A CRACKDOWN on people who don't pay their council tax and business rates has collected an extra £1million.

The private company in charge of collecting the money for Blackburn with Darwen Council today revealed they believed at least £600,000 of the extra £901,000 brought in would have been written off in the past.

And the councillor in charge of finance at Blackburn with Darwen Council today warned: "The war isn't over."

Last year, government figures revealed the authority's council tax collection rates were among the worst in the county and worse than all other unitary authorities in the country. Nearly seven per cent of all council tax had remained uncollected, £1.9million, by the end of the 2000/2001 financial year, March 31 2001.

By March 31 2002, 94 per cent of the 2001/2002 financial year's £28.782million council tax demand had been collected -- about an extra £300,000.

Council officials have also revealed the amount of business rates collected, which goes to the Government, has risen from 95.1per cent to 97 per cent, which works out at an extra £605,000.

Capita, the private firm which now carries out many of the council's administrative services, is responsible for collecting debt owed to the council. It believes it has collected an extra £600,000 of the sort of debt which would previously have been written off.

The council prompted protests 18 months ago when it wrote-off £1million in unpaid debt stretching back to 1998.

Today, Terry Boynes, in charge of Capita's Blackburn business centre, said: "Collection rates have improved and we think we also collected in £600,000 of debt which wouldn't have been paid at all in the past.

"It is a mixture of old council tax, business rates and some overpaid benefits as well.

"This is possible because Capita owns the country's largest debt collectors and also because we can move our staff around more easily to concentrate on specific problems, such as maybe non-payment of council tax.

"To us, it is proof that the private sector can play a role in improving public services."

As well as using Capita, the council has deployed private detectives to find people who aren't paying council tax or owe the council money.

They also offer help through their advice service for people struggling to pay tax.

Coun John Milburn, the new executive member for resources which includes council tax, said: "This is an improvement but we are not complacent about this. It is in everybody's interests that we carry on pushing for money from people because we need it to run this council.

"We have installed new computer systems and will continue to integrate the whole council's database of information so that people's details can be passed between departments, making it easier to find people evading paying tax."

But Coun Colin Rigby, leader of the Conservatives, said: "While I welcome the improvement, perhaps the fact that our council tax is so high is a reason why the collection figures still are not very good.

"The council needs to be more prudent and realise that many people just cannot afford the high rates put on them."