Wolverhampton Trades Union Council Campaign
Martin Lewis literally got on his soapbox on TV recently to highlight the aggressive collection of council tax arrears and the impact that this has on people and families. His concerns were discussed at the last Trades Union Council meeting where delegates confirmed his conclusions and expressed considerable concern about the policy and practices of Wolverhampton City Council.
Please cut and paste the model letter below, adding your name and address at the end, and send to:
1) the Leader of the council Councillor Steven Simkins labourleadersoffice@wolverhampton.gov.uk
2) your local councillors; you can write to all your local councillors in one go, just type your postcode into https://www.writetothem.com/ (you’ll then get an email to confirm it’s you)
Please let us know if you have any response, thank you.
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Dear Councillor,
Re: Aggressive collection of Council Tax arrears
I am contacting you to draw your attention to the policy and procedure of Wolverhampton City Council regarding the collection of council tax arrears. Martin Lewis literally got on his soapbox recently on TV, concerned about the aggressive policy of councils with regard to collection of council tax.
He highlighted:
‘Aggressive council tax debt collection practices – even after missing just ONE payment – are putting up to two million people at risk of serious harm, new research from charity the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute (MMHPI) has found. The charity’s chair and founder Martin Lewis has called for Government action and urged local authorities to look at their methods in the meantime’.
He went on to explain:
‘Missing Just ONE council tax payment can be disastrous
Within three weeks of missing one council tax payment, councils can require residents to pay their full bill within just seven days. For the average UK household, this could mean a missed £140 payment results in a £1,668 bill just three weeks later.
Fail to pay your entire council tax bill within a week and your council can apply to take your case to court and ask for a ‘liability order’ – a letter that lets them take more aggressive forms of debt collection, such as sending in bailiffs. Outrageously, these orders also come with a charge of as much as £155 for the person in debt, despite them only costing 50p to produce, according to the Ministry of Justice.
In stark contrast, a credit card firm is required by regulation to go through more steps to engage people about a missed payment before demanding full repayment – and this process typically takes three to six months. Credit card firms are also required to offer a much wider range of support and repayment options.’
I am aware that people in Wolverhampton who have missed a payment for whatever reason are expected to pay in full and ‘advised’ that further action will be taken to recover the outstanding amount. We are also aware of the stress this places on people living in Wolverhampton in the current financial climate.
I respectfully request that you:
- Check our information on the Martin Lewis website https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2024/09/martin-lewis-council-tax-debt-collection-warning/
- Raise questions concerning the policy and procedures implemented in Wolverhampton
- Request practices are reviewed
- Vigorously object to aggressive collection procedures on behalf of your electorate
- Ensure local people are treated with dignity and respect and given a fair opportunity to pay their council tax
I am not suggesting that council tax arrears should be ignored. Quite the opposite. I think people should be given a fair chance to pay.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely,
Name:
Address: