Council tax debt rises to £9bn but here's how you can get help
<li>Published3 hours ago</li>
<p>More than £9bn is owed to councils in unpaid council tax as people continue to struggle with their finances - but some help is going unclaimed.</p>
<p>Newly-published data shows that uncollected council tax had risen to £7.4bn in England by the end of March. Data published separately in Scotland and Wales further pushes up the total.</p>
<p>Charities say the latest numbers point to a council tax affordability crisis, with a wider group of people struggling to cover essential bills.</p>
<p>Although non-payment of council tax can lead to a prison sentence in extreme cases, there are various discounts and support measures in place of which people are often unaware.</p>
<p>The latest government data shows that £2.2bn of council tax levied in England during the financial year to the end of March went unpaid.</p>
<p>However, £43bn of what was levied during the year was collected, marking a collection rate of 95.6%, <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/collection-rates-for-council-tax-and-non-domestic-rates-in-england-2025-to-2026/collection-rates-for-council-tax-and-non-domestic-rates-in-england-2025-to-2026" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">according to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, external</a>.</p>
<li><a href="/news/articles/c04e0vey9w6o" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><p>How much is council tax and what does it pay for?</p></a><ul><li>Published14 April</li></ul></li>
<p>How much is council tax and what does it pay for?</p>
<li>Published14 April</li>
<p>Vikki Brownridge, chief executive of debt charity StepChange, said: "Our advisors know all too well just how deep the council tax affordability crisis runs.</p>
