Barry Elliott, a Reform councillor in Northumberland has clashed with the county’s top lawyer about council tax arrears and other money he owes to the council he sits on. Eliott’s property company is also said to owe customers a total of £140 000.
Reform councillor owes thousands in council tax to his own council
It was reported on 16 January that a county councillor in Northumberland who owes tens of thousands of pounds to the local authority he is actually a member of, had clashed publicly with the council’s top lawyer.
It was noted that during a meeting in the second week of January, Northumberland County Council monitoring officer Stephen Gerrard had been involved in an argument with Reform UK councillor Barry Elliott over the former’s arrears at a public meeting this week.
It was further noted that this comes after Coun Elliott was told to pay almost £40,000 worth of debts to the county council following a court appearance in November”.
The dispute concerns council tax arrears to Northumberland County Council dating between 2020 and 2025 and business rates. Councillor Elliott is said to have insisted that some of the council’s figures were “totally wrong”.
It was also reported that the £40 000 debt was made up of £28,539 of the debts relating to business rates, with the remainder made up of unpaid council tax amounting to about £10,000 being unpaid council tax. Councillors are prevented from voting on matters around council tax if they have council tax arrears unpaid for two months or more, under the Local Government Finance Act.
The full council meeting on 14 January saw a “debate on the council’s new council tax support scheme and the setting of the council tax base for the coming year, sparking the latest clash between Cllr Elliott and County Hall officials”.
Council chairman Cllr John Beynon reminded councillors at the beginning of the meeting that Northumberland County Council monitoring officer Stephen Gerrard had “sent an email to all councillors reminding them that if they were in arrears, they would need to declare an interest at that point and that they would not be allowed to vote on the support scheme or the council tax base”.
When the meeting came to council tax matters, Councillor Elliot said: “I believe a matter has arisen at this point of the meeting and I would like to get some clarity. The chair pointed out the monitoring officer sent an email around to all councillors – I question the timing of such.
“The council know that despite me personally never not paying my council tax, despite me as a councillor never not paying my council tax, never being two months in arrears in paying council tax, I have been in a dispute with the council in my business.
“I am a property developer with businesses. The point I am trying to make is I am questioning why the monitoring officer brought this to this meeting.”
At this point, Mr Gerrard interrupted and said: “Cllr Elliott, I have to say the legal position is quite clear. You are in substantial arrears of council tax.
“You have liability orders against you of a substantial sum. If you speak and do not declare that fact, you commit an offence – if you vote, you commit an offence, and if you vote your vote will be disregarded.
“You are, in law, in substantial arrears. You can argue to the contrary, but that is the position in law. You are in substantial arrears. That point has been made to you in writing on so many occasions.”
Elliott ordered to pay debts to council last November
It was in November last year that it came to light that Councillor Elliott had been ordered to pay almost £40,000 worth of debts to Northumberland County Council of which he is a member.
It was reported that Elliott had appeared in court in relation to council tax arrears to Northumberland County Council and issues around business rates, dating back to 2020.
It was also noted that “Mr Elliott, a property developer who was elected in the Newsham ward in Blyth earlier this year, had applied to Newcastle’s Civil & Family Courts to have a statutory demand served against him by the council set aside”.
Elliott was said to have told the hearing that he was not seeking to escape paying any taxes that were due, but alleged some of the organisation’s figures were “totally wrong”.
In the court hearing, Elliott’s appeal was dismissed, as a judge ruled that the total liabilities of £38,499.59 “are payable and they ought to be paid”.
Elliott’s property firms owe customers £140,000
It was further reported last November that building companies owned and run by Reform UK councillor and property developer Barry Elliott had been “ordered to pay tens of thousands of pounds to three customers, and his own council is taking him to court over what it claims is an unpaid debt”.
The problem was exemplified by Katie and Peter McCombe who had dreamt of living near their grandchildren to “spoil them” and take them on holiday, but say this is something they can no longer do, after their dealings with Elliott.
They were reported to have said that they had paid Mr Elliott “all their spare money and he had ‘ruined that part of our lives’”.
The McCombes, a couple in their 70s from Yorkshire, who had wanted to move north to be near their family, gave Elliott £16,738 to reserve a bungalow and pay for extras in September 2023. However, as the completion date neared, so progress seemed to falter and they asked for their money back.
Elliott then pledged to solve the problems and suggested that they rent the property and being desperate , as they had sold the family home in Yorkshire, the MvCombes paid £20 000 in rent up front.
However, when they came to view the bungalow, believing it was almost ready, Mr McCombe has said that his legs went “from under him”. The property had “no sink in either the kitchen or the bathroom and only one radiator.”
It was then reported that “the McCombes claim Mr Elliott then asked for £120,000 to finish the bungalow, which was the “final straw”. They pulled out of the purchase. This was prior to Mr Elliott becoming a councillor, though the couple say they are still owed money”.
The BBC stated that they have approached Mr Elliott on a number of occasions, but he has refused to answer their questions.
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