GLASGOW council tax payers have been refunded £1million - after finance chiefs discovered they'd been overcharged for years.

Almost 1000 householders have received refunds averaging £1000.

As well as stumping up for the hefty bill, council chiefs have also been forced to reband almost 1900 homes in the city following appeals from householders.

Today politicians expressed concern that services may be hit to pay for the blunder and warned thousands of others could also be overpaying.

The figures, obtained by the Evening Times under Freedom of Information legislation, show 942 households across the city have been given refunds since April.

A further 929 homes were rebanded, though no refunds were necessary because the householder's council tax bill was paid for them or they had just moved into the property.

The vast majority involved homes rebanded from Band C to the cheaper Band B - a saving of £134-a-year on current council tax bills.

However, properties in seven of the eight bands - B to H - were also discovered to be paying too much.

The figures also revealed that since the tax was introduced in 1993 more than 10,000 of Glasgow's 300,000 homes have had their bands reduced.

A further 9000 people made appeals - but were rejected.

Last month, the Evening Times told how hundreds of residents of cottage-style flats in Croftfoot, on the South Side, had been overcharged for 14 years.

Following a successful campaign, backed by the community council, their homes were moved from Band C to Band D.

And in April, 100 residents in Milton discovered they were also wrongly paying Band C rates.

The council said at the time the Milton overcharging was isolated - but today's figures show the scale of the overcharging across the city.

Glasgow SNP MSP Sandra White said she feared the refunds would impact on services and called for changes to the system.

She said: "This is only the tip of the iceberg.

"Glasgow City Council is already cash-strapped and having to pay out £1million will surely be a big blow, especially if there are other claims to come.

"Those householders paying too much council tax deserve their refunds right away.

"But lessons must be learned. The banding of homes in Glasgow is totally outdated."

And she called for the council tax to be scrapped.

Ms White said: "Council tax is an unfair system - we need to move to a local income tax as soon as possible.

"Not only is it a fairer system, it would put a stop to mistakes like this from happening in the first place."

The Scottish Government aims to freeze council tax as the first step towards replacing it with a local income tax.

Tory MSP Bill Aitken said council officials should do more to ensure all householders were paying the right amount. He said: "I find it extraordinary there has been incorrect banding in such a high number of cases.

"And I now wonder how many other other householders in Glasgow are also paying over the odds.

"Glasgow City Council's problems usually surround people underpaying or refusing to pay their council tax, so this is a unique situation."

MR AITKEN added: "An error of this magnitude is simply not acceptable. Procedures should be tightened up right away."

A city council spokeswoman denied local services would be hit.

She added: "The refunding of council tax payments is paid for using existing financial resources.

"The repayment figure represents less than 0.1% of the council's annual budget and will have no impact whatsoever on the delivery of its services." ...and the ones still fighting

THESE Glasgow householders are embroiled in a furious row with the city council over council tax payments.

As the Evening Times reported last month, people in the four-in-a-block cottage flats in Croftfoot have been moved from Band C into Band B after being overcharged for nearly a decade and a half.

But while they wait for three-figure refunds, those in neighbouring King's Park are being told they will get nothing despite living in homes of identical size.

City assessors ruled the King's Park flats belong in the higher Band C as the area is more affluent and the homes are worth more.

But people are challenging their decision and a probe has been launched by community councillors with a public meeting arranged.

Mardie Miller, 83, has lived in her Kingsbridge Drive flat for almost 20 years. Having had her appeal for a band change rejected, she said: "I pay £105 a month with the single person's discount but a Croftfoot friend pays just £72 and is being reimbursed.

"Why are we not entitled to the same?"

Glasgow's housing stock was valued in 1993. Last month council chiefs admitted they made a mistake with these Western Heritable homes. They were all in Band C until recently.

Joe and Rita Barclay, of Kingsbridge Drive, have also lodged an appeal. They pay £140 per month double that of some Croftfoot householders.

Mr Barclay, 80, said: "I called the city assessors and they told me our banding would not be changed."

Eddie McCaffray, 61, of King's Park, said the council "is trying to avoid a huge compensation bill".