Jackie Baillie has revealed that millions of pounds of council tax debt has been racked up across West Dunbartonshire and Argyll and Bute, warning that it could undermine the SNP’s cost of living support scheme.

New information obtained by Freedom of Information revealed that in 2020/21 alone more than £8million worth of Council Tax debt was referred to Sheriff Officers in West Dunbartonshire.

In Argyll and Bute, the figure was almost £5.3million.

This was made up of almost 15,000 cases in West Dunbartonshire and just under 6,000 in Argyll and Bute. It means the average household debt in West Dunbartonshire was over £540 and almost £890 in Argyll and Bute.

Only a fifth was recovered by the end of the year in West Dunbartonshire although 42 percent was recovered in Argyll and Bute.

This comes amid warnings that the SNP’s £150 Council Tax rebate may not reach those in debt if Councils pay it directly towards their arrears.

Scottish Labour criticised the SNP for letting such drastic debts rack up under the Council Tax system they pledged to scrap, and for failing to ensure that the Council Tax rebate would reach people’s pockets.

Commenting, Dumbarton constituency MSP Jackie Baillie said: “Fifteen years after the SNP promised to scrap the Council Tax, the broken, regressive system remains in place – and millions of pounds of debt is racked up every year as a result.

“This total failure in leadership is pushing people into unmanageable debt and stripping vital funding out of Councils. We have already seen the huge deficits faced by both West Dunbartonshire and Argyll and Bute Councils which could end up in local people losing out on vital services as they try and plug the budget gaps.

“These mammoth debts mean that the SNP’s botched cost of living support scheme may not even reach some of those who need it most.

“If these payments are made directly into accounts, those in debt will see the payment wiped out entirely, with the £150 barely making a dent in most people’s arrears.

“This is one of the consequences of the SNP’s decision to copy a Tory scheme that wasn’t fit for purpose, tinker round the edges and stick a saltire on it.

“It is not good enough – whether it’s on Council Tax or cost of living support, we need real ambition from the SNP to help those who need it most.”