WOKINGHAM Borough Council has topped the national charts for council tax collection rates once again.

For the fourth year running, Wokingham Borough Council has come out top of the national council tax collection charts for all local authorities.

Council taxpayers in Wokingham Borough live in the most efficient local authority tax collection system in the country with the borough council collecting 99.6 per cent of the council tax it was owed for 2016/17 - up from 99.5 per cent from the previous year.

The national average collection rate for 2016/17 was 97.2 per cent and each percentage point for Wokingham Borough Council equates to about £1m of council tax, with the council saying that its efficiency of collection systems has generated in excess of £2m more than if it had been an average performing authority.

Cllr Oliver Whittle, executive member for finance, said: “We continue to face huge financial challenges so being able to collect the highest rate of council tax in the country helps soften this.

"I would like to thank all those residents who pay their council tax on time. The money they pay every month supports more than 200 council services – from caring for the elderly and those with physical and learning disabilities to emptying bins and providing modern leisure and recreation facilities.”