Citizens Advice response to the government proposal to change the way council tax is administered

Responding to the government proposal to change the way council tax is administered in England, Tom MacInnes, Director of Policy at Citizens Advice, said: 

“Spreading council tax payments over 12 months rather than 10 is a good start - it will help people to budget more effectively, especially those on lower incomes.

“We also welcome the government’s review of how council tax is collected - something Citizens Advice has been campaigning for. Council tax is our second biggest debt query area, narrowly behind energy arrears. And a quarter of clients with council tax arrears need advice about dealing with bailiffs, which can be a terrifying experience. Current rules mean small debts quickly spiral out of control - worsening hardship rather than providing the support people need to get back on their feet. 

“We’re calling on ministers to move quickly and commit to the fundamental reforms that are needed.”

Additional information: 

  • Citizens Advice helped 86,211 people with council tax arrears in the 12 months to 31 May 2025 - up five per cent on the previous year.

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Notes to editors:

  1. Citizens Advice is made up of the national charity Citizens Advice; the network of independent local Citizens Advice charities across England and Wales; the Citizens Advice consumer service; and the Witness Service.

  2. Our network of charities offers impartial advice online, over the phone, and in person, for free. 

  3. Citizens Advice helped 2.68 million people face to face, over the phone, by email and webchat in 2023-24. And we had 51.7 million visits to our website. For full service statistics see our monthly publication Advice trends.

  4. Citizens Advice service staff are supported by more than 19,000 trained volunteers, working at over 1,900 service outlets across England and Wales.

  5. Citizens Advice is the statutory consumer advocate for energy and postal markets. We provide supplier performance information to consumers and policy analysis to decision makers. 

  6. You can get consumer advice from the Citizens Advice consumer service on 0808 223 1133 or 0808 223 1144 for Welsh language speakers.