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I’m not sure the legislation is that specific - but my only experience is Local Authorities who behave in the opposite fashion - do the work then ask for the money twenty years later.
I suspect if you really think it’s being done badly or in bad faith you’d need to get a solicitor involved and it could end up decided at a tribunal. @BleakRefs might know more.
Howard-
Thanks for the tag, sorry it was a bit late. @Dammit I think you've done the right thing by paying it. It's painful, and it sucks, but it's by far the safest thing to do. Not doing it opens you up to legal costs which can spiral.
Is challenging it with a view to getting it returned to you something you're interested in doing now? As far as I can see you'd have a long road of admin to go down there with a far-from-guaranteed chance of even temporary success, but I could jot down a few ideas if that's something you're interested in.
ReekBlefs
Do they have to have a reasonable estimate of when the work is going to happen, or can they issue the S20 and then sit on your money for years? I looked at the government legislation website but couldn't see anything covering this question.