The legal risks of refusing to pay your council tax - as taxpayers threaten boycott

• Six councils have been granted permission to raise bills beyond an established 5% threshold

• Frustrated taxpayers are vowing to refuse payment in protest against rising costs

• But non-payment can lead to court action, enforcement measures, and even imprisonment in extreme cases

• Support is available, and low-income households may be eligible for reductions, hardship funds, or flexible payment plans

Thousands of angry voters are vowing to refuse to pay their council tax bills, after a number of local authorities were granted permission to hike bills beyond the established annual threshold of 5%.

Six councils, serving more than two million people in total, have been told they can raise prices beyond this level, including Bradford Council, which will be able to increase the levy by a further 5%.

Windsor and Maidenhead Council and Newham Council can all increased bills by 4%. The remaining councils – Birmingham, Somerset and Trafford – have been granted a further 2.5% uplift beyond the threshold.

Earlier this month, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said challenges remain in the Government’s bid “to fix the broken system we inherited”, and stressed the need to strike a balance between preventing councils experiencing “further financial distress” and the “interests of taxpayers”.

“These are difficult decisions that Government has not taken lightly,” she said in a statement. “We recognise the importance of limited increases in helping to prevent these councils falling further into financial distress – but we have been clear this must be balanced with the interests of taxpayers.

“We have agreed to a limited number of requests and in all cases have not agreed to the full amount requested. Where we have agreed, it is only for councils with amongst the lowest levels of council tax.”

But with household bills rising across the board, it’s left residents angry, with many fearing they will struggle to pay the new rates. Some have said they will refuse to pay altogether in opposition to the move.