Case Study: Canterbury City Council achieves £3.6m in additional Council Tax income with Civica Income Maximisation

Maximising Council Tax income for East Kent Services

Canterbury City Council, working as part of East Kent shared services with Dover and Thanet, faced more than £10m of aged Council Tax debt after limited resources were focused on in‑year collection. To address mounting financial pressure and reclaim long‑standing arrears, the council engaged Civica and its Income Maximisation service.

Civica implemented a ring‑fenced, fully managed recovery team and customer‑centric processes using behavioural insight and nudge‑based communications to secure affordable, sustainable repayment plans. The approach returned aged debt to active recovery and generated £3.6m in additional Council Tax (157% of the £1.4m target), boosting the collection fund surplus and benefiting other bodies including Kent County Council.

Canterbury City Council

Chris Blundell

Head of Shared Services