Manchester City Council is owed £37.5m in unpaid council tax, the authority has revealed. Despite collecting almost 90% of its total bills last year, Manchester has been forced to issue 70,000 summonses to recover debts. A sizable chunk of debt has been outstanding for more than 12 months. Cllr Bernard Priest said the city faced particular problems collecting debts, including the transient nature of its population. Sandwell MBC has recorded the best figures for council tax collection. Between 2007/8, the council collected 98% of council tax owed by its residents. The council is also putting in place measures to pursue those residents who fail to pay their council tax bills.