iStockEast Lothian Council has written off more than £250,000 in debt over the last financial year with most of it unpaid council tax.
A report into bad debts under £50,000 which have been written off revealed more than £171,000 of it was in council tax bills.
The report revealed more than 100 council tax accounts had been included in the total as well as more than £30,000 in housing benefit which had been overpaid.
The written off debts also included more than £19,000 in unpaid council house rent and a further £20,000 in owed business rates.
More than £16,000 was written off under sundries according to the annual accounts.
A report to councillors records “individual debts, each under £50,000 in value which, for a variety of reasons, could not be collected and have been written off by the council.”
It said: “A regular assessment of the outstanding debt is made and a list of debt that is not considered collectable is prepared.”
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