MORE than a third of Glasgow’s councillors have been rapped for failing to pay council tax, new figures show.
Over the past two years, 27 councillors have been sent reminder notices advising that they had fallen behind with payments.
The figures, obtained by Freedom of Information laws, show that 10 councillors had to be reminded to pay their council tax in 2013-2014 and 11 failed to make payments the following year.
So far this year – in four months – six councillors out of 75 have been sent reminder notices by the local authority.
Eben Wilson, of the Tax-payer Scotland said: “This is an absolute disgrace.
“That the representatives of the people of Glasgow can spend tax payers’ money in huge quantities while failing to meet their own responsibilities is a travesty of justice.
“They have no grounds on which to stand if they are not paying up when everyone else is chased by their own officials, quite often ruthlessly.
“How can we respect their positions.”
Reminder notices are typically issued within a few days of missed payments and before the next instalment is due.
In the majority of cases they are sent when someone misses a payment, but they can also be issued if mistakes occur – for example if the wrong reference is used or if someone moves house and does not update their address. 
If someone fails to make a payment within seven days of the reminder being sent, the local authority issues a warrant and adds an extra 10 per cent on to the amount owed, before referring the case to debt collectors.
In December last year, the Evening Times revealed that a total of 15 of the city’s elected representatives were issued with reminder notices after missing payments on their bill issued for the 2010/11 period.
Data showed that more than £1200 was still owed by one city councillor for historic bills dating back three years. The councillor, whose identity has not been revealed, owes around £500 from 2011/12 and £750 from 2012/13.
Glasgow City Council said at the time that the money had been recouped.
The council said there were currently no councillors in council tax arrears.
A spokesman said: “Glasgow’s council tax collection rate is higher than it has ever been, thanks to reforms that have made it administratively easier to pay and a corporate debt policy that seeks to break the cycle of debt for households that regularly go into arrears. 
“People across the city rely on the services we provide and everyone must pay up for Glasgow.”
Figures show the city is owed more than £13million in council tax by residents struggling to make ends meet.