Local Government Finance Bill

Insert the following new Clause—

“Enforcement of council tax

Councils shall include procedures in their contracts with bailiff companies covering the enforcement of council tax which allows for the return of a warrant by the bailiffs to the councils for reconsideration when—

(a) there is a mistake in the decision to issue the warrant in the first place;

(b) the warrant was imposed by the local authority before the relevant facts of the case were known;

(c) the circumstances of the defaulter have changed since the warrant was issued by the local authority;

(d) the defaulter is experiencing financial hardship and is unable to pay the tax; and

(e) the circumstances of the defaulter fall within the circumstances of “vulnerable situations” on page 9 of the National Standards for Enforcement Agents issued by the Ministry of Justice in 2012.”