Mark Drakeford MS, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language

Today, I am publishing a summary of responses to the consultation on proposals for improving the administration and enforcement of council tax in Wales.

The consultation on fairer enforcement practices was launched on 30 April 2025 and closed on 23 July 2025. We received 272 responses from a range of stakeholders, including representative bodies, local authorities, advice organisations and members of the public. The consultation set out the Welsh Government's intention to support local authorities to work with households to prevent harmful debt escalation. It explored proposed changes to council tax recovery processes in Wales, focusing on six key areas: reminder notices, final notices, timings for when the annual balance becomes due, when a local authority can apply for a liability order, providing more time for households to seek help and the introduction of best practice guidance. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all individuals, stakeholders and organisations who engaged with the consultation and provided thoughtful, detailed responses.

There was strong overall support for all of the proposals put forward in the consultation, with high levels of agreement among respondents. Local authorities expressed a range of views on various elements of the consultation. While some raised concerns, many supported the proposals in principle, recognising them as a means of acknowledging and reinforcing the best practice already taking place within their communities. Organisations within the advice sector and charitable groups broadly supported the proposals. However, several stakeholders advocated for more time for households to seek help and access the support they need.

We do not believe the current regulatory framework reflects the approach local authorities are already taking to help households resolve debt sympathetically, and the timeframes already followed at their discretion are commonly longer than the statutory minimum. A significant majority of respondents to the consultation (86%) supported a proposed timeframe ensuring a minimum of 62 days will pass from one missed instalment to a person becoming liable for the remaining annual balance. There is a balance to be struck between supporting timely payments, raising awareness of support and reducing tax avoidance. I will continue to work with local authorities to identify vulnerable households, taking forward ideas which include smarter use of data and focussed expertise. There remains a place for local councils to take proportionate recovery action against the small number of people who try to avoid paying council tax. We remain committed to working collaboratively with all partners to ensure that these improvements are delivered in a way that is both effective and responsive to the needs of everyone.

A summary of responses to the consultation is available here: Improving the administration and enforcement of Council Tax in Wales | GOV.WALES. This includes a Welsh Government response, which describes how we will work closely with local authorities on the operational detail around some of the concerns raised to ensure the proposals deliver the policy aims in an effective way. I will bring forward the regulations required to implement these changes in due course with the intention of them coming into force on 1 April 2026. The Welsh Government intends to monitor implementation to ensure the council tax system continues to benefit from its high degree of efficiency in funding our public services. These improvements contribute to the delivery of our Programme for Government commitment to a fairer council tax.