One of the Councillors Who Received Council Tax Summons Will Clear the Debt By The End Of Year

Following the news last week that Three Westmorland and Furness councillors have received summons for not paying their council tax with three councillors collectively owing the council thousands of pounds in unpaid council tax.

Following the disclosure that three councillors had received summons over failure to pay council tax to Westmorland and Furness Council a spokesperson for the council said: “We have the same due diligence and process for raising reminders and following up on council tax arrears for all council tax payers, and that includes any council tax payer who also happens to be an elected member.”

The council had disclosed the name of one of the three as councillor Timothy Bloomer (Grange and Cartmel, Liberal Democrats), who was elected in October 2024. Cllr Bloomer’s decoration also lists him as a director of a business that had a hospitality business in Penrith town centre.

Cllr Bloomer was late to pay council tax during the 2023/24 financial year and was late to pay Council Tax in the 2024/25 financial year and at the end of March 2024 an amount of £2232.02 was outstanding with a summons issued.

Cllr Bloomer said: “It’s because of an error on my part around misunderstanding of when council tax is due with respect to property renovation and there is a repayment plan in place with the council.”

Cllr Bloomer told the local democracy reporting service his balance will be clear by the end of the calendar year.

Westmorland and Furness Council voted on the 27th February to increase the council tax for 2025/26 by the maximum 4.99% for households across Westmorland and Furness.

Cllr Bloomer said “I didn’t vote in the budget council as a consequence of it”.

Cllr Bloomer has since election according to Westmorland and Furness Council, not attend any full council meetings having been expected at three since election and has only attended one South Lakes Locality Board meeting on the 29th of January this year.

Had Cllr Bloomer not attended the one south Lakeland locality board meeting by the time of the next meeting of full council or the south Lakeland locality board he would have been subject to the six month rule for councillor attendance at meetings that would have resulted in him failing to be a councillor.

Like all elected councillors on Westmorland and Furness Council since election in October 2024 Cllr Bloomer has been entitled to the basic councillor allowance currently £13,500 per year plus expenses as an elected member of Westmorland and Furness Council.

Westmorland and Furness Council have not confirmed if either of the two other councillors had attended or voted on the council tax and budget at either this years meeting on the 27th February or 2024/25 council tax setting last February.