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Speech in Westminster Hall - Wed 09 Feb 2022
Supported Exempt Accommodation

Speech Link

View all Yvonne Fovargue (Lab - Makerfield) contributions to the debate on: Supported Exempt Accommodation

Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 19 Jul 2021
Oral Answers to Questions

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View all Yvonne Fovargue (Lab - Makerfield) contributions to the debate on: Oral Answers to Questions

Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 18 May 2021
Affordable and Safe Housing for All

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View all Yvonne Fovargue (Lab - Makerfield) contributions to the debate on: Affordable and Safe Housing for All

Written Question
Covid-19 Hardship Fund
Monday 16th November 2020

Asked by: Yvonne Fovargue (Labour - Makerfield)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much of the Hardship Fund allocated to local authorities was spent between March and October 2020; and what proportion of that fund was spent over that time period.

Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)

The £500 million Hardship Fund has been made available to councils in England to provide support to economically vulnerable people and households, including through reductions in council tax to recipients of working age local council tax support. The management of those allocations is a matter for local councils.


Written Question
Council Tax: Arrears
Monday 16th November 2020

Asked by: Yvonne Fovargue (Labour - Makerfield)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

What estimate he has made of the amount owed to local authorities in council tax arrears.

Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)

The cumulative total of council tax owed as at 31 March 2020 was £3.6 billion. This was an increase of £345 million on the previous year. In 2019-20, councils collected 96.8 per cent of the council tax due that year.


Written Question
Covid-19 Hardship Fund
Monday 9th November 2020

Asked by: Yvonne Fovargue (Labour - Makerfield)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much of the £500 million allocated from the Hardship Fund was spent in England and Wales between March and October 2020.

Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)

The £500 million Hardship Fund has been made available to councils in England to provide support to economically vulnerable people and households, including through reductions in council tax to recipients of working age local council tax support. The management of those allocations is a matter for local councils.


Written Question
Council Tax: Coronavirus
Monday 20th July 2020

Asked by: Yvonne Fovargue (Labour - Makerfield)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to protect households who cannot pay council tax as a result of covid-19 related financial hardship from the re-imposition of bailiff visits on 23 August 2020.

Answered by Simon Clarke

Local authorities are responsible for the collection of council tax. Anyone who is concerned about falling behind with their council tax payments should contact their council as soon as possible to discuss the support available. Guidance issued by my Department makes clear that councils should be willing to take account of individuals’ circumstances, and agree affordable and sustainable payment plans to ensure debts are paid off in a reasonable time. Councils will also be able to advise on eligibility for a reduced bill, for example through their local council tax support schemes and any additional help from the £500 million council tax hardship fund. This is part of the Government's response to COVID-19 and enables councils to provide further reductions in bills for economically vulnerable households.


Written Question
Council Tax: Coronavirus
Monday 20th July 2020

Asked by: Yvonne Fovargue (Labour - Makerfield)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his policy to introduce a statutory pre-action protocol to protect households who cannot pay council tax as a result of covid-19 related financial hardship from the re-imposition of bailiff visits on 23 August 2020.

Answered by Simon Clarke

The Department’s guidance on council tax collection makes clear that local authorities should take all reasonable steps to exhaust the options available to them prior to beginning enforcement action. This includes taking the individual circumstances of each billpayer into account, and agreeing an approach for dealing with vulnerable residents. Authorities should also signpost the availability of free to use debt advisers, and work with advisers to ensure that an affordable and sustainable payment plan is agreed, preventing the need for enforcement action. If enforcement action is considered appropriate after those checks, the guidance is clear that authorities should explore options such as deductions from benefits or an attachment of earnings order, prior to engaging enforcement agents.


Written Question
Council Tax: Debt Collection
Tuesday 18th June 2019

Asked by: Yvonne Fovargue (Labour - Makerfield)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policies of the Citizens Advice Costs of Collection report finding that council tax collection practices are adding nearly half a billion pounds a year to personal debt.

Answered by Rishi Sunak - Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union

I am aware of concerns of charities, debt advice bodies and local councils about council tax debt. That is why my Department is engaging with, and reviewing evidence compiled by these bodies with a view to making council tax debt collection fairer, more efficient and compassionate. Following these discussions we intend to publish updated guidance on good collection practices, before considering the scope for further reforms.


Written Question
Council Tax: Non-payment
Tuesday 18th June 2019

Asked by: Yvonne Fovargue (Labour - Makerfield)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to bring forward legislative proposals to amend The Council Tax (Administration and Enforcement) Regulations 1992 to remove the sanction of imprisonment for non-payment of council tax.

Answered by Rishi Sunak - Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union

The Government is currently engaging with a range of stakeholders to consider how to improve council tax collection. Following those discussions, we intend to publish updated guidance on good collection practices, before considering the scope of further reforms. The Government is clear that imprisonment should only ever be the last resort for non-payment of council tax. Before a magistrates’ court commits someone to prison for failure to pay their council tax, it must inquire as to the debtor’s means, and satisfy itself that failure to pay is due to “wilful refusal or culpable neglect”. This is to prevent persons who are genuinely unable to pay their council tax from being committed to prison.