Authority owed more than £3m in unpaid council tax

Westmorland and Furness Council is one of a small number of councils offering discounts up to 100% for certain people.

A council is owed more than £3m in unpaid council tax from last year, a Freedom of Information request has revealed.

Westmorland and Furness Council said there were 5,365 outstanding accounts for the 2023-24 financial year, adding up to £3.3m as of 25 November.

The authority recently voted to continue providing up to 100% discount to certain people of working age - one of few councils to do so, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

A spokesman for the council said anyone struggling to pay their bills should get in touch to check if they are eligible for help.

The Liberal Democrat-led authority said it was still actively collecting the unpaid money.

"The council may have agreed an arrangement to pay and bring the account up-to-date, or there may be other actions in place to recover the amounts owed," the spokesman said.

Reduction schemes

In November, members of the cabinet agreed to continue the council tax reduction scheme, which allows up to a 100% discount for pensioners and those of working age on low incomes.

The scheme had received applications from about 12,500 people, with an estimated discount of up to £15.3m for the next financial year, the authority said.

The cabinet also agreed to waive fees for those on war disablement pensions, war widows and widowers' pensions and those under the armed forces compensation scheme.

A consultation is currently under way on plans by Westmorland and Furness Council to increase council tax by 4.99 per cent.

The council previously it said it had to respond to "growing pressures from demand and legislative changes" with a 2.99% general increase and a 2% increase for adult social care.

Councils in England, which provide adult social care services, can raise tax rates by up to 5% after the government confirmed it was sticking with the current cap.