Welsh council leaders commit to accredited enforcement firms only

All council leaders in Wales committed in November 2023 to using only accredited firms to collect Council Tax, the Welsh Government has said, making Wales the first nation in the UK to do so¹. The commitment sits within the Council Tax Protocol for Wales, launched in 2019, which all councils in Wales have committed to following¹.

The government said the commitment "ensures that enforcement agencies and their bailiffs follow the standards set by the Enforcement Conduct Board"¹. The Protocol was described as a major step in changing Council Tax enforcement, encouraging councils, enforcement agencies and advice agencies to work closely together, with a key requirement that councils offer effective support to households managing their bills and help those who fall into debt¹.

The Welsh Government set out a series of earlier changes to enforcement in the same document. In 2011 it capped court fees associated with liability orders at a maximum of £70, and in 2019 it ended the threat of imprisonment for non-payment of Council Tax and published the Protocol¹. In 2018 it exempted young care leavers from paying Council Tax until age 25 and standardised the exemption available for people with a severe mental impairment¹. In 2013 it delivered a nationalised Council Tax Reduction Scheme for low-income households, maintained and uprated every year since¹. From April 2025, councils have been able to use Universal Credit data to automate applications for Council Tax support¹.

The document also describes the current recovery process. A Council Tax bill is usually divided into 10 or 12 monthly payments, or paid in one lump sum at the start of the year¹. If a payment is missed, the council sends a reminder notice and the household has 7 days to pay the missed amount before losing the right to pay in instalments; if it does not pay within 7 days, the law states it must pay the remaining annual balance after another 7 days¹. Councils only need to send reminder notices for the first two missed payments in a financial year (1 April to 31 March); a third missed payment means the remaining annual balance must be paid within 1 day¹. A final notice asks for the amount owed within 7 days¹. A summons states the Council Tax owed and added costs, up to a maximum of £70 in Wales¹. A liability order allows recovery by enforcement agents, attachment of earnings, deductions from benefits, a charging order, or a bankruptcy application where more than £5,000 is owed¹.

Why it matters for households

The commitment means that where a council in Wales passes a Council Tax debt to an enforcement firm, that firm is one accredited under the Enforcement Conduct Board standards, according to the government's account¹. It applies to enforcement action taken after a liability order, the stage at which bailiffs can be sent to a property¹. The commitment was made in November 2023 and covers all council leaders in Wales¹. Households in Wales who fall behind can still pay the full amount or agree a repayment plan with the council after a liability order is issued¹. The document notes that Council Tax arrears are a common debt issue in Wales, often alongside other debts, and that falling behind can lead to a court summons, liability order or visits from enforcement agents¹. It also states that the collection framework can make it hard for households to escape debt because it escalates to a larger amount relatively quickly¹. The government said it is consulting on changes to the enforcement framework to encourage earlier engagement and earlier intervention¹. The consultation applies only to Wales¹.

What happens next

The Welsh Government's consultation on improving the administration and enforcement of Council Tax in Wales opened on 30 April 2025 and runs for 12 weeks until 23 July 2025¹. It seeks views on proposed changes, including that councils should always send a reminder notice when a Council Tax instalment is missed¹. The document states that the features of the current process are set out in primary legislation, the Local Government Finance Act 1992¹. The Senedd approved the Local Government Finance (Wales) Act 2024, which paves the way for a revaluation of properties for Council Tax purposes in 2028¹.