Council tax debt rises to £9bn but here's how you can get help
More than £9bn is owed to councils in unpaid council tax as people continue to struggle with their finances - but some help is going
More than £9bn is owed to councils in unpaid council tax as people continue to struggle with their finances - but some help is going unclaimed. Newly-published data shows that uncollected council tax had risen to £7.4bn in England by the end of March.
Data published separately in Scotland and Wales further pushes up the total. Charities say the latest numbers point to a council tax affordability crisis, with a wider group of people struggling to cover essential bills. Although non-payment of council tax can lead to a prison sentence in extreme cases, there are various discounts and support measures in place of which people are often unaware.
The latest government data shows that £2.2bn of council tax levied in England during the financial year to the end of March went unpaid. However, £43bn
of what was levied during the year was collected, marking a collection rate of 95.6%, according to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, external.
The BriefWire