Vera for Council Tax

Real-Time AI for Ethical Recovery

The Problem

Council tax arrears are spiraling — with over £5.5B outstanding across England. In 2025, bills are rising again. Councils face pressure to collect. Households face hardship. Traditional enforcement isn’t scaling. It’s expensive, adversarial, and often escalates distress.

Our Solution

Vera is an AI-powered negotiation engine built for early, ethical resolution.

At the point of missed payment, Vera acts on behalf of the resident — generating regulator-aligned, fast, and fair repayment options before enforcement begins. No court action. No bailiffs. No shame.

Unlike chatbots, Vera is regulatory-grade AI — trained on UK council tax policy and co-designed with local authorities to meet public and citizen needs.

Council Tax MVP: What’s Inside

Web-based Vera agent, trained on real council tax cases

Automated letter reading + citizen self-service replies

Council dashboard: outcomes, insights, resolution rates

Fast deployment: no integration, no FCA authorisation required

Negotiation engine: flags vulnerability, generates plans

Who It’s For

  • Local Authorities seeking scalable, ethical arrears solutions

  • Community + Advocacy Groups driving recovery reform

  • Regulators + Policymakers exploring AI standards in debt collection

Why Councils Are Turning to Vera

  • Arrears rising: 4.4M UK households behind on council tax

  • Enforcement costs climbing, with low recovery rates

  • Public + regulatory scrutiny on current practices

  • Urgent need for scalable, digital-first alternatives

Vera is designed for this moment.

  • Co-designed 3–6 month pilot

  • Data dashboard on user outcomes and repayment rates

  • FCA sandbox pre-access for qualifying councils

  • Insights to inform procurement, policy, and practice

What Partners Receive

Timeline

H2 2025- MVP live with selected boroughs

Oct 2025 – Supercharged FCA Sandbox begins

Q4 2025 – First council insights published

Why This MVP Matters

This MVP isn’t just a test — it’s a proving ground for regulatory-grade AI in public debt resolution.

It forms the backbone of Vera’s entry into the FCA’s Supercharged Sandbox.

Councils who partner now shape the future of ethical recovery.

How to Get Involved

  • Pilot Vera – Run a live test in your borough

  • Join the Executive Forum – Quarterly roundtables on tech + policy

  • Shape the Standard – Help set the national benchmark for AI in council tax