§ Ms DrownTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many liability orders for non-payment of council tax bills were(a) heard and (b) refused by magistrates courts in England in the last year for which figures are available. [112544]
§ Yvette CooperCentral Government does not collect information on the number of liability orders for nonpayment of council tax bills heard or refused by magistrates courts in England. However, estimates are available on the number of liability orders granted by local authorities in England. The most recent information available is given in the table attached. These estimates are based on information supplied to The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) on its Revenue Collection Statistics return. The most recent information available is for 2000–01 and is based on returns from 227 local authorities in England (out of a possible 354). The information provided in the table has been grossed by CIPFA to provide totals by class of authority.
Local authorities in England Number of liability orders granted in 2000–01 London Boroughs 468,000 Metropolitan Districts 558,000 English Unitaries 513,000 Shire Districts 677,000 Total England 2,216,000