Bedford council set to write off £385k in irrecoverable debt

The debts are considered to be irrecoverable because the debtors are “insolvent and have no realisable assets”, dissolved companies or have died.

The executive order signed by mayor Tom Wootton on March 27 states the council “seeks to collect all balances that have not been paid by the due date, using all available methods of recovery”.

The ten debts proposed for write off relate to eight companies and two individuals, and are split between non domestic rates (£215,740.72) and sundry debts (£170,051.60) – which totals £385,792.32.

A Bedford Borough Council spokesperson said: “This is common practice among organisations, including local authorities, when debts are considered to be irrecoverable.

“In each of these instances, the debts are considered to be irrecoverable because the debtors are either insolvent and have no realisable assets, dissolved companies, or have died.”

The date this decision can be implemented (if it is not called in) is April 7, 2025.