More than £20m of council tax outstanding in Argyll and Bute

Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show that the total outstanding to the local authority in tax has now gone through the £20m barrier since council tax was introduced in 1993.

The total is now £20,795,233 as of the end of the 2017/18 financial year on March 31, having been £19,798,674 at the end of 2016/17 and £18,992,810 at the end of 2015/16.

It is unknown how much of each total applies to Helensburgh and Lomond, as Argyll and Bute Council does not keep a breakdown by ward.

A spokesman for the council stated that over £2m remained unpaid in isolation from April 1 2017 to March 31 2018.

He said: "The current figure for uncollected council tax for 2017/18 is £2,041,394 which amounts to 2.19 per cent of the Scottish total for that year.

"Since 1993, we have collected an average of 97.66 per cent of council tax, helping to pay for vital services across Argyll and Bute."

A Scottish Government publication at the end of June revealed that a total of just over £93m in council tax remains uncollected in Scotland for the 2017/18 financial year, across all local authorities.

The figure is a dramatic increase on the figure of £77m for 2016/17.

The same publication notes that Argyll and Bute has a total council tax collection rate of 95.8 per cent for 2017/18.

A handful of local authorities have a lower collection rate, including neighbouring West Dunbartonshire at 95.4 per cent.

Meanwhile, the council has written off less than £500 of council tax over the last financial year - and warned that there is nowhere to hide for anybody who has not paid their dues.

The total write-off figure since 1993 has fallen from £362.964 at the end of 2016/17 to £230,009 at the end of 2017/18.

The spokesman added: "Only £416.30 was written off for the 2017/18 council tax year and we will continue to pursue collection of arrears using all appropriate means."