BUSINESS rates arrears of about £400,000 for 2001/02 have been written off by Canterbury City Council.

Companies going into liquidation were responsible for about half the debt and a further £97,000 resulted from bankruptcy.

The council has also written off unpaid council tax bills of £48,000, three quarters of which is accounted for by people leaving the district without telling the council.

A council spokesman said the amounts were not alarming. "We collect £32 million in council tax on behalf of ourselves, the county council and the police, so this is a very small per centage of the money we collect."