COUNCIL chiefs have defended Trafford's council tax collection rate.

Figures released by the charity Debtline claimed there was £11.7m in unpaid council tax in the borough but a spokesman for the local authority said the figure was less than £10m.

The spokesman said the remainder of the figure was made up of recovery costs - with some of the debt dating back to 1996.

During this period, the amount Trafford collected was about £1.5bn.

Town hall finance bosses also pointed out that the borough's collection rate of 97.84 per cent for 2014/15 was the best in Greater Manchester, collecting £96m.

The spokesman said: "In spite of this outstanding level of collection, the council does not rest on its laurels and strives to achieve over 99 per cent overall collection rate. To achieve this it ensures debt is only written off when all recovery methods have been exhausted."

Residents facing difficulties paying their council tax bill are encouraged to contact the council on 0161 912 2000.

Council chiefs said the latest available figures show that for the financial year 2015/2016 the local authority is again is on target to achieve this level of in-year collection while continuing to recover the council tax due from previous years.