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More than 13,000 people have been summonsed to court over non-payment of council tax in Bolton over the last year.
This comes after findings under the Freedom of Information Act showed that more than £43million in unpaid tax is currently owed to Bolton Council.
Further findings showed that 13,122 people were taken to court over non-payment in 2023/24, but council leader Cllr Nick Peel said this represents a small minority of cases.
He said: “In the vast majority of cases we are able to work with people who may be struggling.
“It’s only a minority of people who we take to court, and these are almost exclusively people who are not communicative.
“So that’s why it’s so important that people know that help is out there, that they work with us and that they don’t try to bury their heads in the sand.”
The figures have been broken down by council wards, according to the old boundaries before they were redrawn at the last election.
They show that Halliwell saw the most people summonsed for non-payment of council tax, with 1409 people taken to court over 2023/24.
More than 1000 people were also summonsed in Great Lever, with 1182 and in Farnworth with 1101 over that same year.
The ward with the fewest people summonsed to court over the same period was Bromley Cross 247.
The overall number of people taken to court had shot up by around 4,000 compared to the 2020/21 financial year when 9,064 people were summonses for non-payment.
The mounting cost-of-living crisis had taken its toll in the years since then, with people struggling all over the borough in the face of mounting food and fuel costs.
Debt advice charity StepChange has advised that missing council tax payments can have serious consequences, but that help is available.
Head of communications Simon Trevethick said: “Council tax is a priority debt so the consequences of missing payments can be serious, and local authorities are often quick to resort to enforcement, or bailiff, action.
“This can be extremely detrimental, with bailiffs often misrepresenting their powers and ignoring vulnerabilities.
“We know local authorities can do fantastic work to support struggling residents so would urge them to take a more supportive approach toward council tax collection.”
StepChange advisers can be contacted by calling 0800 138 1111 from 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday or 9am to 2pm on Saturdays.
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