More than £300,000 of unpaid council tax was written off by Bradford Council last year, new figures have revealed.

But the Government statistics show that among West Yorkshire authorities, Bradford performs better than most, having given up on just £342,000 compared to the millions in neighbouring authorities.

Kirklees was the highest at £2,752,000, with Leeds next at £1,651,000, the Calderdale at £637,000. At the bottom of the regional table is Wakefield at £232,000.

Across the country the figure reached £130 million and includes some amounts outstanding from previous years.

The TaxPayers' Alliance described the national figures as "shocking".

"Councils spend a lot of money on tax collection, so it's unforgivable that they are still writing off so much in missed payments," a spokesman said.

"At a time when pensioners are being sent to jail for not being able to pay relatively small amounts, it is shocking that councils are happy to write off millions.

"Council tax is putting an unsustainable burden on ordinary families, and allowing this hole in the budget to continue adds to that burden."