Wigan residents owe more than £33m in council tax arrears, an investigation has revealed.

Council tax is one of the main sources of income for local authorities and is calculated based on the valuation “band” in which a resident’s home falls.

The money is used to fund a wide range of council services, from running schools to emptying bins.

But an investigation by Wigan Today has revealed that millions of pounds due in council tax has not been paid to Wigan Council.

Replying to a request under the Freedom of Information Act, the local authority said it was owed a total of £33,286,560.81 in council tax.

At the end of the 2024/25 financial year, £9,555,756.44 had not been paid for that year’s council tax alone, with the largest amount owed standing at £12,817.50 and the lowest at just 1p.

There are currently 20,893 people across the borough who are in arrears, the response revealed.

Councils can take action against people who fail to pay and 14,498 were summoned to court by Wigan Council for non-payment.

A council spokesperson said: “In Wigan borough our collection rates are high, with over 95 per cent of all council tax due collected in year.

“The collection of council tax is important to us as it provides a significant portion of our funding and enables us to deliver vital services such as adult social care, children’s services, refuse collection and leisure facilities. Efficient collection ensures that these services remain available to our communities and neighbourhoods.

“We encourage anyone struggling to pay their council tax to speak to us as soon as possible, and our teams will do all they can to ensure residents are receiving all the support they are entitled to, including any available reductions to their bill. Affordable repayment arrangements can also be agreed based on individual circumstances. Residents can arrange this by visiting www.wigan.gov.uk/counciltax or by calling us on 01942 489001.

“Supporting our residents is important to us which is why we launched our Here for You campaign, providing a wide range of information and advice to help our residents access all of the support available. These services are accessible online www.wigan.gov.uk/Hereforyou or by calling us on 01942 705221.”