A decade of austerity has left frontline services stretched, and the outdated way we fund councils has made things worse. Vulnerable people are even penalised unfairly under current council tax rules. That’s not right – and it has to change.
Far too often, families across the country have faced intimidating bailiff visits when they fall behind on council tax. These visits don’t just cause stress – they often make the situation worse, pushing people deeper into debt rather than helping them out of it.
Tackling debt shouldn’t mean punishing people who are already struggling. That’s why I’ve been working to reform the way council tax is dealt with – putting fairness, dignity, and early support at the heart of the process.
We’re consulting on fairer council tax collection, defaulting to 12-month payments and supporting those in hardship, while being firm with those who choose not to pay when they can. The current system of making vulnerable people pay a year’s sum if they miss a payment or face bailiffs defies common sense and its self defeating. It can’t go on.
Clearly we need to be firm on council tax avoidance, otherwise it impacts on everyone else, but when people fall behind through no fault of their own, or even an honest mistake it’s right to offer support. We will focus on early intervention and support, such as stronger protections for vulnerable households and giving people the help they need before debt spirals out of control.
In parallel, we are acting to repair the foundations of local government. We’ve already committed £69bn to local authorities and are ending the patchwork politics of the past. That means replacing wasteful bidding pots with a fair, needs-based funding system, simplifying grants, and offering councils three-year funding deals to give them stability. All of this will help councils be in a better place to support residents.
We have started the work of fixing the foundations because we aren’t willing to stand by when we know our councils and our communities deserve so much better. We’re asking the public to help shape that future.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/jim-mcmahon-council-tax-bailiff-35428140
Jim McMahon OBE MP 