• Skip to content
  • Skip to navigation
Logo: Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council
Your Account
  • Menu
Close menu
Close
  • About the Council
  • Business and Economy
  • Children and Families
  • Community and Living
  • Council Tax and Benefits
  • Education and Learning
  • Environment and Waste
  • Health and Social Care
  • Housing
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Leisure and Culture
  • Planning and Development
  • Transport and Streets
  • See all news
  • See all events
  1. Home
  2. Council tax and benefits
  3. Council tax
  4. Struggling to pay your Council Tax?

Struggling to pay your Council Tax?

In this section

  1. Struggling to pay your Council Tax?
  2. What happens if you don't pay your Council Tax
  3. Attachments to your benefits
  4. Attachments to your earnings
  5. Using enforcement agents to recover unpaid Council Tax
  6. Insolvency
  7. Bankruptcy Proceedings
  8. Winding up proceedings
  9. Charging Orders
  10. You are here: Committal to prison

Committal to prison

If we have exhausted other methods of recovery, we can ask the court to issue you a summons to attend a committal hearing. 

At the hearing, we will advise the magistrates that a liability order has been granted against you and provide a history of your debt. 

You would have the opportunity to explain why you have not paid your Council Tax and you would be asked questions about your income and expenditure.

The magistrates will then consider whether or not you have deliberately refused to pay (wilful refusal) or had the financial means to pay but failed to do so (culpable neglect)

If either wilful refusal or culpable neglect is found the court would decide whether you should go to prison for not paying your Council Tax for up to 90 days.

Should you fail to attend a committal hearing a warrant may be issued for your arrest.

  • Previous page: Charging Orders

Downloads

  • Council Tax

Stay connected

Sign up for our newsletter
Footer Logo: Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council
  • About this website
  • Accessibility statement
  • Privacy
  • Languages
  • Contact Us
  • Location
  • Terms and conditions
  • Facebook logo
  • Twitter logo
  • YouTube logo
  • Instagram logo
  • LinkedIn logo

All content © 2025 Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council. All Rights Reserved.

Designed and Powered by Jadu.

chatbot launch button image
Left Right
Full Wide Split Narrow
Chatbot avatar image
Hi, I'm Bailey
I'm here to answer your questions.

Hi, I'm Bailey, how can I help you today? You can ask me questions relating to a number of council services.

To start a chat you will need to click 'continue' to confirm you have read and understood our terms and conditions Privacy Policy.

Privacy Statement