Officers have recommended that Peterborough City Council writes off £1.25m of ‘irrecoverable’ debts.
The authority’s cabinet will consider disregarding the arrears, which have arisen from housing benefit overpayments and unpaid business rates and council tax dating back to 2011.
Peterborough said all options to collect the arrears had been undertaken in each case.
A council report says the debts remain because of a person or company went bankrupt, recovery action was no longer enforceable, the ratepayer has died, or the council was unable to trace the debtor.
It says: ‘Despite our best endeavours, it is inevitable that a small percentage of debt will remain uncollected and will ultimately have to be written off.’
A report published today revealed that council tax arrears across the country have risen to £6bn a year.
