A retired vicar has won a legal victory against council tax enforcement bills, in a decision that could affect millions of people.
Campaigner Paul Nicolson, 82, launched legal action after complaining that magistrates ruling on allegations of council tax non-payment were failing to check the accuracy of costs bills said to have been run up by Haringey council.
High Court judge Mrs Justice Andrews said magistrates in Tottenham had not had ‘relevant information’ before them when making the costs order against Nicolson.
Nicolson, of north London, claimed the issue could be widespread with around three million liability orders granted every year to councils in England and Wales.
He described the ruling as ‘game, set and match to the poor’.
Haringey has been ordered to pay Nicolson’s pro bono costs and other fees.
A council spokesman said: ‘We accept the court’s decision to quash the costs order in this case, as magistrates did not have the relevant information before them.
‘We welcome that the judge accepted our broad approach to calculating costs to cover legal proceedings.
‘We will now consider this ruling in greater detail.’
