Magistrates across Sussex have approved a significant number of enforcement measures against individuals and businesses with outstanding financial obligations to local authorities.
Both Brighton and Hove City Council and Horsham District Council successfully obtained liability orders from the courts.
These legal instruments confirm that a debtor has failed to meet payment obligations and grant councils enhanced powers to pursue recovery.
The mechanism operates as follows: when initial demands and warning notices fail to result in payment, councils may petition magistrates for a liability order.
Once granted, this court authorisation provides additional enforcement tools.
At Brighton and Hove, legal action targeted 2,875 individuals who had failed to pay council tax under the relevant 1992 regulations.
Of these cases, 1,538 resulted in approved orders, while 1,322 were discontinued and 15 accounts were cleared prior to court determination.
The unitary authority additionally pursued 565 businesses for outstanding non-domestic rates under separate 1989 regulations.
Court approval was given in 165 instances, 363 matters were dismissed, and 36 accounts were settled before rulings were issued.
In West Sussex, Horsham District Council initiated proceedings against 187 council tax debtors.
The court sanctioned 160 of these applications, with eight cases dropped and 19 accounts resolved beforehand.
That authority also pursued 53 cases concerning unpaid business rates, securing 40 orders while 10 were withdrawn and three accounts were cleared.
Furthermore, 60 defendants faced action over unpaid Business Improvement District contributions, with the court granting 28 orders, dismissing 15 cases and recording 17 settlements.