More than 1.5 million people taken to court over unpaid council tax
The figures for last year cover 200 local authorities.
Last updated 21 hours ago
At least 1.5 million people faced court proceedings last year, due to unpaid council tax, according to new research released by the GMB union.
Freedom of information requests submitted to 200 local authorities revealed that 1.4 million court summonses were issued in the financial year 2024/25, although the actual number might be higher, as some councils did not respond.
The findings are due to be discussed at the GMB's annual congress, taking place in Blackpool today Tuesday 9th June.
According to the analysis by the GMB union more than £4.6 billion is owed to councils in unpaid council tax.
They also revealed more than 3.2 million accounts have had debt management proceedings launched against them and over 4.5 million accounts are in council tax arrears
Scotland tops the UK list for council tax debt, while Wales has the lowest levels.
GMB Union says the system is 'outdated' and calls for reform
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“Not only is the banding system woefully out of date, but forcing cash-strapped councils to pursue one-and-a-half million people through the courts just to make ends meet can’t be the right way to do business.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.”