ALMOST 1,900 people in Rother were taken to court over unpaid council tax during the last financial year, according to new figures released by the GMB union.
The union said a Freedom of Information request sent to councils across the South East showed that 1,874 court summonses were issued in Rother during the 2024/25 financial year.
The data also suggests that 15,535 council tax accounts in the district are in arrears, with the same number subject to debt management proceedings.
Across the South East, GMB said at least 146,010 people were taken to court over council tax debt, with more than 468,000 accounts in arrears and an estimated £550 million owed to local authorities.
The findings were released to coincide with a special report presented at the union’s annual congress in Blackpool.
Rachel Harrison, GMB National Secretary, said the figures showed that the current council tax system was ‘completely broken’.
She said: “Not only is the banding system woefully out of date, but forcing cash-strapped councils to pursue 140,000 people through the courts just to make ends meet can’t be the right way to do business.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 and to keep our towns and cities running.”
The union is calling for increased central government funding for local authorities, reform of the council tax system and changes to business rates.
The figures were compiled from responses to Freedom of Information requests sent to councils responsible for collecting council tax across the South East.
Article from: Bexhill News
