THE AMOUNT of unpaid council tax for Teignbridge residents has jumped up from last year by an additional £200,000 bringing the total up to £3.5 million, since its introduction in 1993.

The six-digit figure has been revealed by the Department for Communities and Local Government.

The revelation has led to a national debt charity warning many residents that they are not receiving the free advice they need to deal with council tax and other debts.

The figure represents the total amount of unpaid bills as of March 31 this year.

National Debtline, the free advice service run by the Money Advice Trust, said the fact that so much council tax debt is still outstanding is a further sign that more residents would benefit from help in tackling their financial problems.

The warning comes as residents are paying more council tax than in previous years.

In April, council tax bills for residents in the area rose by 1.95 per cent.

The charity receives around 70 calls each year from residents in Teignbridge seeking advice on how to resolve their debt problems, and expects that number to increase.

Joanna Elson OBE, chief executive of the Money Advice Trust which runs National Debtline, said: ‘The level of unpaid council tax in Teignbridge remains a concern.

‘We urge all councils to do everything they can to ensure that residents in difficulty are signposted to free advice that will help them get back on track.’

Cllr Stuart Barker, Teignbridge’s executive spokesman for corporate services, said: ‘We are always mindful of people’s circumstances and will work with anybody to achieve a realistic outcome.

‘Where people have the means to pay but choose not to then we have a range of recovery options available to us that we will use robustly.’

Anyone in and around Teignbridge who is finding it hard to make their council tax payments should contact National Debtline or a local agency such as Citizens Advice.

National Debtline offers free, independent and confidential advice 24 hours a day at www.nationaldebtline.org and on 0808 808 4000, Monday to Friday 9am to 8pm and Saturday 9.30am to 1pm.