THE council failed to collect £1.7m of expected council tax in 2008-09.

Epping Forest District Council only collected 97.6 per cent of its estimated tax take - the third poorest performance in the whole of Essex.

The figure means the district's collection rate has plummeted by £500,000 since 2007-08.

And although the authority insists it hopes to recoup some of the money, the news is likely to anger residents concerned about any shortfall – which will be paid for by the taxpayer.

Albert Drew, 81, of the Broadway, who was pursued through the courts by the council to pay £3,000 for what he considers to be poor repair works to his flat, was angered by the news.

He said: “These people are not fit to hold public office.” The £1.7m shortfall would be enough to fund the new Waltham Abbey sports centre, due to open in Roundhills in 2011.

The only Essex districts to collect less tax were Harlow and Basildon.

But Epping's collection amount was higher than the majority of London boroughs and is above the national average of 97 per cent.

Nearby Redbridge only collected 95.6 per cent of its expected tax and Waltham Forest fared even worse, collecting just 94.2 per cent.

In a political move, the GMB union this week criticised Conservative-run councils for not doing enough to collect council tax, after it emerged Westminster and Southwark, both run by Tories, had between them failed to collect more than £10m of tax.

An Epping Forest Council spokesman said: “The council changed to a new council tax IT system last January.

“This temporarily disrupted collection for a period in the fourth quarter of 2008/09.

“As the only Essex authority to change its council tax system last year, this would have affected our relative position for collecting the debt by 31 March.

“Recovery procedures have taken place with regard to the debt outstanding and the vast majority has already been collected or will be collected using standard procedures.”