A grandmother was sent to prison yesterday for not paying her council tax owed to Stroud District Council.
Gillian Woakes, doctor 47, of Victory Road, Whiteshill appeared at Cheltenham Magistrates Court to explain why she had not paid a previously imposed court order. The bench found her guilty of culpable neglect and activated her suspended prison sentence of 31 days.
The debt of £1,600 has been outstanding since 2010. A history of non-payment and failings to attend previous court hearings resulted in her being arrested on four separate occasions. Despite a court order which ruled that she must pay £40 a month, she contributed only £20 towards her debt over the past year.
Mark Richings, a recovery officer at Stroud District Council, said: “We do all we can to help people who find themselves in difficult financial circumstances, but there’s a big difference between those who can’t pay and those who won’t pay. When all other avenues are exhausted we will take action to recover the money owed, and as this case points out, the courts take the issue very seriously too. Taking court action is always a last resort but non-payers need to be aware that we will not tolerate evasion. On behalf of all the district’s council tax payers we have a duty to take all steps necessary to recover arrears.”