Unpaid Yorkshire and Humber council tax totals £184m

Councils across Yorkshire and the Humber are owed £184m in council tax, local authority figures have shown.

Households in Sheffield, Calderdale, Bradford and Wakefield topped the table for average council tax arrears standing at between £107-£150.

East Riding, Harrogate and Craven councils had the lowest average council tax debt per household.

Bryan Lodge, from Sheffield Council, said it was vital to consider local conditions when comparing the figures.

Sheffield Council is owed £34m, the highest amount of tax in the region - equating to £150 per household.

'Not surprising'

Mr Lodge, Sheffield Council's cabinet member for finance and resources, said "Many of the authorities quoted as being amongst the lowest level of arrears are much smaller authorities and have a substantially higher level of disposable income and therefore ability to pay.

"Equally, cities like Sheffield have a greater level of unemployment and benefit claimants, with a reduced ability to pay," he added.

Tony Travers, a specialist in local government at the London School of Economics, said that while the level of outstanding council tax might be "shocking" to taxpayers it was "technically… not surprising".

This was because it was easy for large debts to accumulate over a number of years especially across an area as large as Yorkshire and the Humber, he said.

In statements, Leeds, Sheffield and Calderdale councils all said they eventually collected over 99% of council tax and there was little effect on budgeting.

Graham Stokes, Wakefield Council's cabinet member for corporate performance, said "We do not write debts off readily, as we are aware that people's circumstances may change, so just because they've not made payments on time doesn't mean they can't do so in the future."

The arrears figures needed to be taken in the context of the council giving people longer to pay if necessary, he added.