Councils 'fail to collect £745m'

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A study of more than 400 councils by the GMB Union showed the figure for the past year was slightly down on the previous year's total of £760m.

Glasgow topped the league table with almost £22m of uncollected council taxes followed by Birmingham (£16m), Edinburgh (£13m), and Manchester (£12m).

Brian Strutton, national officer of the GMB, said: "While showing some improvement, the amount of council tax uncollected remains stubbornly high.

"Well over £700m remains permanently owed to local authorities in England, Wales and Scotland.

"This money is urgently needed by councils to provide necessary services, particularly to the elderly and vulnerable."

A Local Government Association spokesman said: "The GMB's annual survey gives a more distorted picture every year.

"The fact is that council tax is the best collected tax bar none, with around 97% collected in the same year. Almost all of this money will be collected in the coming months. This is not money that councils are chalking off.

"At a time when people are really feeling the pinch and the effects of the economic downturn, it is common sense that councils should give local people a little more leeway in collecting council tax.

"Councils are also committed to raising the take-up of council tax benefit to help some of the country's most needy people. The LGA has recently set out ways that this can be done effectively."