Woman goes to prison for council tax debt

Archived press release

Date Published: 05/05/09

An Aylesbury woman has been sentenced to 90 days in prison for not paying her council tax.

An Aylesbury woman who failed to pay council tax was sent to prison for 90 days at Aylesbury Magistrates’ Court on 29 April 2009.

Mrs Susan Cato of Chesterfield Close, Aylesbury failed to pay £2,247.54, despite a number of opportunities given to her to pay. Mrs Cato was arrested on 29 April and taken to court, where her case was heard.

Jon McGinty, AVDC’s Corporate Director (Resources) said: “This council fully understands the pressures many people face in paying their bills on time, particularly in the current economic climate. We actively encourage people in financial difficulty to contact us at the earliest opportunity, especially if their situation changes, so that we can help them identify ways to avoid going into debt, and to claim appropriate benefits, discounts or entitlements. But equally, everyone has to pay their fair share towards the cost of providing vital services for the whole community. If someone does not pay their share, others would end up paying more. So this council will use all the recovery options available to us to ensure council tax payments are made.”