Council set to write off £700k

South Lanarkshire Council look set to write off more than £700,000.

Councillors are set to rubber stamp the debt write-offs for uncollected council tax, sundry invoices and housing rent and associated charges at a meeting of the finance and corporate resources committee today.

The report requests that council tax accounts dating from 1993/1994 to 2017/2018 totalling £333,687.05, relating mainly to prescribed debt, sequestrations and estates of the deceased be written off; and housing rent and associated charges amounting to £358,382.40 be wiped.

This includes former tenant rent arrears of £217,544.88, factoring arrears of £7547.84 and housing benefit overpayments of £133,289.68.

A total of £52,878 of Sundry invoices look set to be wiped.

The report also details the council’s revenue collection performance for the 2017/18 financial year to February 28 and arrears collection.

It states:“The annual council tax collection target for 2017/2018 has been set at 95.3 per cent and collection is currently 94.6 per cent, ahead of target by £0.228m.

“A non domestic rates (NDR) collection target of 97.8 per cent has been set and is currently 97.2 per cent, ahead of target by £2.039m.

“The annual arrears target for council tax has been set at £3.25m, with collection of £3.823m to date.

“The target for NDR has been set at £2.8m, with collection of £3.010m to date.”