Freeman on the land and Council Tax

The Freeman on the Land movement and similar groups commonly believe that people are only bound by the contracts and laws they have consented to.

However, contract law and alleged rights under common law are not the same as legislation relating to the administration and collection of council tax.

Liability for council tax

In the UK, liability for council tax is determined by the Local Government Finance Act 1992. This statute, created by a democratically elected Parliament of the United Kingdom which has received the assent of the Crown and subsequent statutory regulations, sets out a local authority’s rights to demand council tax to fund services and who is liable to pay.

Council tax pays for the services in your area. Without this, we could not provide essential services or help those in need.

For information about how the council uses your information for the purposes of administering council tax including setting up your account for billing purposes, processing discounts, exemptions, for example. Please see our Access to Information section for information.

Your liability for council tax is not dependent on, and does not require, your consent or the existence of a contractual relationship with the council. Any such assertion to the contrary is incorrect and there is no legal basis upon which to make this argument.