Reform UK councillor Philip Rose denies he owes thousands in unpaid council tax

Councillor Philip Rose, the leader of the Reform UK group on Derbyshire County Council, has denied allegations he owes almost £4,000 in council tax. When questioned about the allegations, Councillor Rose, who represents Alfreton and Somercotes, said he owed nothing to Amber Valley Borough Council.

It comes after the BBC reported Councillor Rose was facing a court summons for allegedly owing £3,732.72 for his home address in Riddings. But Councillor Rose told Derbyshire Live: "For the last four years I've had statements saying I owe nothing.

"I'm happy to pay if I owe this money. For some reason they got in contact with me saying I owe nearly £4,000. I'd like to see where they got this figure from.

"Send me a invoice and explain to me why I owe this money. The other thing with council tax of course it goes to a consolidated fund."

The alleged arrears go back to April 2021, the BBC reported, the year Cllr Rose was elected.

Cllr Rose said he would be in contact with Amber Valley Borough Council to follow up on this situation, claiming he has evidence stating he does not owe the outstanding bill. However, he refused to share the evidence with DerbyshireLive.

A spokesperson for Amber Valley Borough Council said: "‘We have treated this particular case like any other, and whilst we don’t offer comment on individual cases, we do have a duty to protect public monies.

"Additionally, if the resident is a councillor, where a Liability Order has been granted and no payment arrangement has been made to clear the debt, an attachment to the councillor’s allowances can be made."

Cllr Rose was first elected as a Conservative party councillor and later defected to Reform UK.