NEW figures reveal that Mid Devon residents owe a total of £1.7 million in unpaid council tax.

The figures are from newly-published data from the Department for Communities and Local Government. It shows that in the Mid Devon local authority area, £1.7 million was owed in council tax on March 31, 2016, compared to £1.8 million last year.

Despite the drop in owed council tax from last year, National Debtline, the free advice service run by the Money Advice Trust, is concerned about the outstanding amount still owed from the residents in Mid Devon.

Council tax bills for Mid Devon rose in April by 3.8 per cent, the with the average bill for a band D household amounting to £1,694.96 for 2016/17.

According to National Debtline, it receives around 150 calls each year from residents in Mid Devon residents seeking advice on how to resolve their debt problems.

Joanna Elson OBE, chief executive of the Money Advice Trust, said: "The level of unpaid council tax in Mid Devon remains a concern. With people in the area now paying 3.80 per cent more in council tax than they were this time last year, there is a risk that residents who are already behind will find it even more difficult to resolve their financial difficulty.

"Council tax is vital in funding the essential local services that we all rely on, and local authorities are already under significant financial pressure – so it is in everyone’s interests that arrears are repaid.

"We would urge all councils to do everything they can to ensure that residents in difficulty are signposted to free advice that will help them get back on track.

"Anyone in and around Mid Devon who is finding it hard to make their council tax payments should contact National Debtline or a local agency such as Citizens Advice as early as possible.

"The earlier you seek free advice, the quicker and easier the problem will be to solve.”

A spokesman for Mid Devon District Council said: "On March, 31 2016, Mid Devon District Council residents did owe £1.7m in unpaid council tax.

"That figure now only stands at £1.4 million as of July 21, 2016, which is above average for this time of year.

"Just over half of that figure - £726k refers to last year’s council tax which equates to 1.6 per cent of the £44.9 million that we collect and previous year debts are covered by arrangements that have been agreed or being recovered by alternate means.

"Mid Devon District Council’s collection rate for 2015/2016 was 98.1 per cent.

"We are fifth highest in Devon and second for business rates with a 99.1 per cent in year collection rate for 2015/2016 and this places us in the top performing quartile nationally.

"All documentation we send out; Reminders, Final Notices and Summonses all state that if you are having difficulty paying, you can contact the Local Authority for help and advice.

"We also work in partnership with WiserMoney who are able to advise residents who are experiencing financial difficulty."