Siegfried Shrink wrote:
If I recall correctly, the default was business rates, in Southampton. Business rates are a different tax subject, and it was in a different tax jurisdiction. His local authority in the Medway area was not involved.
It's not really correct to say "different jurisdictions" are involved, at least not in the American sense: there is one civil court system covering the whole of England. Plus, there's a policy that any money claim against an individual debtor will by default be transferred to the County Court local to the debtor's residence. So Southampton City Council's lawyer has to travel to Kent (or instruct a local lawyer presumably), rather than Mr Bait having to travel to his former home city.
Also there have been many mergers of local court administrations so it's not surprising the case is heard at Medway in the next district to Swale in north Kent.
For anyone who isn't familiar, "business rates" in England is the local council's property tax for business premises and "council tax" the same for residential. The present government is simultaneously squeezing the amount councils get from central government and denying them the ability to increase the rates by more than a token amount. So the councils have more need than ever to collect as much of their income as possible.
His council tax debt is for Swale council which covers Sheppey/Sheerness, and we can't tell how involved they are in the whole bankruptcy process.