A disabled woman who pays her council tax into her bank is frustrated that payments have “gone missing” again.
Rosemary Johnson, who is partially sighted, was shocked to receive a letter from Brighton and Hove City Council saying that she had not paid her bill.
But Miss Johnson pays her council tax by cheque directly into the bank and said that previous payments had also been “lost”.
Fortunately, she kept all the receipts as well as all her cheque book stubs.
Miss Johnson had thought that the problem was resolved after making several complaints to the council and receiving an official apology.
On previous occasions, she received three court summonses even though she had made the relevant payments.
Miss Johnson said: “This is either gross incompetence on the part of the council or, possibly, it is a deliberate campaign of harassment against a disabled resident for being unable to pay online.
“The council are always so rude about this – trying to blame me for their mistakes. It has always been their fault – or as I was once told ‘a misunderstanding between us and our bankers’.
“But all too often, all I get is missives from some council minion trying to tell me it is my fault for not paying online or by direct debit.
“Well, if that is the standard of competence and honesty the council show when I pay them, I am certainly not going to authorise them to reach into my bank account and help themselves from it – which is what a direct debit is.”
Miss Johnson is concerned that other residents may also be suffering the same treatment and, under threat, are paying the same instalments again.
She added: “In this time of ‘cost of living crisis’, no one should be having to pay council tax twice over because of the council’s errors.”
The council said: “We would not comment in detail on an individual’s specific circumstances but if a payment for council tax is not received on time, we are legally obliged to issue a reminder notice to that customer.
“If payments are received by the council after the date they are due – which seems to have happened in this instance – the likelihood is a letter will have already been sent to the resident.
“Two such reminder letters can be issued to a resident within a single council tax year and, as long as payments are brought up to date, no further action will be taken.
“Our team will contact the resident concerned directly to discuss what has happened and what, if anything, further is needed to resolve this issue.”
Paying your council tax by direct debit, as we do, does not mean that this totally incompetent council delivers the services that you’ve paid for. Too busy installing cycle-lanes and approving student housing blocks to worry about the council tax paying residents.
Council Tax provides only 19% of BHCC income. Most cycle lanes are paid for from the central government’s Active Travel budget, not from Council Tax payers. The Council has little choice over agreeing to planning requests, if the application meets all planning requirements.
Council Tax provides only 19% of BHCC income.
Irrelevant.
Most cycle lanes are paid for from the central government’s Active Travel budget, not from Council Tax payers.
Hmm, Several points to make on this one. You are aware that any money provided by Central Government is in fact Tax payers money. Active Travel means all modes of transport, unfortunately BHCC have only spent on cycle lanes and not on public transport that would benefit the majority of people not the few.
Councils all across the country are facing financial strains and need more funding for services. Don’t you think it would be better to provide councils with proper funding than ring fencing funds for vanity projects that are not wanted or poorly designed.
The Council has little choice over agreeing to planning requests, if the application meets all planning requirements.
How many times have we read that projects are to include affordable housing but later it is discovered the company concerned haven’t provided them because of A B C.
Sounds like somebody at the council is not doing their job properly. Perhaps it is difficult WFH ?
Had the same problem – we left about 10 messages on vmail for a particular moron in the Transport dept. They aid they didn’t pick them up and actually admitted they were shirking from home.
Bhcc is not fit for purpose
So it’s a bit of a non-issue if she has proof of payment as detailed in the article, and this is simply a lag caused by using cheques?