Almost every council in Berkshire has fallen behind on council tax collection – potentially costing each hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Five of Berkshire’s six unitary authorities have confirmed they are either behind target for council tax collection or not keeping pace with previous years. Some council officials have said the cost of living crisis means residents can be less able or willing to pay.
Slough Borough Council’s director of financial transactions Andy Jeffs said: “Across all of Berkshire this financial year every council is behind where it was in previous years.
“All councils are struggling this year to collect the same levels of council tax and that I think is due to the cost of living crisis that people are experiencing.”
Mr Jeffs was speaking to a recent meeting of Slough Borough Council leaders. They were told that council tax collection rates had fallen behind this year’s target, and from the same period last year.
The council has since confirmed that had collected almost £1 million less council tax than it had hoped by the end of December last year.
It aimed to have collected 63.8 per cent of this financial year’s council tax – running April 2024 – March 2025 – by then. But it had collected 62.84 per cent instead. Although this is less than 1 per cent, it amounts to £923,000 in cash terms.
Other local authorities in Berkshire have also confirmed that they have fallen behind on council tax collection. West Berkshire Council said it was 0.31 per cent down on last year at the end of December – but that it is still in the top quarter for unitary authorities.
A spokesperson said: “We would put this down to cost of living pressures and COVID recovery.” They added: “We are considering what can be done to improve collection. All different options are being considered.”
Reading Borough Council also said it was down by 0.31 per cent on last year. Neither council confirmed what this equates to in cash terms.
A report to Reading’s council leaders said: “This is a similar trend across Berkshire and is likely related to the continuing cost of living crisis.”
Bracknell Forest Council said it was down 0.6 per cent on last year. It said that 0.6 per cent of its annual council tax collection amounts to just over £600,000, but due to increases in the tax base and tax levels it had collected £4 million more than last year.
Meanwhile the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead has reported that by October last year it was 1.25 per cent down on the previous year.
Wokingham Borough Council says its collection rate is on target this year. But it said collection in the final three months ‘may be more challenging due to the continued cost of living crisis’.
