FOI request (FOIR-752735562)

Number of Magistrate Court Summonses Issued for Council Tax Non-Payment Involving Sovereign Citizen/Freeman Arguments (2020-2025)

Requested Sun 28 September 2025
Responded Thu 16 October 2025

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I request the following information for the period 6th April 2020 to 5th April 2025:

1. The total number of magistrate court summonses issued by your authority for non-payment of council tax.

2. Of those, the number where the defendant explicitly raised 'sovereign citizen', freeman on the land', or similar contract-based arguments (for example, claims of no consent to statutory liability, or pseudo-legal exemptions) in their response or defence.

3. If tracked separately, a breakdown by year of the figures in point 2.

If the information is held in a report, spreadsheet, or disclosure log, please provide it in electronic format (CSV or PDF). If any part exceeds the cost limit, please provide what you can within it.

This request is made in the public interest to understand the prevalence of such arguments in enforcement proceedings.

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Response

1. 44,665

2. Information not held.

3. Information not held.