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United Kingdom
United Kingdom
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Local authority definition What does Local authority mean? In legal practice, a local authority is the elected council that provides local government for a defined area, exercising statutory functions including planning, housing, social care, education, highways, environmental health, licensing, and the collection of council tax or rates. The expression appears widely in legislation and case law; its precise scope is set by the relevant statute. England: county councils and district councils (including metropolitan boroughs), unitary authorities, London Boroughs and the Common Council of the City of London; parish and town councils are local authorities at the most local tier. Wales: unitary county and county borough councils. Scotland: the...
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Local authority debt recovery in England and Wales: legal framework, policy duties, enforcement options, and the impact of R v Tottenham Magistrates on liability order costs
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Practice notes
Types of debts to be recovered by local authorities
A local authority debt recovery team manages the collection of sums owed, conducted by the in-house unit or by supervising outsourced providers, spanning numerous liabilities including the following:
- council tax—a household levy imposed by local authorities in Britain, determined by a property’s assessed value and the number of residents. Refer to Practice Notes: Council tax and Council Tax Enforcement
- non-domestic rates—also called business rates, collected by billing authorities to support local services. Refer to Practice Note: National non-domestic rates—billing recovery, exemptions and reliefs.
- parking fines—penalties for unauthorised parking (eg parking in disabled bays, on double yellow lines, etc), exceeding permitted time limits, or parking without a ticket
- sundry debts—smaller amounts linked to unpaid rents, former tenants’ arrears, funeral expenses, and overpayments of housing benefit
- adult social care debt—arising where a financial assessment decides a person is responsible for all or part of the cost of their care and support needs. Refer to Practice Note: Securing and enforcing community care liabilities
- rent arrears—non-payment of, or a shortfall in, rent due for accommodation typically regarded as being
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Web page updated on 21/05/2026
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Date [ date ] Parties [ name of Landlord ] [ of OR incorporated in England and Wales (company registration number [ number ]) with its registered office at ] [ address ] (Landlord) [ name of Tenant ] [ of OR incorporated in England and Wales (company registration number [ number ]) with its registered office at ] [ address ] (Tenant) [ [ name of Guarantor ] [ of OR incorporated in England and Wales (company registration number [ number ]) with its registered office at ] [ address ] (Guarantor) ] [ [ name of Mortgagee ] [ of OR incorporated in England and Wales (company registration number [ number ]) with its registered office at ] [ address ] (Mortgagee) ] Definitions Within this Deed, the terms below shall be interpreted as follows: [ Annual Rent • the annual sum reserved under the Lease; ] [ Insurance Rent • the Tenant’s share of the Landlord’s costs of insuring the Property (as set out in the Lease); ] Lease • the lease of the Property dated [ date ], entered into between (1) [ the Landlord OR [ name ...
I, [ name ], of [ address ], solemnly and sincerely state that: [ Matters to be verified, set out in numbered paragraphs ] I make this solemn statement in good conscience, believing it to be true, and pursuant to the provisions of the Statutory Declarations Act 1835. DECLARED at [ details ] this [ day ] day of [ month and year ] Before me ................................................................................ [ signature of the person before whom the declaration is made ] A [ commissioner for oaths OR [ solicitor OR [ insert other qualification ] ] authorised to administer oaths ]...
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