Bailiffs are being employed by Oxford City Council in a bid to get council tax dodgers to pay up.

Finance managers at the town hall said the use of external bailiffs was helping the authority to recover unpaid bills.

An Audit Commission report out yesterday criticised the council's collection service, which was owed £6.3m last March. But the council has responded by outlining the improvement measures that have been taken to ensure outstanding payments are collected.

In the present financial year, the outstanding council tax debt was £1.6m but the use of bailiffs reduced the amount by £200,000.

This £1.4m debt will now have to be paid by people who already pay their taxes. The council is planning a four per cent increase in council tax from April.

In the financial year, before bailiffs were introduced, only £106,000 of outstanding debts were recovered.

Peter Wylie, regional director for the Audit Commission's southern region best value inspection service, said: "It is particularly worrying that the service's low collection rates mean increased borrowing, which has to be paid for by local taxpayers.

"While the council considers that there are local factors which contribute to the low amount of council tax collected, for example, the large student population, the people of Oxford have a right to expect a better service than this from their council.

"The council is developing a more structured system of performance management. As this is at an early stage, we think that the prospects for improvement are uncertain."

City council strategic director, Peter Argent, said: "There has been a culture, going back to the poll tax, of some Oxford people thinking they can avoid paying council tax and get away with it.

"It is unfair on those who do pay council tax, and the council is determined to change this."