MORE than £100,000 in unpaid council tax across Ilkley, Wharfedale and Craven has been written off in the past year, new figures reveal.

MP Philip Davies obtained the data for each Bradford Council ward in the district through a Freedom of Information request. He found that nearly £6.5 million in unpaid council tax has been written off by Bradford Council in 2017-18 – £2.7million more than the previous year.

According to the figures, Ilkley had an unpaid council tax bill in 2017-18 of £47,895.15 - compared to £13,946.94 the previous year. Wharfedale ward, which includes Menston and Burley-in-Wharfedale, had £14,233.66 outstanding in 2017-18 compared to just £5,163.08 the previous year, while Craven ward, which includes Addingham, had £38,061.17 written off in 2017-18 compared to £34,858.58 the previous year.

The vast majority of written-off council tax - 81 per cent - is owed in the 18 Bradford wards. As well as demanding more is done to collect payments, Mr Davies says the figures demonstrate why Shipley and Keighley should break away from Bradford and form its own council area.

Mr Davies recently launched his Leave Bradford Campaign and has a petition which can be signed at https://bit.ly/2APgiaw

Mr Davies said: “Councils are complaining of underfunding but yet they seem happy enough to let nearly £6.5 million be written off in unpaid council tax. It is outrageous and clearly not enough is being done to collect this money, which could be used to protect services the Council claim it cannot afford to run.

“This is a further example of why Shipley and Keighley would be better off leaving Bradford and forming its own Council area. We could focus on our needs, ensure taxpayers’ money is well spent and we would no longer miss out to Bradford’s Labour heartlands.”

Bradford Council Leader Cllr Susan Hinchcliffe said: “It is no wonder that people are struggling to pay their bills after eight years of austerity from an uncaring Government. If I was Mr Davies I wouldn’t be so triumphant about the fact that more people are struggling to pay their bills now than they were just a couple of years ago.”

Addressing Mr Davies’ campaign, she said: “The truth of the matter is that splitting up the district would be more expensive. Two councils means two sets of management costs, two sets of fixed costs and poor economies of scale. The Government is encouraging councils to work together to save costs, it’s not interested in doubling up and creating more cost.

“Mr Davies would be better spending his energies fighting for a fairer deal for Bradford and other northern councils.

“Councils have had the worst cuts of any Government department under this Tory Government. Good quality public services need proper funding, that’s an inescapable fact.”

Ilkley’s Labour MP John Grogan said the figures were “significant”, but included debts written-off from a number of previous years.

He added: “Philip does not mention that Bradford Council in 2017-18 collected 94.2 per cent of all the council tax owed for that year, including the Keighley and Ilkley wards. Eventually the target is for this to exceed 97.75 per cent. This pattern is reflected across the country, with poorer areas having lower collection rates. For instance, areas with high and concentrated levels of deprivation like Salford, Blackpool and Manchester report in-year collection rates in the lower 90 per cents, whilst more affluent areas like Craven, Richmond upon Thames and Wokingham report levels in the high 90 per cents.

“Bradford Council finance chiefs have assured me that for those who are unwilling to prioritise their debts and pay what is due, firm action follows – including attempts to deduct from wages or benefits, visits from enforcement agents, insolvency action or in extreme cases, applications for committal to prison.

“On the other hand, the council cannot on its own abolish poverty in the district.”

Jo Pike, Labour Party Parliamentary Candidate for Shipley, said: “It is not surprising that people are struggling to pay their council tax bills.

“Under this Government wages have stagnated, living costs have risen and household debt is now worse than at any point in history, ever.

“Mr Davies should be fighting for jobs and decent wages for people in Shipley constituency not engaging in political game playing for his own self interest.”