A Labour councillor in West London has paid off a substantial council tax bill that had accumulated to nearly £4,700 during a prolonged disagreement over the status of his basement.
Court Summons and Liability Order
Newly released information shows that Cllr Ashok Patel, who represents the Sands End ward on Hammersmith and Fulham Council, was issued with a court summons during the 2023/24 financial year. The debt had built up over a three-year period, specifically for the tax years 2020/21, 2021/22, and 2022/23.
The local authority successfully obtained a liability order against him. This is a legal court order that empowers councils to recover unpaid taxes. The full outstanding sum of £4,703.66 was subsequently paid in February 2024.
The Basement Dispute Explained
According to a spokesperson for Hammersmith and Fulham Labour, the unpaid bill stemmed from a dispute with the Valuation Office Agency. The agency had decided to treat Cllr Patel's basement as a separate property for council tax purposes, a classification he contested.
"Cllr Patel did not pay council tax on his basement while in dispute with the Valuation Office over its decision to treat the basement as a separate property," the spokesperson said. They confirmed that he had continued to pay the council tax owed on the main part of his property throughout.
The spokesperson added that "as soon as he was made aware that he needed to pay tax while waiting for the resolution of this dispute, he settled his outstanding bill immediately and in full."
Councillor's Role and Wider Context
Cllr Patel, a Partner at a solicitors firm with over four decades of legal experience, was elected in May 2022. His council roles include Chair of the Pensions Board—an unpaid position—and membership of the Economy, Arts, Sports, and Public Realm Policy and Accountability Committee.
The details emerged from a Freedom of Information request by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS). The response revealed that Cllr Patel was the only Hammersmith and Fulham councillor to have received a court summons for council tax in the previous three financial years. Parallel requests to Kensington and Chelsea, Westminster, and the City of London Corporation found no recorded instances involving their councillors.
It is understood the local Labour Group was unaware of the outstanding debt when Cllr Patel was selected as a candidate ahead of the 2022 elections. Upon learning of the issue, he was advised to pay the bill before the underlying dispute was settled. The council had followed standard procedure, issuing statutory reminders and a final notice prior to the court summons.
Cllr Patel did not respond to a request for comment from the LDRS, which also inquired about his selection as a candidate for the upcoming May local elections but received no answer on that point.
