A West London council is struggling with unpaid council tax, sending bailiffs to thousands of homes to recover debts.
London: So, it turns out Hillingdon Council in West London is in a bit of a pickle with unpaid council tax. They’ve got the third-highest amount of unpaid tax in the UK, which is pretty wild. As of last September, they were owed a whopping £114.4 million across over 17,000 accounts. That’s an average of about £6,685 per account!
But here’s the kicker: they’ve managed to collect some of that, and the amount has dropped to around £65 million. Still, they’ve sent bailiffs to over 5,200 homes to try and get people to pay up. It’s a tough situation, especially since many councils are feeling the financial squeeze right now.
Hillingdon isn’t alone in this mess. London as a whole has a staggering £905 million in unpaid council tax. Other boroughs like Hackney and Brent are also struggling, with millions owed. It’s a real headache for local authorities trying to balance their budgets.
To tackle this, Hillingdon plans to raise council tax by nearly 5% to cover a £39 million budget gap. They’re not the only ones; many councils are looking to increase taxes or cut support schemes to make ends meet. It’s a tough time for everyone involved.
Hillingdon Council has said they’re working hard to collect what’s owed and that most residents pay on time. But for those who are struggling, they’re encouraged to reach out for help. If payments continue to be missed, they might have to take more serious action, including court proceedings.
