Area among worst for council tax being paid on time

The average collection rate for the 36 metropolitan authorities was 93.6%, with Coventry ranking 25th

Coventry is one of the worst areas in the country for people paying their council tax on time, figures released by the council show.

It sits 263rd out of the 296 councils that collect tax, with the collection rate in Coventry being 93.5% in 2024/25.

Andrew Stinton, the council's recovery manager, said what it "found with Covid was that people got out of the habit of paying".

The authority was looking at writing off some of its older debt "so that people can see the wood from the trees", he added.

The average collection rate for the 36 metropolitan authorities was 93.6%, with Coventry ranking 25th.

Historical analysis shows collection rates nationally remain significantly below pre-pandemic levels which averaged about 97%.

Mr Stinton said the council was trying to reverse some "characteristics and behaviours, but we are trying to do that responsibly".

He told a meeting of the authority's finance and corporate services scrutiny board that rather than people "burying their heads in the sand it gives them a clear opportunity to face what's in front of them".

Coventry fared better when it came to recovering long-standing debts, with the council having an eventual collection rate of 97.6%, meaning 2.4% is being written off.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.