NEW FIGURES have revealed that almost 10,000 court summonses have been issued for non-payment of council tax in Blackburn with Darwen so far this year.

The findings obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show that while no summonses were issued between April and December 2020, numbers shot up from January 2021, with over 2,400 recorded that month alone.

Meanwhile bailiffs where deployed nearly 2000 times from November 2020 onwards.

Responding to the findings, Blackburn and District Trades Council President Vikki Dugdale said: "Obviously there's a huge number of people out of work its also linked to the tax base we have in the borough.

"We're one of the most deprived areas in the country in terms of need so this tax base is really all that the borough has.

"But that being said the council could be doing more to lobby central government and to use their discretionary funding to help the worst off.

"The council does have a little pot of money to help the worst off but its not enough.

"They also need to be sensitive when they're sending bailiffs out and to make sure that they're not making matters worse."

On the effect that the summonses are likely to have, she added: "It's a spiral that will make levels of deprivation even higher."

The figures show that 9,723 court summonses have been issued for non-payment of council tax in Blackburn with Darwen in 2021.

Bailiffs have been deployed a total of 1,926 times in the borough since November 2020, with June seeing the highest number of at 699.

This comes after research from the Money Advice Trust showed that over seven million people across the country are worried they will not be able to afford their council tax bills over the next year due to the pressures of the pandemic.

The Cost of Covid report reveals that as a result of the crisis, one in nine adults in Britain have fallen behind on essential bills or personal credit, while one in eight have had to use credit to pay for bills, including council tax, or household goods.

Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council however says help is there for people in need.

Strategic director of resources Paul Fleming said: "The coronavirus pandemic has had had a terrible impact on too many of our residents and families.

"It has also sadly exposed the level of pressure on low income families and households which is why we have remained committed to supporting our most vulnerable residents by providing extra financial help to those most in need.

"We continue to support many people still affected by benefit changes.

"Council tax pays for our essential services that are delivered to all residents in the borough so it’s really important that residents let us know straight away if they struggling to pay their Council Tax, as enforcement is always the last resort.

"We also have a council tax support scheme help for people who have little or no income and need financial assistance in order to meet their council tax payments.

"Our message is please don’t struggle in silence and hope the problem will go away, there is support available and there’s lots we can do to help."

Anyone struggling with their finances is advised to seek help from the Citizens Advice Bureau: https://citizensadvicelancashirewest.org.uk/index.php/blackburn-with-darwen/.