Middlesbrough: Council Tax Dodging Councillors

Middlesbrough: Council Tax Dodging Councillors

Following FOIA disclosures regarding Councillors who did not pay their Council Tax without recourse to enforcement procedures at;

• Richmondshire District Council

• Hambleton District Council

• East Lindsey District Council

• North East Lincolnshire Council

• Hambleton District Council

• Selby District Council

• Hull City Council

• Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council

• East Riding of Yorkshire Council

Middlesbrough Council (MC) is the next Council to provide a response to one of a series of identical Freedom of Information requests, reluctantly and following an Appeal for Internal Review, in the following terms:

For each of the financial years 2011/12, 2012/13, 2013/14, 2014/15 and 2015/16 until the date of your response:

(1) which MC Councillors have been the subject of recovery action, either in the form of demands sent by letter or email, or by court action. Please specify which type of recovery action, where applicable.

(2) which MC Councillors have been barred from participating in voting on budgetary decisions, contingent upon Council Tax arrears of two months or more.

Middlesbrough Council has declined to provide a full response, claiming that it would be inappropriate to disclose the names of those Councillors who have been the subject of mere Reminders. The Council has disclosed the name of two Councillors who required sterner action in the form of a court summons.

For the periods 2011/12 and 2012/13, Councillor Len JUNIER [Ind.] was summonsed on 10th May 2011 i.e. just a few days after the 2011 election.