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Councillors

Answer

Section 106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 makes it an offence for a councillor in council tax arrears (with at least two months unpaid bills) to vote at a meeting of the council, a committee or of the council's executive where financial matters relating to council tax are being considered. It is also an offence if any such councillor present, who is aware of the arrears, fails to disclose that they are in arrears of council tax.

I am aware that, in response to Freedom of Information Act requests, it is common for local authorities to refuse to name individual councillors in council tax arrears, citing ‘data protection’. While noting that individual tax affairs are a personal matter, Ministers believe that there is a strong public interest in the names of councillors who are barred from voting being accessible to the wider public.

If an individual councillor is unable to represent their electorate and undertake their duties because of this statutory prohibition, then it is reasonable that this fact is open to legitimate public scrutiny, especially given the legal duty to declare it at a meeting at which they are present, and given this relates to their public life not their private life.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

183594; 574 c485W

Session

2013-14

Subjects

Councillors Council tax

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk