First call the council's council tax department and make an appointment with a council officer to discuss how you can settle the matter. If you're not working then let the officer give you direction as to how you can pay up. This is usually an extra payment of say as little as 50p a week. When you are back working pay by direct debit and allow your bank permission to pay price increases so this will not happen to you again.''
Atb Red
You have used the ￡ sign I will presume you are in the U.K. Yes, the council should have sent you a reminder in the mail, so they have failed on that count. They also should have either sent you an email, or post mail letter to tell you the rate had gone up. so 2 counts down. Try and get yourself a court solicitor, which should be free if you are out of work, and contest the case, you have a very good case. These councils are run by incompetent bureaucrats who just don't think things through and like to big note themselves.
Good luck.
EDIT: Unfortunately, these days emails and faxes are accepted as proof of notification, the same as a registered letter, so I'm afraid you have little recourse but to pay up. Put it down to expensive experience, and try paying before you get to court, otherwise they may sting you their legal costs as well.
I agre with Red on this one
paid council tax regular payments and then agreed to e billing. but forgot, then I lost my job, but thought at least everything is up to date. then I received a court summons for the whole of the outstanding amount plus ￡70 costs, I called the c tax to be told as I hadn't paid I had to pay full amount , told them I had been making regular payments of ￡60, then she told me that I had ebills that showed the amount I payed had gone up and I should have been paying ￡94 for the last 2 months, as my benefits was being sorted out I knew my entitlement would cover the outstanding amount, I asked her to contact the office next door as they were in same building and they could verify what I was saying, but are in the process of sorting it out, the lady didn't want to know , when I mentioned about why the summons was sent through the post, she said to make sure I get it , so if they thought there could have been an issue with email, why didn't they also send the final demand which was also important, I was told it was to costly , to which I said that I thought, im sure going this way is of more cost, but actually its down to their dirty dealings they are actually making a heck of a lot of money of the backs of people who are already struggling, anyway I am thinking of attending court to put my side , don't think I have a leg to stand on as they've probably already decided the outcome before I even attended, does anyone know what I should take and does anyone know anything info wise that may help, I wish everyone who is issued a summons would attend as I don't think they could cope with that , they depend on the fact most people don't attend
