East Northamptonshire Council owed more than £2m in council tax arrears

More than 5,700 East Northamptonshire households are in council tax arrears, owing the council a collective sum of £2.2m.
More than 5,000 accounts are in arrears.More than 5,000 accounts are in arrears.
More than 5,000 accounts are in arrears.

Accounts in arrears for the last financial year (2017/18) make up the largest percentage of the number, with 3202 households owing £1,2m. 550 of these have been put on payment plans and altogether the 1012 of the authority’s council tax payers are on payment plans.

The figures have been revealed in a report on outstanding debt to go before the council’s finance committee on Monday(Jul 8). This year the council upped the average household bill by £5 making the average amount for its share of the council tax bill £143.65.

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The authority says: “In 2018/19 there were 40,670 dwellings in East Northamptonshire of these 3202 accounts were in arrears (7.9%); comparing this to previous years this is a usual figure and not higher than anticipated.”

More than £1m of the debt has been passed onto enforcement agents.

The authority is also owed business rates by 59 companies trading in the area. Altogether the combined debt runs to £628,991 with some back stretching back as far as 1999.

The report says that £312,000 of the debt is the amount outstanding for one that business that has been involved in national appeal with the valuation office agency.

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The appeal has decided that the business in question can split into 1500 units and therefore small business rates will apply.

And £1.2m has been overpaid by the authority in housing benefit overpayment. 846 accounts are now on repayment plans.

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