SEFTON Council is owed £25.8m in various debts, according to accountants Pricewaterhousecoopers. The firm brought this figure to light in its annual audit letter to the council, which was discussed at the council’s Audit and Governance committee. The committee report showed that the council is owed £12,995,000 in unpaid council tax. This is up £894,000 on the previous year. The letter from PwC states that One Vision Housing owes the council £8.5m in reclaimed VAT payments. However, the council is currently in a legal dispute with One Vision Housing, which claims that the council is liable for £6m of repair works which needed to be carried out on seven tower blocks in the borough. The two bodies are about to enter mediation on this issue. A council spokesman said: “We publish details of accounts on a yearly basis. “Because of the size of our organisation and the number of transactions we deal with, there is always going to be an amount of money owed to the council at any given time. “The figure of £25m is a combination of very recent and older money owed to the council and has remained at a similar level for several years. “This figure is not unusual and only a proportion of it is likely to remain uncollected. “For example, we pay for adult social care packages in advance. The money owed accumulates year on year and will not be recovered until the individual, or their family, is in a position to pay. “We try our best to recover all monies owed through all means possible. “This includes promoting payment by direct debit, obtaining liability orders, home visits, the use of bailiffs and in appropriate cases, bankruptcy proceedings against non payers.” Cllr Paula Parry, Cabinet member for Corporate Services, said: “One of the difficulties we face is some people who run businesses such as pubs disappear owing us rates.” Cllr Simon Shaw, a member of the Audit and Governance Committee, said: “There’s a fine line for councils to follow between being over aggressive in collecting outstanding council debts and being too lax. “Overall I think that Sefton follows the right line.” A One Vision Housing spokesman said: “Talks are ongoing with Sefton Council and it’s hoped the matter will be resolved soon. “We cannot comment any further as it is still a legal issue.” | 
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