TOWN hall bosses have been forced to admit that up to 22 councillors in Burnley failed to pay their council tax on time, after an investigation by the Lancashire Telegraph.

Up to six only paid their bills once they were summoned to court, which MP Gordon Birtwistle has described as ‘absolutely appalling’.

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Burnley Council was told to release the figures, which relate to the last five years, by the Information Commissioner’s Office. The terms of the Data Protection Act (DPA) mean the individuals cannot be named.

One was forced to pay £115 in 2013/14 after receiving a court summons, while £1,952 was demanded in another case in 2009/10.

Now, the Lancashire Telegraph is demanding the six councillors who received a summons to waive their rights under the DPA and identify themselves, to uphold the public interest.

Mr Birtwistle, who is also a Liberal Democrat borough councillor, has backed this call and said: “Members should be setting an example and I think these people should be named and shamed. And if the council can’t do that, then they should come forward themselves.

“These councillors should be ashamed of themselves. It doesn’t matter what party they’re in, I find it absolutely appalling that it needed court action before they paid up.

“They are being paid to do a job and that includes ensuring the council has enough money to deliver its services. I think it’s outrageous.”

He said he pays his bills by direct debit and was not one of the late-payers.

It comes after the Telegraph submitted a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to seven councils earlier this year, with Burnley Council the only authority to stonewall the request completely, claiming that any disclosure would breach the DPA.

A request for an internal review was submitted, in which the Telegraph made it clear the council could satisfy most of the request without naming councillors, but the council again refused to answer the questions.

Meanwhile, corporate engagement officer Mike Waite claimed the Labour-led council did not wish to ‘hide information’ and there was ‘no story to hide’.

The Telegraph then referred the case to the Information Commissioner’s Office, which has now forced the council to release the anonymised data.

It shows there were 22 occasions since 2009 in which members failed to pay their bill on time, and six occasions when members only paid once the case was called to court. Individual councillors may have accounted for multiple cases.

A spokesman for Burnley Council, which claims to be ‘accountable, honest and trusted’ on the transparency section of its website, complained there was a ‘lack of clarity’ in the Telegraph’s original FOI request.

He added: “We are always happy to provide information in response to journalists’ requests, and in line with Freedom of Information requests, where it is clear what is being asked.”

The council did not ask for clarification following the initial request, however, or during the internal review.

As revealed last month, Blackburn with Darwen, Pendle and Chorley councils provided extensive details in their responses to the original request, while Hyndburn Council released minimal details. Across these authorities there were 55 members who failed to pay on time in the last five years.

Ribble Valley Council released details after an internal review, showing seven members failed to pay on time, while Rossendale said it did not to hold the information.

John O’Connell, director of the Taxpayers’ Alliance campaign group, said: “Ordinary residents who pay up on time are entitled to know which of their councillors aren’t doing the same.

“The lack of transparency throughout this process is unacceptable, and it’s welcome news that pressure from taxpayers and the press has brought this information into the public domain. Councillors must pay on time to set a good example and to ensure that essential services are properly funded.”

After its internal review, Burnley Council did disclose that no councillors had declared they were in council tax arrears for two months or more, which they are required to do if they are present at a meeting when certain financial matters are being considered.