A DEBT advice expert has said it is becoming harder for people to keep up with council tax because of rising rent and utility bills.

The Gazette has revealed the number of people being taken to court by Colchester Council for failing to pay their tax rose from 3,729 in 2022-23 to 4,915 in 2023-24.

Martin Lord, the director of Citizens Advice Essex, said the number of people the organisation is helping is rising.

He said: “Hopefully what the council would recognise is that this is not happening in isolation – it’s because people are in financial difficulty.

“If utility rent and mortgage arrears are on the increase, it is all part of a bigger picture that people are in financial distress.

“So much advice we give is about not making their debt as harmful as it would otherwise have been.

“We have encountered significant increases in demand for debt advice.

“Holistic debt advice is an accredited professional service that requires resources – it’s not a bit of budgeting here and there.

“From a Citizens Advice perspective, debt advice is under resourced, especially in Colchester.

“But the sooner you get help the easier it becomes to find a solution.”