Oldham Council is helping the Citizens Advice to support people who are struggling with debt. It sees the town hall adopt Citizens Advice’s Council Tax Collection Protocol.
This includes a focus on doing more to let people know when they initially get into Council Tax debt. The council said " we need to do more to work with them to find a manageable solution."
Jonathan Yates at Citizens Advice Oldham said “Oldham adopting our council tax protocol is good news for people who fall behind on their council tax.
“This guidance could prevent them from facing even more serious problems such as court action.
A nationwide study carried out by national Citizens Advice last year found that over two thirds (69%) of those in Council Tax debt found it harder to clear their debts as a result of actions taken by councils. Most (71%) had extra charges added to their bills while almost half (48%) had been visited by bailiffs.enforcement agents.
By doing more to prevent people getting into debt the Citizens Advice said councils can ensure outstanding debts are more likely to be repaid.
For more information on the protocol, please visit https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/about-us/our-campaigns/all-our-current-campaigns/council-tax-protocol/
