Dated January this year, it reveals that Liberal Democrat run Brent is one of the most aggressive authorities in terms of the pursuit of Council Tax arrears. I bet Brent residents didn't think that would be the case when Sarah Teather was promoting her Axe the Tax campaign.
I wonder if she agrees with her party colleague, who was quoted in the BBC
story:
The party's local government spokeswoman Julia Goldsworthy said:
"Overstretched families are already struggling to meet their mortgage repayments
and keep their homes but this survey shows that failing to pay council tax can
have just as devastating an effect on householders.
"Just as lenders are being asked to reduce repossessions, public bodies should do everything they can to ensure that bankruptcy is avoided where possible."
She said it was not "a licence to avoid paying bills" but said court appearances and bankruptcy should be the "last resort".
Apparently, in 2007-8, Lib Dem run Brent issued 93 bankruptcy proceedings against local residents. That is one of the highest rates in the UK.
By the way, I think we should all be grateful to the intrepid investigators who got hold of the figures underlying the BBC story. The figures were obtained by the Liberal Democrats.
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