Councillor owes more than £3,000 in council tax

They are paying it back at £130 a month

An unnamed North Devon councillor owes more than £3,000 in council tax.

North Devon Council revealed that there was one member in council tax arrears following a Freedom of Information request made by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The person and party they represent has not been disclosed by the authority to protect the identity of their spouse.

The councillor’s defence was that they had both had retired from a profession that paid a small income and they did not have a sufficient pension pot to rely on at the time of their retirement.

They had a small private pension and state pensions plus the councillor allowance. 

Together their income was just over the threshold to qualify for Pension Credit or the Winter Fuel Allowance and so they “struggled” to pay their council tax. 

They were currently paying £130 a month to contribute towards the current council tax plus that owed which was £3,206 as of May 19 2025.

North Devon Council said it would be unfair to disclose the identity of this councillor as it would also identify their spouse and they also had a payment plan in place.

The councillor in question had not taken part in any council debate or voted on the setting of council tax during the time they were in arrears.

Earlier this year, four Torbay Liberal Democrat councillors were barred from debates on setting the bay’s council tax because between them they owed £8,440.

The Local Government Finance Act restricts the voting rights of councillors who have outstanding arrears of two months or more. They have to declare their situation at the beginning of any meeting during which budgets will be discussed.

The four councillors were engaged with the council to bring their council tax back on track, a spokesperson for the Liberal Democrat group on Torbay Council said.