Sending council tax and local authority correspondence through code.

The administrative gridlock inside municipal council tax administration

Your civic hybrid mail partner: LetterAPI

The three-step modernization plan for local authority revenues

Implementing programmatic Council Tax reminder dispatch in Python

services/council_tax_dunning.py — python
import os
import requests
from datetime import datetime
​
LETTERAPI_KEY = os.getenv('LETTERAPI_CIVIC_LIVE_KEY')
API_URL = 'https://api.letterapi.uk/v1/letters'
​
def dispatch_council_tax_reminder(account):
    notice_date = datetime.utcnow().strftime('%d %B %Y')
    idempotency_key = f"ctax_rem_{account['account_number']}_{datetime.utcnow().strftime('%Y%m%d')}"
​
    reminder_html = f"""
    <!DOCTYPE html>
    <html>
    <head>
      <style>
        @page {{ size: A4 portrait; margin: 0; }}
        body {{ font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.4; color: #111827; margin: 0; }}
        .page {{ padding: 25mm 20mm; page-break-after: always; }}
        .address-window {{ position: absolute; top: 40mm; left: 20mm; width: 90mm; height: 45mm; }}
        .header {{ margin-top: 55mm; border-bottom: 2px solid #1e3a8a; padding-bottom: 10px; }}
        .council-logo {{ font-size: 14pt; font-weight: bold; color: #1e3a8a; }}
        .notice-title {{ font-size: 13pt; font-weight: bold; color: #b91c1c; margin: 15px 0 5px 0; }}
        .summary-box {{ background: #fef2f2; border: 1px solid #fecaca; padding: 12px; margin: 15px 0; border-radius: 4px; }}
        .payment-options {{ background: #f8fafc; border: 1px solid #e2e8f0; padding: 12px; margin-top: 15px; font-size: 9pt; }}
      </style>
    </head>
    <body>
      <div class="page">
        <div class="address-window">
          <strong>{account['taxpayer_name']}</strong><br>
          {account['property_address_1']}<br>
          {account['town']}<br>
          <strong>{account['postcode']}</strong>
        </div>
        <div class="header">
          <div class="council-logo">METROPOLITAN BOROUGH COUNCIL</div>
          <div>Revenues & Customer Support Services | Council Tax Billing Section</div>
        </div>
        <div class="notice-title">STATUTORY REMINDER NOTICE: COUNCIL TAX ARREARS</div>
        <p><strong>Account Reference:</strong> {account['account_number']} | <strong>Date of Notice:</strong> {notice_date}</p>
        <p>Dear {account['taxpayer_name']},</p>
        <p>Our records show that an instalment of your Council Tax has not been received by the due date.</p>
        <div class="summary-box">
          <strong>Overdue Amount Due Immediately: £{account['overdue_amount']:.2f}</strong><br>
          Total Outstanding Annual Balance: £{account['annual_balance']:.2f}
        </div>
        <p>Under the Local Government Finance Act 1992, you must pay the overdue amount of <strong>£{account['overdue_amount']:.2f}</strong> within <strong>seven days</strong> of the service of this notice.</p>
        <p>If payment is not received within seven days, you will lose the statutory right to pay by monthly instalments, and the full balance of £{account['annual_balance']:.2f} will become immediately payable without further reminder. We will then apply to the Magistrates' Court for a liability order summons, incurring court costs of £95.00.</p>
        <div class="payment-options">
          <strong>How to Pay:</strong> Visit www.council.gov.uk/payctax quoting ref {account['account_number']}, or call our automated telephone payment line on 0800 000 1234.
        </div>
      </div>
    </body>
    </html>
    """
​
    payload = {
        'recipient': {
            'name': account['taxpayer_name'],
            'address_line1': account['property_address_1'],
            'city': account['town'],
            'postcode': account['postcode'],
            'country': 'GB'
        },
        'template_html': reminder_html,
        'postage_class': 'second_class',
        'color': False,
        'metadata': {
            'account_number': account['account_number'],
            'notice_type': 'COUNCIL_TAX_REMINDER',
            'overdue': str(account['overdue_amount'])
        }
    }
​
    response = requests.post(
        API_URL,
        json=payload,
        headers={
            'Authorization': f'Bearer {LETTERAPI_KEY}',
            'Content-Type': 'application/json',
            'Idempotency-Key': idempotencyKey
        }
    )
    return response.json()

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