Despite improving their collection success rate for council tax and business rates, Bradford Council chiefs still found themselves short of nearly £12 million in the 12 months ending in March.

According to the Department for Communities and Local Govern-ment, the city coffers missed out on £9.63 million of uncollected council tax and a further £2.2 million in business rates.

The Council collected 93.3 per cent of council tax and 98.1 per cent of business rates in Bradford for 2007/8, an improvement on the previous year’s figures of 91.8 per cent and 98 per cent.

The figures include all money collected up to the end of March for that financial year.

Despite the amount of uncollected money, the Council’s performance is good news after it had been ranked the worst performing local authority in the country for improving its collection rates.

Bradford Council leader Kris Hopkins said: “What is important is that 93.3 per cent of people are paying the council tax.

“Of the people who have not, some may have valid reasons, but it is placing a burden on the others who do.

“We need to keep increasing the collection rates, giving people confidence that money is being spent in a way which delivers efficient and excellent service.

“To increase the collection rate by two per cent is good, but a 100 per cent rate would be better.”

Collection rates across the country have also improved slightly, even though the shortfall in total money collected has increased from £760m to £800m.

The national collection rate for domestic council tax went up from from 96.9 per cent to 97.1 per cent and from 98.7 per cent to 98.8 per cent for non-domestic.

Local Government Minister John Healey welcomed the eighth consecutive improvement in annual collection rates, and urged councils to keep chasing arrears.

He said: “It is only fair on other council tax payers that everyone pays what they owe.”