Accumulated unpaid Council Taxes in Wales have reached £81million as figures published today reveal the amount Welsh Councils are losing through unpaid bills.
In 2010-11 Welsh local authorities missed out on £37million due to uncollected Council Taxes, with the average collection rate at 96.6%.
Calculations by the Welsh Conservatives show that if all local authorities reached the rate of the most successful, Denbighshire, at 98.2%, Welsh councils would be better off by almost £18million.
William Graham AM, Shadow Minister for Local Government, said, “These figures reveal great variation in the success rates of local authorities in collecting Council Taxes.
“While it may be somewhat unrealistic to expect councils to collect 100% Council Tax, they do have a responsibility to raise collection rates to maximise the resources available to invest in local public services.
“If too many Council Tax payments are left uncollected, this forces up bills for the vast majority of hardworking law-abiding taxpayers.
“While families across Wales are tightening their belts, they rightly expect local authorities to deliver effective services in an efficient manner, making best use of the resources available to them.
“The variation in Council Tax collection rates from 98.2% in Denbighshire to 94.5% in Cardiff represents the loss to Welsh councils of millions of pounds every year.
“Ministers need to work with local authorities to encourage greater collaboration and sharing best practice so all Councils can raise their collection rates to the best in Wales.”
