by Alex Wellman Council Tax dodgers are costing the borough millions and forcing rates to rise, according to town hall chiefs. Households who do not pay the fee are taking £1,154,000 out of council coffers and finance bosses say the short

by Alex Wellman

Council Tax dodgers are costing the borough millions and forcing rates to rise, according to town hall chiefs.

Households who do not pay the fee are taking £1,154,000 out of council coffers and finance bosses say the shortfall could mean up to £12 extra on next year's Council Tax bills.

Collecting rates have increased, in 2003/04 90.6 per cent of eligible households paid and in 2007/08 the figure rose to 94.6, but the total of outstanding money owed has now hit £9 million.

Cllr Bob Blackman, deputy leader, Brent Council, said: "We want to support those who are experiencing difficulty when making payments for council tax, while vigorously taking action against those who are not making any attempt to pay.

"Our commitment to helping people is demonstrated by this year giving almost three hundred local people longer to pay their bills.

"We believe there are many others who are experiencing difficulty and they should get in touch - doing nothing leads to additional costs in the long run and it's never too late to start sorting things out."

Council chiefs say the grant that Brent receives from the Government has not kept pace with increased costs and claim they are looking for ways of working more efficiently and significant savings have been made.

Cllr Blackman said: "We are ready to take tough action, including taking possession of the property for which council tax is owed if necessary. It is vital that Brent collects as much of the outstanding tax as possible to reduce the amount that everyone else has to pay."

Collection of the tax carries on for many years after the original debt arose with £1.6m collected for arrears relating to 2002 or earlier.

The council has increased the debts recovered through attachments of earnings (currently 552), deductions from benefit (1,200) and charging orders on properties (over £400,000).

To discuss an outstanding council tax bill please contact us on 020 8937 1790, www.brent.gov.uk/ctax or visit your local One Stop Service office.

alex.wellman@archant.co.uk