Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 14 December 2023 to Question 6351 on Local Government: Debt Collection, with reference to increases in the cost of living, if his Department will take steps to update the guidance entitled Council tax collection: best practice guidance for local authorities, published on 16 August 2021.

While the Department keeps the guidance on council tax collection under review, there are currently no plans to update it. The Government expects councils to be sympathetic in their approach to collecting council tax, and it is open to them to adopt alternative approaches where they consider it appropriate.