Almost one in five council tax payers in Stevenage did not register a payment last month, it has emerged.

The first council tax payment of 2020/21 should have been collected from residents in April, but at a meeting of the cabinet last Wednesday it was reported that 18 per cent of council tax payers in the borough had not made the payment.

With council tax accounting for almost two-thirds of the council’s annual £9 million budget, the shortfall has had a “significant” impact on council cash flow, as the possibility of a Section 114 notice looms.

It is believed that some payments may have been missed because residents are waiting for the government’s ‘hardship fund’ to be applied to their accounts.

Following the meeting, leader of the council Cllr Sharon Taylor said: “We have urged anyone who has a problem paying their council tax to contact us as quickly as possible so that we can make flexible arrangements, suited to their own circumstances.”