£100m in uncollected council tax targeted

Council tax dodgers may soon find that skipping town will not stop the bailiffs calling.

Mid-Sussex District Council is leading a project that the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) claims will, when rolled out nationally, bring in £100m per year in currently unpaid council tax. It will rest on the building of a national database to track people who move around the country.

According to the ODPM, councils throughout the UK will collect tax using a data exchange service and a website containing details of debtors.

Peter Stuart, head of finance at Mid-Sussex District Council, said: "Historically it has proved very difficult for us to recover unpaid council tax revenue when citizens move out of a district. This initiative is gathering real momentum now and we firmly believe that this, and the expertise and proven track record of our partners, points to the fact that we can expect a positive solution to what has been a substantial nationwide problem in a firm but fair manner."

The TDX Group, which collects debts for three high street banks, is selling the data exchange service "to trace absconders", and service provider Agilisys is building the website.

The services are being tested over the summer and are set to go live in October.