Bracknell Forest Council residents owe more than £3million in council tax, government figures show.

The amount owed to the council was £3,211,000 as of March 2015 according to figures submitted to central government, and the revelation has prompted charities to warn that people may not be getting the debt advice they need.

The £3.2m represents the total arrears cumulated year-on-year and, despite the seemingly high figure, the council says it successfully collects 97 per cent of the tax it is owed.

A council spokesman said: “The council makes every effort to collect all outstanding council tax and uses all available resources to do so. Because of the increase in the number of properties and small increases in the overall charge for some parishes each year, if the percentage collection rate is maintained, it is to be expected that the level of arrears may increase slightly.

“The collection rate for 2013/14 was 97.57 per cent and rose to 97.86 per cent in 2014/15.”
The amount of arrears have been revealed as the council prepares a consultation on changes to the Local Council Tax Benefits Scheme which provides support for low income families.

The potential changes follow the withdrawal of a central government grant and could see some families paying 20 per cent more towards their council tax bill if the changes to the scheme are approved.

An 8.5 per cent reduction in the amount of council tax support in 2013/14 saw the number of accounts in arrears shoot up by 34 per cent, with 5,785 households in arrears by the end of 2014.

In a report to the council executive, chief officer for customer services Bobby Mulheir said: “A reduction in the support available through the LCTBS will undoubtedly increase the number of accounts in arrears even further.”

Nearly 100 people in Bracknell contacted National Debtline last year and the charity urges more people to seek debt advice.

Joanna Elson, chief executive of National Debtline, said: “We are seeing more and more people seeking help with council tax arrears – but the fact that Bracknell Forest residents owe £3.2 million makes us concerned that many more people in the area are struggling alone.

“We would like to see local authorities do everything they can to help residents who are falling behind to seek the free advice that can turn their lives around. We know the earlier a problem is caught, the better the outcome.”