The GMB has condemned councils across the country for failing to collect more than £760m of council tax.
According to figures released this week by the union, 408 councils in Britain were unable to collect £760m of council tax last year, compared with £741m the previous year.
Bradford, Birmingham and Manchester city councils topped the list for the largest rises in uncollected council tax. In Bradford, the council collected £5m less than in the previous year.
However, LGA chairman Sir Simon Milton, dismissed the claims. He said: ‘These figures entirely miss the point. Some council tax wasn’t gathered by March this year, but it doesn’t mean it will go uncollected. Councils will continue to chase money that wasn’t paid last year, and the vast majority of it will be collected.’
A Bradford City Council spokesman said: ‘We are disappointed with last year’s short-term drop in performance, but this was expected during a period of significant change when we introduced a new, integrated computer system that brought together the benefits and council tax systems. Action has already been taken to improve performance.’
Two ways to improve local authority finances
The NAO has concluded insufficient action has been taken to address weaknesses in council finances. Teams from TLT LLP consider what councils should do next.
