Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to bring England into line with the rest of the UK by removing the sanction of imprisonment for non-payment of council tax.
Imprisonment should only ever be the last resort for non-payment of council tax. Before a magistrates’ court commits someone to prison for failure to pay their council tax, it must inquire as to the debtor’s means, and satisfy itself that failure to pay is due to “wilful refusal or culpable neglect”. This is to prevent persons who are genuinely unable to pay their council tax from being committed to prison. The Government does not have any plans to change the current arrangements.