'I missed a £100 council tax bill while in hospital – the debt ballooned to £6k'
'I missed a £100 council tax bill while in hospital – the debt ballooned to £6k'
When Mike Barley almost died in a motorbike crash on the way home from work, he did not think his biggest worry during recovery would be the council tax bill he had been sent that same day. But after he missed a payment reminder letter while in hospital, his debts rocketed out of control.
Mr Barley, 26, from Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, had a "well-paid" job as a software developer, and owned his own home, but the accident in March 2021 put him in hospital for a month with broken ribs, a collapsed lung, and severe injuries to his arms and legs.
The same day as the accident, Mr Barley was sent a council tax bill for an instalment of £101.71. He missed the payment and was still in hospital when a reminder letter was sent to his home, so he missed that, too.
Mr Barley said he was "stuck" on sick pay of £90 a week at the time and remembered thinking: "I've got no income any more - I can't work, I can't walk. Where is this money going to come from?"
He says after telling his local council he would not be able to pay, they sent another letter, in June 2021, setting out a payment plan. It included two months of reduced payments but then demanded Mr Barley pay the rest of the year's payments in advance – a total of about £1,000.
Mr Barley's council acted in line with the usual process for unpaid council tax in England.
If you do not pay your monthly bill after three weeks, or you have three late payments, councils can demand the remainder of the year's bill in full, and can send in bailiffs to collect the debt.
Charities have long claimed the method of council tax debt enforcement in England punishes people who are genuinely struggling to pay - while the government says it is taking action against "archaic and aggressive" practices.
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