Three million households are owed council tax refunds of up to £3,659 each. Three million households are owed a combined total of £544 million in council tax refunds from the Labour Party and Conservative Party local authorities nationwide, according to a Sun investigation.
The average refund due is around £178, but some could be owed as much as £3,659. Consumer rights expert, Martyn James, said: “The vast majority of people in the UK will be unaware that their cash is lining the coffers of their local council – and will be genuinely shocked by this extensive investigation by The Sun.
“Given that some councils use exceptionally aggressive debt collection procedures for even the slightest delay in payment of council tax, I’d argue that the time has come for a single, standardised approach to the collection and management of this tax.”
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An LGA Spokesperson said: “Councils strongly recommend that council tax payers keep their accounts and details up to date, and any refunds which are due will be processed accordingly.” Edinburgh City Council holds the largest amount of council tax credits, with £23.4 million owed.
Glasgow, Hammersmith and Fulham, Newham, Lambeth, Lewisham and Liverpool are all in the top 10 too, alongside Camden and Kensington and Chelsea.
26 local authorities refused to disclose the requested data:
- Bassetlaw District Council
- Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council
- Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles Council)
- Cotswold District Council
- Cumberland Council
- East Lindsey District Council
- Elmbridge Borough Council
- Epping Forest District Council
- Fife Council
- Forest of Dean District Council
- Gosport Borough Council
- High Peak Borough Council
- Horsham District Council
- Inverclyde Council
- London Borough of Brent
- London Borough of Bromley
- London Borough of Islington
- London Borough of Merton
- London Borough of Tower Hamlets
- Preston City Council
- Rutland County Council
- South Derbyshire District Council
- South Kesteven District Council
- Staffordshire Moorlands District Council
- West Oxfordshire District Council
- Wirral Council
32 councils failed to respond or disclose the data requested following repeated attempts. These included:
- Aberdeen City Council
- Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council
- Bath and North East Somerset Council
- Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council
- Bridgend County Borough Council
- Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council
- Carmarthenshire County Council
- Colchester Borough Council
- Eastbourne Borough Council
- Folkestone and Hythe District Council
- Harlow District Council
- Highland Council
- Lewes District Council
- London Borough of Barnet
- London Borough of Haringey
- Luton Borough Council
- Maldon District Council
- Middlesbrough Council
- Milton Keynes City Council
- Newcastle City Council
- Powys County Council
- Ribble Valley Borough Council
- Rossendale Borough Council
- Salford City Council
- South Gloucestershire Council
- Spelthorne Borough Council
- Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council
- Sunderland City Council
- Telford and Wrekin Council
- Westminster City Council
- Wokingham Borough Council
- Wrexham County Borough Council