Devon councillors ordered to pay council tax

Five Devon councils have taken legal action against their councillors for not paying council tax, nine times over the last four years.

Mid Devon, North Devon, West Devon district councils, Torridge council and Plymouth City Council have had to take action against their own members.

Councils also sent 76 first-reminders to councillors to prompt payment between 2009 and 2013.

The information was disclosed as part of a Freedom of Information request to several local authorities.

Exeter City Council and Torbay Council refused to disclose the information as it would affect the private and public lives of its councillors.

None of the councils asked would name the councillors who legal action was taken against saying that it would be against data protection laws.

East Devon District Council said no councillors had received a reminder or a court summons between 2009 and 2013.

Matthew Sinclair, Chief Executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance said: "A Councillor who fails to pay their Council Tax on time can’t claim to be a credible representative of residents who do pay their Council Tax.

“Local politicians should set an example and pay on time, not create further costs to taxpayers from the resulting legal action. It’s not surprising that some struggle though given a decade of Council Tax rises have added to the burden faced by every family."