£612m council tax going unpaid
HUNDREDS of millions of pounds are missing from the budgets of councils which fail to collect taxes due.
Nearly £612.5million went unpaid last year, says the Communities and Local Government Department.
With council tax averaging £1,195, the figure equates to more than 500,000 households getting away without paying their lawful contribution to local services. Of the worst 10 councils for tax collection, eight are Labour-controlled and two have Labour minority administrations.
Newham in east London had the lowest collection rate at only 91.7 per cent, leaving £5.5 million unpaid
Newham in east London had the lowest collection rate at only 91.7 per cent, leaving £5.5 million unpaid. It was followed by Manchester, where eight per cent – £9.75 million – was missing. Local Government Minister Grant Shapps said: “Instead of making political cuts to frontline services in order to score cheap political points, places like Manchester and Newham should have spent a bit more time collecting council tax.
“The millions squandered due to poor financial management could have been diverted to protecting frontline services.”