FOI Request - Outstanding Council Debt

Request 101004027259

I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 regarding outstanding debt owed to the council, and the costs and outcomes associated with its recovery.

I am seeking to build a clearer picture of how much debt local authorities are owed, how much is successfully recovered, and how this compares to spending on debt collection.

I would be grateful if you could provide the following information:

1. Total outstanding debt

a) Please provide the total outstanding debt recorded by the council, broken down by debt category where this information is held for:

(i) Each of the last 5 completed financial years (e.g., 2021/22, 2022/23, 2023/24, 2024/25, and 2025/26),
(ii)As well as the most recent year-to-date data available for the current period.

b) A breakdown of this debt by category, including:

(i) Council tax arrears
(ii) Housing rent arrears
(iii) Benefit overpayments
(iv) Parking fine or penalty charge notices
(v) Any other debt categories

2. Council tax arrears

a) The total amount of council tax arrears recovered in each year

3. Debt recovery and enforcement costs

a) The total annual cost of debt collection and enforcement activity, including where available:

(i) Payments to sheriff officers or external enforcement agents
(ii) Legal costs associated with debt recovery
(iii) Internal staffing and operational costs associated with debt collection activity, where recorded.
iv) All other related costs

4. Debt advice and support

a) The total annual spending on debt advice or financial support services, including:

(i) In-house provision
(ii) External organisations funded or commissioned by the council

5. Analysis and Evaluation

a) Please provide copies of any existing internal reports, reviews, assessments, or analysis relating to:

(i) The cost of debt collection activities with the amount recovered
(ii) The effectiveness of the debt advice or prevention measures