Liberal Democrat research has revealed that in the 2007/8 financial year Bath & North East Somerset Council took just under 9,000 of its residents to court for failing to pay Council Tax. 

The Council sent bailiffs to around 2,500 homes and filed for bankruptcy for 2 residents.

The Liberal Democrats are calling for all public bodies, including local authorities and government departments, to follow a Code of Conduct to ensure that families are not bankrupted unnecessarily during the recession.

Bath MP Don Foster said that Court appearances and bankruptcy need to be a last resort for Councils in these matters, not tactics used as a matter of course. 

This research shows the devastating effect that failing to pay Council Tax can have on families, especially those already struggling to cope with mortgage repayments and rising bills. It is high time the unfair Council Tax was scrapped and replaced with a fair tax based on the ability to pay.