I wonder to what period the figure of £5.2 million refers and whether it includes both Council Tax and non-domestic rates? Perhaps it is a cumulative figure for more than one financial year?I wouldn't want to rush to the defence of the London Borough of Hounslow without good cause nor would I wish the facts to get in the way of a good argument. However the official statistics from National Statistics, published in June 2016, suggest that Hounslow is by no means a bad performer when compared to other local authorities.The published collection rates for Council Tax for 2015/16 are as follows:Hounslow: total collectable Council Tax: £113.0 million, uncollected Council Tax: £2.5 million, collection rate: 97.8%.Other collection rates included: England 97.1%,Outer London 96.8%, Inner London 95.8%, LB Ealing 96.6%, LB Hammersmith and Fulham 96.3%, LB Hillingon 95.1%,LB Richmond upon Thames 98.8%.I believe that these figures represent collection rates up to 31 March 2016 and do not include the later payment of arrears.
Jim Storrar ● 3083d