Thousands in unpaid council tax to be written off

More than £650,000 in unpaid council tax is to be written off after Leeds City Council said there was "no realistic prospect of collection".

The authority said it had taken the decision despite "concerted efforts" to obtain the funds.

According to a report, the amount to be written off represented about 0.1% of the council's total liability.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said some of the money was owed by people who had been made bankrupt or the debtor had died, while some had been written off because the person who owed it had no means to pay or could not be traced.

The report said "each individual debt has been individually reviewed and revenue management considered that there is no realistic prospect of collection".

"For bankruptcies, these debts are only written off if the insolvency practitioners report that there are no assets out of which the creditors can be paid."

In total £655,300 remains outstanding, including £311,300 from 2010-11 and £344,000 from the following year.

Council tax in Leeds was increased by 4.99% for 2025/26 as the authority sought to make more than £100m in savings.

The annual increase councils are allowed to make includes a "social care precept" to help cover the cost of looking after vulnerable people.

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