Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an (a) estimate of the national level of council tax arrears and (b) assessment of the effect of that matter on local authorities.

The cumulative amount of council tax outstanding since 1993 was £3.6 billion at March 2020. The Government has confirmed that councils will be able to spread any deficits on their collection fund arising in 2020-21 over the next three years, and has provided a £500 million hardship fund this year to councils to further reduce council tax bills of low income households.

The Government will also provide councils with £670 million in 2021-22 to recognise the increased costs of providing local council tax support and other help to economically vulnerable households.