What is a court summons?

A court summons is a formal notice from the court telling you when to attend and why. It is issued when legal action starts, often for unpaid debts like council tax.

At the court hearing we will apply for a liability order. A liability order allows us to take recovery action against you if you do not pay your council tax debt.

How to prevent further legal action

Pay by debit or credit card

After you receive a summons, to prevent a liability order from being obtained you should:

• pay what you owe in full, including costs, using a debit or credit card, by:
  • scanning the QR code in the letter
  • using our secure online payment system
  • calling our 24 hour automated payment line on 0300 3301515.

If you cannot pay the full amount, you can:

• make arrangements to pay the monthly instalment plan shown on the summons, or
• log into your online council tax account and complete the arrangement form to make an offer of repayment.

Pay by cash

If you do not have a debit or credit card, you can make cash payments of the instalment plan shown on the summons. You can pay at:

• the Post Office - up to the value of £999.  If your bill is more than £999, you will need to make more than one payment.
  Find your nearest Post Office using the Post Office branch finder
• Payzone outlet - up to the value of £999.  If your bill is more than £999, you will need to make more than one payment.
  Find your nearest Payzone store using the Payzone locator
• PayPoint outlet - PayPoint allows you to make payments up to the value of £200. If your bill is more than £200, you will need to make more than one payment.
  Find your nearest PayPoint outlet on the PayPoint website (external website)

Remember to keep your receipt as proof that you have paid.

You will need to take your barcoded bill with you. If you do not have your bill, you can request a copy by emailing us:

If you are paying the instalments shown on the summons, you must keep up with the payment arrangement. If you miss a payment, the liability order means we can attempt to recover your debt another way, such as:

• through an enforcement agency (bailiffs)
• directly from your wages
• directly from your benefits.

Change the payment plan

If you think the payment plan set out in your summons will cause you money problems, you can ask to change it.

If you have an online council tax account, you can complete the council tax arrangement form online. This is the best way to request a new payment plan:

If you do not have an online account, you can complete the form which was sent with your summons. You will need to scan, or photograph, the completed form and email it to:

Talk to us about your summons

Use this form if you have received a summons and want to discuss it with us:

Please note, if you request a call back, we might not be able to call you back the same day.

What happens if you ignore the summons

Ignoring a summons means your case will be taken to court and we will apply for a liability order.

Query a court summons

If you think we should not have sent you a summons, you can query it. An example of a valid query would be:

• the outstanding amount owed was paid in full, and received by the council, before the summons issue date
• you are not the person who is responsible for paying council tax for the property - your name should not be on the council tax bill
• the council tax debt is due for a period before you entered:
  • bankruptcy, or
  • winding-up petition, or
  • an individual voluntary arrangement, or
  • debt relief order.

    Please note: if the debt is for a period after this you are liable for payment.

In situations such as this contact the council tax team: