Council tax debt in West Dunbartonshire hits £8m, as cost of living soars
dailyrecord.co.ukMore than £8million of council tax debt has been racked up in West Dunbartonshire as residents struggle to keep up with payments.New information obtained under Freedom of Information revealed that in 2020/21 alone, almost 15,000 cases in the region were referred to sheriff officers.In Argyll and Bute, which covers Helensburgh, the figure was almost £5.3million with 6,000 cases.It means the average household debt in West Dunbartonshire was over £540 and almost £890 in Argyll and Bute.Only a fifth was recovered by the end of the year in West Dunbartonshire – with £6.3m outstanding.Dumbarton MSP Jackie Baillie claims the figures show the SNP Government’s £150 council tax rebate may not reach those in debt if councils pay it directly towards their arrears.However, the Scottish Government said councils are being asked to apply cost of living payments to the 2022/23 council tax year liability, and not to historic debt unless the householder asks for that.All households in bands A to D will receive a £150 payment or discount from their council tax bill, as will those in other bands who already qualify for reduced rates.The Scottish Government made the announcement last month to help offset the upcoming energy price hike in April.The Labour MSP said: “Fifteen years after the SNP promised to scrap the council tax, the broken, regressive system remains in place – and millions of pounds of debt is racked up every year as a result.“This total failure in leadership is pushing people into unmanageable debt and stripping vital funding out of councils.“We have already seen the huge deficits faced by both West Dunbartonshire and Argyll and Bute Councils which could end up in local people losing out on vital services as they try and plug
Read more on dailyrecord.co.uk