Thousands of threats to take people to court over unpaid council tax were issued in York in a year, figures show.
Data obtained by the GMB Union showed 8,118 court summons were issued in York in 2024/5 and more than £3.9 million remained unpaid at the latest count.
Union National Secretary Rachel Harrison said figures showing more than 1.4 million people were summoned to court in 2024/5 nationally were horrifying and showed the council tax system was broken.
Cllr Katie Lomas, City of York Council’s finance spokesperson, said council tax funded essential local services but the system should be fair and recognise the pressures households face.
A Government spokesperson said they were clamping down on aggressive enforcement by giving people more time to settle their bills and making sure councils provide people with suitable repayment plans.
It comes as figures from the GMB found the total amount owed to York Council was £3,977,696.96 at the latest count.
The amount of council tax accounts in arrears was 8,524 and 5,468 had had debt management proceedings launched against them.
Figures from Yorkshire councils who responded to GMB freedom of information requests showed 105,839 court summons were issued in 2024/5.
The amount owed to date across the region was at least £257,574,693 and at least 262,314 accounts were in arrears.
Nationally at least £4.6 billion is owed in unpaid council tax, roughly 4.6 million accounts owed unpaid council tax and 3.2 million had debt management proceedings launched against them.
The union said the figures were likely much higher as many councils did not respond to their freedom of information requests on time.
National Secretary Ms Harrison said the council tax banding system was woefully outdated and cash-strapped local authorities were being forced to pursue people through the courts to make ends meet.
The union official said: “The lack of authority funding often means low pay for the people we rely on to look after our loved ones, to take our rubbish, to keep our towns and cities running.
“To fix all this, we need more guaranteed central government funding, progress on council tax reform so the richest pay their share and changes to Business Rates so that authorities get more regenerate our high streets.”
The council’s finance executive member Cllr Lomas said they welcomed Government proposals to reform the way debts are managed and encouraged those struggling to contact them as soon as possible.
Reforms set to be enacted from next year include giving households around two months to settle outstanding bills through a sustainable repayment programme.
People who miss a council tax payment are currently required to pay the entire outstanding sum in two weeks.
Cllr Lomas said: “Nobody wants to see residents struggling with council tax, and we know the cost of living crisis continues to put real pressure on many household budgets.
“That’s why we welcome the proposals, giving people more time to get back on track and making sure support is available before debts escalate.
“Our focus is on helping people find a manageable way forward and making sure they’re aware of the support that may be available to them.”
A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said councils must be fair and proportionate when recovering owed tax.
The spokesperson said: “We’re clamping down on aggressive enforcement by giving people more time to settle their bill and making sure councils provide a suitable repayment plan when needed.”
