100,000 people in Yorkshire taken to court last year over unpaid council tax - new figures
The GMB says people in Yorkshire owe over £250m in total
Last updated 7 hours ago
Around 105,000 people in the Yorkshire region were taken to court over unpaid council tax debt last year, new research suggests.
The GMB said freedom of information replies from 200 local authorities across Britain showed that 1.4 million people had been summoned to court in the financial year 2024/25.
The total owed in Yorkshire tops £250m, according to the data.
The figure is likely to be higher as some councils did not answer, said the union, which was discussing the results at its annual congress in Blackpool on Tuesday.
Rachel Harrison, GMB national secretary, said: “These horrifying figures show our council tax system is completely broken.
“Not only is the banding system woefully out of date, but forcing cash-strapped councils to pursue one-and-a-half million people through the courts just to make ends meet can’t be the right way to do business.
“Austerity left deep scars on all our public services, which will last a generation or more.
“Meanwhile, the lack of authority funding often means low pay for the people we rely on to look after our loved ones, to take our rubbish, to keep our towns and cities running.
“To fix all this, we need more guaranteed central government funding, progress on council tax reform so the richest pay their share, and changes to business rates so that authorities get more to regenerate our high streets.”
A spokesperson for the Local Government Association, said: “Councils have a duty to their residents to collect taxes so important services, like caring for older and disabled people, protecting children, collecting bins and fixing roads are not affected. They strive to recover unpaid tax as sympathetically as possible and to provide support to households at risk of financial exclusion or hardship.
“Anyone having trouble paying their council bills should get in touch with their local authority for financial help and advice as soon as possible.”