More than £13m of council tax went unpaid in Sefton during the 2025/26 financial year, according to official figures released under a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).
The unpaid total stood at £13,890,124, while £210,304,582 was paid to the council over the same period. This marks an increase on previous years, with £11,421,582 unpaid in 2024/25 and £10,984,850 in 2023/24.
Collection rate above average
Despite the shortfall, Sefton Council reported a collection rate of 94.4%, which it described as the highest in the city region. The rate was also 1.1% above the metropolitan borough average, placing the council among the strongest-performing metropolitan authorities in England.
Over the last three financial years, the council wrote off £1,354,405 as "bad debt" – money deemed unrecoverable because the cost of collection outweighs the amount owed or all legal avenues have been exhausted.
Council response
Cllr Christine Howard, cabinet member for corporate services, said: "Our performance also compares favourably with similar authorities nationally.
"Sefton’s 2025/26 in-year collection rate was 1.1% above the metropolitan borough average, placing the council amongst the strongest-performing metropolitan authorities in England.
"While some balances remain outstanding at the end of a financial year, these amounts continue to be subject to recovery action, and many are subsequently collected. It would therefore be wrong to suggest that year-end outstanding balances represent money that has been permanently lost to the council."
Cllr Howard said increasing collection of council tax remains a "key priority", with the council working with taxpayers to offer "flexible payment arrangements where appropriate".
She said: "Where people need help, we will always seek to agree affordable payment arrangements and make sure they can access any support to which they may be entitled.
"We will continue to pursue outstanding council tax fairly and proportionately, while supporting those who need assistance, in order to protect the funding that helps deliver essential local services across the borough."
Council tax bands and parish precepts
Council tax funds services including rubbish and waste collection, street lighting, community centres and libraries, as well as parks and recreation facilities and care services.
For 2025/26, Sefton baseline council tax bands ranged from £1,640.61 at band A to £4,921.84 at band H. The full bands were: band A £1,640.61, band B £1,914.05, band C £2,187.48, band D £2,460.92, band E £3,007.79, band F £3,554.66, band G £4,101.53, and band H £4,921.84.
Household council tax may vary depending on parish or town council area, or if residents qualify for discounts such as the single person discount. For those living in parishes such as Aintree Village, Formby or Maghull, a local parish precept is added to the final bill, which may differ from households in the same band elsewhere in the borough.
