A man who missed a £100 council tax bill after he was almost killed in a motorbike crash saw his debt skyrocket to about £1,000.
Mike Barley was involved in an accident in March 2021 that put him in hospital for a month with broken ribs, a collapsed lung, and severe injuries to his arms and legs.
On the very same day as the accident, Mr Barley was sent a council tax bill for an instalment of £101.71.
The 26-year-old from Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, said he was “stuck” on sick pay of £90 a week at the time.
However, after telling his local council he would not be able to pay, they sent another letter, in June 2021, setting out a payment plan.
The plan included two months of reduced payments but then demanded Mr Barley pay the rest of the year’s payments in advance, a total of about £1,000.
Mr Barley told the BBC: “I’ve got no income any more – I can’t work, I can’t walk. Where is this money going to come from?”
While this was in line with usual practice for councils in England, charities have warned the current system punishes people who are genuinely struggling to pay.
Mike Barley is at war with North East Lincolnshire Council
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Mr Barley’s case was passed to bailiffs after further reminder letters and warnings.
The bailiffs sent him a “threatening letter” telling him they would be coming over to seize and sell his belongings to help pay off his debt.
Mr Barley said he tried to dispute the charges he faced because of the late bill, but received no support and bailiffs continued to deliver letters to his home.
“It just makes you trapped, depressed,” he said.
Policy director at the StepChange charity Peter Tutton, which also offers free debt advice, said the pressure some councils put on people when they chased payments could make people’s financial difficulties “worse”.
He told the BBC: “People respond to payment demands by missing other bills, turning their heating down, borrowing.”
North East Lincolnshire Council said it could not comment on individual cases but had set aside a £100,000 hardship fund to support some of those unable to pay off their council tax debt.
The council said on a case-by-case basis it sometimes gives people extra time to pay back their council tax, or helps them find ways to reduce their bill.
Central government is currently reviewing council tax debt-enforcement practices.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said it was “taking robust action to tackle the archaic and aggressive collection practices that have seen vulnerable people who miss payments subjected to unmanageable lump sum payments and liability orders”.
A spokesperson for the Local Government Association said councils had “a duty to residents to collect taxes” and that bailiffs and other enforcement were “a last resort.”