does not collect data on the number of people who are in council tax arrears. Data on the level of council tax arrears in England can be found in Table 7 <a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.publishing.service.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fuploads%2Fsystem%2Fuploads%2Fattachment_data%2Ffile%2F1108764%2FCollection_rates_for_Council_Tax_and_non-domestic_rates_in_England__2021_to_2022__revised_.pdf&amp;data=05%7C01%7CParliamentary%40levellingup.gov.uk%7Cec2324910fa8452a369c08dad9384a67%7Cbf3468109c7d43dea87224a2ef3995a8%7C0%7C0%7C638061133024060602%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=0vJxBkm%2BnUUS9Iq4PksiGchdL5fMZu5Fd7jaqe37C2k%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">here</a>. Further to the Taking Control of Goods (Fees) Regulations 2014, the Department has published best practice guidance on council tax collection.</p> answering member constituency North East Derbyshire answering member printed Lee Rowley grouped question UIN 103029 question first answered 08/12/2022 16:27:57 answering member 4652 label Biography information for Lee Rowley
	tabling member	4811 label Biography information for Navendu Mishra

168191

	registered interest
	date	05/12/2014
	answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Council Tax: Arrears
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much is owed in council tax arrears in (a) Barnsley local authority area, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) the UK.
	tabling member constituency	Barnsley East
	tabling member printed	Michael Dugher
	uin	217508
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/12/2014 answer text <p>As at 31 March 2014, Barnsley council reported that the cumulative council tax arrears in their area was £11.1 million. The corresponding figure for South Yorkshire (i.e. Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham &amp; Sheffield) was £68.9 million. The total cumulative council tax arrears as at 31 March 2014 for the whole of England was £2.53 billion.</p><p> </p><p>We do not produce figures for the UK.</p><p> </p><p>The figures are calculated by adding the amount of council tax that was uncollected within the year to the council tax arrears brought forward, less any receipts received in respect of previous years’ arrears, less any council tax written off as uncollectable.</p><p> </p><p>In our best practice document, “50 ways to save”, we listed improving council tax collection rates and reducing arrears as a key way of making sensible savings to help keep overall council tax bills down and protect frontline services. Every penny of council tax that is not collected means a higher council tax for the law-abiding citizen who does pay on time.</p><p> </p><p>It is important that councils are sympathetic to those in genuine hardship, are proportionate in enforcement and do not overuse bailiffs. However, these figures show that there is a significant source of income for councils, which they could use to support frontline service or cut council tax bills.</p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Kris Hopkins question first answered 11/12/2014 14:52:56 answering member 4043 label Biography information for Kris Hopkins
	tabling member	3916 label Biography information for Michael Dugher

1377916

	registered interest
	date	12/11/2021
	answering body	Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
	answering dept id	211
	answering dept short name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
	answering dept sort name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
	hansard heading	Council Tax: Arrears
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the impact of the covid-19 outbreak on the number of households in (a) Coventry North East constituency, (b) Coventry, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England that have fallen into Council Tax arrears.
	tabling member constituency	Coventry North East
	tabling member printed	Colleen Fletcher
	uin	73865
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/11/2021 answer text <p>The Government does not collect data on the number of households that have fallen into council tax arrears. As part of its response to the pandemic, the Government has provided £670 million of new funding in 2021-22 to help councils in delivering their local council tax support schemes.</p> answering member constituency Saffron Walden answering member printed Kemi Badenoch question first answered 22/11/2021 17:30:18 answering member 4597 label Biography information for Kemi Badenoch
	tabling member	4378 label Biography information for Colleen Fletcher